Growing up in Kedah, we didn't get to see many continental cars, what more an estate. One day my dad and I spotted an S123 (belong to a classmate's dad transferred from KL) at my school and the image has never left my memory. Fast forward to present day, I am driving an S124 TE200 (bought in 2016) and she has been my daily workhorse. She's such a beauty, and willing to go extra miles whenever I need her... moving furniture, car camping, balik kampung, convoy you name it. In return, no expense is sparred in keeping her in pristine condition especially the SLS. She's a keeper. Just wish my dad is here to cherish the ride with me.
I have a W124 230E and a W123 200. Both cars are used alternately as daily. I enjoy driving them very much. Both are very well built. W124 has modern drive feel where as W123 has classic car feel. Both routine maintenance are far more cheaper compared to new cars. However, you do need an experienced mechanic to do parts replacement and tuning. By the way, noticed the wagon economy gauge is not working. Most likely the vacuum hose connect to it could be dislocated. Just plug the loose vacuum hose into the yellow vacuum valve next to brake booster. It should be working again.
My discipline and HEP teacher had one of those back then. One of his complaints about that car is that some of the delinquents keep stealing the merc logo and use them as trophies on their bikes. Had to replace it a couple of times until he got fed up. The ‘E’ stands for Einspritzmotor (fuel injection)
The M103 engine is just sweet. Try check how they do a straight pipe with them, that rawness is spot on. We had the M102 engine 230E and later the M111 E220 masterpiece. But when we moved to Camry, despite being a much quieter car, it lacked the character of the W124 or even the W210.
Driver skill counts. Heading to Gap from Karak, my Dad chanced upon an (hint) E34 525i 24V, based on the bootlid-mounted decals. It had just been passed by a W124 260E which pulled away steadily thru the curves and soon disappeared. E34 "upped his pace" to discourage Dad from overtaking with our family Wira 1.5 manual but began spending a lot of time on his brakes into and out of corners - forget about passing 'im on any straight and there was traffic from the opposite direction. That and at least 1 other experience... I wonder how a Star and its direct Roundel competitor would fare in a wet touge face-off round those roads with excellent drivers.?.?
Excellent car. I still have a W124 for weekend drives. Hardly any maintenance issues except for air-conditioning that can be easily sorted out as parts are available. Lots on the road till today.
5:43 Economy gauge shouldn’t be all the way to the right at idling. Does it move when driving? If not, it is possible that the vacuum hose at the back of the instrument cluster has been disconnected.
Love the W124. I'm on my second one now, an E280 with 6 cylinders this time. Recently inspected and approved by JPJ as a classic. Roadtax is cheap now for a 2.8L.
I have a 1989 W124 230E auto which I bought in 2015. Don't know how many owners before me, but I did spend quite a bit to tidy it up and I found it drives very well despite its old M102 2.3 L 4 cyl, certainly not underpowered for an old unker like me. Handling? Don't let anyone tell you W124 can't handle, mine handles like a dream despite the standard 195/65x15 tyres, I out cornered many a smaller, nimbler cars in the twisties and best of all, rides beautifully over bad roads. Will keep it for a while, since the road tax is just RM136/year.
Please let the owner know that the temperature is actually quite high...124's ideal temperature would be just slightly above 80...Most of the time 124's temperature go to that mark when the fan is not working and this usually happens when the ac is running low on gas and not because of spoiled fan
It depends. If the car is using factory spec thermostat (87 C) with red radiator fan switch (100 C), it can go up to 100 C before the radiator fan kicks in to cool it down. But if you turn on the AC, it will hover slightly above 80 C most of the time. A lot of local W124 are using the "tropical" thermostat (71 C) with black radiator fan switch (85 C). With this setup, the temperature will hover below 80 C.
As a merc exp myself , W204 / W212 great buy now . Modern , beautifully design , spare parts everywhere, affordable luxury , interior build quality no squeak no rattle no nonsense , comfortable solid planted feel at PLUS highway . 7 G facelift is better , looked nicer . Final gen of 21st century analogous before all lousy touchscreens . Definitely better than current new Mercs, too plasticky and cheap and problematic .
The temperature gauge is quite high..mine the temperature stays at 80 degrees..better check the clutch fan, electric motor fan, radiator, thermostat & water pump..this car can overheat very fast 😬
My "dream" car for the longest time. Always tempted to look at it, both online and physical. Still unsure whether to buy one. At one point, almost wanted to buy one. Argh.
5:43 Economy gauge shouldn’t be all the way to the right at idling. Does it move when driving? If not, it is possible that the vacuum hose at the back of the instrument cluster has been disconnected.
5:43 Economy gauge shouldn’t be all the way to the right at idling. Does it move when driving? If not, it is possible that the vacuum hose at the back of the instrument cluster has been disconnected.
My daily driver in Subang is the E280 MP. Original condition 150K miles.Solid and safe built to last a lifetime.
Growing up in Kedah, we didn't get to see many continental cars, what more an estate. One day my dad and I spotted an S123 (belong to a classmate's dad transferred from KL) at my school and the image has never left my memory. Fast forward to present day, I am driving an S124 TE200 (bought in 2016) and she has been my daily workhorse. She's such a beauty, and willing to go extra miles whenever I need her... moving furniture, car camping, balik kampung, convoy you name it. In return, no expense is sparred in keeping her in pristine condition especially the SLS. She's a keeper. Just wish my dad is here to cherish the ride with me.
That is a touching share. I m sure your dad is smiling down at you from heaven.
@@KonWaiLuen Thanks WaiLuen. I learn new things about S124 watching your vid. Keep it up bro.
I have a W124 230E and a W123 200. Both cars are used alternately as daily. I enjoy driving them very much. Both are very well built. W124 has modern drive feel where as W123 has classic car feel. Both routine maintenance are far more cheaper compared to new cars.
