Mercedes-Benz C124 Collection Caper! With Cambrian Classics Ltd
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Tim fancied a new daily, so we drove many hours to London to buy one. It had been off the road for ten years, had a fresh (rather iffy) MOT and the weather was dreadful. Perfect for a roadtrip adventure! The new car is a 1992 Mercedes-Benz C124 300CE 12-valve Sportline, and it's rather nice. But not without issue...
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Does Tim have a UA-cam channel??
He doesn't, but he is starting to do little video updates on the Cambrian Classics Ltd Facebook page.
@@HubNut got to check that out 👍
He really knows his stuff. Very impressed. And what a lovely car!
I do now! @CambrianClassicsLtd
@@CambrianClassicsLtd let's have a look 👍
Heat seaters, the way forward.
Why? in Australia and Arizona we need seat Coolers
You beat me to it…!
@@pagegreer5081 I remember riding in old cars with vinyl seats in the 1980s New Zealand summers - NZ has scorcher summers too. Your thighs would literally fry as you plonked yourself down onto such seats.
This video brings back memories. In 2000 I bought a same age car from my local Mercedes dealer for £15,000 with a full Mercedes used car warranty. At ten years old the car had only covered a 1000 dry miles a year and came with bills showing it had been MB serviced every year. Beautiful spec -metallic black with cream leather. Couldn't understand why it took more fuel than the tank capacity until the dealer got me an options printout from MB. Car had a 90 litre long range petrol tank as a factory option. The new price on my car in 1990 was an eye watering £42000. A car from the era of proper Mercs
I love these collaborations with outfits such as Cambrian Classics. Two experts with terrific insights. Top video, and the car looks as if it will be a keeper.
Thirty years old, I still think of them as fairly new mercs.
That mot tester needs reporting to dept transport. Absolutely scandalous, makes you wonder if he even saw the car
HubNut your videos just keep on getting better and the quality of your videos is amazing especially considering you upload very frequently and your videos make my day better every time thank you and keep it up👍
How the heck did that merc get a fresh MoT with two busted springs, duff ball joints and rusted brake lines??? Mind you I’d take the XC70 any day. Love those Volvos.
Those XC70 are from a dying breed of proper estate cars. My wife's daily and our family runabout is a MY 2011 V70 we've been driving for 6 years now. It's so spacious and comfortable and indeed designed for Scandinavians: it has excellent heating (this one does even heat the rear seats) and takes an astonishing amount of IKEA flatpacks. 😅 It's a Ford Mondeo/S-Max underneath, which explains their excellent handling.
I don't know about these exactly, but Volvo's seat heating is generally not usable at maximum if you are sitting in the seat. You can use it to warm the seat while scraping ice off the windows, otherwise only suitable for people who like to feel the sweat running down their butt crack.
@@rudolphbondefangerer5513 the full setting (3 bars light up) is indeed to heat up, then push the seat heater button again for a lower setting. Perhaps the highest setting is for people in full ski gear? 😂 If you leave it on and switch off the ignition, it will be turned back on in the setting you left it when you start the engine again.
Oh and there's excellent air conditioning too, but both condenser and compressor needed replacing after 8 years/100,000 miles.
I have an XC70 ,I think one of the last to be imported into the UK in 2016.I did not know it was based on an S Max .Its a great motorway car and much loved by the Swedish police I believe?
I had a 320 coupe as my daily driver for nearly ten years, from 74,000 to 130,000miles. Sold it on in 2021 as rust was an issue. Fabulous car and very easy to live with if you accept the fuel consumption.
I wouldn't say the car was recomissioned as such. Clearly it had a bent MOT or else the tester should have gone to Specsavers.
I’ve always loved the 124 series Mercs. I bought a 1989 300E saloon about 10 years ago, just the most lovely, capable, smooth car ever.
Dodgy MOT! I would report the MOT station that issued the ticket...
Great little collection caper and what a beautiful looking Merc Tim has Bought and I bet when he gets to work on it, it will be even better.
Agree that you have to get a review done when all the work is done.
What a lovely car a 'proper' Merc. Always loved this era of Mercedes-Benz cars. It all started with my grandparents 1976 W114 240D. Back in the mid 90's my parents got a 190E after lots of badgering from me. I'd love to recreate this nostalgia with a W124.
Looking forward to seeing more of this on on the channel.
The 124 in auto form never had particularly high gearing - around 23mph per 1000 revs. Whereas the manual had what was for the time v high gearing around 29mph/1000. It is only in the era of latest turbo diesels where gearing got to be stratospheric around 35-40mph/1000 as the Volvo would have.
