# Old School Mercedes Appreciation Thread



## Roly300 (Feb 19, 2007)

Anyone else here with an old school Benz?

My Ride:

1990 E300-24 Sportline

24 Valve 231bhp straight 6

Sportline suspension

Blue leather with walnut trim

Electric everything

Still pulls like a freight train and rides like a hovercraft after 17 years or motoring, much of it with the accelerator buried into the carpet.








on wheels!


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## JonW (Mar 23, 2005)

Buggery on wheels? 

















I actually like the 70s solid Mercs, and have a soft sport for the SLs... Ive been toying with getting a 560 SL and redoing it with big wheels etc... Pimp My Merc here we come!


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

My dad's had a few Mercs in the past - the last one he had (can't remember the model number) was lovely to drive (when it worked!) with a big old straight 6 engine (2.6 litres I think??), even with an auto box it went like the clappers. It wasn't even remotely reliable though







! It would work perfectly one day & would be as dead as a doornail the next - having somehow drained its battery overnight - we always suspected the alarm/immobiliser but desoite having it in the garage numerous times a fault was never found. Eventually it gave up the ghost completely & needed a new ECU, this cost my dad Â£1500 to buy & have fitted!! Needless to say he'd lost all faith in the car & part exchanged it soon afterwards for a another Mercedes!! This time a C200 Kompressor which has been reliable so far, it goes well when you boot it but it doesn't have the most refined engine in the world - sounds like a diesel (it isn't) to me. Personally if I'd had the experiences with Mercedes that he'd had I'd have steered well clear of them - it's his money though!

My girlfriend also drives a C200 Kompressor which I get to drive often - it's quiet (when you're inside) & easy to drive with lots of toys air con, cd player, electric this & electric that etc. Despite all that though it's a bit bland & rather uninvolving to drive & it doesn't go round corners anything like as well as my 17 year old Audi - which despite having 40,000 more miles on it probably goes just as well as the Merc. Sorry if all this sounds like I'm anti Mercedes! I'm not really - I think they make some nice cars I just haven't been in any exceptional ones yet.

I must admit that yours sounds good though with sporty suspension & 230bhp (about 100 more than my Audi!) & you obviously like it so that's fine with me


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Thats the one vehicle I have never bothered owning as yet......to many memories of Stuttgart taxis







although my best mate ran a E300D as a private hire car for a couple of years was Ok but not terribly reliable, now he runs a BMW 530D and absolutely loves it, that C200 komp engine is reknowned for being unrefined and rough they are much better with 6 cylinders and auto trans.

The service on Mercs has changed considerably since the 80's.....I was told by a senior engineer from merc at one of the auto shows we used to attend that the orders from MB to the dealers was when a customer brings a car in for routine service they go over it with a fine tooth comb and replace or repair anything, and he meant ANYTHING that needed it without telling the customer, even out of warranty!....this way the repair process was transparent to the customer and as far as they were concerned they had the merc for 10 years and only ever had routine servicing carried out, nothing ever goes wrong with it......and the system worked for about 20years and Merc got thier incredible reputation for reliablity....but now they just treat the cars like any other manufacturer....and of course now people are beginning to say "Mercs arent built like they used to be" well yes they are, in fact better....but now you have to pay when they go wrong! LOL

Best regards David


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## oldfogey (Nov 29, 2005)

You should be able to see me in my 1996 E320 cabriolet on another thread!

Bought new and much loved because it's competent, reliable (mostly), great to drive and attractive. Disadvantages are cost of repairs when Mercedes parts are required, the design fault in the seat-belt arms, and the small back window, a small price to pay for a true four-seater convertible.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

oldfogey said:


> You should be able to see me in my 1996 E320 cabriolet on another thread!
> 
> Bought new and much loved because it's competent, reliable (mostly), great to drive and attractive. Disadvantages are cost of repairs when Mercedes parts are required, the design fault in the seat-belt arms, and the small back window, a small price to pay for a true four-seater convertible.


That is a lovely car.









I like the old 80/90's E series and am toying with the idea of buying one, my mileage will drop way under 10k this year so I don't have to worry too much about reliabiilty and mpg. I like the clean lines and solidity of the design (I like 80's Volvo's too







) the new Mercs hold no attraction for me.

It's funny what David said about taxis, I have a Yemeni uncle, Abdul, I can remember as a boy hearing him discussing with my dad his new car purchase. He said he would never drive a Merc, they were only good for Taxis! Strange how peoples perceptions differ.


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## unlcky alf (Nov 19, 2006)

I spent several weeks looking for a W124 E320 coupe but just couldn't find one for sale in a decent state of repair. Most of the Mercs over here are diesel, if you want a big petrol engined model with an auto box you are really limited to the Paris area and the Med coast. These cars are so good that, when they get to this age, most people hang on to them until they've run them into the ground. When I did eventually find one that seemed worth looking at I drove all the way down past Cannes only to find that the advert was complete BS. His pristine example seemed to have an interior swapped out from another car (badly), the wrong panel gaps and one of the worst re-sprays I've ever seen, an obvious wrecker.

















