Over the years we’ve had many good hubnut filiming scenes, but showing us the suspension setup while filming the front bumper is by far my favourite. Never change mr hubnut, never change.
Absolutely beautiful example of a wonderful Mercedes. These were built to last forever. Nice comfortable family saloon, very attractive Coupe and enormous estate. Even the muscular E500.
Ian loves this car so much that the triangle of doom at the bottom of the windscreen is not a triangle of doom. It's a 'lovely little heart pattern.' 🤣❤
Mercs of this era often retain a certain smell in the cabin that is very evocative - in many ways these are far better built cars than the models that followed them.
That's down to Merc using horse hair padding in the seats which does give, as you say, a very distinctive interior smell even in vehicles with leather or MB Tex upholstery...
@@gosportjamie Thanks didn't know that. I (briefly) had a old 190E with this upholstery and if the concept of quality can be said to have a smell then this was it.
@@SilverSurfer5150 Got out of bed on the wrong side, did you? A few years ago a Mercedes commercial in the USA showed a seminar presented by Mercedes engineers, touting their accomplishments over the years. The audience were engineers from other carmakers. The Germans held forth ... "... in 1908 we introduced the supercharger ..." (the others all murmured); "... in 1937 we standardised on independent suspension on all axles ..." (more murmuring); "... in 1954 we introduced direct fuel injection ..." (yet more murmuring); "... and in 1959, the disc brake ..." (same response); "... also in 1959, the occupant safety cell and progressive crumple-rate end sections ... (more murmurs); "... in 1961 we made seat belts standard equipment ..." (ditto response); "... and in 1964 we went to four-wheel disc brakes as standard equipment ..." (mumbles from the audience); "... in 1965 we introduced side protection rails in the doors ..." (murmurs again); "... in 1972 we improved and strengthened our side-impact protection system ..." (mumbled responses); "... and in 1975 we added ABS to our braking systems ..." (increasingly bored murmurs); then the speaker gets a twinkle in his eye and says with a slight smile "... and last year we even added a cupholder ..." and with that the Americans jumped up, shouting "We had that first!"
My dad had a 230TE back in the day. Remember pretending it had electric windows in the back by winding them down as smoothly as I could. He paid extra for the upgraded Blaupunkt head unit and rear speakers.
The car from a time when Mercedes were expensive because of build quality rather than because their customers are dumb enough to pay the inflated price.
@@glennpowell3444 I think that record belongs to Volvo P1800. But there is a w124 on Mercedes Museum that has little over a 1M miles, a taxi from Portugal If I’m not mistaken
18 months ago, I managed to buy a 1995 W124 E220 with 100000 miles on the clock. In 1994/95 MB had switched to the biodegradable wiring harness. Fortunately I managed to find a company in Germany that makes replacement superior quality wiring harnesses. The harness cost more than what I paid for the car. It’s now my daily driver commuting 120 miles a day in comfort with no beeps and buzzes, and with a proper key to start the car.
Makes me miss my '88 260E saloon. It was an old car when I had it, but just the best I've ever had. I feel privileged to own one, especially in this new age of electrical vehicles.
Somewhere around 1987 / 1988 , I remember sitting as a young kid, in my fathers car, on a rainy day in Durban South Africa , and out the window I saw a W124. It was parked but the wipers were on. I'll never forget being mesmerized by the wiper mechanism , it was just cool , and I remember this like it was yesterday.
Great vid! Finally we are able to see how the windscreen wiper in action slow-mo. Mercedes then was truly an engineer heaven. I think those wipers on W126 are equally remarkable.
Absolutely fantastic cars and always loved them in almandine red like that one I was proud to be a Mercedes junior tech and work on them for a short time they were so well engineered and proper Mercedes engines which go on forever Well done Ian a great test Ps correct re seat fold and central locking both are vacuum
I had a C220 (base spec N/A diesel with auto, a hubnut Mercedes if ever there was one!) and miss that car dearly. It did save my life in a pretty bad black ice crash though and the original 1996 airbags still worked. Can't beat a pre-2000s Mercedes in my opinion.
I own a 1988 560SEC for the last 13 years and agree with all of what you said but more, and that 5.6l engine is just great and fast enough, this is an unrestricted one as well, fantastic vehicle. Drove a 2000km trip in Oz (Brisbane to Melbourne) in one go and when I got home I felt like going another 1000, just a fantastic car to drive, effortless and super comfortable, and looks it as well. BTW fuel eco was around 11l/100 km and that's the V8!
