E-Class (W124) 1984-1995: E 260, E 300, E 320, E 420, E 500 (Includes CE, T, TD models)

How did you come upon your 124?

Old Aug 9, 2005 | 06:58 PM
  #1  
zahkunst's Avatar
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From: Tampa, FL
91 300E
How did you come upon your 124?

Hmm curious how you guys got to having one and why?

I saw them first in '87 and thought they were the coolest thing ever. In '87 this look was droppin it like it was hott....I convinced my dad to get a silver '86 300E somehow. Then in '91 while in service at the dealer with my mom we saw the '91 300E in the showroom wiht BBS RX's on it, loved it, bought it, and brought it home to dad for a heart attack. I also grabbed the AMG catalog they had at the time too. (All cars in that issue were white in color).

I took it off their hands a couple years ago when they upgraded and killed the god aweful BBs wheels (in retrospect they were cool then). Also in looking back I should have waited a year and convinced him to get a 500E.
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 07:57 PM
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Mercedes-Benz w124
haha yea a 500e would have been sweet. well in i think 91/92 around there, my uncle sold my dad the 87 300e which he got for my mom. But she has been scared to drive ever since she got in a small accident. Recently my dad has allowed me to use it to go to and from school and to go places i need to. I have been using it so much that it is being referred to as my car.
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 07:57 PM
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From: NorCal
Mercedes-Benz 400E
I bought mine used from an Acura dealership.
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 08:09 PM
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From: Tampa, FL
91 300E
Originally Posted by LnkPrkSoldier
haha yea a 500e would have been sweet. well in i think 91/92 around there, my uncle sold my dad the 87 300e which he got for my mom. But she has been scared to drive ever since she got in a small accident. Recently my dad has allowed me to use it to go to and from school and to go places i need to. I have been using it so much that it is being referred to as my car.
damn dood for that year it's in awesome shape! Was it ever repainted?
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 08:14 PM
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some
i was looking at 500s for a while. then one showded up in nor cal and my buddy was going up there and he knows a lot about mbz and porsches and he said that this 124 was superb. so my dad and i baught.

mark
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 09:04 PM
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From: Lockport, IL
'95 3.2 M104
I looked for W202 since January of 2004. I've never even thought about Mercedes before. So, I started with eBay and end-up buying W124 in June of 2004.
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 09:46 PM
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the time. 1985
the place. boarding school in zimbabwe. Rhodes Estate Preparatory School if you must know
the event. heath streak's (google him) parents came to school in a cream colored 300D for a rugby game or cricket game or track weekend or swim weekend or something. the cars lines made an impression on my 12 year old mind.

the time. 1992
the place. zimoco motors, harare, zimbabwe
the event. i got a job as an apprentice motor mechanic at the (sole) mercedes benz agent in the whole country. was wowed again by the 124 when i came to study and know its technical specifications. especially in comparison with other cars.

the time. mid 2003
the place. burbank, california
the event. i got stopped for the umpteenth time in my 1976 BMW 2002 for not having a current registration sticker on my car. got hassled by the fuzz and showed them that i had already paid the registration, but since the car had "failed" the smog test they wouldnt give me a sticker. showed them the smog results which showed a pass in all categories but those for missing equipment. and when they threatened to tow it i had to show them, AGAIN, in the california vehicle code that im entitled to drive my car as long as i have paid the registration; its considered in the process of being registered.
decided at that point that it was too much trouble, and that i should either pay $1200 for stuff i didnt need in my car, to make it pass the smog test, or just get another one. the car would be smog exempt in 2005 anyway when it reached 30 model years

the time. later in 2003
the place. a street in northridge round the corner from my place
the event. saw a pristine 300E with a for sale sticker in the door. got the vin# ran a carfax, looked at the car again, more closely, called the owner, arranged a drive, tested all the components (even the rear backrests flipping down!!! i was a mechanic remember!!!) and it passed muster. had cheap tires though. got his price from him, told him it was a little high and walked.

called him back a few days later and offered 20% less, but in cash. he said come get it. great, i finally had a car to drive while i waited for my baby to be smog exempt.

the time. early 2005
the place. at home, on the internets
the event. i discovered that while i was on vacation in zimbabwe, the law had changed, and that the rolling 30 year exemption was being repealed in favor of a fixed date; only 1975 and earlier cars would be smog exempt. this meant i would still have to shell out $1200 in parts and labor to make it pass the smog test, for parts it didnt need, as it already passed the actual sniffer test. i decided to get an earlier model and switch my 4 year old drive train to the earlier model. i just havent done so yet.