I couldn't wait any longer without a car so I ended up buying an '97 5 series BMW instead, it's a decent car but I still have a hankering for a W124. Modern Mercs just don't have the same appeal for me, particularly the 1997 - 2002 produced cars, which are notorious for their terrible rust problems.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

I noted all the taxi's in Lanzarote are Mercs









My Uncle had a 350 SL convertible (I think) lime green with leopard print covers on the seats (I think they were red leather underneath).

When he died (15 years ago now) I wanted it but my aunt didn't want anyone in the family to have it (her son didn't drive and she didn't want to chose between her nephews and neices) so she sold it to a dealer in London


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

pg tips said:


> I noted all the taxi's in Lanzarote are Mercs
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Now that is a crime







I hope you have ex-communicated her!









A nieghbour a few houses down our road came into a little money and bought I guess his dream car about a year ago, its a lovely looking SL560....I think thats the one...got a V12 in it anyway and its the newer model, not sure of the year as he has a PP on it, but everytime it drives by its drive belt/s squeal like a pig waiting slaughter!







its been a full year at least and still squeals...even on his return so its not just cold belts.....some people just do not deserve to drive anything more than a bloody peddle car!









Best regards David

ps 350SL conny.....Mmmmmmmmmmmm what a classic


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Boxbrownie said:


> ps 350SL conny.....Mmmmmmmmmmmm what a classic


It was a beautiful car and he really looked after it.


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## dapper (Jun 18, 2004)

230E here, still looking good


















Cheers


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

dapper said:


> 230E here, still looking good
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes but the 2CV is soooooo much more fun!


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## dapper (Jun 18, 2004)

Boxbrownie said:


> Yes but the 2CV is soooooo much more fun!


That's true









At the seaside last summer:


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## Roly300 (Feb 19, 2007)

Nice - some W124 love!









I've had many new cars as company motors, but I hold on to the merc as no new car seems quite as solid. Drive it hard, and it's a surprisingly well balanced and enjoyable RWD car.

For pure enjoyment, I'd go for a series 1 or 2 VW camper though.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

I was tempted in the early `90`s to buy this huge 4ltr (I think) Merc of indeterminant age but realsed I`d probably not be able to get it down the narrow car lined roads near the house I then lived in














:lol:


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## Bladerunner (Jun 4, 2006)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> I was tempted in the early `90`s to buy this huge 4ltr (I think) Merc of indeterminant age but realsed I`d probably not be able to get it down the narrow car lined roads near the house I then lived in
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But think of all those lovely watches you have now got instead Mac!


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Bladerunner said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
> 
> 
> > I was tempted in the early `90`s to buy this huge 4ltr (I think) Merc of indeterminant age but realsed I`d probably not be able to get it down the narrow car lined roads near the house I then lived in
> ...


True, a *really* nice one arrived yesterday, another is coming tomorrow and yet another is on it`s way from China


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> Bladerunner said:
> 
> 
> > mach 0.0013137 said:
> ...


I thought you were skint, didn't you sell the citizen to buy brakes for your car?


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

pg tips said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
> 
> 
> > Bladerunner said:
> ...


Annoyingly it transpired that I didn`t need to, I`d forgotten that Council Tax & Water Rates aren`t collected in February & March so had more money then I actually thought I had









Oh well it helped raise money for a good cause









BTW if in the future you decide to let it go, drop me a PM









Also I should mention the watch that arrived yesterday was a swap & the other two together cost about Â£54


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

I may just pm you. can't see me actually wearing it tbh. I offered it to my dad but he likes real watches where the big seconds hand goes round, I did explain chrono's and sub dials too him but I don't think he understood, he said if I want a stop watch I'll buy a stop watch


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## skyway (Oct 29, 2005)

I just noticed this thread before going to bed!

Ive always loved the 'Proper' Mercs and i've had several, in fact my first car was a '76 200 (W123) in Petrol Blue.

I always loved the lines of the big SEC coupes and luckily last year I managed to find this one with the colour scheme I always wished for!

Its an '88 560SEC with a stonking 300BHP 5.5 litre V8 lurking beneath that huge bonnet!


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## oldfogey (Nov 29, 2005)

V nice, Skyway!


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## Nin (Jul 16, 2004)

Plenty of W124 Porn to be bought here: W124 cars for sale


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## Roly300 (Feb 19, 2007)

skyway said:


> I just noticed this thread before going to bed!
> 
> Ive always loved the 'Proper' Mercs and i've had several, in fact my first car was a '76 200 (W123) in Petrol Blue.
> 
> ...


You have my dream car. I spent ages looking for a W126 SE, SEL, SEC - ANYTHING! but could not find one in good nick. I came within inches of buying an immaculate '81 450SLC but someone else beat me to it.

In the end I went for a W124 as it was rare top spec model in good condition. Still dream about a W126 or R107 though!


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