I Bought An Old Mercedes For $100... But Only If I Can Get it Running 

Part 2 is now up! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1wrKa_oEsW4.html&ab_channel=TheBackspeedBoys

bro scraping this car should be a crime

*$100* is a bargain for what it is

Finally you have a good old German Car

I'm a Mercedes-Benz mechanic with over 15 years experience... I know just about all there is to know about the W124 and have worked on many others. Your video makes me worried and sad lol. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me! Please!

It will start... Its a W124.... Unbreakable....

Oil gauge is pressure, not level. It operates at 3 bar (45psi).

16:14 I wouldn't suggest doing this. 16:34 That's compact casette player. No need for apple car play in this car.+ I'd keep it in it's original state and fix what has to be fixed.

Man keep that car bone stock and restore it to is former glory these cars when they are clean they are worth a decent amount of money weird to see that your neighboor wanted in the junkyard even tho they arent that hard to work on and they made more than a million of them so part support is plenty and also when they are running they are reliable cars

Been a Mercedes collector,builder for over 2 decades and rescue gems like this all the time (currently at 37) & the worst thing to do with an example such as this is to LS swap etc but to each their own. If you need a transmission I have a few or you guys can easily get a decent used one on your own if you want. Even if you guys decide to sell it the value will absolutely plummet when you swap out stuff to “make it cool” 🤷🏽‍♂️

Please don't do all the conversions and what not, just find out what's happening with the transmission and it could be low on fluids, that could be the reason for not engaging gears, keep it original and enjoy it.

A message to the Camera Man: Focus on the stuff hes doing not on him all the time especially when hes in the engine bay showing stuff just pointing at him gives us no Info

it already looks cool and elegant, just fix the transmission and whatever is plastic or wood broken and call it a day.

What you SHOULD do is put it in the hands of someone who actually knows what it is and has a full understanding of the significance of the w124 chassis. That someone is very clearly neither of you or the previous owner. In this day and age where all golden era cars are forever in the past, it's sad seeing a TRUE Mercedes like this in hands that haven't the ability to appreciate what this car really is.

Save it bro & please don't LS it , if possible use some other mercedes engine

The loud beep sound you're hearing when you turn the ignition on is because the parking brake is engaged. Once you disengage the parking brake, it'll go away.

I am shocked at how this car is being sidelined. This car could still fetch a good price where I come from. This E 124 model is sought after and a collector’s item. These solidly built models goes back from 1988 to 1995 I believe. They are comfortable reliable over-engineered cars made to last a lifetime until the accountants took over in the mid 1990s to compete with especially the Japanese and the Koreans in the money-making chase hence cars these days are deliberately made to last at most 10 years. 124 parts are still available across the world but difficult to get in some countries though. What a pity. In many countries the beautifully kept ones are still running around in style. Less electronics those days made for lesser problems. There is a certain indescribable feel when you sit behind the wheels of these 30 year olds not found in modern day cars. Guys, set up a project to rebuild it to its former glory. You will enjoy doing it and appreciate these cars better.

Hat's off to you guys for saving this one from being scrapped, but please do some research before working on it, this isn't the kind of car you mess around and find out, you gotta know what you're doing. And since it's in such good condition, this one deserves to remain original.

That Becker radio cassette is worth $500.00 alone

AMG hammer with this clean of an interior would be legendary. do NOT scrap this car

These things are well known to be a workhorse. Diesel versions of these are still roaming around Europe. They were used as taxi's. This is arguably the last over-engineered E-Class.... obviously this one is aging and it's got a few issues... Oh, and that buzzer is just the door buzzer because your door is open. Yes, it's extremely annoying, but that's what they aimed for at the time I think! haha.... we have pleasant chimes now, but back in the 80's that's what you got.

As a huge W124 fan who is currenty in the process of restoring mine to its original glory it hearts my soul that someone would even consider scrapping this car... especially for a mere couple hundred dollars... also at 10:08 that isnt actually the throttle body, its the airflow sensor, the actually throttle body is beneath the fuel distributor/airflow meter assembly.

i love how they are ducking under the hood and dont know it can open all the way 🤣

Your front pump on the transmission needs to be rebuilt. Nothing else is wrong with the transmission. I doesn't create pressure on the transmission and that's why the car doesn't go anywhere. To do that the transmission needs to come out. Make sure to replace the fuel filter too.

People in the comments really want to destroy this classic of a car by swapping engines and oem stuff in it. The car is in absolute pristine condition for 200k miles(except for the tranny), but with the trends nowadays everyone wants to see a stock car be modified out of the wazoo to get that dopamine rush. this thing could be an amazing daily or weekend drive car just the way it is, these w124s are extremely hard to find it such good condition especially for that cheap of a price. Keep the car as it is for the sake of it’s age. It’s already an eye catcher as is no need to make outlandish mods on it. Only thing I feel would be right for this car would to make it into a pseudo amg hammer

Good to keep an old Merc' on the road.

