Help on Mercedes-Benz 260E 124B

mrpathetic

My uncle is "giving" me his old MB 260E A/T. It just has 57,000 original kilometers on the odometer.

The thing is: I want to buy it for a bargain but my dad won't let me. He keeps on saying that the car is 20 years old, hardly used etc and maintaining it would be a big headache. I keep insisting that it's just 57,000 kms and hardly used so what could be so wrong with it. I even broached the alibi that I will buy the car, restore it and then sell for a profit. He quickly said it's impossible to sell it at a good price.

Anyone who has an old Benz, please give me any tips on how you maintained yours, as against doing the shortcut of sending the car to CATS.

OTEP R

My dad has an '85 230E W124 from Germany. It still drives and feels better than most late model Japanese sedans (e.g. Corolla, City, etc.). It was also bought as a used car back in the '90s. Malakas pa din ang dating ngayon. Dun nga siya kilala ng students niya. Kapag tinanong mo kung kilala nila dad ko, ang sagot nila 'ah yung naka-Benz!'. hehehe. Pati yung nangongotong, magdadalawang isip kang kotongan lalo na't blacked out windows.

CATS is an expensive way to maintain a Benz. Kami sa tabi-tabi lang or DIY. Hindi naman nauubusan ng third-party MB specialists ang Pilipinas. Dito lang sa QC, tatlo na agad sa vicinity namin. I can name MCR, Sunshine, and Mang Rudy. Pero marami pang iba.

Hindi mapakawalan ng dad ko yung sasakyan na iyon kasi maginhawa ang ownership experience (reliable, cheap to maintain) and parang brand new pa talaga yung sasakyan (orig paint, interior, etc.). Minsan mahal ang repairs pero madami namang alternatives. Medyo mapapagastos ka lang sa una when you are still trying to get the hang of it.

Alam ko may local na Mercedes Benz boards kung saan pwede ka magtanong. Dito kasi sa amin may sarili kaming books ng Mercedes Benz (I call them Benzyclopedias) for reference.

Ang tawag ko dun sa W124 niya ay executive jet kasi para kang nasa business class kapag tumatakbo sa highway. We bought a brand new Corolla in 1993. Wala talagang sinabi kahit luma na yung Benz. Wala yatang 1 year yung Corolla na yun samin kasi ang layo talaga ng feel compared sa W124 hindi talaga magustuhan ng dad ko tapos ang mahal pa ng [casa] maintenance compared sa maintenance ng W124. Yung W124 hindi pa din binebenta now [at walang balak].

Siguro kailangan mo lang mag-invest sa time in getting to know the vehicle if you really want it. I used to spend a lot of time standing on my head on the driver's floorboard just to study what's underneath the dash. Pati sa ilalim ng sasakyan humihiga ako to study the engineering.

The W124's are advanced and overengineered cars. It's a bit ahead of its time. Yung ibang features nga niya ngayon pa lang nag-aapear sa mga common na sasakyan.

Btw, Tsikoteer 'afrasay' is also on the lookout for one. If hindi mo kunin, pwede mo ialok sa kanya.

Add ko lang na mabilis din ang trading when it comes to Benzes. Yung W123 300D na inaalok ng surgeon sa kuya ni commander for Php135k with free stuff pa (Euro bumpers, etc.), nabenta niya within a few weeks for Php155k nung hindi kinuha nitong kuya ni commander (loan problems). Some used car agents also specialize in trading MB's. Sa Greenhills lang may open lot dun na puro used Benzes ang on display. Malaki ang Mercedes Benz subculture dito sa atin. You won't have problems selling Benzes that are W124 or older (e.g. W126, W123, W201) dahil madami talaga naghahanap ng mga iyan. You can buy one today, not do anything with it, then sell for profit the next day and still find a buyer. Kahit non-running na Benz units nabebenta pa din ng Php70k++ depende kung gano kakumpleto, kung may papers, etc.

mrpathetic

Thanks pare.

This car kasi is hardly used and almost always parked under the sun kasi hindi na kasya sa garage. Ok pa naman looks and everything e kaya lang talaga my dad is so close-minded samantalang he loves Mercedes cars.

This uncle also offered me his 1976 450SEL with just 70,000 kilometers before. Mega Motion pa nag-repair nung car before and talagang solid everything. Again, ayaw ng dad ko. Ayun. Sold.

HansMon

Dude, those 124 bodies are classics. If you can get your hands on one in mint condition, go for it. Of course, you just need to manage your expectations that you will probably spend on initial diagnosis and replacment of some integral parts but once you do that, you're all set. These days, you can get original Benz parts for such a bargain. Suggest you find a specialist. One such shop is AutoSport on pasong tamo extension, next to the BMW dealership.

By the way, if any of your are interested in a 1992 S-class, White, Lorinser set up, 28,000 kms only for 800k, let me know. I thought this was too good to be true until I sat in it and drove it. Even the vacuum on the doors still work.

Peace.

slamm

Almost got one of those 124's (300TE turbo) in good, original condition at a good price but the owner decided not to sell. :(

Service and parts isnt a problem but you may expect that the cost on some parts won't be as cheap as a Jap 1600... while some parts are cheaper then that in a Jap car. Just make sure the unit you get isnt a maltreated one and you can expect good driving out of it for year to come.

OTEP R

It's one of those cars na pwede mo na ipamana sa anak mo. It ranks up there with the LC40, LC80, VW Beetle, W123, etc.

Though I doubt if a lot of folks here can relate to that as almost everyone here seems to get high on 'new car smell'.

HansMon

OTEP R wrote: »

It's one of those cars na pwede mo na ipamana sa anak mo. It ranks up there with the LC40, LC80, VW Beetle, W123, etc.

Though I doubt if a lot of folks here can relate to that as almost everyone here seems to get high on 'new car smell'.

Funny you would mention the "new car smell" because Benzes have a very distinct interior smell too and no matter how old the car is, if it is properly maintained, that smell lasts for years. I don't know if its the leather Mercedes uses on their seats but man that smell is intoxicating.