If you follow Mercedes-Benz cars at all, you know the W124 line is considered one of the high watermarks in the company’s history. With ridiculously stout drivetrains and well-documented track records of deep six-figure odometer readings, it’s a terrific choice for a starter classic you can own for reasonable money. The 300E was the bread-and-butter sedan for many years, and to this day, it remains one of the most reliable Mercedes ever made. This 300TE here on eBay is the desirable wagon variant equipped with the 4Matic 4WD system and features great colors with low mileage.

Low mileage in this case is 120K, which is considered just barely broken in by the standards of the W124 line. The W123 is often thought of as the longest-lived Mercedes made in recent memory, and while it certainly has a reputation for withstanding untold amounts of abuse, the W124 is right there with it. You can easily put 300K miles or better one on of these with a fairly disciplined maintenance regimen, but don’t read that to mean that it requires exotic levels of upkeep. This is a car that in Europe would have the same identity as the Chevy Caprice and the Ford Taurus do in the U.S.: a bread-and-butter sedan that will dutifully serve you as a daily driver.

The interiors were another highlight for Mercedes of this era, carrying on the legacy of the W123 for incorporating notoriously hard-wearing materials that look good decades after the car rolled off the lot. The leather seating surfaces can still look and feel supple with amateur level detailing, meaning you just need to hit them with leather conditioner every so often and not park the car in the sun for years on end. The seller’s car looks excellent inside, with carpets, door panels, wood trim, and the upholstery all in excellent condition. It seems safe to say this wagon was loved before going up for sale.

The M103 and M104 engine families represent some of the best motors Mercedes has ever built, with excellent torque and superb highway manners. Really, Mercedes products from this era were legendary for their long-distance cruising abilities, and I’ll bet you could drive this wagon home across the country without much issue. The seller reports that the brakes were recently gone through but doesn’t disclose any other recent maintenance in his care; the Autocheck report doesn’t offer much more detail, either. Still, a pre-purchase inspection makes sense for any older European car purchase, so be sure to get a shop to eyeball this pretty 300TE if you’re bidding from afar.