The car industry is moving into the electronic devices market and even though they are less complicated the manufacturers are guaranteed to send one of these automatic updates to the car that will start causing issues. A bit like a smartphone update really, since my last update from Samsung my phone hasn't been as responsive and the battery is now losing power, my phone is only about 5-6 years old
Years ago I bought a mk2 Astra with 90 something thousand on it. When the time came, I was dead excited to watch it click over to 100k (it was a really boring car). As the first digit started to move the speedo needle dropped to zero.. The cable had broken. I was denied the highlight of Astra ownership. I bought a new cable but before I got round to fitting it I put the thing on it's roof. Now _that_ was the highlight..
I briefly owned an '87 300E. I had a real love/hate relationship with that car. It was exceptionally solid, well-built with high-end materials, and lovely to drive. I bought it with 103k miles and sold it at 108k miles. It was extremely unreliable. At the time of purchase the cruise control, stereo, 1 power window, 1 power lock, the rear headrest release, and a couple of motor and transmission mounts were all failed. That's a heck of a lot to go wrong in 103k miles in what was a very clean car. Almost immediately after repairing these issues, the automatic transmission started slipping and being undrivable. So I sold the car to my neighbor, who had the transmission rebuilt for $2,500 U.S. After that, I switched to Volvo of the same era and never looked back. They weren't as opulent, but far more comfortable and far more reliable. I will gladly trade in real wood and chrome bits for a powertrain that lasts twice as long. We had 4 of them in our household over several years of the 200, 700/900 series ranging from '85 to '95. None had half the problems my Mercedes had.
This just screams 80's & 90's Spanish taxi cab. I remember riding in them as a kid and teen being in awe of the design, quality and smoothness along with stratospheric mileages. Hands down the best Merc ever.
A car designed and built by engineers and not by accountants. That's why that car is still with us today. I don't think the modern Mercedes cars will do 30 years because of all the technology inside that is why to expensive to repair.
I remember Mercedes of this era feeling absolutely bomb proof, even the switchgear felt indestructible. We had a first generation diesel C class at work and although it felt underpowered, it was definitely built to last. When it went into the competitor tear down department and was reduced to its component parts it was clear how. Everything was top quality and beautifully engineered. Sadly I think everything went downhill for MB from then on.
Excellent review Ian! Love these cars. I've had a W123 230E, and a W124 230E. I now drive a W124 230TE. Talking about attention to detail, I only had two complaints with the 123. First, I kept on losing things down the side of the seats, and second, if you hit a deep puddle the water would splash on to the power steering belt and make it slip. When I got the 124, there were little blocking plates to stop things falling down the side of the seats, and a splash plate under the engine which is easily removed. It's obvious that they listened to customers using the cars in the real world, and found solutions to minor inconveniences
I read back in the day that Mercs became less well engineered so Merc drivers would discard their cars sooner and buy a new one. In the 90s, people were still driving their cars from the late 70s and early 80s. Bit of planned obsolescence there.
@@stevesrover Yup, that's the profit-at-all-costs mentality of bean counters. Ruined the marque! I've owned 17 Benzes covering series from 1955 to 1992; currently drive an '83 500 SEC. No interest in electronic cars because I can't fix them; their obsolescence is inbuilt.
This is a proper Mercedes from when quality and engineering were king and not profit. I love these - unlike the brash, plastic fantastic crap they sell today. The new cars are not even in the same league as this beauty. Only negative is the gruff note of the 4 cylinder where a silky 6 would be far more fitting but still a wondeful car. Great review Ian
I agree the 6 cylinder ones feel more like a proper engine for a grand tourer car. This era of Mercedes was when they were eye wateringly expensive, especially if you delved into the option list in any way. I think that price differential kept them special at least in the UK (unlike being perceived as a taxi brand in Germany). It meant when you saw one it was a bit of a treat and they were typically driven by someone who had treated themselves to the car and justified the price differential as "worth it" to get those over engineered touches and long term durability. Unfortunately today they actually do mass advertising to everyone, endless promotion of credit and sure enough they are now driven by everyone. I think they've lost their cachet and exclusivity now that they're outside every other house in a town. A great review Ian.
I bought an 18,5 year old 190E 2.0 automatic in 2010 and I'm still using it as my daily driver. People say I'm nuts to drive a car almost 30 years old with 200.000+ miles on the clock, but it's simply too good to get rid off. It still feels so tight, almost like new !
Every time I use my mono-wiper on my 190E I think of HubNut 😎 Great to finally see you review one of those 👍 This coup is a dream of mine, maybe one day I'll upgrade
I’ve had a C Class with MB Tex (or did it get renamed as Artico?) Nasty - ruined an otherwise very impressive car, and made it akin to sitting in a 70s Cortina on a hot day.
@@simonhodgetts6530 Goodness no. Artico (artificial cow) is plain vinyl or simulated leather. It has been known to split & crack on fairly new cars. MB-Tex has never pretended to be anything but a durable, hard wearing synthetic covering & always perforated / ventilated in the middle, with natural padding under the cover, so it never gets hot & sweaty in summer.
