Mint 300 E-24, 1992 with only 49000 miles

[robert.saunders]

Originally Posted by TonyE300D

This car has almost certainly had a lifetime of very short journeys and the engine oil will never have been fully warmed up. Plus, as you say, the very salty atmosphere won't have helped the squishy, rubbery parts one little bit.

The oil may have warmed up driving to Spain

Actually, interesting point about the salt - the seller makes mention about lack of road salt used re: the 230CE he also has for sale. Which, despite the lack of road salt, as you rightly say, the island itself must be rich in sea salt/spray

[LastMinute]

Originally Posted by Ade B

Don't think the wheels are OE, I think 15 holes alloys would have been the option available in 92...

I'm pretty sure the 8-hole wheels were available as far back as 1990.

[Apial]

Originally Posted by Ade B

Not at all

Same colour as mine, almost the same mileage I bought mine at and from the pics pretty similar condition as when I bought mine. I got leather, 5spd and a full MBSH but no memory seats and my engine bay had not been cleaned to the same level .. Even the overmats have faded to the same colour as mine..

Don't think the wheels are OE, I think 15 holes alloys would have been the option available in 92...

Very well presented car nonetheless, my point was at that mileage its probably on original 16 year old brakes, cylinder head gasket, ATF, serpentine belt and tensioner etc. etc. (as was mine, with predictable results )

Caveat Emptor and all that.

Oh and mine was a bit cheaper and its a CE



Ade

Well my car is 16 years old, has had all the things done that you mention, and more,and has the same mileage, but then it has still been serviced, and everthing works as it should. It is totally rust free, not least because for the last 10 years it has been kept in a dry garage and rarely driven in the wet , let alone salted roads. This is the benefit of long term ownership. You know your car inside out.

You could say caveat emptor about mine too, but then you would miss out. The point I make is that you should not be so negative about low mileage when it actually assists with the overall preservation of the cars condition. Less wear, less stone chips, and thus less rust.

The items that you mention are really service items, and nearly all are likely to have been replaced even on a car with 49000 miles. If not, then the car should be valued accordingly.

If you paid less for your car, you probably will end up having to bring the service items up to condition. As no doubt you have discovered, these little jobs can cost an awful lot of money if they are done correctly.

At £4800, I don't think that the car is at all overpriced if the servicing is up to date, and I would say it is priced to sell.

[Apial]

Originally Posted by robert.saunders

The oil may have warmed up driving to Spain

Actually, interesting point about the salt - the seller makes mention about lack of road salt used re: the 230CE he also has for sale. Which, despite the lack of road salt, as you rightly say, the island itself must be rich in sea salt/spray

My brother had an Escort in the Cayman Islands. Although it was only 18 months old you could push your finger through the top of the front wings due to the rust.

[Apial]

Originally Posted by LastMinute

I'm pretty sure the 8-hole wheels were available as far back as 1990.

8-hole alloys were standard on the 24v model at least as far back as 1990, certainly for the CE version.

[Ade B]

Originally Posted by Apial

Well my car is 16 years old, has had all the things done that you mention, and more,and has the same mileage, but then it has still been serviced, and everthing works as it should. It is totally rust free, not least because for the last 10 years it has been kept in a dry garage and rarely driven in the wet , let alone salted roads. This is the benefit of long term ownership. You know your car inside out.

You could say caveat emptor about mine too, but then you would miss out. The point I make is that you should not be so negative about low mileage when it actually assists with the overall preservation of the cars condition. Less wear, less stone chips, and thus less rust.

The items that you mention are really service items, and nearly all are likely to have been replaced even on a car with 49000 miles. If not, then the car should be valued accordingly.

If you paid less for your car, you probably will end up having to bring the service items up to condition. As no doubt you have discovered, these little jobs can cost an awful lot of money if they are done correctly.

At £4800, I don't think that the car is at all overpriced if the servicing is up to date, and I would say it is priced to sell.

Didn't think I was being particularly negative - the liberal sprinkling of smilies was meant to keep the post light hearted - I've no intention of bashing the ad or the car, it looks very nice and is priced accordingly, just passing on my experience of owning a rust free well maintained low mileage 17 year old car. Yes most items I listed are service/wear items but my car came with a full MBSH as stated and it still cost me well over half the asking price to undertake the work mentioned as whilst the car would probably have run on happily for many more miles, I felt they need doing to maintain the car in top condition.

I paid a little less for mine than the car in question and it was advertised for a little more. By buying such an example, I didn't expect to replace/repair quite as much as I ended up doing in the first 12 months of ownership, I accept my experience may not be typical. My car was stored intermittently for 7 years before I bought it which may have contributed to the CHG issue.

It is my only car, I did 9k miles last year and it lives outside on the driveway. I still think I got a good deal overall and enjoy owning a 124 enormously.

On a different note, my car came with 15 hole alloys and its a 1990 car registered in 91. I've never seen a pre facelift car with the 8 hole alloys until this one - but I'm happy to stand corrected

Ade

ps a couple of pics from the ad for my car. The pics didn't show the scuffed alloys and a few minor parking dings and scrapes.

[LastMinute]

Originally Posted by Ade B

I've never seen a pre facelift car with the 8 hole alloys until this one

My 300E-24 - built in January 1990 - has 8-hole alloys. Of course, I have no proof that they're original...

Edit: Your post on the other thread provides the proof that they're not original...