Why I Bought the WORST Example of the BEST Mercedes Ever Made! [300CE W124 Coupé]
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- I won the Cheapest working and MOT’d W124 in the UK, strangely no one wanted it! I have found a 1991 E-Class as a replacement project for the Tomato... BUT it is no ordinary Mercedes. This 300CE E Class has a very unique paint job.. and some other surprises!
Video title straight from the tiresome ‘Hoovies Garage’ saga. Keep it real, Jack. Don’t go all predictable UA-camr on us please!
I get where you’re coming from Christian but the title is factual and I do have to try and appeal to as many people as possible. And ‘the cheapest’ always seems to get views. I am open to suggestions on a title that you think would have worked better and appeal to as many viewers as possible? I’ll pin this comment so others can chip in with their views or alternative titles! Thanks!
For those just seeing the video, I have changed the title.. the original one was ‘I bought the Cheapest Mercedes W124 Coupe on ebay’
Hoovies is one of the best American car UA-camr though, one of the few I can actually watch and enjoy. Hoovie has a genuine passion for cars.
@@Number27 I’d have stuck to my guns Jack because despite the crazy paint scheme I think that this probably isn’t the ‘worst’ example of this genre of Mercedes. It actually looks quite sound!
@@Number27 I think the original title was fine. Channels need views 🤷♂️
Hi. I'm a pilot, historian and Mercedes enthusiast from Poland (yet keeping cars original). Used to drive a car like yours (the newer year, already factory called an E-Class in Azuritblau, a color you may like). It was a nice car, in some ways superior to R129. When it comes to the way this car is painted, it is not the first time I see something like this. In Poland we have a great museum dedicated to Squadron 303 (on my channel you can find a film "Jan Zumbach Squadron 303 Museum" showing the place, a model of the exact plane your car was painted after, and also me driving one of my youngtimers. There was a time when the museum was advertised by cars painted (or wrapped) in similar way, but one was the Mustang (sharing the name with P-51 fighter) and the other was a British car, I now don't remember - a Jaguar or Aston-Martin.
One more comment to the sticker on the boot - the concentration camps created by the Germans during the Nazi era were located in occupied territories, many within the borders of pre-war Poland. After the war, these facilities are once again in Poland (which has borders diffrent than before the war), and former camps are now run as memorial sites and museums by Polish state. There was a time, when many people, including the highest-rank world leaders, would call them "Polish conc. camps", which is an outrageous simplification, but was fuelled as conspiracy theory by some neo-nazists and German-initiated Holocaust deniers. There was a wide Polish campaign in order to let nobody use this term and call the camps "Polish", as for someone not familiar with history it triggered a sense of considering Poland to be blamed for what happened there, while in reality Poles were among the majority of people exterminated, and were forming wide underground resistance movements in order to help concentration camp prisoners survive or escape. Poland was also the only occupied country were helping Jews and prisoners was punished by death, and many people or whole families caught helping were executed (including my direct ancestors). This sticker is bound to that campain, the car was obviously owned by somone interested in history, maybe also of Polish origin.
Good luck, and keep the indicators orange!
Don't worry, I doubt anyone with a brain cell thinks those camps were Polish any more.
@@EvoraGT430 unfortunately this popup so often that camp was Polish - it's like calling Japanese atomic bomb because ... hit Japan :)
@@EvoraGT430 Sadly, the knowledge that we were brought up with does seem to be fading and it never hurts to have it restated. If one person learns something about this period of history, it’s worth the effort.
Oglądam filmy Zabytki Nieba regularnie ;) Pozdrawiam
Name: Misia
Misia was the name of the little dog that the 303 had as their mascot during the battle of Britain campaign, their contribution to which can never be understated.
Good job its not a Guy Gibson 617 squadron theme then!
@@TheMentalblockrock indeed, we wouldn't want the risk of it getting squashed whilst away with work!
