Faults:

Power antenna stopped working twice, not going all the way down.

Light bulbs fail remarkably often.

Key cylinder was blocked at 160 000 kilometers. As result, both key cylinder and steering column lock had to be replaced.

Aside from these trivia, no problems have occurred.

General Comments:

The gearbox does not work smoothly at all. Better go for an automatic.

The car offers very poor visibility to the rear, especially when compared to its predecessor. This makes parking an extremely unpleasant adventure.

Generally I am very pleased with the car as it is very spacious and comfortable and of almost legendary reliability.

The performance of the engine isn't really exciting, but absolutely sufficient considering the heaviness of the car. Gas mileage is very pleasing, too.

The car was (and still is!) expensive to purchase, it also did not come with a lot of standard equipment.

But maintenance costs are generally low as this model was a bestseller among taxi drivers around the world. Due to this fact, spare parts are affordable and easy to get everywhere. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz even officially sells second hand parts.

Considering these facts, the 124 series should make a faithful long term companion for anyone who needs a big and reliable workhorse at affordable costs.

Service at my local Mercedes dealership is way too expensive, though.

Conclusion: After two Mercedes and more than twenty years of hassle-free driving, I won't go for anything else in my life.

Faults:

Slight oil leak from engine.

Brake light in rear spoiler needs replacing.

General Comments:

This car is a rare sight in the UK as it was only produced in limited numbers.

The car is completely original and the blue black metallic paint is complimented by light grey leather upholstery.

Performance is exhilarating from the 272bhp engine and the AMG suspension is firmer than a standard E320 set up.

To date I am getting 21 miles per gallon of petrol which I think is reasonable for a one and a half tonne car that has a top speed of over 150 miles per hour.

Faults:

Oil leak from the rear of the engine at around 45000 miles.

Other than that, just minor wear and tear items, e.g. tyres, brake pads/discs, suspension bushes. A lot less than you would expect from a car which has covered 115000 miles.

General Comments:

An extremely stylish and quite rare car, but with the (relatively) low maintenance costs of the W124 range generally, as it shares virtually all components forward of the A post and most transmission/running gear.

Superb performance and comfort on long journeys, in near silence except for some tyre noise. I regularly do 500 miles in a day, and step out of the car feeling as if I'd just popped down to the shops.

Still on original exhaust. Tyres (Michelin MXV3a) last 35000 miles per set - amazing for such a powerful car.