Great video. I nearly bought a 300ce about 15 years ago. Lovely car.
I have a w201 auto diesel, and the gearing is terrible, anything over 50mph seems like it's in third rather than fourth gear. Really needs a fifth gear. I wonder if the gearing is similar to the w124?
@@andrevanderwalt69 I have a 89 w124 230E - 70mph is just under 3000rpm
"12 months MOT"
With major brake, suspension and tyre problems.
That place needs shutting down.
Slapping an MOT on a car that's been off the road for a while and giving it an oil change doesn't mean you have recomissioned it IMO. I'd be pretty annoyed tyres were not replaced and propshaft rubber has aged out and the MOT tester seemed suspect not to spot the broken shocks. Still it's a lovely car and hope you enjoy it.
Definitely a bent MOT, if you had an accident on the way home the ministry would have had a field day with the MOT station that put this on, properly paid his mate £20 on top of the MOT price to pass it, i put money the guy who MOT'd it doesn't know it's been sold on otherwise i don't think he would of allowed that car back on the road till jobs had been fixed on it,,,,,some mate that's willing to drop you in it so he can add another £2k on the price because it has an MOT on it now,,,,personally i would report this to the ministry, MOT stations who put people lives in danger like this shouldn't be in business!
who on earth recently MOT'd that? They need reporting to VOSA
I do love these Mercs. I remember a director where I worked in the early 90's having the coupe version 👍
If your issues are mechanical they can easily be fixed. Looks like a great project.
Nice bit of teamwork. Two fantastic cars. 😍 A road test on the 300CE would be very welcome. Was the MOT issued by some 'Arthur Daley' outfit? 😮
I wanted my dad to get a W124 when he was looking to buy a used executive car 30 years ago. The parts prices and running costs dissuaded him because it was 'German'. Instead he bought an Opel Rekord based 1986 Vauxhall Carlton. Which was built in Germany. 🙄
Had 2 300CE-24V's as company cars when I worked at Mercedes, one with Sportline and the other without, my personal preference out of the two I've had would be the one without the Sportline from a motorway cruiser point of view and pretty much the state of the roads these days. Don't skimp on parts for these, I've driven one fairly recently and you can tell its been done on the cheap.
Hope Tim enjoys many miles of motoring in a very fine example.
I will say both vehicles are very, very nice!
I would have thought the Volvo would have had a seven speed automatic, the Mercedes ECC. And hopefully both have cruise control.
The Mercedes-Benz is an excellent classic, and would love to see how Tim repairs all of its issues.
Nothing but respect for the engineers and designers behind this pillar of a vehicle
Ian, the battery is now a "minor defect" as it's not likely to fall from the battery tray or short out. DVSA did make a fail before 2018, but took it away again, it made us MOT testers very angry. Wow that tester was blind, i would of failed those springs, and at least advised those brake pipes, alas i didn't test it.
MoT testers do miss things. I use the local council's test station who are thorough but fair and was surprised to find a leaky front strut a couple of days after the last test that clearly hadn't just started. Mind you I'd missed it too and only noticed it as I had the wheel off.
Ah, yes. Fond memories of my dad having a very similar slightly earlier C-class, about 1997 reg. For a 4-door model, it had a surprisingly underpowered 1.8L automatic engine, but it was very nice with a walnut trim and that excellent front wiper! Just don't tow a caravan with them, as my dad found out when he blew the head gasket coming back off holiday...
I'd definitely love to see a proper test drive video of this wonderful Mercedes!
Lovley car
But definitely a friendly MOT tester.
As said, non mechanically minded would have driven around with those pipes until they failed.
M.O.T courtesy of Bodge-it and Scarper ltd
I do love the C124 - and they are quite nicely priced at the moment. I'd love to see a review on this one please, Mr Hubnut and also if there is anything one should keep an eye out for mechanically as well as where rot likes to hide from prospective buyers, that would be awesome to know.
I had a 300E-24V sportline back when they were new cars, one of the best cars I've ever had. With their multi link rear suspension and double wishbone fron the handling and grip were immense. Couple of tips you may not be aware of, the ride and handling are very dependant on the condition of all the rubber bushes, especially the rear end. Don't fit pattern exhausts, the OEM system is of vastly superior quality and well worth the expense. They are quite fussy about the type of engine oil, make sure whatever you choose complies with Mercs spec. They tend to eat distributor caps, this adversly affects fuel economy. Finally, the bonnet has a service position which allows it to open full vertical, there is a button on each of the hinges which allow this, but DON'T use it outside if there is ANY wind! Oh yes, one final thing I recall, change the auto box oil at least twice as frequently as advised in the service data, they are hard on their oil.
