'Never buy without a service history'. How often have you read that in a magazine or website buying guide?
Well it looks alright from this angle...
Some might argue that, as long as a car has just had a full service, the presence of a document confirming that it's had some services before that maybe isn't all that important. One thing you'd like to be reasonably confident about though would be the integrity of a car that has had just one owner for all its life.
That's the case with this 230E Merc, a remarkably solid-looking example of the Bruno Sacco W124. This 1985 replacement for the W123 was the cause celebre of a revolt by Berlin's taxi drivers. Their complaints about the quality of early W124s resulted in a pretty comprehensive improvement programme that benefitted '88-on cars. From around 1993, things started to go downhill again, particularly in the area of corrosion prevention, culminating in the disastrous late-'90s/early '00s Benz rustboxes that we all know about.
But let's not prolong the old 'when Mercs really were Mercs' debate here: let's simply luxuriate in the take-it-or-leave-it chutzpah of an '80s-designed Mercedes saloon.
Oh good, it's fine from here as well
What, no leather, you shriek? Ah well, you see, that's all part of the 230's appeal: this was the working W124, not the one to impress your neighbours with. With cars of this age, the less 'equipment' the better as far as Shed is concerned. No sunroof (or, perchance, aircon) to leak. We can but hope that it doesn't have electric windows. It will however have functional and uncomplicated features like reading lights for the rear-seat passengers and a little flap that folds down between the rear-view mirror and the headlining to block out unwelcome solar rays.
Back in the day, the 230E was hailed by the press as the most accessible all-rounder in the W124 range. Drive one now and you might understand why. The M102 2.3 may not have the sex appeal of a six, but there's something very calming about a meaty four-pot. You know it's not going to rev at all, but it doesn't seem to matter somehow.
All W124 engines are built to last. 500,000 miles without a major overhaul is quite normal. The M102's hydraulic lifters might eventually need replacing, which isn't an expensive job. Timing is by chain, single-row on the earlier models and a much longer-lasting twin-row on the later ones. This car is almost smack in the middle of the 1985-1996 W124 lifespan, so it could have either. Entries on a postcard please.
See here for a durability, if not glamour
Valve covers can warp and head gaskets can go, as they can in any car, but the results aren't immediately catastrophic. Oil saying hello at the top of the coolant reservoir is an indicator of action required. Fitting a later (and better designed) gasket will sort that long-term, as will regular checking and replacement of coolant.
You'll be regularly checking and replacing fuel too. It might only be a 2.3, but this is an exec car from the '90s, so don't be tempted if you're allergic to forecourts. The clue's in the numberplate. If you're looking to keep a car like this for a long time - and why would you not? - an LPG conversion at around £1,200 might not be all that stupid.
The 'E' stands for Einspritzung, which is German for injection. The M102's Bosch KE Jetronic fuel injection marked the first appearance of an ECU in a Benz. The Bosch system has its own special little ways, but is generally reliable. The auto gearbox is good for 300,000 miles as long as you keep renewing the oil and filters.
Rear-wheel drive notwithstanding, a 230E might not be the first choice for a regular 'Ring visitor, though you would at least have plenty of time in the yawning gaps between bends to ponder on the car's sub-140hp performance and on the razor responses of a dustbin lid-sized steering wheel that is charting your course with all the accuracy of an aftermarket coracle rudder.
Pretend you're a Berlin cabbie for £800
Actual handling is better than you would think, however, thanks to M-B's advanced five-link rear suspension, but that's missing the point of the 230E. This is a thinking man's car, a car for switching off in, for forgetting all about life's hurly burly and about who's done what to whom.
Climb aboard. The door shuts with the relentless finality of an angry parking warden's ticket machine. Sit to attention in your curvy, sturdily-fabricked chair. Admire the last mechanical speedo Mercedes ever made. Relish the surgically precise operation of the minor controls. Think of a time when cars were built with care by human beings, and wonder whether robotisation really has brought genuine progress in every area of the automotive experience.
If there's still a medical kit behind that warning triangle in the boot, wrap one of the bandages really tightly around your head to boost the intensity of your thoughts and feelings on the matter, and then congratulate yourself on the wisdom of your purchase.
Fantastic condition car with full service history.Drives wonderfully with no faults.No rust
and just had full service.Have fitted a new Sony DAB cd player.Mot till feb 15 2015 tax till 31 july.Good Michelins all round, lovely car that will not disapoint.
contact sandy 07504018553