Great review. I’m on my second C124 220. The first was my daily for over a decade and I loved it more each day. Ian captures very well how they grow on you: the sense of calm and of reassurance… the way the drive feels simple, the economy of effort and minimal stress, the sense of control… it’s the opposite of my beloved older Alfas and Lancias, where quick response throttle and steering made driving a double-espresso high. The 124 puts you at ease and lets you get to know it gradually… each drive is better, and (just as in this video) you get a gathering sense of enjoyment the longer you’re behind the wheel, and the more you realise how much the cars can do.
That car has the regular cloth interior, MB-tex is type of vinyl that looks like leather. Being a cabdriver back in the 90s I'm quite familliar with it....
I have a 1994 202 c220. the interior looks like this but it's butter leather. I can live my life without this generation of Mercedes. impossible. they are so good for Nigerian roads
I ran one for a good number of miles, silver, and then upgraded to my E320 Sportline Cabriolet. A real go-to car for a fabulous feeling of driving and quality, more than 200,000 miles and a car I relish getting out of my barn.
Another great video hubnut! Yes. The Mercedes back in the day were by far the best. My Grandad owned a couple of these back in the day. Used to love seeing the mono wiper in action! No triangle of doom on that one! He owned a 1995 E200. The engines were bulletproof and would last for ever. I still remember the distinctive sound of the 4 speed automatic gearbox! Great stuff.🙂
I have a C230, it's a wonderful car, identical, but slightly larger engine, a sort of very high-speed armchair. Mine is a metallic green, sort of stealth car. The electrics are all bi-wired! No chassis return like on British cars. I had an indicator lamp fail (there is a warning on the dash for any lamp failure), it turned out that the only problem was that the solder had worn away from the back of the *original* bulb. I put a new blob of solder on the bulb and the original bulb is still working. Great review, chaps. PS. The only remark I'd have is that the sponge on the steering wheel, designed to save your ribs, is becoming sticky, so I can understand why your owner has fitted a cover.
I had a 220/8 4door 1972 model 4 years old so this motor was a familiar power unit.Timing chain rattle and thr rusting and breaking of the exhaust gas butterfly like valve and the central prop shaft bearing only real problems in the 10 years I had it, Good poor man's motor really. Bless You All.
You can never go wrong buying a W 124, or even W 123. Over here in Germany, the price is getting higher each year. No good W 123 below 4000 Euro, no good W 124 below 7000 Euro right now.
Been waiting for some w124 wiper action on this channel. One thing you missed is you can pull the levers on the bonnet hing to lift it completely vertical and out of the way when working on it. truly delightful cars Edit: also while very effective the wiper does fling the water of the windscreen quit far so best not to leave the wiper on intermittent in a drive through as i found out.
You missed two things: 1. The bonnet has a separate catch that allows you to lift it and lock it vertically in place for even better access to the engine. 2. The wiper is shared by many exotic cars including Koenigseggs. Although it's actually not great when it rains heavily and is liable to failure and difficult to service. Some people have even gone to the effort to replace them with dual wipers! It looks super-cool though! Also, the transmission doesn't have a sport mode, it is (E)conomy or (S)tandard! Great car!
Completely agree about the late 90's mercs. On a quiet night you could hear them rusting. But the w210 gave us one of the best diesels ever made. The om606. That engine was probably the last truly over engineered thing mercedes made
I also had a 300E about 15 years ago, I miss it a lot. I once drove a relative to the airport in it and at the time she owned the current Bentley Continental and even though my Mercedes was already 15 years year old back then she couldn't believe that she preferred the ride in my 'Munich Minicab'.
This is why so many Taxi drivers used to drive these , my mate Syed who owns his own Taxi firm has a Mercedes from the 90s i cant remember the model but its on 400 thousand miles and still drives like a new car as hes always maintained it and they are so comfy , bonus is its a Diesel so is good on fuel too.
I drove my brothers 1987 W123 automatic saloon. It was so solid and well built. It just trundled along. Love the ‘’taking your granny to a disco’’ bit 😂😂😂
My old business partner had the 6cyl estate 124. Waft level 9, usually with one of his pieces of hand crafted furniture in the back. It could also surprise Barry Boys away from the lights. Finally died at 300k miles with tin-worm. A truly fabulous car.
My grandad had one in dark green with a cream leather interior 220 I remember we went to test a blue/silver one with a bigger engine and all I can remember is him been a absolute hooligan, pinned me to the seat spun the wheels, laughing his head of and said this is a little more than I need. I want to say it was a 320 but I maybe incorrect good memories though.
As a long-time Mercedes owner, I really like these older models. My mechanic occasionally lends me his E320 from this generation when working on my GLK or my wife's old Volvo. That E320 has 330k Kms on the clock and feels and drives literally like new. Unfortunately he steadfastly refuses to sell it, preferably to me. To be fair, when it comes to airbags, Mercedes may have been ahead of the game compared to other European manufacturers, but late to the game in North America as US automakers began putting airbags in some of their models starting in the early 1970s. I'm old enough to remember them.
