I'm pretty much set on a W124 probably a 300E Petrol

Did consider diesel, but with no TurboD option in the uk, and veg oil being dearer than 95RON unleaded, and as dear as pump diesel these days, what is the point.

I found the video I posted before when researching the model not the other way round. Fancied a merc for a while as the autoboxes are pretty solid and I miss the Lexus but don't want the costs of running such a big car/big fuel bill again.

Just need to decide when I want to swap/sell/buy.

I quite like the look of this one. Dark grey with Black leather seems good.

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Surprised at the mileage, looks a bit low. Do these get clocked early or does it look like a genuine stunner?

Seems good for the money.

And yes they do look like an old man's car. But they are the types of cars I seem to be attracted to, old man's boxy saloons/large hatches.

Reply to
Elder
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Is any petrol E Class Merc going to be much better than a Lexus on fuel?

Reply to
JackH

That's what I thought- surely any petrol luxobarge will be expensive at the pumps?

Reply to
Chris Bartram

Apparently, from 2 upto 4 litres all do about the same with little variation and a lot better than the lexus (I think that was a bit ropy getting about 23mpg average a good one will cost considerably more than a W124 but I would like another). The V8 in the 500E and the V8 range in the W126 S class do considerably less.

Reply to
Elder

I've driven Timos A8 over a mixed route of fast A roads, some country laning and a bit of town work today - 28mpg, so it reckons, and I did bury my foot a couple of times.

And it's cheap at £1200... and he's looked after it... and they only weigh about 100kg more than my Passat... and that's for the Quattro version... and I'm not sure if I'm buying it yet... ... ... so wouldn't it, given it has long MOT and tax, be a good one for you to consider given everything works on it and he's spent more than he's asking for it on it and then not really used it an awful lot... *and* you'd be buying it from a known around these parts to be a trusted and honest source?

Reply to
JackH

Not exactly luxobarge weight now though these days are they. Modern cars have caught up. From what other owners have told me, what they get is the same if not better than I'm getting in the Saab with the wrong gearbox in.

Reply to
Elder

Oh that I know, and I can get a Lexus that might most likely do the same for similar money. But right now I'm not considering spending even that much. And it isn't just the fuel and buying. The W124 is a far simpler car mechanically/electrically when things do go wrong.

Apart from since the end of the school hols and rush hour has gotten worse and so my old knee trouble has flared a little (I can live with it though), my worse niggle at the moment is the driving position which I can't do anything more about.

The steering wheel doesn't adjust (Saab were scared the airbag might hurt people when they introduced it, so removed the column adjust), the seat is as low as it will go and I can drive fine and comfy. But in the morning and the evening when the sun is low, when the visor is down to cut out sun glare to allow me to read the dash and not by blinded, I have to crouch forward and it gives me a stiff neck and feels really claustraphobic, to see under the visor. If I lift it up any I'm blinded, if I drop it down I can't see out at all. It makes a large roomy car seem like sitting inside matchbox. I didn't notice this for the first couple of months as I bought it in March, it was damp and the days were getting longer.

With the wrong gearbox it doesn't even have the legendary aero fuel economy because of the wrong gearbox (less wear in used injection box but lower final drive) tends to rev at 2k at 50 instead of 70 in 5th. I could live with and afford to run it, but the comfort issues are getting to me now. I've never really had the sun-visor issue to that extreme in any car I've had before, not even in the old 900 convertible with the lower screen line.

Reply to
Elder

I like them. I think you're wayy off the odds expecting decent MPG from one though, I used to average about 19 mpg in town in the 260E rising to around 26 on a run. Having said that, my old W123 280TE did about the same in town but was better on a run and the 300E is meant to be more economical than the 260E.

Reply to
Pete M

If I can get an average of better than 26 then it will be getting better than the Saab does on average. Week by week that varies from 25-27mpg, but since I've had it is getting

25.6MPG average based on miles and fill.
Reply to
Elder

See the ones I've read the specs have full service history, have large wads of history, have bundles of receipts and have old MOTs to confirm mileage.

One thing I've never been bothered about is how the "Joe Public" percieves my car. Because with society taken as a bell curve, Joe Public comes out somewhere just above plebian.

Believe it or not, some people are happy to pay as much as the car is worth each year, because it is cheaper than replacing the car, and having a load of unknown nightmares to face. They tend to hoard and collect, and when times get harder have to trim the collection.

Most of my cars have had a set of tyres worth more than the rest of the car.

Reply to
Elder

HFM? Have prices tanked that much?

--=20 Conor

I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't=20 looking good either. - Scott Adams

Reply to
Conor

I've just spotted that it's been molested by the 'chrome arch fairy'.

Run, run away. Run away quickly. No, faster than that - they *always* hide rot on a W124.

Reply to
Pete M

I know... lots of barge for not much money, hence why I foolishly recommended that Carl look at it, given we all know Timo throws lots of money at his cars to get them right before he gets bored with them, and this one is no exception.

Yup.

Almost enough to make me consider becoming an LPG pikey.

Reply to
JackH

You've seen the light - much better than that fast, tuned, economical TDI rubbish with a tank in the normal place that doesn't have much of an explosion risk nor robs vital boot space :-)

Reply to
AstraVanMann

I'm not actually looking for that much of a barge anymore. A W124 should be the same size or smaller than the Saab, but importantly with more interior space and headroom. I want a saloon not the coupe much as I like the shape.

Reply to
Elder

I've seen nothing... just being realistic in view of how cheap the car is in the first place.

I'm sure you can pick up a, worth having, secondhand LPG set up from somewhere if you're happy to bide your time.

I'm attracted by the 'ooh look, I own this thing outright - no more finance repayments' factor more than anything, tbh.

The fact it's a luxo sofa on wheels is a bonus - it's not what I'd consider to be much better than the Passat in that respect if I'm that honest.

Reply to
JackH

I need to get some for the aero then.

3 out of 4 is clean, one is close to perforated but very scabby.

Is it just the outer arch that goes or does it mean the inners are toast too? I'm not fussed about the aesthetics of the outside. The better they look the better, but blemishes drop the price loads. I'm more interested in structure and mechanics than prettyness.

Reply to
Elder

Erm, a W124 is fecking huge.

Reply to
JackH

More or less. I tend to use the postcode for a local stately gnome, it's close enough for getting an idea of how far I'll have to travel, but far enough from the house that it's not giving too much away.

Reply to
Steve Firth

Excellent.

You're not far from where my grandson lives at the moment, scary.

Reply to
Steve Firth

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