₹ 66.99 Lakh Onwards
Majestic Dominance of the Three-Pointed Star is apparent.
The Build Quality of the body ! It is more than 17 years old and has covered over 107000 kilometers and age is showing only in very few of the perishable rubber parts. Metal parts like door latches and hinges do not show any signs of having been used over Indian roads as they are free from rattle or squeak. The doors and boot close with a reassuring thump of solidity, and the hood is very well counterbalanced with a facility to open it upright. There is adequate legroom for the rear seat passengers even if there is a tall person in the front seat who has pushed the bucket seat to its rear limits. The rear seat has an arm rest and the headrests can be dropped at the flick of a switch on the dashboard to increase the rear view visibility. All the windows are electrically operated and the rear switches have a child lock provision up in the front console, which has a generous dose of wood panelling. Instrumentation is comprehensive and flawless, there are numerous warning lights which all come on when the switch key is turned on and shut off after the engine comes to life indicating that all systems are fine, particularly interesting is the failed lamp indication which tell you if an exterior lamp has failed. The park lamps can be switched on for the side which is away from the kerb depending on which side of the road the car you have parked the car. The large single wiper has an eccentric gearing mechanism so that the wiper blade moves in a fashion where it extends to reach the corners and retracts as it passes the roof line, providing a very large sweep of the blade.
What Can ImproveAs the car is out of production, I do not think anything can improve. However I had two electrical failures, one a failure of power supply to the air-conditioner blower due to a breakage in the conducting wire within the harness. The second was a light switch failure, due to just one of the internal plastic components crumbling to bits - more reliable material alternatives may not have caused an age related failure. This I consider a negative for the reliability factor - causing a potential safety hazard - whereas the entire design of the same car has passenger safety and reliability as the prime concerns of the the Three-Pointed Star Brand.
I would consider this car a timeless beauty. The fact that the shape and outline emerged in the mid-eighties and lasted over a decade before being replaced due to a compulsive need to bring out a newer shape though unwarranted. If any enthusiast is contemplating acquiring a Classic Mercedes -Benz, I would wholeheartedly recommend scouting for a W124 and not any other model even if it is a quarter of a century old and needs to be restored. The car is a value for money proposition !