I have the 300E from 1987 with the M103 engine. I love driving this machine. The engine is going to change though. Not because it needs more power but because there are fun options to explore. And it's mine.
Cracking video! As a young salesman in the mid 90's selling Saab & Jaguar I always loved when these were px'd in, used to spend hours pawing over them and took every opportunity to drive them! I'm my mind a superb daily driver classic and would love one before too long!
Yes, I got a giggle from that, too! The ribbing was actually a design feature intended to keep the rear lamps visible no matter how dirty they got (so-called self-cleaning) - introduced on the W123 and W116 series.
I've been in several 124s in the back (taxi's) and each time I was really impressed by how good the ride was. A long 40 minute journey from an airport abroad particularly impressed me. I've not been in anything that rode as well since. Perfect compromise.
As the owner of a 1992 280TE, in this red, I can attest that they are indeed very well made, very nice to drive in the twisty roads and effortless across huge distances.
Went on a training course for work in Belgium in the mid 90s & a W124 taxi would take me from the hotel to the place of training each morning. Started the love affair with Mercedes that I still have to this day.
You are making me want to get one of these again, had a 230TE and 300CE at one point. I really loved this car, definitely prefer the straight six version though, sounded wonderful and smelled like a proper car.
I never knew what that whole single wiper wobble was about, when I first seen it years ago I thought it had worked loose! But your slo-mo video explained it perfectly what a triumph of design. Great review Sir
The windscreen wiper is a work of art, poetry in motion. The steering wheel cover, not so much.
I noticed that.
Lol yes. And the tack-on mirror
liquid football! ;)
Over the years we’ve had many good hubnut filiming scenes, but showing us the suspension setup while filming the front bumper is by far my favourite. Never change mr hubnut, never change.
😂 so true!
Absolutely beautiful example of a wonderful Mercedes. These were built to last forever. Nice comfortable family saloon, very attractive Coupe and enormous estate. Even the muscular E500.
This generation of Mercedes can't be beaten, had several myself and wish I still had them. Bulletproof engineering at its finest.
Ian loves this car so much that the triangle of doom at the bottom of the windscreen is not a triangle of doom. It's a 'lovely little heart pattern.' 🤣❤
Oh, yes please !. Worked for Mercedes in the early 90s and always loved the 124. Last of the bulletproof Mercs.
Mercs of this era often retain a certain smell in the cabin that is very evocative - in many ways these are far better built cars than the models that followed them.
That's down to Merc using horse hair padding in the seats which does give, as you say, a very distinctive interior smell even in vehicles with leather or MB Tex upholstery...
@@gosportjamie Horse hair? I think you'll find it was coconut fibre.
@@gosportjamie Thanks didn't know that. I (briefly) had a old 190E with this upholstery and if the concept of quality can be said to have a smell then this was it.
Can' t beat a bit of uncalled for abuse.
@@SilverSurfer5150 Got out of bed on the wrong side, did you?
A few years ago a Mercedes commercial in the USA showed a seminar presented by Mercedes engineers, touting their accomplishments over the years. The audience were engineers from other carmakers. The Germans held forth ... "... in 1908 we introduced the supercharger ..." (the others all murmured); "... in 1937 we standardised on independent suspension on all axles ..." (more murmuring); "... in 1954 we introduced direct fuel injection ..." (yet more murmuring); "... and in 1959, the disc brake ..." (same response); "... also in 1959, the occupant safety cell and progressive crumple-rate end sections ... (more murmurs); "... in 1961 we made seat belts standard equipment ..." (ditto response); "... and in 1964 we went to four-wheel disc brakes as standard equipment ..." (mumbles from the audience); "... in 1965 we introduced side protection rails in the doors ..." (murmurs again); "... in 1972 we improved and strengthened our side-impact protection system ..." (mumbled responses); "... and in 1975 we added ABS to our braking systems ..." (increasingly bored murmurs); then the speaker gets a twinkle in his eye and says with a slight smile "... and last year we even added a cupholder ..." and with that the Americans jumped up, shouting "We had that first!"
I can imagine HubNut finding it hard to hand back the keys after his review😂😂😂
Lovely, everything designed and engineered for a purpose.
Absolutely and even to the extent of how easily they can be worked on. Proper engineering design.
@@robinwells8879 Йавукеëннннаув к года шеей дз
@@robinwells8879 йхп
@@user-co5ri2id9f sorry I am not clever enough to understand this comment.
You must've had a great time with that W124, Ian. That's the most jaunty "ptchooo!" I've heard.