Absolutely love the CE. I had dreams of getting one and stuffing a supercharged V8 M113 engine in it with some older AMG embellishments. Such a great looking car still.
Mercedes stuff is always appreciated! Thanks for this episode, guys. See you next time - Martin
Not sure that MOT is that legit! At least it's now in the right hands!
Indeed - either dodgy or incompetent - not good whichever it is. But a lovely car
Looks like a mail order MOT!
Love the collection capers - they’re brilliant. Would love to see the review on both cars. What is alarming is the cars that come with a fresh MOT where it’s so obviously not worthy of passing. Broken springs, brake lines, unsecured battery etc - just amazing how the Road worthiness test isn’t standardised by a third party like most European countries.
Fabulous video, got a real soft spot for the 124 series Mercs having had a few back when they were around for pocket money.
An engineering masterpiece and a very classy looking car.
Surprised that someone as PC as you left in Tim's comment about being inoculated crossing into England. That comment made the other way round and the xenophobic drum would be banged.
Ironically he sounds about as welsh as me, and despite his snide little swipe at England, he was happy enough to buy a car from there, or did he have no choice? Maybe all the examples in the Principality were rotten as a pear , been run on a shoestring budget or priced way over the odds?
I have a 1993 W124 300E (M104 engine), which I bought about a year ago in Bogota, Colombia at 100,000 miles - it was new for a few months in the US back in 1993. I trucked it back home to El Retiro near Medellin as I wasn't sure of the mechanicals and it is a very demanding drive.
However, after sorting the usual things with a 30 yr old car, she is turning into a great daily driver. New coils, ALL hoses including brake hoses, steering parts which were worn, some bearings on belt driven fittings and she's good.
One thing which was a bit of a problem was slight overheating and I am now driving it with the cable from a thermal switch which controls the 2 cooling fans - dusconnected. Strangely the fans now behave perfectly coming on when they should!! That is a bit of a mystery.
I had 6 older MB's in NZ between 1978 and 2011 when I left to do some extended ocean sailing and now living in Colombia with number 7. I am certainly not regretting the decision to acquire my first 124.
Nice one Ian and Tim, I loved these cars back in the day but being 30 years younger I would never have been able to afford one. A tidy car this one that does not look like it's been yuppified. A nice comment Ian for Furiousdriving at 7:30 for the 'Heat Seaters'. Many thanks for sharing.
Whoever did the mot on the Merc needs to be reported. To pass it with those faults is frankly Crinan.
Wonky headlamp wiper needs sorting before anything else.. 🤣 Seriously though, I'm glad it's in the hands of someone competent enough to restore/revive it to it's former glory.
Two really lovely cars. Look like a joy to drive.
My current daily driver is a Mercedes W204 (2010 C Class) and there is something about the quality and feel of it that puts it above other marques. But then it did let me down on Sunday when it decided the best place for its coolant was all over the A3 (split plastic pipe).
Oh no!
Love the Mercedes but please let's take a moment for the Volvo. My daily is a 5 cylinder v60 with now 195k on the clock and it has been by far the best car I've owned.. the first Volvo I've owned and it won't be the last, 12k covered since October 22 and it hasn't skipped a beat, half a litre of oil added in 12000 miles... love it.
I really liked the Volvo. Wonderful way to cover distance. Which is good, as we covered over 500 miles in it that day.
@@HubNut
I definitely think it's time for you and Miss Hubnut to buy a Volvo Ian. Perfect for those camping getaways in the summer, the best I've managed so far is 51.2mpg but normally float around 48-50mpg
Absolutely brilliant video Ian ❤️ 👍 what a beautiful car I've noticed you buy a new car from some garages and they've not actually been mot d they just fill the slip on like today on my car been mot January and the tyre was on the threads brilliant
That’s a lovely car - a proper Merc! Looks like a great buy!
Wow what a fantastic find by Tim from Cambrian Classics. You certainly don't see many of those great Mercedes Benz Coupé out & about. I look forward to seeing the next episode when Tim has fixed the Mercedes Benz.
