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If you don't want it, I'll have it!
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If you don't want it, I'll have it.
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You beat me by one minute! Swine!
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Ah! - but your message has an exclamation mark, so is clearly TIC and not serious. Mine, however...
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Yes, it is free. It is in good condition body and electrics-wise. MoT about to run out but he is having it done this week or next so it would have 10 months MoT when he give it to me. I would be using it as a second/weekend/fun car, around 5k a year, as I have a Nissan QX 3.0 for city driving, cross-country and high-speed motorway run, etc. I don't mind to work on it but I cannot afford to have it apart because it will live on the street in London.
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Accept, enjoy and simply marvel at the fact you have such astonishingly generous friends.
PS
>>city driving, cross-country and high-speed motorway runs>>
Doesn't that cover virtually every form of motoring in the UK?
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I also takes my Nissan QX to road rallies, autotests, PCT, trackdays, etc. (which some others may know). Once I have fully serviced the Mercedes, it will take over these duties.
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Sorry, it should be written "I also take ...", not "takes".
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Take it. Give it some good long runs and a bit of welly. Then find a good independent MB service mechanic to give it a comprehensive service; don't let it get near a main dealer or you'll get charged twice as much for not as good a job. Thereafter, give it plenty of TLC: frequent oil changes, decent fuel, regular servicing. If you still have qualms, check out some of the MB sites listed in the other recent MB thread on the Discussion board. If you do accept it, join the MB Club right away.
The only reason I'd never go for one is their sheer size, but they're beautifully engineered beasts capable of many hundreds of thousands of miles of totally unstressful motoring.
If you let us know where you are, I can tell you from the MB Club mag of any accessible specialists in the ads.
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Hi Roger, understanding that you have experience with MB, do you think it must be serviced by an independent? I am planning to DIY the services as I do to my Nissan, so long as I can obtain quality parts for low price (Bosch, NGK, etc.). For larger jobs, e.g. replacing shock-absorbers or wishgones which I need hydralic-press, I take it to my mechanic in Cambridge who charges 30 pounds an hour. I am not after the service stamps as I am not sure if it has FSH anyway. I live London, E14.
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I am planning to do under 5000 miles a year and for a 1987 car, does it quality for classic insurance? Where should I look for classic insurance?
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Gazza
If you have the skills and self-confidence to do the servicing yourself, then all strength to you. You're not unduly concerned about the ultimate resale value, so servicing stamps are not an issue.
However, even if I had your skills and self-confidence, I'd be inclined to give this highly complex and sophisticated machine one specialist service at the outset, just in case someone intimately familiar with the model can spot things immediately that might give you megabucks trouble later on. They don't go wrong very often, but oh boy is it expensive when they do. If you don't want a full servicing bill, you might even consider asking such an outfit simply to inspect the car and assure you that nothing nasty is in the offing.
Of the ads in the September MB Club mag:
The Mercedes Parts Centre, E4 (0208 524 9922)
www.mercedes-parts-centre.co.uk
Sovereign Motor Centre, SE23 (0208 699 4455)
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On the insurance front, try:
Specialist Car Division (big ad in MB Club mag this month)
01277 206911
Heritage
0121 246 6060
Peter Best (affilated to the MB Club)
01376 573033
AON
01384 552789
Classic policies are usually limited to 5000 miles annually, but AON's underwriter offered to ignore that limit when I talked to them the other day -- I've been enjoying my Capri so much that I've run out of miles (it has been with Specialist Car Division).
If anyone knows of other sources, I'd like to know, as the Capri policy needs renewing at the end of the month.
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For larger jobs, e.g. replacing shock-absorbers or wishgones which I need hydralic-press, I take it to my mechanic in Cambridge who charges 30 pounds an hour. I am not after the service stamps as I am not sure if it has FSH anyway. I live London, E14.
Hi Gazza,
Hope you don't mind me butting in on the thread -- I'm looking for a reliable indy service tech, within reach of Inner London, to do work on the Camry V6, a v similar car to your Nissan QX. I also like visiting Cambridge. Would your man able/willing to work on the Toyota and if so would you be so kind as to pass on his contact details please?