My dad had a 230TE back in the day. Remember pretending it had electric windows in the back by winding them down as smoothly as I could. He paid extra for the upgraded Blaupunkt head unit and rear speakers.
The car from a time when Mercedes were expensive because of build quality rather than because their customers are dumb enough to pay the inflated price.
Considering that the design of this car goes back to the early 80's, it's crazy how ahead of the time it was.
A W124 is very high on my want list.
They just look so right, like they're carved out of granite ❤️
Don’t waist time and get it because you are going to enjoy the drive every day and more
A W124 with only 100000 miles?! It hasn’t even reached puberty yet!!
@@glennpowell3444 I think that record belongs to Volvo P1800. But there is a w124 on Mercedes Museum that has little over a 1M miles, a taxi from Portugal If I’m not mistaken
The ride on the W124 was like a magic carpet, that was a fantastic car.
18 months ago, I managed to buy a 1995 W124 E220 with 100000 miles on the clock. In 1994/95 MB had switched to the biodegradable wiring harness. Fortunately I managed to find a company in Germany that makes replacement superior quality wiring harnesses. The harness cost more than what I paid for the car. It’s now my daily driver commuting 120 miles a day in comfort with no beeps and buzzes, and with a proper key to start the car.
"If you like windscreen wipers as much as I do." Nobody likes windscreen wipers as much as you do. :)
Makes me miss my '88 260E saloon. It was an old car when I had it, but just the best I've ever had. I feel privileged to own one, especially in this new age of electrical vehicles.
I've owned three W124s, including my current daily driver. Two saloons and one estate, all of them diesels. Fantastic cars.
Slo mo wiper action to music! We've broken new ground here 🤗
Somewhere around 1987 / 1988 , I remember sitting as a young kid, in my fathers car, on a rainy day in Durban South Africa , and out the window I saw a W124. It was parked but the wipers were on. I'll never forget being mesmerized by the wiper mechanism , it was just cool , and I remember this like it was yesterday.
Great vid! Finally we are able to see how the windscreen wiper in action slow-mo. Mercedes then was truly an engineer heaven. I think those wipers on W126 are equally remarkable.
Hubnut at his absolute best. Best car reviewer on TH-cam in my opinion.
Absolutely fantastic cars and always loved them in almandine red like that one I was proud to be a Mercedes junior tech and work on them for a short time they were so well engineered and proper Mercedes engines which go on forever
Well done Ian a great test
Ps correct re seat fold and central locking both are vacuum
I had a C220 (base spec N/A diesel with auto, a hubnut Mercedes if ever there was one!) and miss that car dearly. It did save my life in a pretty bad black ice crash though and the original 1996 airbags still worked. Can't beat a pre-2000s Mercedes in my opinion.
I own a 1988 560SEC for the last 13 years and agree with all of what you said but more, and that 5.6l engine is just great and fast enough, this is an unrestricted one as well, fantastic vehicle. Drove a 2000km trip in Oz (Brisbane to Melbourne) in one go and when I got home I felt like going another 1000, just a fantastic car to drive, effortless and super comfortable, and looks it as well. BTW fuel eco was around 11l/100 km and that's the V8!
When all modern cars have gone, including battery powered, cars of this era will still be running. Good old Mercedes hey Mr HubNut.
The car industry is moving into the electronic devices market and even though they are less complicated the manufacturers are guaranteed to send one of these automatic updates to the car that will start causing issues. A bit like a smartphone update really, since my last update from Samsung my phone hasn't been as responsive and the battery is now losing power, my phone is only about 5-6 years old
Back from the time when BMWs and Mercedes were quite different...and both probably made some of there best cars ever
Years ago I bought a mk2 Astra with 90 something thousand on it. When the time came, I was dead excited to watch it click over to 100k (it was a really boring car). As the first digit started to move the speedo needle dropped to zero.. The cable had broken. I was denied the highlight of Astra ownership.
I bought a new cable but before I got round to fitting it I put the thing on it's roof. Now _that_ was the highlight..
I briefly owned an '87 300E. I had a real love/hate relationship with that car. It was exceptionally solid, well-built with high-end materials, and lovely to drive. I bought it with 103k miles and sold it at 108k miles. It was extremely unreliable. At the time of purchase the cruise control, stereo, 1 power window, 1 power lock, the rear headrest release, and a couple of motor and transmission mounts were all failed. That's a heck of a lot to go wrong in 103k miles in what was a very clean car. Almost immediately after repairing these issues, the automatic transmission started slipping and being undrivable. So I sold the car to my neighbor, who had the transmission rebuilt for $2,500 U.S. After that, I switched to Volvo of the same era and never looked back. They weren't as opulent, but far more comfortable and far more reliable. I will gladly trade in real wood and chrome bits for a powertrain that lasts twice as long. We had 4 of them in our household over several years of the 200, 700/900 series ranging from '85 to '95. None had half the problems my Mercedes had.
