In my student days I did a trip to Switzerland in a rented mini-bus. I don't recall any mileage limits, just that the drivers had to be over 21. Stereo on loud, windows down, smell of overheating brakes going over the Alps.....happy days! It also had the added reasurance of including brakedown cover. (nb. rent a Ford or similar, but not a LDV)
Ade B
MB Enthusiast
The alternative is of course to buy a car unseen off the internet from Kosovo, fly over there and drive it back.
Followed by fully stocked support vehicle, mechanics and staying in posh hotels en route
Part of the romance of such a trip is the risk, things go wrong and adventures are had - makes for good stories unlike 'we set off from Jockland in our comfortable executive saloon and drove for days on end. At the end of the trip no one was talking as we fell out due to boredom and arguments over who was paying for petrol, pringles, fast food and cheap lager... and we saw nothing apart from some horrendous service station toilets and tailbacks due to roadworks'.
Sensible advice should of course not be heeded.
Instead you should be looking at tractor mowers, old fire engines or a couple of Trabants. Getting 500 miles across hazardous mountain passes will be the goal and you can regale your grandchildren in years to come with tales of your crazy antics before petrol ran out
Better still, do it on a bike.
Much more fun.
Ade
Followed by fully stocked support vehicle, mechanics and staying in posh hotels en route
Part of the romance of such a trip is the risk, things go wrong and adventures are had - makes for good stories unlike 'we set off from Jockland in our comfortable executive saloon and drove for days on end. At the end of the trip no one was talking as we fell out due to boredom and arguments over who was paying for petrol, pringles, fast food and cheap lager... and we saw nothing apart from some horrendous service station toilets and tailbacks due to roadworks'.
Sensible advice should of course not be heeded.
Instead you should be looking at tractor mowers, old fire engines or a couple of Trabants. Getting 500 miles across hazardous mountain passes will be the goal and you can regale your grandchildren in years to come with tales of your crazy antics before petrol ran out
Better still, do it on a bike.
Much more fun.
Ade
trapperjohn
MB Enthusiast
This rental idea is making more sense with each post
No romance of an old Merc and doing "Europe" tho, which would be
*** could pick up loads of speeding tickets in different countries in something new and faster than a 124 Diesel
Good Luck boys. Sounds like a great idea.
No romance of an old Merc and doing "Europe" tho, which would be
*** could pick up loads of speeding tickets in different countries in something new and faster than a 124 Diesel
Good Luck boys. Sounds like a great idea.
harry halford
Member
good luck with your trip
d w124
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
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- w124 3.6AMG styling E320 S124 Lorinser styling
Ade B:The price of the cars there is way much higher
Steve:Stick to a diesel W210 W124 W210 W202,if something goes wrong is easy to fix.
If is serious you can still sell it a get some money.Since you`re going to Kosovo anyway,make sure you visit Tirana to.
Steve:Stick to a diesel W210 W124 W210 W202,if something goes wrong is easy to fix.
If is serious you can still sell it a get some money.Since you`re going to Kosovo anyway,make sure you visit Tirana to.
alanuk400
Active Member
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- Belfast NI
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- 2018 W222 Mercedes S-Class LWB & 2006 R171 SLK 55AMG
I got this for £1300,E39 1999 528ise Touring
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/79297-dont-buy-car-dark-rain-2.html
I think, a lot of car for the money
Alan
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/79297-dont-buy-car-dark-rain-2.html
I think, a lot of car for the money
Alan
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Smaller cars - 190 or 202 don't have a great deal of room in the back - not a place you'd want to sit for days on end .
I'd go for something at least mid-sized : 124 or 210 - even a 123 which is even simpler and more robust .
For comfort , I'd look at an S Class - W126's are cheap as chips to buy and keep on going forever - the 280SE I recently bought ( pic below ) only cost me £200 ; it was an offer I couldn't refuse ! Needs a little work but basically a sound car in good running order and might even pass an MOT once I replace the broken bonnet hinge . Get a LWB SEL as the extra room allows for sprawling in the back and space for two to sleep on the move if need be . Besides , if this is going to be a memorable trip - do it in a memorable car . Get a 500 or 560 - there's not much differnce in fuel consumption compared to the smaller ones . The W126 also has a much larger boot than the smaller cars ( estates excepted ) .