Sad to see these guys absoluetly violate this marvelous machine.... :(

I love this generation of Mercedes

you can put the hood up 90 degrees just click the two clips on both side ...Greetz from a Mercedes mecanic from Belgium PS there is no fuel pump Inside off the tank and that is a oil pressure gauge and not an oil level

In morocco all the mercedes cars are beloved and especially classic cars like this ,we get it for around 3000 to 8000 usd while for 100 usd it's a steal

Mercedes can be finicky, but they are glorious automobiles overall! Nothing better

Please change those weird headlights with the originals

That’s actually a great car man.

That’s a nicely specced W124, and looks in great shape. Well done for getting it running, but please keep it standard trim, or sell it to someone who will keep it stock.

With a little care, this car will still run, and the Teslas will be piling up in the scrapyard. It's worth investing some money.

These are so cool! I’m restoring an 03 Volvo s80 and I have those lil wipers on my headlights too. Older cars have much more character and are definitely worth restoring 👍🏼

Black on black with the brown interior mafia style

Why didn't you open the hood all the way up on service mode? Easier to work that way. Gloves for your hand and a blanket for fender protection would make it look more professional and safe.

With it leaking trans fluid, it’s probably too low to engage the clutches to shift. Check for where the leak is coming from, fix it and add the proper amount of fluid. Transmission may not be bad, could be a seal that dried up from it not running.

Find the transmission fluid leak and fill it to the proper level. That sun roof is in really good shape. You got an excellent deal with this. Service records like that means it's been well cared for.

Arguably (but not by much) the best automotive chassis ever made. Loads of potential.

Watching Americans be amazed over standard German engineering makes my day 😅 Ooh why is the horn not working... 90% of eu cars dont have a working horn without ignition.

These long videos are dope boys keep it up!

This is my dream car excited to see how this build goes

Forget all your American junk. That's a PROPER car. It's an absolute beauty that represents peak Mercedes quality. If you get that running you'll make 10 times your money when you sell it to someone with taste. Hell, I'd even buy it and get it shipped across the pond if you'd sell it to me.

Just let you know to save bumping you Magen into the grill,A great feature on Mercedes is you can make the hood stand straight up by pushing a button on your driverside Hoodhinge then go to the Passenger and do the same and push hood straight up

bro literally doing all the cars i have it’s insane i have the benz and the thunderbird

Had this same problem where lost all forward gears. Transmission thrust pin was the issue!

Brother I’m the Sahrawi refuge camps in Alegría and that Mercedes with that price it’s a dream car for me specially because it’s a Mercedes with leather interior with beautiful condition Interior and exterior It’s literally my dream Car

oh hell yeah! my first memories ever are from the backseat of a 190 or a w124

That is a goooood car ! Drove these for miles!

Small tip might be useful or not. While working under hood you can put hood in a vertical position by pulling like small clips on bought sides and the hood will go up (just to protect your head from the grill )

i was shocked by that trunk 😂

My C240 straight 6, had 12 spark plugs… 2 for each cylinders. Top & bottom… check if this has the same setup

doing the widebody and engine swap would make this the coolest car on youtube, genuinely

😮 Neighbour's definitely a cool guy.

Leave it originally and check the fuel system. This car is great. Greetings from Germany.

AMG Hammer with the supercar killing performance 👌

Look up how to put the hood into service mode. It will go straight up for when working on it.

my first thought in the first minute of the video: "hey guys, chris fix is here!!"

The jag in the background!!❤❤❤❤

While I am glad u save this car from junkyard, I become so worried to hear that u plan to carry out those nonsense conversion to this car. I can only hope u can understand a car in such prestine condition should be keep in it originality. If u cannot appreciate it's originality, I hope u can find someone who able to keep & preserve it. I have seen too many W124 get destroy by conversion. At its original form, this car belong to one of the best car we human ever produced and it deserve it's place in the history of automotive.

Bunch of things - that m103 motor is immortal if you take basic care of it, be a shame to dump that. The thing on the right with the four hard lines by the ignition module is your ABS pump. Any comments here about the bio degradable wiring are not correct - no m103 equipped car had a bio harness. Best pro-tip for electrical troubleshooting on these is to start at the OVP relay, behind the cover behind the battery - always keep a spare. Bad OVP relay can also lead to crank/no start, that thing is pretty pivotal in these electrical systems. Takes like one minute to swap, so an easy step one to verify that that thing isn't the culprit. This looks like an original Cali car - your CEL will be only for emissions items if it ever lights up. You'll have a blink reader by the battery to read blinks and clear codes, and the car has Cali specific bits (EGR, smog pump, cat). That oil gauge on the left of the cluster is pressure in bar, not level - oil level is a warning light on the bottom below that. Cold idle and rpm over 1500 should read 3 bar pressure. at warm idle, it can and will drop as low as .3 bar and is within spec. It can kinda freak people out the first time you see it go down that low, but .3 is in spec for warm idle. If that pressure is pegged at 3 all the time, even at warm idle, the sensor is faulty. Easy replacement, sensor is up by the oil filter. Best bet is fix the trans (I'd drain/refill to start - reverse only is a weird failure. On these, usually it's reverse itself that you lose first!) and keep as a daily or sell it for a fair few grand - especially a leather interior, pre facelift w124 that hasn't been modded. Putting some money and time into getting it driving right is easy money, and parts aren't too terribly expensive. Plenty of chassis floating around junkyards to go crazy with, something this clean and original is worth more as a stock driver or to fix/flip.