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Hi Gazza, Hope you don't mind me butting in on the thread -- I'm looking for a reliable indy service tech, within reach of Inner London, to do work on the Camry V6, a v similar car to your Nissan QX. I also like visiting Cambridge. Would your man able/willing to work on the Toyota and if so would you be so kind as to pass on his contact details please?
Not at all. I do not know how useful it is as my mechanic is in Cambridge, not inner London. It is a one-man garage. His name is Robin and his number is 01223-301070 and he is at Swann Rd, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB5 8JZ. He has been around since early 60's and is very reliable. If you let him know Garrison with the QX referred you and he will accommodate you. Also, book in advance as he can be quite busy.
He said the Nissan is very easy to work on as it is very well designed, compared to the Mondeo and Sierras I had and the taxis he usually works on. I believe Toyota Camry should also be very well designed to work on.
The main issue is sourcing the parts. He sources his parts from Partco, which is not the best place for current models Japanese cars. Failing that, he will get the parts from the dealers.
My usual practice is to source the parts myself, have the parts deliver to me or directly to the garage and he will fit them.
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If he gives it to me I promise
To relegate the laguna to on street parking to leave space for the merc
Change the RF moniker to MBF
Not to do weddings on Saturdays.
(well ok I might not keep promise 3 but the other two stand!)
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Give it to me and I will donate £1000 to a charity of his choice.
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I've had a lot of dealings with these W126's, including engine and transmission rebuilds and lots of suspension work etc. etc.
First off, an '87 is really not worth that much. Sure, you'll see them in the Autotrader, but a lot don't sell and end up rotting in the owner's drive or being broken for parts. Really, there are not that many people who want one (which is presumably why its being given away).
Gazza is right to ask questions - once you've bought the car and paid insurance, tax etc. and fixed a few faults then you're already quite a few £100's into the car and its money down the drain if you have to scrap it. So check it carefully first, it may be better to break it.
Anyway, here are a few tips:
1. The W126's do actually rust quite a bit and its not always evident from the outside. Check for any bubbling under the paint on the front wing where it curves round under the headlamps.
Get in the boot and look *up* under the rear parcel shelf - this is double skinned and water leaks in past the rear screen seal and rots the metal - bad news.
Check the sills, especially around the jack points.
2. If it has not had new metal and rubber brake pipes in the last few years, then it will need that doing. The original pipes rot under the back.
3. Ignition amplifiers are a bit prone to failure at high miles - about £600 new from ECP and difficult to source second hand.
4. Autobox seals will have gone hard with age and may be leaking a bit. About £600 to remove the 'box and re-seal (provincial prices).
5. Longer than 2-second delay in going into reverse means that reverse clutch is worn - transmission rebuild.
6. Check for timing chain clatter - not a difficult job to do.
7. Check emissions etc.
8. Bear in mind that this is a big heavy car with big expensive parts - exhaust downpipes, struts, wishbones etc. are not cheap and are a bit 'heavy' to work with.
9. Think about whether you really do *want* one of these. They are big and awkward to park, ponderous to drive and very thirsty. They always look nice when someone else is driving them, but if its your own (I've owned one) they are not quite so much fun. A slightly younger W124 is a much nicer (almost 'sporty') car to drive, quicker and more comfortable and will resist the rust better.
I know its 'free' but it'll still cost you quite a bit of money over the first year. I regularly work on Mercs for people and have a trade account at ECP. Even at their prices I find that parts for minor servicing and repair work soon adds up and, by the time VAT and oils are added you can easily spend £200 in the blink of an eye.
Check with Norton Insurance in Birmingham for older Merc. insurance. Anything older than 10 years, up to 3-4k miles per annum is cheap with them. They also throw in full RAC. I would guess at £150 a year (but may be higher in London).
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You wont believe this one
Click on
www.classiccarshop.co.uk/Cars/merc_420se_silver.htm
Selling for ONLY £7,950!!!
And this ones just a year newer than your friends 420SE.
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If you don't fancy the snobbery of a Mercedes S class you could always go for a Ssangyong Mercedes instead. www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/9323/sych600.htm
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Gazza
Just two points further to my input above and Aprilia's excellent insights:
* When I commented about size, I had the W140 mistakenly in mind -- the successor to the W126.
