The Car Glutton: A 1988 Mercedes 300 CE C124 - What was I thinking?!!

I just couldn't help myself. I went and bought a 1988 300 CE C124 and I absolutely love it. This one is definitely going to take us out of our comfort zone! Take a look and let me tell you some of my plans for this thing - if I can get that far with it!

[@rickyjordan6597]

Lol. Love it. Those eyes say "...hook, line, and sinker." Gorgeous cars.

[@petescarport]

Love it. Awesome to see you getting there cars.

[@thecarglutton8672]

Thanks, Pete! Awesome to know I have a friend in FL that can give me some advice on them too! 😅

[@kevinhowlett4097]

Beautiful. I daily an E320 Coupe. Best car in the world.

[@incyphe]

This is so much nicer than C126! You made a great choice.

[@thecarglutton8672]

The c126’s are beautiful as well, but after owning this one, I would tend to agree with you. I love these CE’s! Thanks for watching…

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@thecarglutton8672 i have one today and who ever says that is only because he never drove one or seat on it,"...so much nicer..."it´s more confortable and faster and uses the same technology they were sold at the same time. I had two just because i saw it for sale very cheap ,it cost me what today is 4.000€(a 380 sec) but when ofered 60.000€ for it i sold it in 2018 but have since new the 560SEC , it drinks a lot of gasoline for today prices but never had a malfunction only changed the tires and changed oil and only drive it from two to two weekends but neither one or the other had problems ,i gues when changed to meet American standarts they destroy the cars, i remenber a SL from 74 that had been purchased in canada and i had already one with the 350 engine and other with the 500 engine ,and the canada one with the american front lights and bumpers(or leg breaker)it was so slow that i send it to a ,mercedes garage but they told me that they notice that the engine was changed and they had never seen one but when i went to get it paid around 10€ it had doble the H.P. they do have a comon problem ,they drink a lot either than this a car that was sold for 10 years with no noticeable changes it had problems? i think not ,i live in the hotest region in Europe and all sl´s and slc´s are working perfect with no major repairs only regular changes on parts that wear out like breaking pads or (that i never use) the soft tops , only drive them with hardtop, so the soft top normally gets bad because of being folded always,one withoput top ,only in the summer at night during the day it would burn our heads with the strong sun always shining ,there was a period of 10 years that never rained ,i remenber going to the beach till late november or start to go in march, these cars i kept them because i never had problems with them also bought cheap several BMW´s from the 70´s and late 60´s two cars one has the 1602 two carburators engine with kind of softop in the back mixed with a hard top, sorry i just remenber it´s the baur , that was still sold in the 80´s 3 series or E30, also the 2007 CL is still running great and heard of people saying it as problems but not a single owner has those problems because in my country there´s a classic mercedes club that we talk about old and new cars and none complained about the 2007 (first year of release of the S-class coupé) wich is great ,came with amg seats in leather that at first look may seem hard but are anatomic correct and very personalized at one´s will, also the 600SEc or CL 600 v12 is a great 90´s car is the car i most drove till 2007 either than my ford fiesta 1.8L diesel with two seats only and original air conditioned from 94 wich is still perfect but demands a lot of money in parts that wear out very fast but with 20€ i drive on dirt roads for two monthes never at more than 70km/h or 110km/h in tar roads(it´s my working car),about automatic gears only have a w202 or 190 as it is known and a 2.0L engine in mint condition but will not stay that way because i use it for rally´s ,on the road it makes me feel like i´m driving a cart for 7 years old kids but safe and also confortable ,people don´t talk about that but the w123 had a tinier body ,like my 200D full electrical powered ,not the engine

[@Genome69420]

this thing is sweet i love the color

[@graphene1487]

magnificent car right there.

[@thecarglutton8672]

Agreed. I miss that thing everyday. 🥹Thank you for watching!

[@geo66flow]

just bought one bro thanks for making this, not many vids with these exact specs , Im Also a GLUTTON 😅

[@thecarglutton8672]

Awesome! I’m SO JEALOUS! I miss my C124 so much. They are getting so hard to find - they’re either toasted or crazy $$$! I will get another one though - I’m determined. I hope you enjoy the heck out of yours! Thanks for watching…

[@jamiesaunders6097]

Amazing car. Also, what is that 80's sounding tune at 2:25? Love that! I can imagine cruising to it in a classic 80's car!

[@thecarglutton8672]

It’s just stock music provided with Apple products - but I agree, the vibe is great! I picked it especially for that car. Thanks so much for watching…

[@Genome69420]

i currently drive a 1998 clk with 113k miles on the dash and its a headache sometimes but has only made me fall deeper in love with mercedes.

[@Genome69420]

Update. I now have a 2011 e350 4matic wagon with 80k and a rapsheet ten miles long pf service records. I CAN CONFIRM THAT OLDER CARS ARE BETTER. ID RATHER FIX AN OLD BENZ NEXT TIME.

