I miss the days of elegant, dignified luxury cars. Back when they weren't all trying to be sporty with angry styling queues. Even Mercedes have gone that route now. It's sad what the luxury car market has evolved into for those of us who truly appreciated luxury cars with class.
And I miss the days of single-mindedly sporty high end cars (I'm looking squarely at you, BMW). Back when they weren't aiming for the dumbest and most vapid of LuXuRy CoNsUmeRs.
Yep, I find Benzes a bit vulgar now too. Even the truly high end ones. This old 1993 one must have had serious presence at the time, but it does it in a sort of stern, old-family-money statesman like dignified way, rather than a thuggish one. Certain years of Range Rovers and Land Rovers had this quality too, but now they've gone high-tech and aggressive too. All that stuff is still selling like mad though...
I want a 1994 E320 just like my mother had back then. That was a beautiful car. Navy blue with peanut butter leather. They don’t make MBs like that any longer. Sad
I still argue the 124 body Mercedes is one of the best they ever made. Very comfortable, roomy, smooth, safe, with more than adequate handling... not to mention economy on the diesels!
@Chevy Man w123s are overrated w124 was the top of mercedes benz best car they ever built along with w126 no rust issues engines are pure perfection and just overall quallity and materials of the car are better than w123 take a look at the dash on the w123 they are all cracked a lot of other minor things have improved with the w124..sadly we will never see such build quallity in auto industry ever again..
Chevy Man the W123 chassis was relatively outdated when it came out. Yes it was a well engineered car, but fundamentally just an evolution of its predecessor. The W124 was a real departure and in many aspects still relatively modern today, 35 years after it was first introduced. Truly the last indestructible Mercedes
This was toward the end of the road of the REAL Mercedes, when their engineers dictated everything that went into a car, and no attention was paid to the accountants. They ENGINEERED cars, they didn't just build cars. 1995-98 is when that started to change, and you can see today a Mercedes Benz today - with all the technology and performance - is not as well engineered as this 1993 300CE. All you have to do is listen to what that engineer is telling you. In order to compensate for removing the top, they had to make the rest of the car better. Today? Accountants are not letting that happen. There's components in the sub structure and underpinnings of modern Mercedes that would not be caught on an engineers workbench in 1993.
@@mikezerker6925 That is so funny. I just wrote a comment that said the old Mercedes cars were built to last 25 years and now they are made to last 25 months.
Mercedes Benz needs to hire this guy and his team of designers back again. I love these eras of Mercedes. This is true luxury not just a car wired with a bunch of technology. Love Mercedes Benz roots.
My dad has nearly the same car, a 1995 E320 Cabriolet. He bought the car in 1996 back when he was doing very well off financially and is still driving it today. While it did suffer from the biodegradable engine harness that often plagues these cars, it has been peerless in all other respects. We respect this car for what it is: a grand tourer in the finest style. It is not a showboat with unlimited horsepower. It is also worth mentioning that the original color scheme was the same one as the 1993 300CE seen here but he has since resprayed it to a triple black color scheme.
helicopter weewee , absolutely!!… My family will have generational wealth that you, Satan, can’t touch because it’s in Gods hands. God and Satan are friends??... 😂 haaa
MotorWeek really knew how to make reviewing cars entertaining. I looked forward to every single episode when I watched it during my teenage years in the '80s. Love those older Benzes when the Germans made them right. I might just pop for one of these 300CE convertibles when I retire then move on to an 80s 450SL or a 560SL twin-top when I can find a clean one that has not been terribly abused, for less than a king's ransom naturally.
Those were the days!!! I remember that christmas of 93 i was 22 & wanted a hi 8 camcorder but instead my Mother bought me vhs-c... Anyway my friend & i went out filming christmas lights & everything then decided to to car lots at night. Because it was christmas the dealership was closed & we walked around Walters Mercreds & i looked at thus car as my friend was recording. It was $ 77, 000 on the window sticker! Beautiful then & i still think it's beautiful now.....
Bubblun it’s actually called the 300CE AMG 6.0. Nicknamed “Hammer.” If you look around on TH-cam Chris Harris from Top Gear has a video where he drives one.
Bubblun AMG May have made one for all we know. Back then they didn’t just have them available. You had to know about AMG and then pony up for the conversion. So there may be someone who ordered one, but it may be the only one.