What a lovely machine. The build quality was insane during this era of Benz.
This just screams 80's & 90's Spanish taxi cab. I remember riding in them as a kid and teen being in awe of the design, quality and smoothness along with stratospheric mileages. Hands down the best Merc ever.
A car designed and built by engineers and not by accountants. That's why that car is still with us today. I don't think the modern Mercedes cars will do 30 years because of all the technology inside that is why to expensive to repair.
My w203, 2002 model, 200CDI manual: 525000km yesterday. Horrible to look at, works like a swiss army knife. That is 328000 miles :)
Minor tidbit, this is not MB Tex, it's cloth. MB Tex looks like synthetic leather :)
I remember Mercedes of this era feeling absolutely bomb proof, even the switchgear felt indestructible. We had a first generation diesel C class at work and although it felt underpowered, it was definitely built to last. When it went into the competitor tear down department and was reduced to its component parts it was clear how. Everything was top quality and beautifully engineered. Sadly I think everything went downhill for MB from then on.
Excellent review Ian! Love these cars. I've had a W123 230E, and a W124 230E. I now drive a W124 230TE. Talking about attention to detail, I only had two complaints with the 123. First, I kept on losing things down the side of the seats, and second, if you hit a deep puddle the water would splash on to the power steering belt and make it slip. When I got the 124, there were little blocking plates to stop things falling down the side of the seats, and a splash plate under the engine which is easily removed. It's obvious that they listened to customers using the cars in the real world, and found solutions to minor inconveniences
W124 was peak automobile if you ask me. All downhill since.
And then the accountants took over, just like they did everywhere else.
thats so true !!!
Indeed! Bean-counters cannot build decent cars!
They got kicked out again eventually but it took a long time
I read back in the day that Mercs became less well engineered so Merc drivers would discard their cars sooner and buy a new one. In the 90s, people were still driving their cars from the late 70s and early 80s. Bit of planned obsolescence there.
@@stevesrover Yup, that's the profit-at-all-costs mentality of bean counters. Ruined the marque! I've owned 17 Benzes covering series from 1955 to 1992; currently drive an '83 500 SEC. No interest in electronic cars because I can't fix them; their obsolescence is inbuilt.
My Grandad had a W123 & 124 in the 80s 90s i loved them both.
Beautiful cars. Great video Ian as always.
Keep on driving and keep safe.
This is a proper Mercedes from when quality and engineering were king and not profit. I love these - unlike the brash, plastic fantastic crap they sell today. The new cars are not even in the same league as this beauty. Only negative is the gruff note of the 4 cylinder where a silky 6 would be far more fitting but still a wondeful car. Great review Ian
Great review and great looking car, have to agree with you that Mercedes have lost the way a bit. And I could sit and watch that wiper all day!
For a 1994/5 registered car, it still doesn't look too
shabby.
Too shabby???
U mean it is somewhat shabby!!!
You've inspired me Ian, to find one and lovingly take care of it. I am an old school Merc fan.
I agree the 6 cylinder ones feel more like a proper engine for a grand tourer car. This era of Mercedes was when they were eye wateringly expensive, especially if you delved into the option list in any way. I think that price differential kept them special at least in the UK (unlike being perceived as a taxi brand in Germany). It meant when you saw one it was a bit of a treat and they were typically driven by someone who had treated themselves to the car and justified the price differential as "worth it" to get those over engineered touches and long term durability. Unfortunately today they actually do mass advertising to everyone, endless promotion of credit and sure enough they are now driven by everyone. I think they've lost their cachet and exclusivity now that they're outside every other house in a town. A great review Ian.
You could say this is peak Mercedes
Classic beautiful design inside and outside
Great engineering
Great cars
Majestic wiper action
Peak Merc. Lovely. Although, personally I prefer the 190. In fact I’d still have a 190 as a daily now.
Making me miss mine now, why did I get rid of it, must have been stupid that day.
I bought an 18,5 year old 190E 2.0 automatic in 2010 and I'm still using it as my daily driver. People say I'm nuts to drive a car almost 30 years old with 200.000+ miles on the clock, but it's simply too good to get rid off. It still feels so tight, almost like new !
Last of the great Mercs . Now it’s quantity over quality.
Every time I use my mono-wiper on my 190E I think of HubNut 😎 Great to finally see you review one of those 👍 This coup is a dream of mine, maybe one day I'll upgrade
Nice review. Slight correction: Those are not MB-TEX seats. They are the lower cost fabric option. For Diesels there were 2.0, 2.5, 2.5T, 3.0, 3.0T.
Lovely car in a gorgeous colour. Interior is cloth though, MB Tex being the hard wearing, perforated vinyl upholstery.