@@TheMentalblockrock 😂
@@TheMentalblockrock 👶🏾 😂😂😂
The C124 was a fabulous creation, one of the true high water-marks of automotive design. I ran a 220CE for a few years, and even though it was a slug, it remains my favourite car I've ever owned. The engineering quality and elegance are unsurpassed - even people who have no interest in cars instinctively love 'em. Next summer you can have it fully restored tpo original spec - sunroof and all four windows open, you will be the happiest guy on the road, guaranteed.
The Pierogi - a Polish Dumpling. One legend relates that in 1238, Hyacinth of Poland visited Kościelec, and on his visit, a storm destroyed all the crops; Hyacinth told everyone to pray and by the next day, the crops rose back up again. As a sign of gratitude, the people made pierogi from the grain harvest for Saint Hyacinth.
I suggest"Panzer" as a name.
Also, try soaking the painted indicator lenses in brake fluid. Sounds wonky, I know, but it should work, and shouldn't damage the plastic.
dot 3, dot 4 or 5 can melt plastics (and most things)
Dettol is much better
Panzer is the name of my w124 400E...lol
brake cleaner/petrol/thinners will wash the lens tint spray off easilly
I’m loving this sort of content Jack! Keep it coming buddy 😀
Thank you Buddy.. keep well!!
@@Number27 you too Jack!
Take a German car and dress it up to look like a British WW2 fighter flown by a Polish pilot? Makes perfect sense. 🤪
There was a Messerschmitt Bf-109 that had British markings when it was captured.
I can see the irony and back handed insult on using a German car. It kinda works !
There is a well documented story about a cub bear adopted by Polish soldiers during the 2 world War named "Wojtek", he stayed whit the soldiers throughout the War until eventually adopting to the sound of the big guns and was trained to carry ammunition, after the war he was transported to a Zoo in Edinburgh where he died aged 22 in December of 1963. He has his own logo of a bear carrying a bomb which could be a subtle addition somewhere in the interior. Therefore i suggest Wojtek but spelled "Voyteck" (accidently thats my name, but that beside the point).
Please keep it original. The interior seems to be in good shape, so just clean it up. Paint the body in the color that it came in. This is a classic. Don't overdo it. There are plenty of restomods out there. No need for another one...
I completely agree. Was going to say exactly the same thing.
No need to over board.does look a tidy car.
Agreed. If returned to standard including the original colour you should get your money back and maybe a bit more. I've been watching these for a while now. Values of good examples are steadily rising.
Although the wheels aren't original they can be easily changed by the next owner.
I prefer the cloth over leather any day, and this one looks nice and rip/tear free. Just call it Jerry.
Yeah, me too, keep the fabric!
:D The UK car youtube channels are finding some.... ehhrmm... very special cars!
Looking forward to this!
With the Mercedes having the polish aircraft camouflage look, and you want to change it back to the plane Mercedes look, how about calling it plane Jane, great video Jack 👍👍.
In Poland this type of Mercedes W124 is called - „Baleron” which is kind of cured pork shoulder sausage
Great name, I was going to suggest the Worst, but Baleron is ideal.
I saw this on eBay, I was idly looking for one of these when this beast popped up. It made my eyes hurt so I scrolled on by discounting it as a hot mess. Now I get to find out if it is.
defiantly got the potential to be a good small restoration series for the channel.id leave the interior as it is to keep it original. looking forward to seeing you save it looking forward to part2
Always liked the CE, it's a handsome shape, especially with the earlier chrome grille like yours. The earlier ones don't tend to rust as easily as the facelifted ones either.
Once had a 300TE with that cloth interior, it's remarkably hard wearing and looks fine, I'd keep it.
exactly, original MBtex interiors are awesome, very strong and timeless design
Great car Jack. Maybe you could call it The Turd !, as in, let’s see if we can polish it !. These were great cars, I worked for a Merc dealership back in the 90s and drove them all the time. A colour choice that I always loved on these was called Almondine, check it out, it would look great.
Can’t wait to find out more about this thing and see it come back from the brink.
Someone has Polished (capital P) it way too much. :D
My personal color preference would be almandine red (code 512) or green with beige interior. Not necessarily leather.
Why not simply name it “The Kosciuszko” (kaa-zee-uh-skow) which was the name of the Polish RAF 303 fighter squadron?