We may be more than half way to 2020 by now, but I like these older Mercs. Some of those features like seat belt presenters are still used even in my mom's 2018 E400 Coupe.
These cars were in some senses very nearly hand built. If the right one came along at the right price I would buy it in a heartbeat. They are already beginning to appreciate.
Very nice cars ! I own a 1991 560SEL and an early model S550. The S550 is extremely comfortable & quiet ride, and is able to keep up with modern traffic with ease without consuming a tank of gas every hour to do so like the 560. The catch? the newer Benz doesn't match the old one in quality of materials, ease of operation, fun and reliability. I already spent $2500 fixing Airmatic suspension problems, leaking valve covers, busted front axles (4matic) where the rubber has torn off & leaked grease, interior dash has shorted out twice etc etc. Car only has 64k miles on it. The only major thing i've done to the 560sel in 4 years of owning & driving it often it is replaced all 4 bilstein shocks. Yes the old ones were built to last.
@@rodmunch69 For a thousand. Trust me its hard to find a decent one under 3 or 4. I got lucky because I really hit it off with the owner(re mortgaged home to fund E30 project)
@@rodmunch69 Looking down the barrel of two major transmission gaskets being shot however and needing new front tires, but after about 1.5 thousands miles since I bought it is has done great
Thanx MotorWeek. I enjoyed this. Its crazy to me that Mercedes made a convertible out of this car in 93 because by then that E-class was sorta old. They made so many modifications to it they might as well have designed a whole new car. And $76k in 1993 is like $120-$130k today thats INSANE lol. But honestly the car has a timeless beauty to it inside and out. A true classic
Oh. My. God. When he said that ‘93 price... adjusting for inflation can you imagine paying $135,000 USD for this in 2019? Really puts in perspective how much car you can get for the money today, a 6-figure Merc today may be a lot more finicky and computer-y, but sit in a current model, then this 80s/90s model back to back and say objectively which one seems worth more.
More like puts into perspective how much the engineers absolutely didn't care about the price tag. This car was built to the best standards possible. I know because I own one, a '95 E320 Cab.
Beemers never were built like this generation of merc. Millions of w124s still going, find me an E34..ill wait. After owning both there is night and day between them. The BMWs do drive well while they actually work though.
I owned a BMW 4-series for 4 years on a lease and the thing was still like new when I turned it in, not even one small issue in that time. I'm not sure where all these garbage BMW's are coming from, but I'm going to guess it's almost all from people that never owned one and instead drive a used Toyota Carola.
@@rodmunch69 Its funny, I have a good friend who only drives BMWs, he says the same thing..Even the toyota comment.. Although his last F10 535i cost him $22k then needed $28k in repairs.. Or his E60 that cost about the equivalent of a cup of coffee per km to run in repairs.. I owned a BMW 7 series, only car thats ever left me stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, I also years ago was involved in car sales and BMW was one of the products - Yes that kept me busy.. You may have had a good one, or be being particularly nice in your summary of it, and fwiw you are allowed to like them, the are nice cars, but they are not reliable, they do not last, and they have a well earned reputation because of it. Smartest way to drive a BMW is lease it... Oh, they all generally come from Germany, or the really crap ones from the US or South Africa.. And I have never owned a Corolla lol
@@Flying_GC If you owned a BMW and that was your experience, then I guess that was your experience, but that wasn't mine. But most people talking trash about anything that is expensive are poor people who just want to feel better about the piece of crap they owned, and having grown up poor and being self made I owned many POS's that have left me stranded, sort of described every car I had from 16-24 years old.
@@rodmunch69 Its not just my experience, its many peoples. I own two Mercs, not a cheap bomb. They are far from perfect too, well the W124 is pretty much perfect actually. Go find a BMW that's ten years old, see how well it's held up.
I have a silver '94 with 137k miles. Made a road trip from Seattle to New Orleans (and back) last year, runs like a dream - 26.5 mpg for the whole trip, and I drove it fast, esp. in MT and TX (80-90mph). Got it 3 years ago for $7000, but I had to invest another 4k to fix the leaking hydraulics for the top. Now it's in great shape. Paint looks like new after 30 years!
The owner of my employer has one of these (or at least did 15 years ago before I left for a remote office on the US east coast). Very understated styling...completely different than what rolls off the line today.
Absolutely! Back in the day, to own a luxury car meant you had arrived in life. Top drawer. There were no cheap lease deals. To buy the car one had to put up the cash.
