Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

My partner thought I was mad. You want to buy a 16 year old Mercedes? Yes I said and launched into talk about legendary W124 quality - far better than the E320 estate that had clogged up my drive for a few years, because everything went wrong with it and I ran out of money...

Won the argument and picked up J reg 300D on 16th July. First impression on how good it looked, exterior was very clean and interior looked a little dated but had worn very well.

I have been driving it now for nearly a month and would like to make the following general comments:

At 130k the car drives like new.. There is no play in steering, ride is smooth, seals around windows all good, engine sounds great.

Performance is what you would expect from a non turbo older diesel - leisurely. But will cruise effortlessly at 90mph. Excellent fuel consumption, getting 35-40 mpg.

No I am over the newness of this car, listening out for every little rattle and engine sound, I am relaxing and enjoying the car. It inspires confidence. You know you are going to get to your destination in comfort and with the minimum of fuss. Not bad for a 17 year old car!

Faults:

There was (or were or still are) some leaks in electrical system. But it's being fixed or rather discovered, one by one. Not much cost the money, but so much cost time, energy and emotion.

General Comments:

The car is almost 20 years old yet it still smooth to drive. It handles turns very well and brakes reliably.

Interior of mine is not the mintiest condition, but is very comfortable.

Faults:

The sunroof recently began to stick. After I had the refrigerant converted to freon, there is now an annoying squeak behind the dashboard that nobody is able to fix. These two relatively small matters affect my enjoyment of an otherwise magnificent automobile.

General Comments:

Even thought this vehicle is now 16 years old, it is still a princely ride. It is vault-like in overall quietness and integrity. The interior is spacious and comfortable. The book value is really very low compared to it's real value. The '91 420 SEL rides smoother than the '97 Cadillac DTS that I recently rented while on travel. There is ample torque to accelerate quickly when necessary. Even thought the car is now 16 years old it still is admired by onlookers.

Faults:

Hydraulic rear-suspension broke at 345000 km (approx. €675, $862)

Windscreen wiper-engine broke at 355000 km (approx. €67, $86)

Windscreen fluids-pump broke at 370000 km (approx. €19, $25)

General Comments:

This car is one of THE finest Mercedes-Benz have ever created. The W/124. It just keeps on going! You could go from Northern Norway to Southern Italy right through the Alps without ever stopping for anything else, but fuel. And you would not stop that often as it makes approx. 12 km/litres (30 US mpg) on the freeway, and as high as 16 km/litres (40 US mpg) on normal road. (Although if you push the pedal to the metal, it will only do 10 km/litres (25 US mpg). To fill her all up with 70 litres (18,5 gallons) of diesel will set you back measly 600 kroners (€80, $102).

It handles just like the design would say it handles. Big and soft, like a vault on wheels. This is car is no sports car! With a 3,0 litres diesel engine (113 hp) and 4-speed automatic transmission it accelerates from 0-100 (0-60) within 14,3 seconds. Fair, but not great. On the other hand, if you want to accelerate from 0-100 (0-60) within 5 seconds. do not buy a 3,0 litres diesel Benz with automatic transmission, you are not buying a sports car. You’re buying a cruiser. And that is what this car does to the maximum. Cruising through the city at 50 km/t (approx. 30 m/h) with the windows down on a sunny afternoon, just listening to that 6 cyl. engine work. UM! Does it get any better? Although cruising at 50km/t, is not the only thing this car is good at. Cruising at 80 km/t (50 m/h) or at 120 km/t (80 m/h) does not make the experience any lesser. The wheels and engine does not make much more noise from running 80-90km/t (50-55 m/h), than it does at 50 km/t (30 m/h). Fantastic!