It's good, but it's not simple if you don't speak Polish. Although kazi is British slang for toilet, so it works there too
Check under the headlight on drivers side, well known rot spot on the W124. Had a couple of these a few years ago, both straight 6's , a 280 saloon and a 320 coupe, lovely cars to drive and built to a very good standard.
Hope the seat belt butlers work too, great touch on the coupes.
Good luck Jack 👍
The "load of wheel bolts" hang onto them as the spare is a different size hub and you need the longer bolts, I found this out the hard way when i had the identical spare as you do and had "doughnuts" on the car, my R129 had a puncture , My very helpful Mercedes dealer in Macclesfield gave me a set of bolts free !!! Its going to be very interesting how you tackle this car.
I like the way your cutaway to a Polish Spitfire is actually a Hurricane!!! 🤣
Classic Number 27!!
Go Jack! Still the best UA-camr on…UA-cam 👍🏻
Professionalism and research are bywords for the channel.
@@Number27 it’s what makes it the best channel on UA-cam 👍🏻
Those W124 Coupes are selling for 6 to 10 times more in the States and even when damaged at a salvage auction will cost you more than that so a great Polish Kielbasa you have there Jack!
I would love to see this sat outside that merc dealership you went to 😂
The wife says call it Lech due to the Polish connection and I think it should be Fritz! Looking forward to seeing how you get on!
I literally just saw you post this on a Facebook group and now it’s top recommended on UA-cam haha - it’ll be great to see what happens with it!
I had a Merc of that era and it saved my life in a bad crash - walked away with barely a bruise. Keep meaning to buy another so I can enjoy this one vicariously through yourself until I have a sufficient budget...
I think you’ve got a good one there 👍🏻 I’d definitely keep them wheels they suit the age of the Merc getting the paint sorted should be priority and the interior isn’t that bad tbh not leather but definitely worth leaving in 👍🏻
The Crab Mobile... It's a reference to the RAF🤭😂😂😂😂
Ah, the good old Mercedes vacuum operated central locking. Probably a vacuum leak somewhere. Happy hunting!
Hi Mate! Nice to see you on here. I loved your Lexus content and now have a LS460.
@@johnmandragon4830 Well done on the LS! Looks like Jack will soon be an LS-owner, too.
You should check if the drain holes are free of debris. If they're plugged with rubbish, it may cause water to acumulate near the battery tray, and that may be the reason why they moved it to the back. Good luck with this project and thanks for saving this one! These are trully fantastic cars!
Prob on your list but change the diff oil as part of your service. Looking forward to seeing the journey! Great stuff!
Looks in better nick than Hub Nut's Fiat Multipla! :-)
Well done on the purchase, I was considering a bid myself as the underlying condition seemed strong and the only thing that put me off was the vinyl on the rear window which stopped me seeing if the car had the common problem of the glass showing signs of milkiness around the edges which denotes corrosion around the screen. I look forward to watching your restoration with great interest although I'm feeling a bit nervous about the electrics
Should have had a little bit on it. The car looks alright and sounds good enough for the money to save it.
This is so much fun! Thanks, Jack. Cant wait to see more!
Call it “The Pole”. I’m sure 303 squadron flew Hurricanes. Most squadrons did in the Battle of Britain.
Only one nickname possible. Here in Australia, we'd call her, "Bluey".
Has to be named Josef after the famous 303 squadron pilot who had 17 kills confirmed. The pilot was Josef Frantisek
You just have to love Mercedes of this era. Amazing cars!!!! 👍🏻
Good luck man, very interesting project 😁
"kapusta" means cabbage in polish and used in "sauer Kraut" as polish do have that meal so some german in the mix.
Can’t wait to see the progression on this one!! You certainly find the challenging and Interesting ones.
Yes! Been looking forward to this. Seems pretty reasonable for what you paid. This'll make a great series mate!
Remember, you can't buy class, but you can buy a w/c124, which is basically the same thing 😉
😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄
Since the 303 Squadron connection is so important to whoever created this, why not just subtly give a nod to that by changing the 300CE boot badge for a custom-made 303 CE one. Then just name it '303 CE' if you want. Slightly weird name, I admit, but it rhymes and is slightly more respectful than my original suggestion which would have been to name it after the German aircraft it most appropriately describes its current state - i.e. Junkers.