@@stuartbear922 yup.....and leather trim was still an option even on an S-class Mercedes Benz! Their quality; fit, finish and engineering was utterly top top top drawer too. A well maintained 190 Mercedes still feels completely solid. On the other hand, any Italian car from the 1980s and 1990s has probably rusted into oblivion by now.
So glad the USA binned the laws mandating ugly sealed beam headlights and oversized 5mph bumpers, the European brands didn't adapt well to those changes especially Mercedes benz
Thanks to MotorWeek for this video! I ordered mine in tripple black in June 1991 and had to wait for delivery for one year. It was worth waiting for and I would not sell it come hell or high water!
$76,000 USD for a 1993 W124 300CE $134,943 USD in today's money. $76,265 USD for a 2019 W213 E450 Cabrio 4MATIC Mercedes were far more unattainable in 1993 than today ...
It was with the W220 that Mercedes Benz went south. The cars were made to impress with technology instead of with quality materials, durability, and the pleasure of driving the car. That said, the same is true to some extent when the Cabriolet in this review is compared to models from the decades before the quality is trash since the leather is thin, plastic replaced metal, solid wood became veneer, and the sound the doors make when shut is not like making you think it is a battleship with a solid 4 inch wide steel belt. Quality just keeps falling as we go forward in time.
Well real trouble already began with the W202 in 1993 and W210 in 1996. The merging with Chrystler was by far the worst thing that could have happened to Mercedes-Benz. They adopted the Crystler mindset and it would be catastrophic.
Now that's one I forgot existed LOL. Geez one LOL. Actually the R107 SL you could argue was a 4 deat convertible with the rear jummp seat in place. Maybe not a comfy 4 seater I mean that's stretching it abit but ye see what I mean.
Mercedes started going downhill in quality starting in the 90's. they've just gotten worse and worse in quality ever since. Gone are the days of the likes of the W123's where Mercedes cars of that era were built with the up most quality.
No, they didn't. Mercs regardless of reliability drive and feel a way no expensive Toyota can. So yeah those who don't care about driving may buy a Toyota, no enthusiasts do.
These are the days of mercedes when it was prolly better built than a lexus but in a few years that changed and by w211 they prolly walked to a lexus dealership lol
@@rikidiki8940 to be fair the w211 facelift is fine, and once again for enthusiasts a far better car. If you like driving would you buy an e55 amg or an ES300 or whatever other boring nonsense Lexus were churning out? Even with their new ISF stuff, they are still not in the same ball park as AMG. But yes, you want a boring executive sedan with leather seats to sit in traffic jams, Toyota is for you. Kinda a reason why they have always outsourced any cars with any remote sporting pedigree.
I am very partial to the E Class cabriolets. I've had 3 over the last 20 years. Just got a 2019 last year. AMG. Nothing short of an exceptional vehicle.
The last of the best. The recently-released W140 cost $1B+ to develop, then Schrempp went on the cost-cutting rampage (94 & 95 W124s, then the rest of the lineup were suddenly thousands less), and the rest was history. The only issues were the government-mandated biodegradable wire harness (all models 93-97), and possibly the head gasket (M103/4). Both can be fixed though.
I saw one recently with something like 130,000 miles, meticulously maintained, for $8,995.00! By the time I ran across it it had already been sold. Was white with gray leather and black canvas top. The original one nonetheless in awesome shape!
$76k was a very steep MSRP in 1993. The CLK Cabriolet that replaced this 300 CE convertible in 1998 was probably at least $20k less and much more stylish.
Right Lane Hog new Mercedes are still better than a Toyota in some ways, but also worse than a Toyota in some ways. If you sit in both, they are very similar now. Same materials,
@@777jones In the most extreme cases the Mercedes may offer better crash protection but in every other sense a Lexus is a better car. BTW I am half German and 0% Japanese so I have no bias. A friend bought a '71 Mercedes when it was around 20 years old. He let me take it for a spin and it remains the most solid vehicle I have ever driven. It was like a bank vault on wheels. BTW Mercedes has admitted they cut the quality on their cars so it is not just an urban legend.
Damn, if only they designed interiors like that still! Designing something as clean and sharp as that isn’t as easy as people who aren’t designers think it is, so now we get interiors that look like basketball shoes.