Always enjoy a Hubnut collection caper featuring nice old motors. For thirty years old the Merc is very solid. Cars built to last with quality parts. Reliable as well. Nice buy as a classic luxury car.👌
oh wow. heat seaters. 😁😁
Although I've got a c124 (base spec 220ce) - it'd be great if you and Tim could do a key things to look for type video. Not quite a buyers guide, but similar. Would definitely help me and my ongoing work on mine.
And I would be asking the testing station to cover the cost of the repairs as these are MOT failures and should not be on the road (mind boggles) 🤔
Heat seaters 😂😂
Battery hold down clamp? I'm surprised that there was no mention of HubNut branded cable ties...
Send this video to the MOT garage 😁
Yes please ! Do a roadtest on the Merc and the Volvo!
Lovely looking Merc indeed 👍🇬🇧🏴
stunning Mercedes reminds me of my late W124 200E rust in peace old girl
I've got the same engine in my W126. You're right about the auto box, they could do with overdrive or 5th gear
Love the old 124's, and 123's too. Never had the chance to drive either, but I have owned 2 W210's previously.
Had a series of 3 W124 saloons of 1986/89/90 vintage some 15 years ago - now have another 1989 260E in 2024! Cars in Singapore and Malaysia last longer.. because there is no salt on the roads... so no significant structural body rust on Mercedes. At the 40 year point (eg. on our 280SE) some minor welding will be needs at front, back and windscreen areas to stop water getting in. Nice to see the underside looking so familiar. prop-shaft flexi-rings are easy to replace (shown in your video). Our tyres would not last 20 years - they go rock hard and become unsafe, without grip, after 6 years. Our 260E is now deregistered in Malaysia and about to be re-registered as a classic car (35+ years old) in Singapore. It is an original UK car that spent 1989 to 1993 in UK before being shipped to Malaysia.
Lovely old Merc , still looks sleek . Saw Foxanne today , sat fast asleep at her new home . She certainly stands out in the crowd lol , and no I won’t be saying where I saw her .
Loved the Volvo XC70 I had, 2.5T petrol, 210bhp but less than 20mpg and top road tax band.
Cheaper tax if you get an older one from before 2006 though
The good old days when Mercedes were still built to last and made of granite, look forward to seeing work in progress now Mr HubNut.
We have a 2012 V70 on the fleet it's very Hubnut with it's hilarious little 1.6 diesel engine 😂 but she makes a good cruiser with 1000+ miles to a tank.
Beautiful automobile! Re the wiper stalk, that was the only thing I didn't like about my W202 and incidentally the Alexander Dennis single and double decker buses also use an almost identical set up, which I detest.
In my C140, I finessed to a fine art the need to JUST squeeze the wiper control in a little in order to activate a wipe without the wash running…
Apart from the excellent content, as always, I am not impressed with the lack of expertise from whoever MOT'd the Mercedes... two springs broken and NOT failed... shocking. Just shows the difference in the tester's.
Lovely car, from back when Mercedes made proper cars. However, the mot tester must have been blind😂.
Another ULEZ victim? Mate of mine's just scrapped one of the last fibreglass Espaces because of it - I did s y he could have sold it to me because not everywhere is London...🤬 (can I say 'first' too, please?)
Not sure it's a direct ULEZ escapee.
Great car, but my MOT tester would have failed that on the springs, propshaft and probably some of the other stuff as well. The tyres would have pinged an advisory on age too. Something doesn't seem right with whoever tested the car, unless Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles are now running an MOT station! Glad Tim is going to recommission the car properly. This will be a really nice example once he's finished. I'm quite jealous.
Hi your channel is great . Thank you . I’m in france , I ve seen you like oldish French cars . That’s why I’ve just bought an old 1991 w123 250 d Mercedes . Petrol leak , here what can I do to fix it please . Looking for advice . Geordie Paul 35 kms from paris .
07:30 Heat seaters?? 🤣👍
All things rubbers, plastics, gaskets, springs, dampers, fluids, tires need replacing, all ancillaries, coolers, pumps refurbished or replaced. All interior refurbished. Way more in parts and work than they are financially worth. BUT: for the love of the car, and once brought back to prime condition they are very good cars.
I definitely think vosa should be contacted especially with crusty brakes lines this is definitely a bent MOT. Emissions fine but stuff that is physically dangerous is bad. I don't think this car went anywhere near an MOT centre.
When the Car Wizard in Kansas checks over any Benz of the 90s / 2000s he always finds collapsed “motor” and transmission mounts.
Nice camber on that LH front wheel at the end !
Indeed a better driving car than it looks.
For a so said sporty coupe, they really never were especially when compared to an E24 or even an Audi 80 coupe.
