When Mercedes-lovers talk about the model W124, they easily get into raptures. "The last real Benz" is then often said about the built between 1984 and 1996 car, the precursor of the E-Class. The no frills sedan shaped the German street scene for decades, the station wagon pleased families, coupe and convertible were aimed at customers with less material constraints.

But why is it so exciting in all variants already painfully simple car so? Ask the swarmers, they lead the outstanding workmanship and the longevity of engines and technology. For connoisseurs of the brand, the 124er as the last Mercedes, still had the engineers in charge, not the controlling and marketing department. That could help the model series to blossom again.

On the way to number one

In fact, the W124 series is of unprecedented solidity. The result: To this day, tens of thousands of vehicles are still on the road. For Germany alone, the Federal Motor Transport Authority lists more than 80,000 registered vehicles. Although ran over the entire construction period and 2.5 million copies of the tape. But while competitors of that time like Opel Senator B or Ford Scorpio have long since disappeared from the streets, you can still see the W124 everywhere.

In the oldie scene, therefore, makes a steep thesis round: "The Mercedes W124 will replace the VW Beetle in a few years as the most popular classic car in Germany," predicts Frank Weise of the harnessing school in Möckern in Saxony-Anhalt. The company is rebuilding old engine wiring harnesses from Youngtimer-Mercedes.

The crawler from Wolfsburg leads the top ten of the most popular classic cars in Germany for years on sovereign. He was the first car in Germany that mobilized the masses. With more than 21 million copies produced, it was for a long time the most-built car in the world. Exactly 36.258 VW Beetle with H-registered registered the KBA early 2018. In addition, numerous copies without the special license plate, which allows free travel to the environmental zones.

Time is playing for the W124

Overall, the stock of historic beetles nationwide is more than 50,000 vehicles. Other classic cars in the top ten rank far behind, including Porsche 911, VW Bulli or Opel Kadett. Currently, the Mercedes W124 does not even make it into the top ten. Currently, it is in 14th position. So, how do fans come to believe that their favorite will set the VW Beetle off the throne in the medium term?

Because most 124er are not even 30 years old and simply have to wait until they come to the H-plate age. Only models of the first four years 1984 to 1988 are already included in the selected circle. Nearly 3000 W124 vehicles had a H-mark in 2018, but the KBA already had 8,556 vehicles "Ü30". Ascending trend.

Youngtimer expert Frank Weise sees this as a clear indication that the W124 is already on the way to the top. "Already now, after four vintages, 8500 are already listed and the vintages with the many well-preserved vehicles are yet to come," says Weise, who drives even 124er - an E 320 Cabriolet in brilliant silver, built in 1993.

"The insulation was no longer up to the heat of the engine"

Whether saloon, station wagon, coupé or cabriolet: Many value the living room feeling in the W124. Opponents, however, find that the car is totally transfigured. Especially rust has added to many vehicles. Specimens from 1993 are particularly vulnerable, because Daimler then switched to water-soluble, apparently corrosion-promoting paints. There were also problems with the engine wiring harnesses. For reasons of environmental protection, the manufacturer reduced the proportion of solvents in the cabling. This led to crumbling PVC sheathing even after a moderate mileage. "The insulation was no longer able to cope with engine heat," explains Frank Weise. The result: poor engine operation, short circuits, in the worst case a vehicle fire.

After all, more than 20 years after the end of production, Mercedes-Benz still has plenty of spare parts in stock. It is one of the biggest advantages of the Mercedes W124, that basically all spare parts are available. For many classics of other manufacturers it looks different: For contemporaries such as Audi 200, Opel Omega or Ford Scorpio there is often hardly any supply from the manufacturer.

For the W124 goes on to say that the engines are extremely durable. Mileages of up to 400,000 kilometers are the rule rather than a rarity. It's almost reminiscent of the VW Beetle, of which one says that it runs and runs and runs. The big advantage of the Mercedes W124 is its significantly higher practicality, the car offers much more comfort and safety. The swing axle of a VW Beetle and the multi-link axle of an E-Class Mercedes of the 124 series separate worlds.

"The riders are disposed of because a restoration is not worthwhile"

In particular, the T-models of the W124 are popular because of their huge cargo area, the station wagons have made in recent years, a huge price jump:

  • A well-maintained 230 TE listed the expert organization Classic Data now at 13,000 euros.
  • But also good coupes are wanted. For convertibles in good condition lovers have long been paying more than 20,000 euros.
  • Real bargains are still in the limousines , even groomed first-hand cars can be found with some patience for less than 5000 euros.

The Mercedes W124 as coming vintage car number 1 - that is still a daring thesis, says Classic Data CEO Marius Brune. For his two sons, 20 and 17 years old, these are just stuffy utility cars, "really uncool," says Brune.

But the Generation 30 Plus sees it differently, for this target group the model W124 is very popular. Brune's prediction: "The riders are disposed of because a restoration is not worthwhile, the good vehicles will continue to rise in price." Classic Data has already covered itself once and bought three cars of the W124 series for the small company fleet in Bochum, as Marius Brune reveals: There are a 230 Coupé, a 230 TE and a 230er sedan.

Old cars are not bad.

More, almost cheeky cheap rides can be found in the previous episodes of the series:

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