For me this is my dream car, black on black and the big grill pre facelift. The pre facelift just looks so classy and elegant. The facelift 94-96 are beautiful too but look too modern. I believe they only made the big grill convertible between 92-93 (coupes 88-93) and facelift convertibles 94-97. I have a facelift e320 coupe but want a early big grill 320ce black on black convertible
This era of Mercedes Benz was truly the highest quality ever built. Today's Mercedes are a far cry from this model, when the engineers built the car and then the accountants priced it. It's exactly the reverse today. The accountants tell the engineers what the car has to cost before it's built !! Trust me, I know what I am talking about as I own a far inferior 2016 E400.
![NISAMANEE - TADA (ท้าดา) [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hcQHEPMmJpU/mqdefault.jpg)
Want to help keep our weekly Retro Reviews alive? DONATE NOW: mptevents.regfox.com/motorweek
I enjoy your weekly Retro Reviews! Keep up the great work! :)
3:00 a wild Opel Manta appears
Complete with a fox tail too.
God those were popular there lol. Kennst du Nackenlanger? 🤣👌🏼
Old mercs are timeless! They still look so beautiful in 2019!
I miss the days of elegant, dignified luxury cars. Back when they weren't all trying to be sporty with angry styling queues. Even Mercedes have gone that route now. It's sad what the luxury car market has evolved into for those of us who truly appreciated luxury cars with class.
And I miss the days of single-mindedly sporty high end cars (I'm looking squarely at you, BMW). Back when they weren't aiming for the dumbest and most vapid of LuXuRy CoNsUmeRs.
Yep, I find Benzes a bit vulgar now too. Even the truly high end ones.
This old 1993 one must have had serious presence at the time, but it does it in a sort of stern, old-family-money statesman like dignified way, rather than a thuggish one. Certain years of Range Rovers and Land Rovers had this quality too, but now they've gone high-tech and aggressive too.
All that stuff is still selling like mad though...
Could not agree more. Every single car today tries to look angry and sporty, and that's just stupid.
True words!
So true, if you wanted a sporty car, get a Porsche, not an Avalon with "sport" mode for example
Dang. This Mercedes still looks like something that would be a daily driver in a millionaire's driveway. Such a classy drop top!
John is a national treasure
2019 and I still want one of these cars
Everyone!
Beautiful one on Ebay right now for sale. Want it so badly.
25 year law. Import a real German Benz.
I have a white one with black interior and black top
I want a 1994 E320 just like my mother had back then. That was a beautiful car. Navy blue with peanut butter leather. They don’t make MBs like that any longer. Sad
I still argue the 124 body Mercedes is one of the best they ever made. Very comfortable, roomy, smooth, safe, with more than adequate handling... not to mention economy on the diesels!
@Chevy Man w123s are overrated w124 was the top of mercedes benz best car they ever built along with w126 no rust issues engines are pure perfection and just overall quallity and materials of the car are better than w123 take a look at the dash on the w123 they are all cracked a lot of other minor things have improved with the w124..sadly we will never see such build quallity in auto industry ever again..
Chevy Man the W123 chassis was relatively outdated when it came out. Yes it was a well engineered car, but fundamentally just an evolution of its predecessor. The W124 was a real departure and in many aspects still relatively modern today, 35 years after it was first introduced. Truly the last indestructible Mercedes
This was toward the end of the road of the REAL Mercedes, when their engineers dictated everything that went into a car, and no attention was paid to the accountants. They ENGINEERED cars, they didn't just build cars. 1995-98 is when that started to change, and you can see today a Mercedes Benz today - with all the technology and performance - is not as well engineered as this 1993 300CE.
All you have to do is listen to what that engineer is telling you. In order to compensate for removing the top, they had to make the rest of the car better. Today? Accountants are not letting that happen. There's components in the sub structure and underpinnings of modern Mercedes that would not be caught on an engineers workbench in 1993.
Facts 👑
R.I.P. Real Mercedes.
Joe so true! I have a 2015 C300 with only 25k miles and it already rattles like a 20 yr old pick up truck!
@@mikezerker6925 That is so funny. I just wrote a comment that said the old Mercedes cars were built to last 25 years and now they are made to last 25 months.
r/carscirclejerk
Mercedes Benz needs to hire this guy and his team of designers back again. I love these eras of Mercedes. This is true luxury not just a car wired with a bunch of technology. Love Mercedes Benz roots.
Brunno Succo was designer.
I used to own one back in 1994 and I kept it for 5yrs . I was 18yrs old when I got it. Beautiful memories amazing car.
