Old Mercs are Beautifully Built at the End of the 80s

The reputation of Mercedes-Benz's E-Class, particularly those built towards the end of the 80s, is one of unparalleled reliability. Even as far back as the chairman of the company acknowledged that they were over-engineered, with a reputation for durability exceeding that of modern-day models. It seems that this era of excellence has been somewhat lost in recent years, and only recently has Mercedes-Benz begun to strive for quality control standards reminiscent of their golden age.

But how does an old Merc hold up? Our team purchased a 16-year-old E-Class for £695, complete with tax and an MOT, despite its having had nine owners and being driven around the world nearly seven times. And yet, it still looks and drives like new – the seats aren't sagging, the door is still in good condition, and all the electrics function as they should.

The cost of this car may seem steep at first glance, but it's actually quite reasonable considering what you get for your money. With more seating capacity than most MPVs, this E-Class is an excellent choice for those looking for a practical yet stylish vehicle. And with its impressive history and proven reliability, we can confidently say that our purchase has been a wise one.

A Clean Bill of Health

Our professional mechanic, Paul, gave our old Merc a thorough check-up to confirm its condition. Using a baseball bat – much as the manufacturers do when testing new cars – he examined the bodywork for any signs of rust weakening the panels. Fortunately, all was well, with only the indicator showing any signs of wear. It was time to put the car through its paces and see how it would fare in real-world conditions.

One such location is the infamous Belgian pave, a road notorious for driving cars to destruction due to its bumpy surface. Designed to stress the suspension beyond its limits, this road is not intended for production vehicles – at least, that's what most manufacturers claim! We decided to put our Merc through a grueling test, with lap after lap of continuous driving on surfaces designed to take their toll.

The results were astonishing. Despite having traveled nearly seven times around the world and accumulating countless miles, our old E-Class showed no signs of wear or tear. The suspension seemed to defy gravity, absorbing even the most aggressive bumps with ease. And when we added a few potholes and big curbs for good measure, the car merely shrugged them off – still running like a dream, with nary a complaint.

A Crash Test Like No Other

But we weren't finished yet! Our team decided to push our old Merc to the limit by conducting its biggest ever crash test. With the little Smart (an interesting choice of opponent!) hurtling towards us at 70 miles per hour, followed by an astonishing rebound that sent 20 tons of concrete flying into the air, it was almost as if our car had defied the laws of physics itself.

And yet, when all was said and done – and we'd been subjected to an incredible amount of abuse – our old E-Class emerged unscathed. It's clear that these cars were truly built to last, with a durability that's hard to find in modern vehicles. Whether it's due to over-engineering or sheer attention to detail, one thing is certain: old Mercs are beautifully built at the end of the 80s.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enold mercs are beautifully built at the end of the 80s even the mercedes-benz chairman said they were over engineered their reputation for reliability exceeds that of modern day models and the company is only recently admitted it's trying to get quality control back to the standards of the good old days but how tough is an old Merc well we bought one to find out this the e-class is fate is 16 years old and it cost us 695 pounds and it came with tax and an MOT even though it's had nine owners and driven around the world nearly seven times it's still as fresh as a daisy the seats aren't sagging the door still thunk and all the electrics work even the windows still go up and down silently 695 quid for this car it's got more seats than most MPVs this is looking like a very good deal a clean bill of health was confirmed by Paul our professional mechanic so how much torture could the old girl take we began by checking if any rust had weakened the bodywork with a baseball bat I'm so so sorry don't make me do any more that really goes against the grain I'm so sorry all the panels were rock-solid and so far only the indicator had flinched it was time to test the moving bits this is where car manufacturers from all over the world come to test the durability of a new car and discover its weak points before they put it on sale one mile on this the Belgian pave is like driving about a thousand miles on an average road is where cars are driven to destruction and isn't intended for all timers like our Merc the cobbles accelerate the aging process adding lifelike wear and tear to the car it's basically a bumpy time machine cars are generally driven here for 24 hours a day over a two-week period pity the test drivers staring still works everything seems fine a bit more arrogant I've just lost my front wheel art trim right bear with me a friend that more abuse we spent a whole afternoon being meaning to our Merc driving continuously on surfaces like the long-wave pitch designed to over stress the suspension yep yep corrugated lanes that create a certain resonance that irritates delicate easy news I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry and we threw in a few potholes and big curbs for good measure but lap after lap despite its age and colossal mileage that car remained unscathed I am so amazed Paul's checks confirmed it in one afternoon we've added the equivalent of thousands of miles but she was still running like a dream good old girl but we've not finished yet so no join us later when we take us six hundred ninety five quid myrrh for a dip and we have our biggest ever crash test from 70 miles an hour to naught in one second the little smart hit with such energy that it moved 20 tons of concrete lept into the air and reboundedold mercs are beautifully built at the end of the 80s even the mercedes-benz chairman said they were over engineered their reputation for reliability exceeds that of modern day models and the company is only recently admitted it's trying to get quality control back to the standards of the good old days but how tough is an old Merc well we bought one to find out this the e-class is fate is 16 years old and it cost us 695 pounds and it came with tax and an MOT even though it's had nine owners and driven around the world nearly seven times it's still as fresh as a daisy the seats aren't sagging the door still thunk and all the electrics work even the windows still go up and down silently 695 quid for this car it's got more seats than most MPVs this is looking like a very good deal a clean bill of health was confirmed by Paul our professional mechanic so how much torture could the old girl take we began by checking if any rust had weakened the bodywork with a baseball bat I'm so so sorry don't make me do any more that really goes against the grain I'm so sorry all the panels were rock-solid and so far only the indicator had flinched it was time to test the moving bits this is where car manufacturers from all over the world come to test the durability of a new car and discover its weak points before they put it on sale one mile on this the Belgian pave is like driving about a thousand miles on an average road is where cars are driven to destruction and isn't intended for all timers like our Merc the cobbles accelerate the aging process adding lifelike wear and tear to the car it's basically a bumpy time machine cars are generally driven here for 24 hours a day over a two-week period pity the test drivers staring still works everything seems fine a bit more arrogant I've just lost my front wheel art trim right bear with me a friend that more abuse we spent a whole afternoon being meaning to our Merc driving continuously on surfaces like the long-wave pitch designed to over stress the suspension yep yep corrugated lanes that create a certain resonance that irritates delicate easy news I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry and we threw in a few potholes and big curbs for good measure but lap after lap despite its age and colossal mileage that car remained unscathed I am so amazed Paul's checks confirmed it in one afternoon we've added the equivalent of thousands of miles but she was still running like a dream good old girl but we've not finished yet so no join us later when we take us six hundred ninety five quid myrrh for a dip and we have our biggest ever crash test from 70 miles an hour to naught in one second the little smart hit with such energy that it moved 20 tons of concrete lept into the air and rebounded\n"