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Model History

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The Mercedes Benz W124 series was the most successful car range in the company's entire history and today the 124 range is appreciated not only for its design & engineering excellence but also for its longevity & continued practicality. A total of 2,737,860 units of the 124 series were manufactured during just over 11 years in production, with 340,593 estates. Of these, only 18,368 were manufactured as E320 models (built from Sept 1992 to February 1996). With this many produced, being vehicles that last so well, many are still in use today. Some have lived their entire lives as taxis covering huge mileages.  Many are still on used daily on roads around the world today, so virtually all parts remain available from MB and other pattern parts brands. Like it's predecessor the 123, this will be a car that remains well supported by MB for decades yet. Enthusiasm for these cars remains strong worldwide for all the right reasons. The last time we counted there were over 8 Benz communities online with a strong interest in the 124's.  The attention to detail & quality MB put into the final spec. W124 wagon's design should be an inspiration to car designers today. Unfortunately, these 124's were so good owners didn't replace them, so MB had to reduce its quality and things began to go downhill from the next E class models... This E320 Limited Wagon has been owned by a mature non-smoker who, judging by the car's amazing condition & Tokyo number plate(s), clearly appreciated the virtues of a W124. This is the final best performing spec. of 124 produced & this particular example has an extensive list of factory options, not usually found on examples supplied in Europe. Being a September 1995 example, this is one of the very last off the production line too. Many features demonstrate how much thought & attention went into the design of the 124's rear end to add usability. For example, the rear screen wiper operates automatically if the driver selects reverse when the front wipers are in use. There are more interior lights than the saloon too. Effective form & function to the smallest detail.  Having worked on many 124's over the years including our own, we see many design considerations that contribute to the overall integrity of these. Everything from how the bonnet can open & be locked into position completely upright, to the ease of ability to maintain & change parts, there's very little that goes wrong with these and that's a testament to the integrity of the original design by MB.  Some owners of various MB's have said the 124 has what may be the best design of all for a Mercedes dashboard. It's elegance and ease of use, clear instrumentation with excellent lighting, quality of switches, cold air vent in the centre (helps avoid drowsiness in warm cabins), simple yet effective cruise control, speakers integrated invisibly by the A-pillars (with quality separate tweeters installed via cross-overs), simple A/C controls & illuminated vents. Visibility is excellent too and despite the headlights being Halogen filament type, they give excellent lighting and include pneumatic (as opposed to electronic!) headlight level adjustment. In this car the headlights have been uprated to HID also. Usually - by design, there are few electronics in these, which is largely why the 124 isn't known to have electrical problems not uncommonly experienced on later models. If an exterior bulb fails, an orange light on the dash will illuminate to warn the driver. This is controlled through a resistance sensor, again - not by un-necessary modern CANBUS data electronics that plague modern MB's not long after they run out of warranty. Mercedes felt the need to use electronics to switch on brake lights rather than a simple 12v circuit with thick wires, as a need to have OBD2 diagnosis, but these things have conspired to make physical wiring a lot thinner, which in turn can break, etc. You'd almost be forgiven for thinking they went this direction on purpose...!    The integrity of the design of 124's included much attention to aerodynamics, but also especially with regard to sound insulation. The engine bay is separated from the interior by not just one, but 2 walls of steel. This insulates noise from the interior. Underneath the carpet, there is thick foam moulded into the contours of the reinforced floor and combined with high-quality rubber seals that don't fail and large heavy duty rubber bushes & excellent suspension design all these combine to provide a quiet and relaxing ambience in which to travel. In our own 124 saloon here in Japan, we find ourselves arriving at a destination after a 7-hour drive - refreshed and not at all tired.

Equipment

An extensive list of equipment includes: Full black leather incl. electric front seats, electrically heated door mirrors with electric adjustment for both sides (w/ usual larger size reduced blind-spot passenger mirror), Electric sunroof, Cruise Control, Dual temp. control A/C, Original option high power speaker system (uprated) including front door woofers & rear door mounted speakers too (With a Kenwood CD/Radio fitted), Dual SRS Airbags for front seat occupants, Leather steering wheel with Mahogany wood to match the rest of the interior, Luggage net (Can be used with all rear seats folded too!), rear tonneau cover, split foldable rear seats, original option floor mats, remote central locking etc. The car smells good and (from the interior & exterior condition) has obviously been kept garaged and in a city all of its life when not in use.   Note the boot area's first aid kit, warning triangle, emergency torch and tool kit are complete & unused. Doors shut as effortlessly as the day the car left the factory and sound like a high-quality fridge closing - no rattles, just a reassuring solid thud. The boot lid has a soft-locking electro-magnetic mechanism and there's even a leather strap to help close it. Central locking is of course pneumatic as on all w124's. This example has some expensive upgrades too, in the form of AMG suspension springs & 16" instead of 15" wheels (with nearly new tyres). The rear exhaust boxes on these are prone to getting small holes from corrosion from within as a result of condensation. This one's stainless steel, with sports tailpipes, which means the back box is better than new & corrosion proof.