Lucky you
$76000 in 1993 is $135000 today
@Johnson Long That's M5 Competition money
Makes me want to know how much the SL cost back then if this was $76k new.
Wow how did you find for the price tag for that '93 convertible
@@edwardsimmons3190 in the video
SuchANiceGirl22 500sl was 94k before taxes in 1993
WOW!! Probably the best looking Mercedes of all time.
SL R129 surely?? Or even R230 that came after particularly with the SL55 AMG bodywork
@@davecom3 have to agree with you on that, but there's something special about this 300ce
For TRUE auto enthusiasts, MW Retro Reviews is life! 😁👍🚗
I love classic Mercedes 1980s a 1990s. Fantastics and elegants cars
My dad has nearly the same car, a 1995 E320 Cabriolet. He bought the car in 1996 back when he was doing very well off financially and is still driving it today. While it did suffer from the biodegradable engine harness that often plagues these cars, it has been peerless in all other respects. We respect this car for what it is: a grand tourer in the finest style. It is not a showboat with unlimited horsepower. It is also worth mentioning that the original color scheme was the same one as the 1993 300CE seen here but he has since resprayed it to a triple black color scheme.
Those wheels are so emblematic, they scream LUXURY all over the place. A true Mercedes beacon of design.
I miss this Mercedes I would still drive this today if I can find one in great condition
helicopter weewee , are you Satan? Your question smells like sulfur.
helicopter weewee , with God on my side, sure.
helicopter weewee , absolutely!!… My family will have generational wealth that you, Satan, can’t touch because it’s in Gods hands.
God and Satan are friends??... 😂 haaa
This is still one of my favorite cars to date. I would love to have one
Dream car right there..
MotorWeek really knew how to make reviewing cars entertaining. I looked forward to every single episode when I watched it during my teenage years in the '80s.
Love those older Benzes when the Germans made them right.
I might just pop for one of these 300CE convertibles when I retire then move on to an 80s 450SL or a 560SL twin-top when I can find a clean one that has not been terribly abused, for less than a king's ransom naturally.
VEry beautiful and luxuous this Mercedes cabriolet
The E-class cabriolet has unquestioned class.
W124 Chassis is Still Impressive today 👍
Those were the days!!! I remember that christmas of 93 i was 22 & wanted a hi 8 camcorder but instead my Mother bought me vhs-c... Anyway my friend & i went out filming christmas lights & everything then decided to to car lots at night. Because it was christmas the dealership was closed & we walked around Walters Mercreds & i looked at thus car as my friend was recording. It was $ 77, 000 on the window sticker! Beautiful then & i still think it's beautiful now.....
Variable valve timing in 1993 and listen to that silky smooth motor
Still see plenty of these, such a beautiful and elegant car.
Love these retro reviews
For me still the best looking Cabriolet ever made..."
I nice example of one of these still has a stratospheric price!
Gez 76k back then, that has to be like 150k now with inflation
I still want one of these
When I drove this to work, I had colleagues tell me it was ugly! I just laughed at them.
Such a great looking car, makes me want to watch Dallas reruns.
Der Opel Manta bei 3:03😂
Hochgerüstet mit allem, was der D&W-Katalog damals so hergab 😃
Manta 400 or Exclusiv? perhaps just body kit :)
This 300CE and Cabrio has such a timeless design! But they should have put the 500 motor in it!
The nostalgic moments in full swing
Honest engineering right here. I miss the old Mercedes Benz's of the past. Sadly we must move forwards, if you can call it that.
This was driven by Tom Cruise in the movie The Firm.
Thank you so much, i've been waiting for a 300 class mb video for ages. Please post more 300 vids. Greetings from The Netherlands
Back whenever luxury cars were made with superior quality
300 CE, E, SE, SEL unbelievable power with the only transmission to this day that can squeal the tires when it shifts ..
What a class act. If only there was a 500CE to counterbalance all that weight gain with more performance.
Bubblun it’s actually called the 300CE AMG 6.0. Nicknamed “Hammer.” If you look around on TH-cam Chris Harris from Top Gear has a video where he drives one.
@@boss12 It's nice but not a Cabriolet with that engine.
Bubblun AMG May have made one for all we know. Back then they didn’t just have them available. You had to know about AMG and then pony up for the conversion. So there may be someone who ordered one, but it may be the only one.