* W124s -- and perhaps all MBs -- are surprisingly leaky. A slight drip on the back axle on my W124 was pointed out by the MOT tester; the local dealer said that I'd see similar under almost everything on their premises; my mechanic (who works only on Audi, BMW, MB and VW) said, yes, they're all a bit leaky but in general it's something to live with rather than worry about. I mention this so that you don't lose sleep over servicing and repairs. I'd be interested in Aprilia's view on this too.
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Gazza Just two points further to my input above and Aprilia's excellent insights: * When I commented about size, I had the W140 mistakenly in mind -- the successor to the W126. * W124s -- and perhaps all MBs -- are surprisingly leaky. A slight drip on the back axle on my W124 was pointed out by the MOT tester; the local dealer said that I'd see similar under almost everything on their premises; my mechanic (who works only on Audi, BMW, MB and VW) said, yes, they're all a bit leaky but in general it's something to live with rather than worry about. I mention this so that you don't lose sleep over servicing and repairs. I'd be interested in Aprilia's view on this too.
Not sure what you mean by 'leaky'. If you mean oil leaks, then no, they shouldn't really leak oil.
The diffs may leak around the output shaft seals when they get old, but this is definitely something to fix straight away. The diffs only hold about 0.7l of oil. If the oil gets low then you will get a 'moaning diff' - due to wear of the crownwheel and pinion.
The diff output oil seals are easy to replace. Remove the diff back cover. Disconnect the driveshafts. Working inside the diff, pull out the two clips (one each side) retaining the output flanges. Pull out the output flanges. Pry out the oil seals and replace with new. Then put everything back. Fill with a *GL-5* rated gear oil (eg Castrol 75W-85 gear oil).
The autoboxes leak when they get old and the seals harden.
From my experience the engines don't really leak much at all. PAS pumps leak, often from the hose connections. Some PTFE tape on the unions can help there.
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Thank you very much for all the informative answers, both on the car and the insurance side. Aprilia highlighted my main worry, mainly having spent upward of 700 pounds to get the car on the road and find out the car has to be scrapped.
My estimate of initial outlay incorporate the following:
90 - Road Tax
300 - Insurance
300 - Full service (DIY)
Is a budget of 100 pounds for annual maintenance enough? Assuming I can only afford to fill the car for 5,000 miles per annual. My friend told my it only does 15 mpg in central London and around 25mpg on motorway (I know he "cruises" between 90-110 mpg on motorway when he drives long distance)
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I don't know much about these cars but £100 a year for maintenance sounds a bit low. Not trying to put you off, i think i would go for it - but i would put aside a bit more than that per year.
Check out the car thoroughly as per Aprilia's instructions - he really knows his MBs.
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Gazza, £100 for annual maintenance would not be a lot for a Fiesta, let alone an S-Class.
Fluids and filters are not going to be the worry. Its a 17-year-old car and you're going to be into exhaust parts, propshaft couplings, worn discs and pads, brake flex hoses. I don't know exactly what without seeing the car - but £100 won't go far at all.
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Gazza, £100 for annual maintenance would not be a lot for a Fiesta, let alone an S-Class. Fluids and filters are not going to be the worry. Its a 17-year-old car and you're going to be into exhaust parts, propshaft couplings, worn discs and pads, brake flex hoses. I don't know exactly what without seeing the car - but £100 won't go far at all.
Thank you very much to P2501 and Aprilia for bringing me into the reality of expensive motoring :-)
I need to get the idea out of my head that none of my old Sierras and Mondeo or the current QX cost more than 100 pounds on repair a year on top of normal servicing (fluids, filters, brakes, tyres, etc.) even when I was doing 20-25,000 miles a year.
Time to pick up a ECP catalogue :-)
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Work on the basis everything with rubber will need to be rpalced and all brake and fuel lines. If you see any change from £3,000 after doing that, buy yourself a pint. That's about all.
I reckion Fiesta servicing/repairs/tyres etc costs £250 pa. On an SE I would multiply by 4 or 5.. and add the £3,000
madf
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