They say the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. Unsurprisingly, that’s largely true in cars. Once you own and enjoy a certain model of car long enough, flaws become familiar and fondness grows. To outsiders, it takes a certain level of insanity to own an old car, and a notch or two above that if the car in question is German. I’d know a thing or two about that, but I’d argue that it’s more love than anything. The sort of love that turns annoyances into warmth, like a familiar pair of shoes strewn about the hall when you get home.
Besides, sometimes the alternative just doesn’t strike your fancy, and that’s more or less what our daily Shitbox Showdown series is about. You get to pick between two usually dirt-cheap cars, and both personal taste and experience can play a role in the results. After all, love can make you brush aside many foibles. Today’s comment of the day comes from Matt Wishart who knows a thing or two about 124-chassis Mercedes-Benzes.
I’ve had a ton of 124’s over the years. This is the later twin cam model so look out for oil seeping out of the head gasket, missing or slow to engage reverse gear and heavy rust around the side windows in the rear, hidden behind the covers in the cargo area. Also, this is listed as a 4-Matic, meaning it’s All Wheel Drive with the extra complexity and that bizarre spring solution in the front end. Having said all that, I’ll take it over the Cavalier any day!
Sure, the M104’s propensity for external head gasket leaks, the chance of transmission issues and the possibility of hidden structural rust are concerns, but there’s nothing like an old Mercedes-Benz. From the agelessness of MB-TEX to the sheer solidity of assembly, they’re special cars that have a habit of getting under your skin. Sure, the Chevrolet Cavalier convertible from today’s Shitbox Showdown will likely run poorly longer than most cars will run at all, but if you haven’t experienced the charm of a pre-cost-cutting Mercedes-Benz, you owe it to yourself to try one.
(Photo credits: Mercedes-Benz)
A friend of mine has one of these. I never understood the appeal, but when I sat in the passenger seat I got it. Those are very well made. The quality of the plastics, the sturdiness of the assembly, the effort than went into designing every aspect of the cabin… I spent 10 minutes marveling at the rear seat folding mechanism, it’s designed the same way we do industrial equipment, only wrapped in fabric and nice plastics.
I’d love to own one some day.
What is a cavalier z24 convertible that’s 24 years old like?
I’d love to know.
Not through ownership though. Just through some comments.
I already can picture driving a 1998 Mercedes
But I can’t imagine what the z24 experience is like
Apparently when they came out, rust protection wasn’t great, despite the rest being built in really good quality (engineers decided and not Controlling). Merc quickly adjusted that and the W124 went on to have the best quality of the era. No racer, but very comfy and most taxi drivers had one in Germany. In the 2000s, a lot of the used ones got sold to Turkey and Albania, where in certain towns, up to 80% of the cars were old Mercs (together with the W123).
just drove my C124 to work this morning in frigid cold. Nothing like it. still drives like a tank. If the world goes to hell I am dying in this one
The 4 matic is not the W124 model that you want. 99% certainty the 4 matic is not working. They greatly improved the system in the W210 and later cars.
The first time I sat in Benz it changed my life. I was buying my first car and was trying out all kinds of manual fun cars. Went to a tiny dealership randomly and they didn’t have a stick. But the guy convinced me ti drive a 1997 E420. There’s a reasonable chance I was high, so I legally had to accept his offer(I’m from Canada). The moment I sat in it, all desire to go fast left my body. I piloted it around the block at a glacial pace and felt better than I knew was possible. Should have bought it. My automotive woes would have been a hell of a lot less
I learned two drive on two cars – my mom’s mid-80s (can’t remember exact year) Subaru GL wagon and my dad’s grey market 1978 Mercedes 280S. The differences were stark, as the Subaru felt and sounded like a hollow tin can compared to the Benz. The 280S was so much better a car, so naturally my parents had me drive the Subaru 90% of the time. Womp, womp.
What wonderful cars to learn in!! Did the Subie have a stick!?
Sadly, no. The Subaru was saddled with an automatic.
“The first time I sat in Benz it changed my life.”
For our 1978–1979 Christmas holiday, visiting our relatives and friends, in Germany, my father hired a 1978 280 SE. That car got me so besotted with three-point star and anything that has this specific type of symbol.
Oddly enough, my paternal grandfather had a 1962 220 Sb (with barber shop pole speedometer) and a 1968 250, which I rode. However, they didn’t appeal to me at all, probably because I was too young to be enlightened with the automobiles. They also reeked heavily of cigar smoke and had funereal black upholstery (typical German).
Deadly! Funny that you and SquirrelMaster both responded with fond memories of the 280. I’d better go find one to sit in!
They are really excellent cars. Being grey market, it had houndstooth cloth upholstery which I vastly preferred to the MB-Tex vinyl and aligned with my father’s Germanic-upbringing of what a “real” Mercedes was. The car wasn’t luxurious the way Mercedes Benz vehicles are today, but it rode nice, had an engine that rivaled rotaries in smoothness, and was utterly reliable even as it approached 200,000 miles.
Patterned cloth!! Yes. Almost universally wonderful. With a few glaring exceptions, mind you
Absolutely! Not only were the seats a lovely pattern (and extremely comfortable), but the door cards shared the same patterned cloth!
Our 1977 450 SEL—that we bought in Germany and brought to the United States in 1982 without any modifications to comply with the US regulations—had cypress green paint (exactly like this one) and green velour upholstery. Many of our American friends were surprised that Mercedes-Benz even came with the cloth upholstery. They also had never seen a green Mercedes-Benz before.
As a fan of green vehicles, that is awesome. We also had several comments about the houndstooth cloth in ours from people not expecting it, but my dad would always point out that he hadn’t seen any Mercedes WITHOUT cloth until he moved from Germany to the states, so in his mind the US-spec cars were the strange ones. As a kid, I found the whole discourse hilarious.
Dear god green Mercedes!!! Yes please!!
I’m tempted to import one with a manual gearbox. Few to none were ever sold in the US.
TH, you did take Mercedes’ Comment of the Day.
Mercedes is on
vacationassignment in Florida covering the RV show. Too busy trying to find a new RV that isn’t pre-rusted.Couldn’t agree more, but in this case I’ve never owned a Benz of this age but a friend did, I’ve never owned a Cavalier but a friend did. I’d still take the wagon. If it were a Sunfire it might think on it longer but not much longer.
124 4Matic…doesn’t that have a really, uh, interesting oil pan 😉
So I Googled it out of curiosity. So mb complicated it to simplify things….
Exactly. I laughed out loud—then cringed in sympathy when I ran across that detail in a thread on the old Mercedes Shopforum