@@boss12 There was the cabrio 3.6, but AMG didn't make a cabrio 124 with a V8
$80,000 is a lot of money in 2022, never mind back in 1993! This was back when Mercedes built proper motorcars!
Keep the retro’s coming 😁
Highly glorious in all actuality
I hope you guys have the 500 E or the E 500 in the archives that would be awesome to see!
That's truly a timeless design.
They sure haven’t build a car like this in a long time.
We may be more than half way to 2020 by now, but I like these older Mercs. Some of those features like seat belt presenters are still used even in my mom's 2018 E400 Coupe.
That's a solid car. Newer Mbenz are also really nice machines, your mom did a nice choice
Back when a Mercedes was a tank and before the abomination that’s the CLA
These cars were in some senses very nearly hand built. If the right one came along at the right price I would buy it in a heartbeat. They are already beginning to appreciate.
Very nice cars ! I own a 1991 560SEL and an early model S550. The S550 is extremely comfortable & quiet ride, and is able to keep up with modern traffic with ease without consuming a tank of gas every hour to do so like the 560. The catch? the newer Benz doesn't match the old one in quality of materials, ease of operation, fun and reliability. I already spent $2500 fixing Airmatic suspension problems, leaking valve covers, busted front axles (4matic) where the rubber has torn off & leaked grease, interior dash has shorted out twice etc etc. Car only has 64k miles on it. The only major thing i've done to the 560sel in 4 years of owning & driving it often it is replaced all 4 bilstein shocks. Yes the old ones were built to last.
I’ve got a 1986 300e. Amazing car!
Did you buy it off Craigslist for $600? Because that's where you find most of them.
@@rodmunch69 For a thousand. Trust me its hard to find a decent one under 3 or 4. I got lucky because I really hit it off with the owner(re mortgaged home to fund E30 project)
@@akishot6735 $1000! Righteous bucks.
@@rodmunch69 Looking down the barrel of two major transmission gaskets being shot however and needing new front tires, but after about 1.5 thousands miles since I bought it is has done great
Thanx MotorWeek. I enjoyed this. Its crazy to me that Mercedes made a convertible out of this car in 93 because by then that E-class was sorta old. They made so many modifications to it they might as well have designed a whole new car. And $76k in 1993 is like $120-$130k today thats INSANE lol. But honestly the car has a timeless beauty to it inside and out. A true classic
*I hope to buy a weekend car someday thats a classic MB. I love these retro reviews. Thanks for posting!*
Oh. My. God. When he said that ‘93 price... adjusting for inflation can you imagine paying $135,000 USD for this in 2019?
Really puts in perspective how much car you can get for the money today, a 6-figure Merc today may be a lot more finicky and computer-y, but sit in a current model, then this 80s/90s model back to back and say objectively which one seems worth more.
More like puts into perspective how much the engineers absolutely didn't care about the price tag. This car was built to the best standards possible. I know because I own one, a '95 E320 Cab.
When I think of a Benz this is what I always think of
Miss the good old days when cars were well engineered. Old BMWs and Mercedes were built like tanks, now they fall apart after a few years!
Beemers never were built like this generation of merc. Millions of w124s still going, find me an E34..ill wait. After owning both there is night and day between them. The BMWs do drive well while they actually work though.
I owned a BMW 4-series for 4 years on a lease and the thing was still like new when I turned it in, not even one small issue in that time. I'm not sure where all these garbage BMW's are coming from, but I'm going to guess it's almost all from people that never owned one and instead drive a used Toyota Carola.
@@rodmunch69 Its funny, I have a good friend who only drives BMWs, he says the same thing..Even the toyota comment.. Although his last F10 535i cost him $22k then needed $28k in repairs.. Or his E60 that cost about the equivalent of a cup of coffee per km to run in repairs.. I owned a BMW 7 series, only car thats ever left me stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, I also years ago was involved in car sales and BMW was one of the products - Yes that kept me busy.. You may have had a good one, or be being particularly nice in your summary of it, and fwiw you are allowed to like them, the are nice cars, but they are not reliable, they do not last, and they have a well earned reputation because of it. Smartest way to drive a BMW is lease it... Oh, they all generally come from Germany, or the really crap ones from the US or South Africa.. And I have never owned a Corolla lol
@@Flying_GC If you owned a BMW and that was your experience, then I guess that was your experience, but that wasn't mine. But most people talking trash about anything that is expensive are poor people who just want to feel better about the piece of crap they owned, and having grown up poor and being self made I owned many POS's that have left me stranded, sort of described every car I had from 16-24 years old.