thats how i ended up in my benz. and of course, ironically, right now im driving a saab
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 10:26 PM
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From: Northern Cali
W124
I was looking for a car to replace my trusty Nissan Sentra now that I was giving it to my younger sister. I had come across a Saturn and even a Daewoo at great prices. Around the same time my aunt put her car up for sale to make room for the 96 E430 she was buying. For the price, I couldn't pass it up. So I drove down to so-cal to give my car to my sister and then I picked up the MB.
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 10:27 PM
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Mercedes-Benz w124
Originally Posted by zahkunst
damn dood for that year it's in awesome shape! Was it ever repainted?
yes, it was painted about 5 years ago by some cheapo company, probably maaco. i really don't like the paint color, i would have chosen something a bit darker. but yes, the chassis is in great condition but there are a lot of minor things wrong such as the recent damage of the trim at the bottom of the door unclipping. the clips holding it are broken. anybody know how to replace? please send info over pm to not hijack this thread. the center console wood is cracked and lifted so the fader switch doesn't make good contact so at times the front speakers can't be heard. Though now i am thinking again if i should keep this car. All the minor things are really annoying me.
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 10:46 PM
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From: edmonton alberta
91' 300e // 99 300e TD // 00' ML55 AMG
i just got hired as a car window tinter.. id been working for a month and my boss drove a 94 E320 with some monoblock II's . i was looking for a car... i had nothing like that in mind but i said why the F not and i got the car, and if uve been watching all my posts uve seen what ive been up to in that 8 months .. hope some of u enjoy... later.. great thread idea
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 10:47 PM
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From: Chicago
95 e320, 01 c5 vette
i was 10 when my parents bought an 89 300e. loved the car, loved the look, loved the sound. when i got my license i always dreamed of souping it up and the bekkers/performance product catalogs were like my car bibles. got the car in college during my sophomore year. still couldnt afford to do what i always dreamed. graduated college, bought myself a brand new vette, but never forgot about the w124...never. especially one summer when a w124 e500 blew my doors off on i-94. finally, now that im 25 and managed to have the means, i bought a 95 w124, my true dream all these years. just like the 89 300e, but updated body panels, flush headlights, etc, etc. carlssons, h&r's, bilsteins, full alpine system...just how i imagined it almost a decade ago. needless to say, even in this summer weather, i dont even touch the vette when i walk in the garage. my baby's back.
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Old Aug 9, 2005 | 11:00 PM
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From: North Scottsdale
06 C 350 2014 GLK350
I have owned three W124's. A 1986 300E, 1987 300 TD Wagon and a
1992 400E. I still have the 87 300TD which I bought new October 1986 on tourist delivery. It is a great car and should last for many more years.
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Old Aug 10, 2005 | 08:34 AM
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From: Belfast, N Ireland
93 320CE, 72 280SE 3.5, 55 220A, 05 E280CDI, 88 Mini Mayfair, 90 Peugeot 205GTI, 04 Mini Cooper
My dad and brother are MB fanatics but I had always resisited sticking to BMW and then peugeot, a coupla years ago I blew the engine on my Peugeot MI 16 , a friend of my brother was selling his 124 at the time so I bought it.

Need more than desire but I love it, sadly it is to be replaced shortly, just getting too old for a daily driver.
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Old Aug 10, 2005 | 09:45 AM
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I had a 190E at first, then some lady hit me and totaled the car. the insurance company gave me 5'500 for it so i took that and bought my 95' E320. i love the bodystyle it runs like a tank. STRONG LIKE BULL :v BMW'S SUCK!!!!!!
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 03:42 AM
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From: Whittier,CA
1991 300ce, 2006 Yamaha Stratoliner
Had a 190e but wanted a 300...long story short I finally got what I wanted.
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Old Aug 13, 2005 | 08:26 AM
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AMG
Traded my '85 300D for my '91 300CE at the MB dealership, but that was ten years ago. I still drive the CE every day
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Old Aug 15, 2005 | 11:47 PM
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2001 c320 - 2002 ml55 - 2011 c300 - 2014 slk350 - 2015 cla45
mine was my mothers.... my father bought it new for her in nov/sept of 93... she gave it to me 1997 when she got a new one... my first car was a 1979 300d, which im currently getting restored..... my 02 c240 was my only non hand me down car... got it for college graduation and medical school acceptance.....

thats my story.... boring....
-carino
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