This looks like a great project, and I'm delighed that you're going to restore it.
Am considering that..
I had a 300CE a few back,it was ‘Shed of the week’ on Pistonheads. I bought it unseen,drove it 150 miles home and restored it. Brilliant car with ride quality better than anything else I have driven. I was watching this one on eBay too as a potential winter hack!
Btw, the W124 series had some cars that optioned with "MB Tex" interior seats, which is a durable good looking vinyl seat material. It was a high end option if I remember right....and much cheaper than leather(but better than cloth) that you might find in a junkyard.
The Phoenix. Make it fly again. Like the Poles did with their destroyed Warszawa. Good luck with it, Jack!
This channel is so much more fun than for example Shmee and all his new mega cars
Call it Sobibor, a nod to it's heritage.
How about calling it Rafal ? That’s a connection to the RAF and it’s also a Polish name ! Looking forward to seeing you work on this one !
GR8 Name!
Great car. Those engines always run smooth. What you need to do straight away is a gear box service, fluid and filters as they don't like old fluids. Call it Würstchen hahahah
Shouldn’t a Mercedes be dedicated to JAGDGESCHWADER 26 with their Daimler Benz powered Messerschmitt 109s but it would mean you would have to paint the front of the car yellow lol.
Joking aside what a lovely old car to save and if anyone can bring it back to its former glory then your the man for the job Jack.
303 spent some time at RAF Northolt, hence the Polish war memorial on the A40
This is the type of content I really miss! I can't wait to see the outcome :)
personally, those wheels arent too bad. i would leave the interior alone since its in great shape, and its origonal dont change it, just deal with the mechanics and paint....id leave it stock otherwise.
Call it the Sausage. Polish sausage/German sausage, after all it is a mix of ingredients that you don't know what's inside the casing.
Bruno Sacco design, the R&D on everything in this era was second to none. The crash testing and development films are fascinating.
W126, w124, w201, r129 etc are fantastic.
I've got a 300se in midnight blue, with glass sunroof swap and palamino leather interior which I love. No nicknacks
I was expecting a lot worse when I fist saw a photo of it, but it seems to be in good condition, that's a relief! It's going to turn out great with a respray and interior refresh.
As for the name idk, I'd call it Jerrycan if it was my car.
OMG, looks like a weekend racer. Great coupe version, a worthy project. Look forward to seeing it going back to some originality. Quite like the wheel type in the boot.
Brilliant 👏👏 look forward to seeing it come along
lol....brilliant. Call it the "Polish Sausage"(or Kielbasa)!. I had a W124 300TE I bought for the wife and kids here in the States(rear facing seats!)...the timing chain jumped on the I6 after 225K miles....ha! It happened right after I sank a bunch of time into fixing the AC and various other things shortly after "buying it for cheap". I probably should have sourced another used engine in the states, but it wore me out and I moved on- got the wife a Buick Roadmaster wagon with the LT1....much more fun and floaty.
These Mercedes were cool well over engineered too. Sexy car. Hope they counted the planes when they got back. Call it, Cloud 9 ! The flying reference and a reference to the pleasure of the car.
Messashitte had me chuckling 😂
I can see this as a perfect project. Keep the interior mate it's perfect
Keep the interior! It’s perfect! As for the name, what about Karl? After Karl Benz? Could do Sauerkraut, but some people might get offended???
Couldn't think of a worse brand to put an RAF paintjob on haha. Daimler Benz were making the DB600 engines in BF109s.
Exactly my first thought. DB 601 (Bf 109 E&F) & 605 (Bf 109 G)
The Eddie.... Iron Maiden Aces High pilot ... They do a Spitfire model
OK, as a homage to the 303 squadron I can dig that
Der Kommissar - in the hope there is no “after the fire”!
Just call it the Spitfire ....brilliant!
How about calling it The Pierogi, which is a famous polish delicacy.