[@7thletterstudios648]

We have very similar taste in cars, I am picking up a C124 this week, my first Bruno Sacco design and I am going for the same 3 you want. :)

[@thecarglutton8672]

That’s GREAT! Try and collect the Sacco trifecta! Thank you for watching…

[@Genome69420]

my dream car

[@thecarglutton8672]

Mine too... I sure miss this one! Thank you for watching...

[@RockBassTv]

I just sold an 89 blue one last week, and I still got a 88 metallic brown one with golden BBS style rims. This red is freakin gorgeous, makes me want to get another one in red.

[@thecarglutton8672]

I couldn’t be more jealous - 2 of these beauties?!! I miss this car and cannot wait to get the chance at another one! Thanks so much for watching…

[@terrymurphy2637]

Great colour .Is it original? It has real leather .Rough idle will be motor mounts. Hope you got it cheap as needs will be expensive.Good Luck

[@thecarglutton8672]

Thank you! Yes it appears to be original, although there are touch ups here and there. I certainly couldn’t rule motor mounts out yet, but to me, it acts more like an air-fuel mixture type issue. I’ve got the driving/acceleration mostly sorted, but still working on the idle. More videos on this are on the way 😅

[@grabir01]

best car ever. 1988 was the last year for the really good 300e's

[@RUfromthe40s]

the second year of production?why?do you know they were considered at all levels the best car in the world in the last year of production ,1996 with a disel engine that was new at the time the 2.5L or 250D as it´s known and 300 E is the 3.0L gasoline engine i got a 300 turbo-diesel from 1991,still running perfect

[@grabir01]

@@RUfromthe40s Stay away from the Diesels. They do last a long time. Problem with those is that they leave black drops or black trails from the garage to the street as they always drip. Super messy to work on as well. Also. I was referring to the Benzine versions, 88 was the best year out of all of them.

[@kevinhowlett4097]

Mines lowered on Eibach shocks and Sportline springs with 18" alloys.

[@ravinwonderland]

great car man, what kind of fuel do you put in it? thank you

[@thecarglutton8672]

Premium unleaded is what Mercedes always recommends. I live in CA, so 91 octane is usually the best I can get. But other states you can get 93 or more even. Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers!

[@ravinwonderland]

@@thecarglutton8672 premium gas in my country contains up to 10% bioethanol, would it be safe to use since I daily the car 3-4x a week? thank you

[@frederickcombs8661]

These were not born simple and were very expensive new.

[@RUfromthe40s]

normally when new no one buys a big car with two doors only, the reason why all coupés are not that easy to find but this in europe ,in the U.S. the cars are bigger, i do kept 3 that i´m not thinking to sell, my favorite a mercury cougar xr7 from 69 with 7.0L engine ,also two pontiacs ,a grand prix convertible and a lemans coupé

[@thecarglutton8672]

WOW! All three of those cars are on a 'dream list' of mine! Cheers!

[@newbeginnings8566]

The aftermarket wheels kill the vehicle stone dead..

[@thecarglutton8672]

Well I had aftermarket wheels for it alright, but it was another driver not paying attention that killed my poor 300 stone dead! 😭😱😅 Lots of people agree with you though and they like them more stock/traditional. Thank you for watching and for your comment. Cheers!

[@plissken94th57]

Might buy a 1989 300ce as well, it’s white with brown leather interior, pretty excited I just hope it checks out for what it was listed as

[@MrRedcelica]

lol i did a similar thing 300,000 kms records to 150000kms needs some paint, and i rebuilt the whole suspension steering systems, smoke silver with red interior, rear blind and Airbag which is an expensive option in the Aus spec. PS the it is leather its tough stuff.

[@MrRedcelica]

@The Car Glutton kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqGboHqMm7erpJI mine is exactly like this but right hand drive!! and euro headlights.

[@RUfromthe40s]

i have the 24 valves in black metalized paint and bought a 88 200D for 500€ in golden this 3 years ago all original,i have all coupés from mercedes being the oldest a 66 with the 280 engine with air conditioned ,all extras to resume , the SEC you showed as the side panels from the AMG version ,i also own a 560SEC and a 96 600SEC or CL600 V12 ,but i prefer the first designation the last was a S from 2007 also in black metalized paint, the E´s -class as they call them now also had them all started with the C114 230 engine in Europe they were never sold with diesel engine but in the 90´s bought one from canada(C123) with the front bumper to seat with friends and drink beer these as a 300D engine ,the C115 if one opens the ashtrey it fits perfect a dimple botle against the gear stick, i know it ,my favorite brand to drive, never made a dent in any of my cars no matter if it was heroin, cocaine or crack cocaine ,an appart one when adicted to heroin all days are perfect and at the weekends we would cook cocaine to smoke like if it was friday and after work going for a couple of beers, that´s what i remenber talking to a friend, but to end, that 300CE was only the changed american version ,in Europe was the most economical engine and looked after mainly because of having 24 valves more power less comsuption and was considered the best car in the world in it´s last year of production, 96 with four doors and the 250D engine

[@thecarglutton8672]

You’ve got some beautiful cars there!