I’ve had a C Class with MB Tex (or did it get renamed as Artico?) Nasty - ruined an otherwise very impressive car, and made it akin to sitting in a 70s Cortina on a hot day.
Drat. There always has to be a mistake somewhere!
@@simonhodgetts6530 Goodness no. Artico (artificial cow) is plain vinyl or simulated leather. It has been known to split & crack on fairly new cars. MB-Tex has never pretended to be anything but a durable, hard wearing synthetic covering & always perforated / ventilated in the middle, with natural padding under the cover, so it never gets hot & sweaty in summer.
@@nigelbryanmee My 79 240D with MB Tex still looks brand new. A nuclear bomb could go off under the car and the MB Tex would survive 😀
@@bobbbobb4663 Totally agree. I have a 96' 320 with MB Tex on 75k miles. It's immaculate.
Great review. I’m on my second C124 220. The first was my daily for over a decade and I loved it more each day. Ian captures very well how they grow on you: the sense of calm and of reassurance… the way the drive feels simple, the economy of effort and minimal stress, the sense of control… it’s the opposite of my beloved older Alfas and Lancias, where quick response throttle and steering made driving a double-espresso high. The 124 puts you at ease and lets you get to know it gradually… each drive is better, and (just as in this video) you get a gathering sense of enjoyment the longer you’re behind the wheel, and the more you realise how much the cars can do.
One of my favorite cars along with W123 D turbo.
Well done Mr Nut!
Loved this road test one of the last truly great over engineered Mercedes especially the front wiper great job
I’ve owned four 124s. They are something very special.
That car has the regular cloth interior, MB-tex is type of vinyl that looks like leather. Being a cabdriver back in the 90s I'm quite familliar with it....
I have a 1994 202 c220. the interior looks like this but it's butter leather. I can live my life without this generation of Mercedes. impossible. they are so good for Nigerian roads
I ran one for a good number of miles, silver, and then upgraded to my E320 Sportline Cabriolet. A real go-to car for a fabulous feeling of driving and quality, more than 200,000 miles and a car I relish getting out of my barn.
My favorite whiper channel.
Ian, one of your best reviews so far. Always enjoy watching you enjoy a car. Keep it up.
Another great video hubnut! Yes. The Mercedes back in the day were by far the best. My Grandad owned a couple of these back in the day. Used to love seeing the mono wiper in action! No triangle of doom on that one! He owned a 1995 E200. The engines were bulletproof and would last for ever. I still remember the distinctive sound of the 4 speed automatic gearbox! Great stuff.🙂
To be fair, I’ve been waiting a long time for you to test the W124 wipers. Great video as always.
Anyone else looking at the classifieds?
I have a C230, it's a wonderful car, identical, but slightly larger engine, a sort of very high-speed armchair. Mine is a metallic green, sort of stealth car.
The electrics are all bi-wired! No chassis return like on British cars. I had an indicator lamp fail (there is a warning on the dash for any lamp failure), it turned out that the only problem was that the solder had worn away from the back of the *original* bulb. I put a new blob of solder on the bulb and the original bulb is still working.
Great review, chaps.
PS. The only remark I'd have is that the sponge on the steering wheel, designed to save your ribs, is becoming sticky, so I can understand why your owner has fitted a cover.
I found even the lower price VWs I've had have a lot of handy little features. I think that is the Happiest I've ever seen Ian look after a drive.
I had a 220/8 4door 1972 model 4 years old so this motor was a familiar power unit.Timing chain rattle and thr rusting and breaking of the exhaust gas butterfly like valve and the central prop shaft bearing only real problems in the 10 years I had it, Good poor man's motor really. Bless You All.
This might be the first HubNut vehicle I have seen out in the wild. Just followed it on my way home.
Quality car and quality review Ian. Noticing the filming and editing have gone up a gear too (dare I say it very professional! :D ) 👍
The last of the best Mercedes ever! Long live the understated W124! Especially the coupe & estate, stunning designs!
You need to have the engine running to drop the headrests, they work on vacuum :D
Ah! Like the seat locking. Didn't think of that.
@@HubNut the many quirks of the 124, had 2 and hope someday to have one again. Sitting in an old merc is like walking into your living room
You can never go wrong buying a W 124, or even W 123. Over here in Germany, the price is getting higher each year. No good W 123 below 4000 Euro, no good W 124 below 7000 Euro right now.
Been waiting for some w124 wiper action on this channel. One thing you missed is you can pull the levers on the bonnet hing to lift it completely vertical and out of the way when working on it. truly delightful cars
Edit: also while very effective the wiper does fling the water of the windscreen quit far so best not to leave the wiper on intermittent in a drive through as i found out.
