My friend Andrew and I have each bought a cheap classic W124 Mercedes, and today we’re putting them through the ultimate test: a massive 2,000 mile long roadtrip across the former Iron curtain, passing through 9 countries on the way from Athens Greece to Berlin Germany! With just 10 days to make it all that way, are our cars up to the challenge?
$3000 European Roadtrip CHALLENGE!
Buying a decades old Mercedes W124 in a foreign country? What could possibly go wrong?
If you’re a bit eccentric, and if you’re a bit adventurous, you may have had this daydream. What would happen if you were to go to Europe and instead of renting a car, why not buy one? Thats what two friends did, and they picked the W124 E-Class as the car of choice.
And why not? In Europe these were taxis and extremely common. They are known to be robust, and now with some age in their bones, are genuine classics. And cheap, too. Both were bought under a budget of $3,000 USD. Host of The Middle Lane Youtube channel, Luke, bought a 1989 Mercedes 200E. Something not offered her state side, so a bit unique to see. We only ever saw 6-cylinder or diesel models. Andrew also got a 200E, but from 1988. So some fuel sippers here.
Adventure aside, it’s a great way to see the difference of what is essentially the same car, but maintained differently over the course of 30 years. Better yet, is the route Athens Greece to Berlin Germany. It’ll be a 2,000 mile road trip in $3,000 cars, so adventure, road side repairs and laughs are guaranteed to happen.
The basis of the trip, naturally, is the trip itself. “There was absolutely stunning scenery as we approached the Bulgarian border,” noted Luke. And borders ended up being a bit unique in this trip. Andrew pointed out the history and significance of their innocent road trip. He said “We are about to drive through what used to be an impenetrable border. The “Iron Curtain.” A fact that would have made this journey impossible when these cars were new.”
One thing that would have also been impossible – or rather very unlikely – was breakdowns. And oh, there are some. Andrew’s W124 seems to have a problem with keeping coolant cool. And thats when its not having a problem keeping coolant within the coolant system. But again these are 35 year old cars, and thats the point of the trip.
In all, it’s cool to see that the W124 is still a benchmark of known reliability and durability. And still out there proving it day after day. Well, at least most of them are.