I'd go for something at least mid-sized : 124 or 210 - even a 123 which is even simpler and more robust .
For comfort , I'd look at an S Class - W126's are cheap as chips to buy and keep on going forever - the 280SE I recently bought ( pic below ) only cost me £200 ; it was an offer I couldn't refuse ! Needs a little work but basically a sound car in good running order and might even pass an MOT once I replace the broken bonnet hinge . Get a LWB SEL as the extra room allows for sprawling in the back and space for two to sleep on the move if need be . Besides , if this is going to be a memorable trip - do it in a memorable car . Get a 500 or 560 - there's not much differnce in fuel consumption compared to the smaller ones . The W126 also has a much larger boot than the smaller cars ( estates excepted ) .
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st4
Banned
Thanks for all your input fellas.
Seeing the lads on Sunday to discuss this. Initial estimate was about 500 miles/day avoiding mways (about 9hrs/day driving) over twisty rural roads. I could do this in my 211 but fancy doing it in a memorable car as this is something I have always wanted to do and its a kind of last chance thing...
A 124 300D or 210 300td sounds good. My pal Sean is taking his S60 volvo (he's the eldest of us) along and my other pal is buying an E36 M3 so we have one modern back up support car.
I'll PM Jay and see if we can come to a deal too as a 210 is not really a banger but will after the trip make a great 2nd car for me.
I am doing the trip in August 2010, we intend to take ferry to zebruger (spelling). Drive thru Belgium, Germany, do some interesting roads in Italy, Switzerland and Austria, and then onto Poland and further east. Failing that, ferry to France, down to Bordeux, thru the pyranees into some fun stuff in Spain, accross the french riveria and then italy, germany, swizerland etc.
Seeing the lads on Sunday to discuss this. Initial estimate was about 500 miles/day avoiding mways (about 9hrs/day driving) over twisty rural roads. I could do this in my 211 but fancy doing it in a memorable car as this is something I have always wanted to do and its a kind of last chance thing...
A 124 300D or 210 300td sounds good. My pal Sean is taking his S60 volvo (he's the eldest of us) along and my other pal is buying an E36 M3 so we have one modern back up support car.
I'll PM Jay and see if we can come to a deal too as a 210 is not really a banger but will after the trip make a great 2nd car for me.
I am doing the trip in August 2010, we intend to take ferry to zebruger (spelling). Drive thru Belgium, Germany, do some interesting roads in Italy, Switzerland and Austria, and then onto Poland and further east. Failing that, ferry to France, down to Bordeux, thru the pyranees into some fun stuff in Spain, accross the french riveria and then italy, germany, swizerland etc.
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Think again, Stevie boy. Work backwards from an estimated average of 35/40 mph.
You'll never average 55mph over those types of road...plus by the time you add in stops for food, photos, leg-stretching, etc, you'll be way out.
Halve the mileage - you'll want to remember the places you've been, not just 14 days behind the wheel of a car. Don't be afraid to blat down the motorways to get to where you want to go.
For that money, I would recommend an LS400 too.
Powerful, comfortable and reliable. They are great mile munchers and they are more than capable of holding their own against a W140.
The key here is reliability - I would jump in my LS and drive it to wherever you wanted to name tomorrow morning and be confident that it would get there and back.
The sound system is very good (for those long motorway miles) and they do get up and go when they want. Not sure what they top out on the autobahn but would be well over 200kph.
Powerful, comfortable and reliable. They are great mile munchers and they are more than capable of holding their own against a W140.
The key here is reliability - I would jump in my LS and drive it to wherever you wanted to name tomorrow morning and be confident that it would get there and back.
The sound system is very good (for those long motorway miles) and they do get up and go when they want. Not sure what they top out on the autobahn but would be well over 200kph.
trapperjohn
MB Enthusiast
120507575697 Sorry cannot do the linky thing to ebay. This is an LS400 priced at 1495. Might get you thinking Steve.
jpwilliams
MB Enthusiast
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- W210 DIESEL AUTO EST,LEXUS GS 450h
This is very sound advice Steve.
