Smooth, quiet and a pleasure to drive
Had to replace the front struts and brake pads when I bought it. Otherwise it's in perfect mechanical condition with full dealer service history.
The car is 22 years old and in amazing condition. The body is straight, the paint is excellent and the interior is fantastic.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th September, 2012
Easy and secure motoring
Had an intermittent cut out at low revs (ie when cornering!) that seems to have been resolved with a new fuel pump. Only repaired last week, so not definitive.
Update 2008: It was the over voltage protection relay causing the cut outs. Dealer fixed in a few hours, cost $400 though. Have found another garage now. The dealer managed to spoil the paint, and someone stole ALL the floor mats when they had it too (they swapped them for some thinner tatty ones!); they refused to accept that it had even happened. Nice. They half fixed the paint problem. Avoid.
What can I say after driving Datsun 120Y's around for the last 10 years? I suppose that's to be expected when the Merc's new front discs and pads cost more than a 120Y.
Comfort and handling are excellent. Nice quiet smooth ride that gets around 10L per 100kms.
Has MBtex upholstery, which still looks very good at 17 years old. Don't like the glossy wood laminate in the console, but otherwise the interior feels good to be in.
The well placed quality speakers are a joy too.
Feel (and apparently well founded) a sense of security when driving.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 15th December, 2007
I'll own this for life, it's that good
Wheel alignment went out.
Becker radio only worked on LHS.
Top neck snapped on radiator.
LHS front door lock wire came off mounting.
This has been the best car I've owned, end of story. This car was $150,000 new in 1990 and now still feels like a $150,000 car. It was the top of the line 300e with the 24 valve head putting out 230hp with all the options. Sunroof, colour coded bumpers, wood trim, leather and the list goes on.
I bought it from an accountant's wife who had only clocked up 92,000km, so the car was basically like a four year old Benz. Leather and carpets were as new, no seat sag, no dash cracks... nothing falling off.
It really is amazing vehicle, the last of the "over engineered" Benzes. And the over-engineering shows. The panel fit is still perfect, paint is like new and nothing rattles on the inside. Electrics still work, no problem. Even the rubber looks like new.
The 3.0 litre 24 valve motor pulls hard to the 7,000rpm limit, peak power really being discernible after about 4000rpm. The only problem I've had (which I was expecting) was when the radiator top neck which snapped off.
The suspension is smooth as a magic carpet ride (even at high speed after all these cars were designed for autobahns) and the handling and steering taut all these 17 years later. A friend with a three year old top of the line Holden says it feels better than his car.
Having said that there are things which date the car. Yes, it has ABS, but no it doesn't have airbags. It's lacking a CD player however thanks to wireless MP3 players, I just route this through the FM radio. I had to get the Becker repaired and it still sounds gorgeous.
The four speed starts in second gear and can be a little clunky if one accelerates hard. However the second gear start-off can be over-ridden by fitting an S class module for more spirited starts off the line.
Every day, I really look forward to driving this car. Do yourself a favour, forget the diesels and 260s or (god forbid) the 230's and seek one of these out which has been serviced regularly.
I'll probably own this car for life. It's that good.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th April, 2007
I bought the '91 version of this car in 2005. It had run 282000km and evn though it was 14 years old, it worked and felt like a brand new car. I had to sell it just over 4 months ago as I was leaving the country I had it in and at 313000km it still felt new. I've also yet to see a car with a tougher body.
Simply the best
Automatic transmission brake band broke.
Ignition lock broke.
The best car I've ever driven.
Very comfortable, especially the seats.
Very little noise.
However I find the motor a bit gutless, but very impressive for a 2.3 liter still.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th June, 2001
Hi I'm from poland and I have also 230E and it's really best mercedes from 1990!!!
It's really silent and comfortable.
Greet.
Just bought a Japanese model year 1991, Mercedes 230E (A). Impressive and powerful, gentle yet firm.
Had a problem of slight swaying after changing 4 new absorbers and fitted 16 inch rim, 55x60x205 tyres. Is this a problem? Changed the steering damper and still swaying slightly, why?
Performance is great.
Can anybody help with a surging problem when driving with the cruise control on? At any speed, with cruise on, it surges. Yet with cruise off there is no surge whatsoever.
Any ideas on how to fix greatly appreciated. Please email below:
Yasbenjamin@hotmail.com.
Simply the Best. The best car Benz ever made.
HI, I'm Vincent from Malaysia, I just recently bought a Mercedes W124. Need to know if the interior came with wooden strip/ lining & panel, what is the year of manufacture? When did Mercedes start to use wooden strip/ lining & panel for it interior design.
Can somebody tell me??
21st Mar 2013, 22:14
A friend bought a W124 2.3 petrol saloon. It was in excellent condition, but under the bonnet it looked antique. Mechanical contact breaker and a single barrel down-draught carburettor. I fitted a tow-bar for him, but it turned out that the car was no good for towing a small two-berth caravan, as it struggled. A 1.6 litre diesel van was a much better tow-car. Just why this was is a mystery, as a 2.3 litre Vauxhall Victor (petrol) that I used to run was a real fireball. The W124 problem was never looked at, as the car was re-sold, but the following are possibilities:
(1) 5 star 105 octane fuel needed?
(2) Carbon-string HT leads worn out?
(3) Plug gaps too wide?
(4) Distributor advance-retard mechanism seized?
(5) Faulty contact breaker condenser (now called "capacitor").
I have personally experienced all these faults, and 2, 3, 4 and 5 can all turn a good car into a slug.
Cars which have been "nursed" by never having been driven above 40 mph for a great many years, can also become slugs as the engines can become clogged with carbon. This happened to a colleague in the 1960s when his Standard 8 suffered from a piston seizure. The big end cap pulled away and severe engine damage occurred. In this case, nobody had ever seen the car go over 40 mph since it was bought new. When the engine was stripped-down, it was found to be choked with carbon.
Possibly the W124 was sold by the previous owners because the engine was down on power. Long experience shows that people very rarely sell a good car unless they are emigrating.