Exterior

Bodywork as pictures show is excellent. Paintwork is very well preserved. There's a couple of small paint chips on the front n/s wing & bonnet, as to be expected on a car of this age, but these have been touched in with perfectly matched paint. Although visible if looking for these, they're too minor to warrant doing paintwork but mentioned to give a complete report. Note there are ZERO pin dents or any signs of body filler or accident repairs of any kind to be found on any of the bodywork. Amazing! Note that underneath there's no rust to be found on the chassis either. Compare this with a car that's been in Europe all its life and you'll be shocked at the difference!  Note this wagon has (rare on these) headlamp wash / wipe fitted. We noted the headlamp wipers are old & the rubber has deteriorated & so as part of the completed package these will be replaced with new MB supplied items.  We noted some minor marks to the wheel lacquer (note no corrosion whatsoever) as shown in pictures - just ageing. To be able to supply the car in best possible condition, we'll have the faces professionally refurbished as part of our final preparation in the UK and either finished in silver, or polished, then lacquered - in the same finish as existing, at no additional cost to you.

Interior

Engine & Transmission

Engine bay has no corrosion at all, anywhere. Looking inside through the oil filler cap, we could see camshafts are still like new with no crystalised oil deposits, which confirms it's had very regular oil changes with synthetic oil throughout its life in Japan and the engine is barely worn. Last oil change was less than 4,000km ago, but we'll be freshly servicing it as part of our usual comprehensive servicing, inclusive of changing transmission fluid and filter, plugs, filters, etc just prior to completion so it’s completely ready for the new owner.  Signs show this car's been driven slowly and done mostly motorway km (legal limit is 100 km/h in Japan). We checked and note the engine loom has been replaced under MB warranty. It's still soft and pliable, which also helps confirm the car hasn't sat in traffic most of its life. The M104 engine has proven itself as reliable & is known to run without trouble to 500,000km if properly maintained as it has been to date. Note the battery was weak & not holding a charge well, so we have replaced with a brand new one.

Wheels, Brakes & Suspension

Condition Report

This example was supplied new in 1995 (September) by Yanase, Japan - official MB Importers (note original dealer decal on the boot lid - if preferred, this can be removed upon request) and is therefore not a grey import that came from Japan as a used car from Germany, hence why it's never seen salt.   With the best of these continuing to appreciate, as there are so few left in this condition and with other W124 models such as convertibles & E500 models going up in value, it made sense to us that these wagons have also continued to climb in desirability & value. We predicted this a couple of years ago when supplying the first and expect these to continue to rise in value. We'd stock more if we could but supply is very limited of these E320 Limited models.  When sourcing to order or for our stock, we only select top condition with the best spec. possible. As intended for sale in the UK market it has to be RHD. Most W124's of higher spec in Japan are LHD since this has been considered a status symbol since the end of WW2, so finding this particular car took much daily & diligent daily searching.   Knowing 124's well, we've picked out this particular example as what we would want were we looking for the same car personally. When it reaches the UK it'll have our usual full specialist check-over, extensive service and a new MOT so it's ready for daily use for its new owner.

Test Drive

The 3.2 L (3199 cc) 24 valve M104 engine produces 220 hp (162 kW) at 5500 rpm and 310 N·m (229 ft·lbf) at 3750 rpm. For this twin-cam design, to improve on prior 3 litre models MB developed the variable inlet camshaft system to boost gas flow at low to medium speeds to maximize low-end torque, without losing performance at higher engine speeds. The result was an impeccable level of performance which to this day still works perfectly. Weighing only 1,510kg the M104 engine can propel this 7 seater wagon to around 145 mph with sensible or brisk performance as desired. The engine purrs quietly & smoothly at idle, almost making itself imperceptible. Transmission is creamy smooth and takes up well.  As to be expected of a properly looked after example, it drives faultlessly & is one of those cars that will break motorway speed limits whilst purring quietly with the usual W124 soundproofing keeping the interior sedate & relaxing, in part due to the excellent sound deadening in the floor, lowest in period of class aerodynamics and the engine bay being separated from the cabin by two walls. Despite this being one of the last W124 wagons produced 21 years ago, this example's integrity means it still drives better & will, without doubt, last a lot longer than most modern equivalents today.

History

Original Japanese manuals and comprehensive history throughout its life in Japan show this car has been properly cared for, as condition shows in all pictures. We ourselves have chosen W124's as our primary cars both in Japan & UK (Modified 300D Turbo & E500) and the reasons are simple. We understand these cars intimately through having supplied and owned a fair few over the years - and firmly believe that if properly looked after and maintained, these cars can provide an excellent driving experience for decades to come. Choosing a car that won't have to be replaced for 10-20 years is a wise choice and will save money in the end, but finding such an example is easier said than done (& getting ever more difficult!), but finding the best cars is a typical challenge we are known for rising to. Corrosion resistance is generally excellent, but examples that have been on UK roads all of their lives have usually been subject to 2 decades or more of annual winter salt, mud & sand as a layer that tends to build up over the years attaching itself to the underside, arches, exhaust, engine bay, etc. which often finds itself mixed with moisture resulting from use in typical weather in the UK. This mixture combined makes a great electrolytic substance which is the cause of rust & other problems associated with corrosion. By contrast, in Japan cars don't corrode in the same ways in the U.K.  In Japan salt isn't used on plains areas, only in the higher altitudes (mountains areas, etc). where people rarely go during winter due to difficult driving conditions and so even there, salt is rare. Japan's roads are well drained and protected from debris falling onto them since there are frequent earthquakes and typhoon rains can also occur. This means mud, etc. isn't to be found on roads, unlike the UK and for this reason, this example is completely rust free. For someone wanting the very best example available, it'll be hard to beat this one.