You missed two things: 1. The bonnet has a separate catch that allows you to lift it and lock it vertically in place for even better access to the engine. 2. The wiper is shared by many exotic cars including Koenigseggs. Although it's actually not great when it rains heavily and is liable to failure and difficult to service. Some people have even gone to the effort to replace them with dual wipers! It looks super-cool though! Also, the transmission doesn't have a sport mode, it is (E)conomy or (S)tandard! Great car!
Completely agree about the late 90's mercs. On a quiet night you could hear them rusting. But the w210 gave us one of the best diesels ever made. The om606. That engine was probably the last truly over engineered thing mercedes made
I also had a 300E about 15 years ago, I miss it a lot. I once drove a relative to the airport in it and at the time she owned the current Bentley Continental and even though my Mercedes was already 15 years year old back then she couldn't believe that she preferred the ride in my 'Munich Minicab'.
Had a 1984 W126 SEC years ago and this was very reminiscent of that. Same extending seat belts and pillarless, frameless doors.
Nice example - amazing nearly 30 years old now!
This is why so many Taxi drivers used to drive these , my mate Syed who owns his own Taxi firm has a Mercedes from the 90s i cant remember the model but its on 400 thousand miles and still drives like a new car as hes always maintained it and they are so comfy , bonus is its a Diesel so is good on fuel too.
I drove my brothers 1987 W123 automatic saloon. It was so solid and well built. It just trundled along. Love the ‘’taking your granny to a disco’’ bit 😂😂😂
Had a w124 back in the early 21C, WONDERFUL car!
What a great review, it just looks so good inside, even today I would be happy driving it and feel very special.
I love Merc's and would love another one, I used to own a C320 cdi years ago and it was such a fantastic car.
My old business partner had the 6cyl estate 124. Waft level 9, usually with one of his pieces of hand crafted furniture in the back. It could also surprise Barry Boys away from the lights. Finally died at 300k miles with tin-worm. A truly fabulous car.
My grandad had one in dark green with a cream leather interior 220 I remember we went to test a blue/silver one with a bigger engine and all I can remember is him been a absolute hooligan, pinned me to the seat spun the wheels, laughing his head of and said this is a little more than I need. I want to say it was a 320 but I maybe incorrect good memories though.
As a long-time Mercedes owner, I really like these older models. My mechanic occasionally lends me his E320 from this generation when working on my GLK or my wife's old Volvo. That E320 has 330k Kms on the clock and feels and drives literally like new. Unfortunately he steadfastly refuses to sell it, preferably to me.
To be fair, when it comes to airbags, Mercedes may have been ahead of the game compared to other European manufacturers, but late to the game in North America as US automakers began putting airbags in some of their models starting in the early 1970s. I'm old enough to remember them.
Had an 86 200, originally a South African one, so fantastically built..
I have the 300E from 1987 with the M103 engine. I love driving this machine. The engine is going to change though. Not because it needs more power but because there are fun options to explore. And it's mine.
Cracking video!
As a young salesman in the mid 90's selling Saab & Jaguar I always loved when these were px'd in, used to spend hours pawing over them and took every opportunity to drive them! I'm my mind a superb daily driver classic and would love one before too long!
Lights ribbed for pleasure! Love it. And that jiggly wiper is amazing!
Yes, I got a giggle from that, too! The ribbing was actually a design feature intended to keep the rear lamps visible no matter how dirty they got (so-called self-cleaning) - introduced on the W123 and W116 series.
Thanks for the wiper action, I can remember as a 10 year old boy being fascinated by that single wiper on the 190 in 1983.
I've been in several 124s in the back (taxi's) and each time I was really impressed by how good the ride was. A long 40 minute journey from an airport abroad particularly impressed me. I've not been in anything that rode as well since. Perfect compromise.
Brilliant review! I'm on my fifth W124 - a 260E. I still think these are the best cars in the world.
Hi Ian what a lovely car and a great video again take care and hubnut family 😊👍🏻
As the owner of a 1992 280TE, in this red, I can attest that they are indeed very well made, very nice to drive in the twisty roads and effortless across huge distances.
Red carpet and granddad shoes, totally in style.
I had a 300-24. Amazing what it could do
Went on a training course for work in Belgium in the mid 90s & a W124 taxi would take me from the hotel to the place of training each morning. Started the love affair with Mercedes that I still have to this day.
I owned a H reg 190e. It was as comfortable as a very expensive modern car. Everything felt just so well engineered. I loved that car.
This interior quality is so timeless that you cannot digest.
You are making me want to get one of these again, had a 230TE and 300CE at one point. I really loved this car, definitely prefer the straight six version though, sounded wonderful and smelled like a proper car.
What a machine.Effortless motoring. Love the wiper action too 😃
Awesome car, Teutonic class and quality, nice shots👊😎
I never knew what that whole single wiper wobble was about, when I first seen it years ago I thought it had worked loose! But your slo-mo video explained it perfectly what a triumph of design. Great review Sir