@@rodmunch69 Its not just my experience, its many peoples. I own two Mercs, not a cheap bomb. They are far from perfect too, well the W124 is pretty much perfect actually. Go find a BMW that's ten years old, see how well it's held up.
I own a ‘95 E320 Cabriolet, just turned 28,000 miles. Perfect Mercedes, white and blue leather and top. The last year it was built.
I have a silver '94 with 137k miles. Made a road trip from Seattle to New Orleans (and back) last year, runs like a dream - 26.5 mpg for the whole trip, and I drove it fast, esp. in MT and TX (80-90mph). Got it 3 years ago for $7000, but I had to invest another 4k to fix the leaking hydraulics for the top. Now it's in great shape. Paint looks like new after 30 years!
The owner of my employer has one of these (or at least did 15 years ago before I left for a remote office on the US east coast). Very understated styling...completely different than what rolls off the line today.
In the 1980s to the mid 1990s if you drove a Mercedes car you were part of the upper middle class of society. People gave you serious respect.
Absolutely! Back in the day, to own a luxury car meant you had arrived in life. Top drawer. There were no cheap lease deals. To buy the car one had to put up the cash.
@@stuartbear922 yup.....and leather trim was still an option even on an S-class Mercedes Benz! Their quality; fit, finish and engineering was utterly top top top drawer too.
A well maintained 190 Mercedes still feels completely solid. On the other hand, any Italian car from the 1980s and 1990s has probably rusted into oblivion by now.
What a beautiful car, thanks for the video
Still love these A124s
I want one of these so bad!
So glad the USA binned the laws mandating ugly sealed beam headlights and oversized 5mph bumpers, the European brands didn't adapt well to those changes especially Mercedes benz
Thanks to MotorWeek for this video! I ordered mine in tripple black in June 1991 and had to wait for delivery for one year.
It was worth waiting for and I would not sell it come hell or high water!
I have a 93 300ce cabriolet. White with black interior and black top. Very good condition.
$76,000 USD for a 1993 W124 300CE
$134,943 USD in today's money.
$76,265 USD for a 2019 W213 E450 Cabrio 4MATIC
Mercedes were far more unattainable in 1993 than today ...
It was with the W220 that Mercedes Benz went south. The cars were made to impress with technology instead of with quality materials, durability, and the pleasure of driving the car. That said, the same is true to some extent when the Cabriolet in this review is compared to models from the decades before the quality is trash since the leather is thin, plastic replaced metal, solid wood became veneer, and the sound the doors make when shut is not like making you think it is a battleship with a solid 4 inch wide steel belt. Quality just keeps falling as we go forward in time.
Well real trouble already began with the W202 in 1993 and W210 in 1996. The merging with Chrystler was by far the worst thing that could have happened to Mercedes-Benz. They adopted the Crystler mindset and it would be catastrophic.
I have one, with a 104.980 engine i have owned it since 1995 and love it , same colour scheme
I have one too. Do you drive it a lot. A mechanic told me its going to go up in value becuase there werent many made. I drive it locally.
Now that's one I forgot existed LOL.
Geez one LOL.
Actually the R107 SL you could argue was a 4 deat convertible with the rear jummp seat in place.
Maybe not a comfy 4 seater I mean that's stretching it abit but ye see what I mean.
Emergency head restraints?! I literally can't count how many times this could've saved me from surprise life threatening neck fatigue.
76k wow
$76k is about $130k now.
All that money for a car that probably doesn't function well today.
These were the last of the great Mercedes Benz lineage before the accountants overruled engineers and desecrated the proud brand
Mercedes started going downhill in quality starting in the 90's. they've just gotten worse and worse in quality ever since. Gone are the days of the likes of the W123's where Mercedes cars of that era were built with the up most quality.
I bet that convertible was more expensive than the E series convertible
Great car that straight 6 is robust. Remember seeing these in west LA back in the day yup.
"Mercedes Benz owners are a loyal group. They simply wouldn't drive anything else."
Then they drove to the Lexus dealership.
No, they didn't. Mercs regardless of reliability drive and feel a way no expensive Toyota can. So yeah those who don't care about driving may buy a Toyota, no enthusiasts do.
@@Flying_GC lol. Yeah, sure.
