Monday Motoring Classic: Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

David Ross, Editor
Mon, 01 May 2023

Maybe it's an age thing, but at some point in your life estate cars just begin to make sense. And Mercedes-Benz knew how to make a great one.

The W124 generation E-Class (back before it was called E-Class) was right in the middle of the brand's era when it made near-bulletproof cars that were significantly over-engineered.

That meant they weren't cheap, but the good news was that they tended to run on for hundreds of thousands of miles without complain.

The oldest examples are now approaching forty years old, but that doesn't mean they aren't still a good buy.

It won't take long to find one for sale, although a minter will attract big money - we saw a late 1994 E320 with only 80,000 miles for £14,000.

But if you're prepared to put a bit of work in you can find something more more affordable. We found a 1995 E220 with a full service history (but no MoT) for £2500. With 200,000 miles on the clock it is just run in.

That might sound like sales patter, but we've driven one with close to 300,000 miles on that felt remarkably fresh.

More than most cars with this kind of miles, it's worth putting in some time and money because the result will be a car that will continue to satisfy for years to come. Find a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate for sale.

Ask HJ

How much is my 1995 W124 Mercedes 280TE Estate worth?

I have a 1995 W124 Mercedes-Benz 280TE Estate, a seven-seater with a black leather interior and around 178,000 miles. How much do you think it is worth?

The best way to get an accurate valuation on a car of this age is to look for similar examples already for sale. As with any classic, the right car to the right buyer is worth considerably more. Prices of good rust-free W124s have risen considerably over the past few years and as yours is a 280TE Estate, it's quite sought after, despite the high mileage. We found a 1993 280TE W124 with slightly lower miles than your example for sale at £3300. Depending on the condition and service history of your car, we would expect it to be worth a similar amount. However, we think keeping hold of it and maintaining it to a high standard would be a good long term investment. Good estate W124s are only going to go up in value.

Answered by David Ross

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