Everyone's opinions vary, and one persons idea of "mint" condition can be different to another ones however, in my opinion this car is in exceptional condition for its age.

History: unfortunately this is a bit limited, I have a copy of the Mercedes Enthusiasts club magazine from October 2017 (included in the sale) and this offers a good level of detail regarding the restoration work carried out on this beautiful car, in fact there is a 6 page feature on it detailing the rebuild which is very insightful. In short, between 2015 - 2017 the vehicle was subjected to a bare metal, glass out body restoration, all rust and corrosion was treated and the car repainted in the correct factory Glasurit paint. At the same time a full replacement immaculate leather interior was sourced and installed, including seats, door cards and carpets. Shortly after the car was returned to the road it developed a mechanical grumbling which was diagnosed as a cracked crankshaft and so a full engine rebuild was also commissioned.

Subsequently it was used sparingly, mainly to attend car shows where it won its class at Mercs on the Green, a Mercedes club show.

Unfortunately, not too long afterwards I believe its owner sadly passed away and his collection was subsequently sold.

This is where my friend came in, also a huge petrolhead and an avid collector of all things Volvo and Mercedes, especially W124's, he bought the car and promptly stuck it in his collection and as usual, drove it out of the garage to its MOT once a year. Unfortunately he too also succumbed to the dreadful C word and so once again this beautiful car finds itself looking for a new home.

I collected the car from its garage in Godstone and drove it back to Surbiton in February. It started first time and drove the 20 odd miles home perfectly, the engine is smooth, the gear changes are nice and there are no noises, creaks, groans or rattles, it drove exceptionally well, no warning lights or unpleasant surprises. It feels completely factory fresh and not like a lot of cars when fresh from a substantial restoration, this feels like a real quality restoration job. 

The wheels and tyres are like new, the bits that so often disappear over time are all present, for example the tool roll is complete, the metal Jerrycan designed to fit inside the spare wheel is present, even the spare wheel is the correct full size and has been refurbished and never put on the road. The engine bay is clean, the air filter housing and rocker cover are colour coded in the body colour (sure to upset the purists!) 

And that is what it is, a classic car that would benefit from some gentle recommissioning, a precautionary service and then some  regular exercise on sunny days to the local car shows.

Now the inevitable bad bits although to be clear, I have not undertaken a detailed inspection of the car. Please feel free to come and inspect it yourself, it is in a dry workshop where you can crawl all over it and satisfy yourself as to its condition, the only "bad" bits are:

The third from last picture shows surface blisters to the nearside rear, side window trim, an easy repair.

The second to last picture shows two or three tiny blisters on the offside rear quarter panel just below the side window, they are hard to see in the photo, they are defects from the repaint process (in my opinion) and I think a decent mobile dent repair guy would be able to resolve these, personally I would live with them but just for the sake of honesty.

It appears the odometer hasn't work since 2005 as the DVLA MOT history shows it has read 88,178 every year since, when presented for its MOT!! The speedo works but the trip doesn't. Therefore there is no way of knowing what the true mileage of the car is, what we do know is that the car was completely refurbished from bumper to bumper in 2017, including a rebuilt engine and that it has done very little mileage since.

Like most classic cars it leaves a drop or two of oil when parked, one is dark like engine oil and one is pink like transmission fluid, very small drips that may well improve with use but they are there.

The 4Matic warning light on the dash puts in the occasional appearance, it correctly illuminates when the ignition is turned on, always goes off once started but on the two most recent 10 minute runs around the block it has flickered once or twice and even stayed on for a a few minutes once. This has only happened since it was valeted which included extensive pressure washing of the perimeter under the bonnet and under the wheel arches (where the ABS sensors are that trigger the system) It drives absolutely perfectly with no clonks or vibrations, changes gear beautifully so I can't imagine it is anything too serious, I think that using the car will help no end but I like to mention everything, if i get a chance i will take it for a longer run and see if that sorts it out.      

Finally, its only MOT'd until the 23rd July 2024, it is currently SORN'd and stored inside Mayor Khans hated ULEZ zone, all of which make for a challenge when thinking about a test drive however I am sure I can work something out for any serious buyers and if it brings a reasonable price I may even present it for MOT too.

I doubt there are many better S124's for sale in the UK, I've seen these up for £20k and whilst I am not suggesting this one is worth  that much I think it represents a really safe and solid investment opportunity.

 

To talk about the car or a viewing please call Steve on 07795 307537