@@TheTaxburden yeah I'm quite sure, thanks for the reaffirmation
These are the days of mercedes when it was prolly better built than a lexus but in a few years that changed and by w211 they prolly walked to a lexus dealership lol
@@rikidiki8940 to be fair the w211 facelift is fine, and once again for enthusiasts a far better car. If you like driving would you buy an e55 amg or an ES300 or whatever other boring nonsense Lexus were churning out? Even with their new ISF stuff, they are still not in the same ball park as AMG. But yes, you want a boring executive sedan with leather seats to sit in traffic jams, Toyota is for you. Kinda a reason why they have always outsourced any cars with any remote sporting pedigree.
Tom Cruise's car in The Firm
Still a good looking car.
I am very partial to the E Class cabriolets. I've had 3 over the last 20 years. Just got a 2019 last year. AMG. Nothing short of an exceptional vehicle.
"Run! Go! Get To Da convertible!"
The last of the best. The recently-released W140 cost $1B+ to develop, then Schrempp went on the cost-cutting rampage (94 & 95 W124s, then the rest of the lineup were suddenly thousands less), and the rest was history. The only issues were the government-mandated biodegradable wire harness (all models 93-97), and possibly the head gasket (M103/4). Both can be fixed though.
A good friend's father owned one of these. My friend says his dad still talks about how great it was and how much he regrets selling it!
4:13 John: BUT USING IT (THE WIND-BLOCKER) FORCES YOU TO GIVE UP THE REAR SEAT! LOL
The folding mechanism for the roof was commissioned by Daimler Banz at Porsche.
Yes. Nice car. Crazy price when it came out.
Cool stuff still very expensive lol
''Engineering Magic'', which Ford mastered in the 1950s.
Very nice and beautiful this Mercedes classic
There was one for sale locally for $15,000 a few weeks ago lol
I saw one recently with something like 130,000 miles, meticulously maintained, for $8,995.00! By the time I ran across it it had already been sold. Was white with gray leather and black canvas top. The original one nonetheless in awesome shape!
Did I just hear a $76000 price? The automotive industry has definitely advanced...
Amigo na próxima Live só carros importados 👏👏👏 esse canal é nota dez 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
👏👏👏👏🇧🇷🇧🇷
Gorgeous, feel way ahead if its competitors. Bit overpriced for sure, still magnificent!
lol 76k in 1993 is over $165k in 2024. I’m sorry I love all w124’s but OMG NO WAY
Yeah, the price was insane then and now.
$76k was a very steep MSRP in 1993. The CLK Cabriolet that replaced this 300 CE convertible in 1998 was probably at least $20k less and much more stylish.
The last of the truly over engineered Mercedes-Benz's. Modern ones are still great but not on THIS level.
Please define great. They were once built to last 25 years now they are made to last about 25 months.
Right Lane Hog new Mercedes are still better than a Toyota in some ways, but also worse than a Toyota in some ways. If you sit in both, they are very similar now. Same materials,
@@777jones In the most extreme cases the Mercedes may offer better crash protection but in every other sense a Lexus is a better car. BTW I am half German and 0% Japanese so I have no bias. A friend bought a '71 Mercedes when it was around 20 years old. He let me take it for a spin and it remains the most solid vehicle I have ever driven. It was like a bank vault on wheels. BTW Mercedes has admitted they cut the quality on their cars so it is not just an urban legend.
@@rightlanehog3151 they can last a lot longer than 25 years maybe a hundred years
@@rightlanehog3151 They last 25 months if you don't change the oil. Also have you owned one?
Damn, if only they designed interiors like that still! Designing something as clean and sharp as that isn’t as easy as people who aren’t designers think it is, so now we get interiors that look like basketball shoes.
For me this is my dream car, black on black and the big grill pre facelift. The pre facelift just looks so classy and elegant. The facelift 94-96 are beautiful too but look too modern. I believe they only made the big grill convertible between 92-93 (coupes 88-93) and facelift convertibles 94-97. I have a facelift e320 coupe but want a early big grill 320ce black on black convertible
If you filmed one, please upload a video of the 94-2001 BMW 7 series!
This era of Mercedes Benz was truly the highest quality ever built. Today's Mercedes are a far cry from this model, when the engineers built the car and then the accountants priced it. It's exactly the reverse today. The accountants tell the engineers what the car has to cost before it's built !! Trust me, I know what I am talking about as I own a far inferior 2016 E400.
Klasse!