Greg in Oz

There have been occasions when the availability of certain models in different markets has been raised. For the interest of readers I will show a list of the W124 models we got down under. It is surprisingly large considering we are right hand drive and Australia is a relatively small market (population about 20M) and that Mercedes-Benz got very expensive here around the middle of the W124 model run. Our '90 300TE listed at about $135,000 AUD new and my father's '93 E320 coupe was about $170,000 new (we purchased both used for a lot less!).

In approximate order of engine size we got the following:

220E '93
E220 '94-96
E220 coupe & cabriolet '94-97
E220 wagon '94-96
230E '86-93
230TE '86-89
260E '88-91
300E-2.6 '91-93
300E-2.8 '93
300TE-2.8 '93
E280 '93-95
E280 wagon '93-94
300D '86-93
E300 diesel '93-94
300E '86-93
300CE '88-90
300TE '89-93
300E-24 '90-93
300CE-24 '90-93
320E '93
320CE '93
E320 '93-95
E320 coupe & cabriolet '93-94

Apart from the 300E-2.6, 300E-2.8 and 300TE-2.8 all model numbers did reflect engine size unlike some sold in North America. Our early 24 valves were badged with the "24" ie. 300E 24 and 300CE 24.
We missed out on the smallest fours and smaller diesels and all the V8s. We also did not get 4-Matics or the full range of multi-valve 6-cyl wagons or diesel wagons.

chupper

Wow!

I never knew that they did that for everyone in Australia, and I was even more surprised when I heard your population is only 20M. Whats the name of the MB place over there? (In the us its mbusa).

They must be really good. I wish MBUSA would import some nicer high end cars and more of the nice ones they already have. There are nothing but waiting lists and long wait times for higher end custom cars. (SL 55, CL 600, SL 500, CL 500, E 55, etc.)

Greg in Oz

Chupper,

I guess we are lucky to get such a good model range considering the Australian population is small, although we did miss out on some nice ones like the 400E and 500E and manual transmission Mercs here are also scarce. The current model range is also large and includes several of the AMG models. Yes, we too have waiting lists for some models and discounted prices are unheard of (unlike many other makes). In fact, Mercedes-Benz made it into the top 10 manufacturers last year for the most vehicles sold (their commercial vehicles are popular here now too).

Our Mercedes-Benz here are basically Euro spec vehicles only in right-hand drive. We never got such odd variations as your US spec headlights although Australian Design Rules do require some less obvious variations to the cars delivered here.

The parent company here is DaimlerChrysler Australia/Pacific Pty Ltd which includes Mercedes-Benz passenger and commercial vehicles (light and heavy trucks), Chrysler vehicles (incl. Jeep), Freightliner trucks and MTU diesel engines. They are based in Melbourne (the second largest Australian city and capital of the state of Victoria) but have branches in most major cities. Where I live, in Sydney (with about 4 million, the largest city in Australia and capital of the state of New South Wales), we have access to 9 authorised Mercedes-Benz dealers (new and used cars, parts and service) with many others carrying used Mercedes-Benz. We also have many independent parts suppliers and workshops. Despite being similar size to the US (without Alaska), Australia is made up of only 6 states and 2 territories, of which most have a Mercedes-Benz club based in their capital city. These cater for the needs of the enthusiasts.

In all, we are well catered for.

Greg