Hello from Dundee

[Jamsy]

Hello folks,
just joined as I am wanting to get another old merc so thought id say hello.

I have been through loads of cars in the past from mini's to sierra cosworths then a couple of years ago I bought a W123 200 in Thistle Green for £500 as a stop gap, I ended up keeping it over 2years, using it every day to and from work and I can definitely say its the best car I have ever owned. I even drove from Dundee to Paris and back with two mates to watch Scotland beat France 1-0! All that happened was a sidelight bulb blew

It was starting to get a bit worse for wear at the end of last year and it was going to need welding for the next mot so as difficult as it was, I sold it on.
I have now got a focus st and although it is a nice car I have had quite a bit of bother with it and it just doesnt come close to the old merc so my plan is to get another old merc then sell the focus

Im thinking a w123 or a w116. Never even sat in a w116 but they look like big comfortable cruisers. Any advice what is best for a daily driver?

 

[bennesspipers]

Early W202

 

[219]

You'll have difficulty finding a rust-free W116 these days ( for reasonable money ) , likewise , a lot of people are wising up to just how good the W123's are , and supply is drying up so they are getting more pricey too .

Take a look at the W126 range ( replacement model for the W116 ) they are better bodywise but still mechanically very similar to the two above models . Right now , the W126 is at the bottom of the depreciation curve and are regarded as 'the biggest bargain to come out of Germany since Werner vonBraun' .

Later models rely too heavily on 'electrickery' and are less reliable as a result .

Good luck .

 

[alfie07]

Welcome jamsy from an expat

 

[sparkyc270]

hello and welcome to the forum.

..Steve

 

[JasM]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[SilverSaloon]

Another Scottish member!

Welcome!

Good luck with getting your next Mercedes. Also take some time to look over the Scottish meet thread in the events section and come along to our next one. There are a variety of mercedes (many older models) that go so you may be able to take a look at what may be your next model.

Derek

 

[jamiemay]

welcome

Another Bonnie Scotland member welcome

 

[st4]

welcome....good to have you onboard

 

[ringway]

Jeeeebers! Is this thread for Scots only?


Welcome to the forum Jamsy.

 

[Jamsy]

Thanks for the warm welcome folks!
Ive looked at w202 and w126's and they seem cheap but a bit newer and not quite as much character as the older models.
I seen what looked like a nice w116 280se on the carandclassic website but its disappeared over the last couple of days.
Found this though from the same garage but its a bit of a beast for a daily driver.?
1977 (R) Mercedes-Benz 450SE W116 Automatic For Sale on Car And Classic UK

I'll definately need to get along to one of the meets.. in my focus

 

[219]

That one is certainly a very tidy W116 - there aren't many left that have not rotted away .

I would just caution you about fuel consumption : these cars were designed before the 1973 fuel crisis , in an era when fuel was a cheap commodity and mpg was not such a priority as it became shortly after these cars were launched . The fuel crisis was the reason the 450SEL 6.9 was held back for a couple of years . Both the 350 and the 450 were pretty thirsty with real world consumptions of 12 to 14 mpg being achieved (this is my experience from running , and knowing others who ran , these cars when they were new ) so , as you can imagine , an example which is now nigh on 40 years old has the potential to be in less than tip top mechanical condition and therefore even thirstier . I don't mean to put you off , but these are costly cars to run in a way that a W123 or W126 just isn't .

The newer generation of lighter V8's as introduced in the W126 really were a whole lot more efficient , and the cars were also lighter , precisely because the world had changed and fuel economy was much more of a priority than it had been eight years earlier . Again , a real world average consumption for a larger engined W126 is around 20 mpg ( this is what I get with my 500SEL ) and they can return as high as 25 on a run - this is a HUGE difference in running costs compared to a W116 . The only one that is reasonable to run cost-wise ( unless you are very rich ) is the 280SE which will still return about 20 mpg either in W116 or W126 bodies . In the W126 , the 300SE is the most economical getting an average more into the mid 20's .

I know running an S Class isn't about economy , but there's thirsty and cripplingly-thirsty .

Good luck .

 

[Jamsy]

Just out of interest folks, what is the best w202 and w126 models to look at for economy and reliability?
Is it best to go for a diesel?

 

[Jamsy]

Thanks for the quick reply Pontoneer. Helpful advice.
I think that almost rules out the w116 for me then because although im not expecting fuel comsumption to be anything like as good as a modern car, it is important because ill be using the car daily.
My old w123 200 wasnt amazing on fuel but even in that I was averaging out at about 27mpg and could get almost 30 on a good run. I wouldnt want to have anything that was using much more than that to be honest.

 

[219]

A W126 300SE won't be all that far behind your W123 in terms of fuel consumption - I'd expect you to average around 25 and do a little better on runs .

The W201 190 series cars are pretty well screwed together and good examples can still be picked up for little money - I had an early 190E , with the 2 litre M102 engine ( probably the same unit as in your 200 ) and I easily got 30+ in normal driving and can remember averaging 38 mpg on a run over 3 tankfuls .

I don't know the W202 cars so well , with most of the newer and more efficient models , putting a larger engine in does not neccessarily mean much worse fuel consumption as usually the larger engined car will be higher geared - I'd guess a C180 would probably be quite frugal but that , for example , a C280 wouldn't be as much worse as you might imagine . Diesel models will certainly offer the best fuel economy , it just depends if you like diesel power or not - I personally am not a fan . W202's certainly have a lot more gadgets and electronics than earlier cars - things like LCD displays are known to go wrong - the cars depend much more on electronics just to keep them running .

 

[camerafodder]

Jeeeebers! Is this thread for Scots only?


Welcome to the forum Jamsy.

Crikey mate MBCLUB Ecosse!
Welcome Jamsy

 

[Druk]

Crikey mate MBCLUB Ecosse!
Welcome Jamsy

Just to twist the knife............hi from me too.