I’ve owned one of these. Exact same color “champagne “. It was rock solid and the only reason I don’t have it anymore is because I wrecked it. It was pretty fast for a straight 6 bone stock. I’ve owned AMG’s and other V8 benzes since. But it was my first Benz and it was a great car. You should definitely bring it back to stock and just enjoy it for what it is. The 124 was one of the last great Benz that were built like a tank.

I owned one of those. It was a great car. Mine was a 4Matic (awd). One of the nicest cruising cars I've ever owned. They're built like tanks.

Try to look for the transmission leaks...if you can just replace the seal then top the atf back and drive the havk out of it😂

Now that is the ultimate benz

You need to top off the transmission with fluid after finding the leak. A transmission with low fluid won’t shift correctly or at all.

Really want a W124 ❤ extremely reliable cars

Please don’t scrap that 124; those are one of the best built MB’s from their golden era. You will find a buyer for that car as is, guaranteed.

90s-early 2000s cars are my favorite because usually when I fight these no start problems it's typically something electrical.

Those ones with diesel engines were heavy beaters duty city taxis. Some are still running and driving in some North African and Middle Eastern cities.

Open the hood in service mode to have more visibility. And that Mercedes is the best car ever made

From how that motor is swinging, there’s definitely no spark in there.

This would sell over 15k in that condition here in europe

I'm gonna add one more comment on this. This does appear to be a really, really nice example of one of these and it's in great shape. Many people, including myself would prefer to save it and enjoy it as a classic vehicle. That being said, they made over 200,000 of these models. The world will get along just fine if you guys do decide to modify this one.

How did I know Lenny was gonna be in the trunk😂

AMG Hammer please

Restore it! Better then the ones made today.

Great cars. Give little problems like that but mine has over 560000 miles on it

This is a mint example of a super iconic car. If your gonna do a v8 keep it Mercedes at least.

Since the overall condition is good, in my humble opinion you should rebuild it, this is a cool car and one of my dream car 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤️❤️❤️

Check the transmission fluid service training if it was sitting for a long time it leaked out

The transmission is probably fine if you fix the leak and top up the fluid

Such a lovely car❤

Great Video Gentleman, Solid Mercedes Benz E300e, Documented, Well Maintained, Worth The Save, Keep it Original Please, The Transmission Deserves A Go Through, Get It Back On The Road.. There’s A RU-vid Guy (Monkey Wrench Mike) That Just Got Two Abandoned, W124 (Like Your Sedan) Wagon’s Running & Driving, Good Dude To Watch, Mostly What He Revives Are Mercedes Benz, Of That Era, Gives Excellent Pointers..

In germany that car would sell even non running for $4000 easy lol

It's a keeper my mate got the same benz he loves it more than his new E220 D

The fact that someone would think about scrapping it is astonishing.

Transmission might be a trans pan gasket/fluid if clunks when gears are changed replace the heavy rubber disc in the drive line

The great thing about owning an old car is that it has very few secrets. A simple Google search of the year, make, model, and concern will likely result way more than enough information to correct the concern.

Owned a 1990 260 E for about 5 years and my friend owned it for 6 years or so after me. One of the best designed cars i ever owned. I will own another one when i have the space

Do I see a general lee’d jaguar in the background across the street?!🤣😂

This is crazy. My neighbor had a 2000 Bonneville SSEI with a supercharger ya I know it's not a Mercedes but it sat for a few years and he knew how much I liked it so one day he came over saying that he is getting rid of it and because he knew it said that he wanted 100$ and a promise to take care of it and one day take him for a ride. Like I said it's not a Mercedes but still pretty decent. He bought it new and paid over 40 k for it the original sticker from the factory was in the glove box. Not only that it only had 50000 kms on it. Yes Kms not miles I'm in Canada. Anyway I just thought that was kinda along the same lines. I guess it's not really a comment nor question more like a story 😂👍🇨🇦

In Germany it would be worth at least 5k not running

If automatic transmissions are low on fluid the first symptom is not going into drive and or reverse, Being you saw a puddle of "red" fluid it obviously has a leak, Put her up in the air find the leak, fix it and then warm up the engine and add fluid to proper level once at operating temp. Ill bet the transmission is just fine, just needs the leak fixed and you will be good to go! Don't LS Swap it thats so over done. in line 6s late forever and are easy to work on. GREAT Car esp for $100

The VIP you hear is the reminder to put on your seat belts

I DONT KNOW WHY BUT NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT THAT 01 NUMBER MERCEDEZ BEHIND HIM

What you have is a treasure. I envy you.

Keeper. Find out where transmission is leaking and fix it. You have a car for another 200k miles worth over $15k.