However, you do need an experienced mechanic to do parts replacement and tuning.
By the way, noticed the wagon economy gauge is not working. Most likely the vacuum hose connect to it could be dislocated. Just plug the loose vacuum hose into the yellow vacuum valve next to brake booster.
It should be working again.
Do you mind recommending a good workshop for a W124 maintenance because I’m looking to buy one
Back when a Mercedes was a Mercedes, unlike the modern garbage we get nowadays
My discipline and HEP teacher had one of those back then. One of his complaints about that car is that some of the delinquents keep stealing the merc logo and use them as trophies on their bikes. Had to replace it a couple of times until he got fed up. The ‘E’ stands for Einspritzmotor (fuel injection)
Hi great post...I've got a w124 230E sportline...Great vehicle..still going strong after all these years..
The M103 engine is just sweet. Try check how they do a straight pipe with them, that rawness is spot on.
We had the M102 engine 230E and later the M111 E220 masterpiece. But when we moved to Camry, despite being a much quieter car, it lacked the character of the W124 or even the W210.
14:02 "..they just don't handle like a BMW".
Spot on brother. I recall they do waffle around at lower speeds.
Driver skill counts.
Heading to Gap from Karak, my Dad chanced upon an (hint) E34 525i 24V, based on the bootlid-mounted decals.
It had just been passed by a W124 260E which pulled away steadily thru the curves and soon disappeared.
E34 "upped his pace" to discourage Dad from overtaking with our family Wira 1.5 manual but began spending a lot of time on his brakes into and out of corners - forget about passing 'im on any straight and there was traffic from the opposite direction.
That and at least 1 other experience... I wonder how a Star and its direct Roundel competitor would fare in a wet touge face-off round those roads with excellent drivers.?.?
Excellent car. I still have a W124 for weekend drives. Hardly any maintenance issues except for air-conditioning that can be easily sorted out as parts are available. Lots on the road till today.
5:43 Economy gauge shouldn’t be all the way to the right at idling. Does it move when driving? If not, it is possible that the vacuum hose at the back of the instrument cluster has been disconnected.
Love the W124. I'm on my second one now, an E280 with 6 cylinders this time. Recently inspected and approved by JPJ as a classic. Roadtax is cheap now for a 2.8L.
My 1989 W124 230E auto is also a JPJ certified classic since 2018. Road tax is only RM136/year.
I have a 1989 W124 230E auto which I bought in 2015. Don't know how many owners before me, but I did spend quite a bit to tidy it up and I found it drives very well despite its old M102 2.3 L 4 cyl, certainly not underpowered for an old unker like me. Handling? Don't let anyone tell you W124 can't handle, mine handles like a dream despite the standard 195/65x15 tyres, I out cornered many a smaller, nimbler cars in the twisties and best of all, rides beautifully over bad roads. Will keep it for a while, since the road tax is just RM136/year.
The W124 is a superbly engineered car. Delighted to have your sharing
Please let the owner know that the temperature is actually quite high...124's ideal temperature would be just slightly above 80...Most of the time 124's temperature go to that mark when the fan is not working and this usually happens when the ac is running low on gas and not because of spoiled fan
It depends. If the car is using factory spec thermostat (87 C) with red radiator fan switch (100 C), it can go up to 100 C before the radiator fan kicks in to cool it down. But if you turn on the AC, it will hover slightly above 80 C most of the time.
A lot of local W124 are using the "tropical" thermostat (71 C) with black radiator fan switch (85 C). With this setup, the temperature will hover below 80 C.
Thanks for the feedback. Will share this with owner
Great video show casing the classic Mercedes where quality presides over everything else. May I ask where can I lay my hands to own a good W124?
Beautiful and practical still in 2024, engineered to last for generations!
I have the 300E body and good gearbox but engine is bad, can the M111 of 2005 be swapped in or it's too heavy for a 4 cylinder engine. Kindly help
the w124s are
heavy and sturdy, still quite composed in todays day and age
Can somebody do a comparison between a w124 and w212 pre-facelift? Which is more solid and more Benz- like?
no comparison....124's are rock solid
Agree with @Levinz999, but the W212 was the modern Benz that came closest to match the W124's quality.
As a merc exp myself , W204 / W212 great buy now . Modern , beautifully design , spare parts everywhere, affordable luxury , interior build quality no squeak no rattle no nonsense , comfortable solid planted feel at PLUS highway . 7 G facelift is better , looked nicer . Final gen of 21st century analogous before all lousy touchscreens .
Definitely better than current new Mercs, too plasticky and cheap and problematic .
Please do a part 2 review of this car
I didn't plan a Part 2, but if I do, what would you like to see?
W124 Masterpiece version 👍👍👍
The temperature gauge is quite high..mine the temperature stays at 80 degrees..better check the clutch fan, electric motor fan, radiator, thermostat & water pump..this car can overheat very fast 😬
Thanks for the tips! Relaying to the owner
@@KonWaiLuen you’re welcome bro 😃
My "dream" car for the longest time. Always tempted to look at it, both online and physical. Still unsure whether to buy one. At one point, almost wanted to buy one. Argh.
The level of comfort put some brand new car to shame.
Beauty....
like you
@@KonWaiLuen tq ...as I go for facials and get my manicures 😆
Can someone sell me aW124,preferably a Masterpiece
The best or nothing
First!
5:43 Economy gauge shouldn’t be all the way to the right at idling. Does it move when driving? If not, it is possible that the vacuum hose at the back of the instrument cluster has been disconnected.
The level of comfort put some brand new car to shame.
5:43 Economy gauge shouldn’t be all the way to the right at idling. Does it move when driving? If not, it is possible that the vacuum hose at the back of the instrument cluster has been disconnected.