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BASIC DETAILS

Dashboard

Mark Sold

Take Deposit

Model History

Equipment

The extensive list of equipment includes: Full grey leather incl. electric front seats with heating, electrically heated door mirrors with electric adjustment for both sides (w/ usual larger size reduced blind-spot passenger mirror), Electric sunroof, Cruise Control, electrically adjustable steering column, Dual temp. control A/C, Original option high power speaker system incl. 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. Amazing for a car of this age! 
The 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.

Design: 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 w124 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, 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. There are few electronics in these, which is largely why the w124 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 be forgiven for thinking they went this direction on purpose...

Exterior

Interior

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 saloons here in Japan, we find ourselves arriving at a destination after a 7-hour drive - refreshed and not tired.

Interior Condition is excellent as pictures will show. Leather is in excellent shape, mats are in good condition and even the boot area looks as if it's barely been used. The wood veneers on the centre console are all in original condition with no cracking or delamination & door trim mahogany veneers are all without cracks too. All-electric seat adjustments work perfectly & silently, incl. headrest height, etc.
The Leather is all in great condition and appears to have barely been sat on. These rear-facing seat belts are neatly held out of the way when not in use. The rear folding seats appear to not have been used, but there's a slight mark in the centre section. This can be repaired in the U.K. at small extra cost if desired, but it's so minor we feel it's better to leave as is. 
As an extra service, upon arrival to the U.K., we fitted a dual-range (MPH & KM/H) speedometer face for UK & EU Use (Odometer continues in km, so mileage on odometer remains accurate).

Engine & Transmission

Unlike U.K. cars engine bay has no corrosion at all, anywhere, even in the usually hidden areas of the inner wings.

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 (See picture of the sticker on airbox) Signs show this car's been driven slowly and done mostly motorway kilometres (legal limit is 100 km/h in Japan). We checked and noted the engine loom was still soft and pliable, which helped confirm the car hasn't sat in traffic most of its life, but it has been changed during the last 1,000km in any case. 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 charge well, so this was replaced with a brand new one when we first imported this car in July of 2017.

Wheels, Brakes & Suspension

Condition Report

Corrosion resistance is generally excellent on w124’s, but examples that have been on UK roads all of their lives have usually been subject to well over 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, bodywork, 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 and by now the vast majority of U.K supplied examples are exhibiting some rot, which is often hidden – but will reveal itself to those who know where to search.

By contrast, in Japan w124’s don't corrode in the same way as 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.

Imported by Newera to special order for a discerning customer in summer of 2017, this 24V E320 Limited wagon has barely been driven and has been pampered ever since. For someone who has been disillusioned by so-called "Rust Free" U.K. cars, wanting only the very best genuinely rust-free example of the highest factory spec. ready to drive in the U.K. now, it'll be hard to beat this example. We feel it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this is probably the very best example of a w124 wagon currently available for sale within the U.K.

To give a complete report, here is the extent of minor faults found on the entire vehicle:

We noted some minor marks to the n/s/r wheel edge as shown in pictures - more from corrosion to the lacquer beneath a previous wheel weight than a scratch - but otherwise the wheels are in beautiful condition with no kerb marks or corrosion, which is testament to the care that's been taken with this car. A picture shows the corrosion described but it's very small. There's a thin area of the driver's door seal which is damaged (see picture). Whilst this is only very minor and doesn't warrant replacement, to give a complete report it's photographed and mentioned herewith.

We noted 2 small dimples are visible on the front bumper's o/s chrome trim (see picture). Although we feel this is too small to warrant replacement, if desired we can look for a good used one here in Japan and send to the U.K. to fit whilst completing the car, although please note - to do so would require removing the front bumper completely, then refitting.

Note there's a stain on the rear luggage area and another on the o/s/r passenger floor mat. We've cleaned these as best as possible and although much better than before, marks are still visible. Please see pictures. It would be possible to get specialist high-quality fitted replacement mats, including for the trunk area. Ask if you’d like details when contacting us to discuss this car.

Test Drive

The 3.2 L (3,199 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 a doubt last a lot longer than most modern equivalents today.

History

This example was supplied new in 1995 (April) by Yanase, Japan - official MB Importers 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 too have 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.

This car was sourced specifically for a UK customer car-enthusiast who wanted the very best w124 we could supply and this included the lowest mileage example we could find too. Complete with a comprehensive service history from Japan, after arriving it had a full-service by ourselves (inclusive of transmission oil & filter change) at 106,159km in July 2017, before the new owner took delivery.
Since then it's mileage has increased to only 107,962km (It's only done 1,803km / 1,120 miles since arriving in the UK), driven only in good weather and always dry stored in a new garage when not in use.
It's been serviced yet again and despite having had the engine's wiring loom replaced under recall in Japan, the new owner also had it replaced yet again; a testament to the care the car has continued to receive since the arrival to the U.K.

This unique Mercedes W124 E320 Limited represents a top opportunity to acquire an appreciating classic of best available condition & spec. In the UK and ready to go immediately. Price is inclusive of 3-month comprehensive warranty, new MOT & UK registration. It is on sale, on behalf of our customer, who is letting it go it simply because he lives and works in the Middle East and has other classic cars that need regular use, so never gets to use this beautiful w124 wagon.

If you'd like to arrange a viewing (by appointment only) or would a similar example sourced to order, Contact us.