Back when Mercedes were overengineered. You can tilt the bonnet in “service mode” and it makes it tilt further open so that overall access is better.
A prime example of not trusting an MOT certificate unless it is from a garage you know and trust...
All the song / weather quotes today…. Here comes the rain again and The weather outside is frightful. Oh well, a lot of miles to cover I suppose…. Fahren fahren fahren auf der Autobahn….
My 2003 XC90 has the same D5 engine as Tim's XC90. Tim's Merc was a well built car but they need to be kept up to. My W204 has a few issues but I'm working through them all gradually so I'm in a similar situation.
XC70
You're spot on Motor Food is now miserable, it wasn't long ago when they all had a decent choice like a cafeteria. Anyhow beautiful C126!
Volvo 6 speed auto = Aisin AW = Toyota. Same as 1st generation Evoque, all PSA, later generations in BMW 1//2 series and Mini etc etc
I hope he has the correct spring compressors the springs are a nightmare to do with ordinary compressors, the Mercedes ones go up the middle not on the outside. My XC70 is 2004 and has only done 80k bit more life left in it yet.
Exhaust is very likely the baffles. My Mondeo is the same after I stupidly reversed into a ditch and clonked the back box.
It was ok when I tested It the MOT man said I mean it was very good when I looked at it from 3 miles away. Why is the ministry man coming to see me over doggy MOT details. Humm who reported it to him?
Sexy car, MOT...... Minimum Of Time spent checking it over 😮
That Volvo probably the nicest version ever the newer ones uglier and more complicated the Merc the biggest 2 door coupe in the world ? A proper car built like a tank
As another Scottish female singer (Shirley Manson of Garbage) sang- "I'm only happy when it rains"
Please get your hands on the steering wheel Ian! Especially with it running on ancient tyres - a blowout would be infinitely worse with zero control of the steering wheel.
Winners drive old Mercs!
Love these cars. Wish I still had my 260E.
Would love to see you test drive a Volvo Duett P210, if you ever come across one, it think they are one of the best looking cars ever !
@5:55 Yes, they can. The white block might be not as reliable as a redblock or as in theory but is still very reliable, indeed.
The old merk is a bit of a scrapper why didn't you look before you buy rule one never buy a car in the rain and it looks like it's got a bent mot
Amazing how both the front springs broke in only 9 miles....
Must have been MOTd at the same place as my Jeep. Missing a wheel nut and a brake caliper was missing a bolt also!
Jeepers!
I love the 80s and 90s Mercedes. Crazy that 20+ year old tyres can pass an MOT, there really should be an age limit on car tyres like on commercials.
Let's face it, that "MOT" was bent.
It does depend a lot on where and how the car was stored. I have a car that was laid up for sixteen years in a cool, dry and dark garage with the car on blocks. The tyres have stll only done about 5k miles and they are as good as new, with absolutely no signs of ageing.
@@davidjones332 "I have a car that was laid up for sixteen years (the tyres) are as good as new"
No they are not.
Please inform yourself before making stupid decisions that could kill another innocent road user.
If you can't afford to run a car safely stick to pushbikes.
I was looking for a cheap tyre as a spare for my daily about a year ago. The car runs staggered 17 inch wheels and the spare was a 15 inch rim. I was after a tyre which would be a good compromise for either axle. I considered a part worn. Went to a local tyre place and they tried to sell me an ancient Pirelli (the same type had been OE fitment on the 1991 Granada Cosworth I used to have), to give you an idea of it's age.
"New tyre. New tyre. Good tread. £30." - English was not his first language.
It was as hard as a rock, plus I noticed they had ground out the date code on the sidewall. It was probably at least 30 years old. No thanks.
I bought a cheap new tyre (elsewhere).
@@cogboy302 There's no excuses these days when you can buy a perfectly decent brand like Imperial Allweathers and have all four brand new on an average car for about 200 quid.
It's just people being tight and thinking it's a giggle to gamble on someone elses life
Yes, more 90’s Merc reviews please!
Nice quality cars those c124's and that one is in lovely condition, Are you sure it's a genuine sportline though, as sportlines has badges on the wings saying sportline on the plastic trim panels, a special sportline gearknob saying sportline and that one doesn't, also they had a different smaller steering wheel whereas that's the standard one. Either the previous owner has taken all the sportline options off or they lied about it being one.
We believe UK Sportlines were more subtle. Chassis number checks out.
It's a nice car, not too sure about the grey interior though.. A bit senior citizen like?