You should also know that Police are very observant in both France and Spain and a group of lads driving in convoy will not be immune!
Factor in the cost of fuel whcih will be more than you think and also think about taking two months for your intended route.
Do have an enjoyable trip,but I can`t help thinking that you are trying to do too much to soon.
How about a lower key trip just one or two of the intended countries and a bigger trip in the future based upon experience ?
Happy motoring
Regards
John
That sort of money would buy a very decent W126 .
Steve , you've seen my 500 which cost me less than that figure - I've since spent a bit on it as I plan to keep the car and will continue a gradual programme of maintenance/improvements . I likewise would have no hesitation in jumping in mine and doing a trip like that - after all that is what these cars were built to do . Mine hasn't missed a beat in the 13 months/18,000 miles I've had it , including several lengthy runs within the UK .
Steve , you've seen my 500 which cost me less than that figure - I've since spent a bit on it as I plan to keep the car and will continue a gradual programme of maintenance/improvements . I likewise would have no hesitation in jumping in mine and doing a trip like that - after all that is what these cars were built to do . Mine hasn't missed a beat in the 13 months/18,000 miles I've had it , including several lengthy runs within the UK .
Niks
MB Enthusiast
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***.... I've done this trip before that you are about to go on. I mentioned all the places we went to in a previous thread when someone asked.. "what makes the W124 so good?".
A few us went, 4 cars in total (inc mine) but 2 came back earlier and we stayed on out there to explore more, purely because our cars never even gave a sign of giving up! Trust me EVERYONE knows what a W124 is, parts are never a problem in europe at all.
Mine was a W124 E220 Saloon. Yes you can go for a 300D if you like, but in my opinion, a E220 is "almost" just as good on fuel, is really smooth and has good sufficient power, especially for motorway driving if your doing a constant speed (I found stickin to 75/80mph gave me the best mileage). Mind you, you are going in august which will be the peak for traffic on motorways around europe so you will experience a fair bit of low speed traffic and so on (lorry drivers and caravaners). Key thing is, just pace yourself and enjoy the drive/journey with the beautiful scenery. Dont get tempted to boot it when some of them europeans pass you at 130mph, chances are you'll see them pulling into the next service station en route!
So yeah... W124 all the way mate, tough chassis, tough suspension (especially for driving through belgium and spain/portugal/italy) and a good smooth engine.
A few us went, 4 cars in total (inc mine) but 2 came back earlier and we stayed on out there to explore more, purely because our cars never even gave a sign of giving up! Trust me EVERYONE knows what a W124 is, parts are never a problem in europe at all.
Mine was a W124 E220 Saloon. Yes you can go for a 300D if you like, but in my opinion, a E220 is "almost" just as good on fuel, is really smooth and has good sufficient power, especially for motorway driving if your doing a constant speed (I found stickin to 75/80mph gave me the best mileage). Mind you, you are going in august which will be the peak for traffic on motorways around europe so you will experience a fair bit of low speed traffic and so on (lorry drivers and caravaners). Key thing is, just pace yourself and enjoy the drive/journey with the beautiful scenery. Dont get tempted to boot it when some of them europeans pass you at 130mph, chances are you'll see them pulling into the next service station en route!
So yeah... W124 all the way mate, tough chassis, tough suspension (especially for driving through belgium and spain/portugal/italy) and a good smooth engine.
st4
Banned
Got an offer of a 124 300D at decent money from a good member and Ive seen the car. Jay offered me a 210 300TD but the price too high and the insurance quote was fall about funny stupid for the value of the car
In all liklihood if I get an respectable insurance quote for this car this is what I will buy (dont know if the comp ins I have covers me for another car I own)
In all liklihood if I get an respectable insurance quote for this car this is what I will buy (dont know if the comp ins I have covers me for another car I own)
st4
Banned
Niks
MB Enthusiast
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124s are built for motorway cruisin! Its been proven over n over...so why consider anything else? besides, when you get back from your trip, you'd probably love it and want to keep it as it would have plenty of miles left to go on it just like mine did 
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