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@thecarglutton8672 thank you, yours is also one of the best last mercedes ever made ,still a daimler-mercedes, i saw a jaguar sovereign that was a huge sedan and luxurous when a friend told me that he had in his garage a daimler sovereign,till i saw it i went there thinking how much more luxurious they could make this jaguar model even more luxurious, i had to close my mouth because it was far better than the jaguar model, daimler made mercedes known all over the world ,only left the company after the year 2000, but the cars released in early 2000´s were still engeniered by daimler-mercedes(but built by the new owners) the c-class model of those years either sedan or station wagon still run perfect here in Europe ,owners are satisfied by them ,only getting tired of having the same car for 20 years, regards

[@frederickcombs8661]

I have FIVE 300 CE COUPES. I AM ADDICTED. THEY USUALLY NEED $5,000 MINIMUM TO BRING UP TO SNUFF. IT WAS A MID RARE LUXURY MODEL, COSTING $60,000 NEW. Now the 500 SEC costs way more and can easily cost $20,000 to bring up to snuff.

[@thecarglutton8672]

Wow!!! Five CE Coupes?!!! That seems unfair that you should have to look after all those on your own. Feel free to donate one to us here at the CG channel. Thank of all the great content you’ll be inspiring! 🤔✌️😄. Seriously, though - that’s amazing to own that many beautiful cars - expensive, but amazing! Thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers!

[@eddeboer3492]

This is real leather !!!

[@thecarglutton8672]

Mercedes had MB-Tex vinyl as a base on some of their cars for years. It's possible I could be wrong, but these seats felt much more like vinyl than leather. As poorly as Mercedes' leather of the time aged, I can see why they were trying something different. At any rate, the seats were just fine for me and I absolutely adored this car! I will have another, mark my words! Thank you for watching!

[@samfromprague2688]

Me to have to had one , and I am looking for one.

[@thecarglutton8672]

Good luck in your search! Every once in a while they pop up. Thank you for watching!

[@RUfromthe40s]

thatis not a 88 but a 92 to 96, the finishings were not available in the 80´s, money pit?never had a problem with any of the mercedes coupés oil gasoline tires and good for 1.000.000 km´s or 3 million km´s also the breaking pads each 10 years

[@thecarglutton8672]

Yes I agree - these cars are amazing. Absolutely bulletproof (except when t-boned by another car 😭). Thanks for watching!

[@RUfromthe40s]

@@thecarglutton8672 T-boned is bad for it ,but didn´t happen ,at least till today

[@RUfromthe40s]

it looks like leather, wich is the doubt

[@RUfromthe40s]

Oh, sorry never saw an automatic ,normally these are for people who like to drive, customized it looks kind of red neck version of it,spend money to make the car horrible ,it´s not the 500 V8 or the porshe E-class

[@RUfromthe40s]

but everyone has his taste ,or all would look the same ,i was just kidding and yes it´s a nice car but never saw one with mechanical problems they are very reliable ,it´s a late 80´s car still giving style to todays car owners, a mitsubishi wouldn´t have that efect ,allthough they were good not a everyday car today

[@thecarglutton8672]

Never any doubt that it is a FANTASTIC car. The title just is playing off the fact that while I was trying to stick to newer cars that would require less maintenance and mechanical skills, I was seduced by this beautiful car. It clearly falls into the 'risky' category for someone like me that is just trying to learn about maintaining cars. But it was definitely worth the risk and I loved every second of this car!

[@petercollingwood522]

Given your stated intent to fuck it up by lowerin it, and spoiling it I'd agree. You have no business owning the car.

[@thecarglutton8672]

Your anger, much like your punctuation, seems misplaced. Thanks for watching and commenting, all the same! Cheers!

[@petercollingwood522]

@@thecarglutton8672 Obviously we disagree. It's yours to do with as you wish, of course. However as it appears for most people it seems to be the fashion to cheer on the practive of defacing classic cars like this I figure I'll be the dissenting voice. You are not a better designer than Bruno Sacco and anything you do to it will lessen it in the eyes of the discerning.

[@Junior-fd8ux]

My old neighbor has one with 73k on a 88 300CE that he always took care of and is finally selling. He didn’t list the price so I have to call but wonder what something like this is worth. It’s all good to go low mile 2nd owner car maintained with a fresh sticker

[@thecarglutton8672]

I do believe these cars are finally getting their due. The values are only going to increase, especially on the well-kept examples. I would jump on the opportunity!

[@thecarglutton8672]

Thanks so much for watching!