"Winston" would suit it well 😁
You have a Tomato so perhaps you could extend the culinary (and historical) reference and call it...Kielbasa. Or maybe not. ;)
That’s a great project Jack. Can’t wait to see more of it. The battery in the boot is weight distribution for racing. Goodluck 👌
For the color, I think that blue is kinda cool, though it needs to be a little bluer and glossy.
As for the name, Schmittfire would get my vote.
This should be a fun project!
How about 'Polski' for the Polish connection, or 'Camo' for the RAF camouflage? :)
Brilliant. I’m going to be hooked to this if you do a proper, proper resto’.
I’ve always loved these CE’s.
Mercedes own “Blue-Black” would be a nice colour.
the "Flying Kielbasa"!
“The colour scheme doesn’t actually look that bad from here” 😂 what!
"I'm gonna explain everything to you"... You had better, we're listening... 😂😂
😄😄😄😄😄
I'm struggling for a name suggestion - obviously the car came to you as a tribute to Polish pilots, and you're going to attempt to 'polish' it up, so I feel there's the opportunity for some wordplay there....but the flash of brilliance is eluding me at the moment!
I may be back with an edit later!
This series will be great, fair play to you!
Name it "Witold" for Witold Urbanowicz for a Polish fighter ace that served with 303 Squadron.
Love it can't wait to see it been rescued. I'd keep the cloth interior to keep it original. Gonna be a good series to watch
I see what you’re doing now - the UK Hoovies Garage !?
Love it mate nice find and good price,that rear wheel looks like it's sat forward in the wheel arch but probably just an illusion,those rims would look great on my w202 👍🏻🇬🇧
It may have that colour combo, but if it’s rattle caned, it shouldn’t be too hard to get rid of. A bargain at that price, they fetch 3k on 200k miles and the prices go up from there. They also look like amg wheels, you could probably get your money back alone selling them. Yes I think that centre piece of wood looks like a wrap, all the other wood trim is walnut and that centre piece is zibrano. By the way, you should call it borris.
I said Boris!
I agree.
Think if he replaced the wheels with steels and them wheel trims would look sweet.
Then use the money from the alloys to part pay for the respray.
Best way would be to spray the car original colour to keep costs down..
Might make a few quid out of it..
Polish RAF Tribute Mercedes. "Perhaps the car has history...". Most ironic statement to date? 😆
A German car painted as a British war plane flown by Polish pilots... HMS Irony?
For the corner lights maybe replace them with clear ones as they're quite inexpensive and will look nice on a dark colored car.
Another great find Jack. Keep the interior it doesn’t look bad
Jack, looks like a great buy so far. Been racking my brain for an appropriate name. Perhaps 'The Bauhaus" after the German art and design movement of the 1930s?
metallic charcoal grey with black leather might look good. how about a sub survey to decide which colour and combo?
Messerspit as described on Mark felton a few weeks back relating to a captured Spitfire modified with messerscmidt parts. Best wishes. Ben 🚍🚌🇬🇧🇩🇪🇫🇷🇮🇹
I love that car. 124’s are amazing quality, especially with cloth, the cloth is amazingly wear proof and stain proof. I am seriously thinking about wrapping my .2019 c200 c class amg estate as a Spitfire or maybe a Me262.
It’s so bad I love it and can’t wait to see you get to work on this
The Sourkraut
Call it raf as in Rafael will look stunning in black with the amg pack love it pal cznt wat to sed the next video and looking forward to the lexus keep the good content coming 👍👍💥🖥
Please call it Fritz, it fits. Great channel!
You sir, are bonkers. Chapeau!
Naming suggestion Kielbasa. Generic name for meat sausage from Poland. A staple of Polish cuisine
Hi Jack, what about the name "Rafałki", which was the nickname for this RAF 303 squadron. Also the door has the letters RF on it.
Actually in very nice shape. Most important bits are there. Good cold start and idle with KE-Jetronic (rare), very nice interior and all glass is there. Take care of the coupe spare glass, it got very hard to find, because not one is shared with regular W124. Just a good respray will get it far. Check under the plastic sills for rust, and don`t worry, you`ll find it. :)