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Is a 1991 420SEC realistic as a daily driver?

PJayUK

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Joined
Oct 6, 2008
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504
Location
Surrey, United Kingdom
Car
ML320 W163, E320 W210 & Jaguar X300-XJR6
I have been offered a very nice 1991 420SEC, in good condition with 93,500 showing on the clock. Its got a full service history and drives like a dream. This is proper head ruling the heart stuff, it looks absolutely stunning with no rust and its one of those cars that just gets me going when I look at it :rolleyes:

So here's the deal, my wife is happy for me to get it, but it would need to be driven regularly and parked on the road where we live (its a village and quiet and we only have room for 2 cars on the drive). So if I took the plunge and bought this thing what do we think about the practicality of using it to drive 60 odd miles per day?? I am not worried about economy as the company pays for fuel :bannana:!

I AM worried about unreliability, safety and big bills as I already have my W220 to look after. Ultimately if the 420 is good it will become the car I drive daily to work the SClass can be left for special occasions (and maybe sold if the 420 is good).

I dont know why but I absolutely fell in love with this car!

Appreciate your views.
 
IMO, I think stick with the S class. If you've had enough, get a newer S class.

Thing is, the 420 is def going to have big repair bills.
 
No experience of either vehicle types but I would follow your heart
 
I bet there is some rust on that SEC, you need to look harder.

Unless it's been 100% bare metal restored, or is the 0.1% exception to the rule, it'll have rust in the usual hidden places - look under the rear parcel shelf etc.

I'm sure it's a lovely car, but 300 miles a week will soon bring out some lurking gremlins from the last 18 years of low-mileage use. It's more suited to a weekend car than a daily driver, IMHO.

I love older MBs more than most, but I just don't think it makes the most sense for your situation. You need something comfortable, safe, reliable and reasonably simple to work on for a daily use car IMHO.

Will
 
I'm not sure - you may have a few niggles to start with but actually regular use will do it good and a 60 mile drive every day will get it nice and hot.
I assume it is relatively cheap? Have you thought about getting an indi have a really good look over it first?
 
I bet there is some rust on that SEC, you need to look harder.

Unless it's been 100% bare metal restored, or is the 0.1% exception to the rule, it'll have rust in the usual hidden places - look under the rear parcel shelf etc.

Will

My 420 SE must be one of the 0.1%. Having said that she has been looked after very well and has had a couple of new wings. Mine's a 1990 and has been used as a dailly driver as has my 1991 500SL, no problems with either of them. I'd say go for it.
 
I don't see why not if it's a good one, and has been looked after, they were daily drivers once you know. I drive my 91 SL very frequently and it behaves itself very well, don't expect it to stay rot free for long though if kept outside! Get someone who really knows their eggs to look over it before you buy it thought.
 
I've been driving a 1992 500SEL W126 since last July. In that time I've covered 8k miles in all weathers without a hitch. Providing the condition really is as good as you think, you'll be fine. I'd certainly prefer driving it to a W220 any day of the week.
 
Do not pass up the chance to drive something you love and you know you are going to enjoy.

Its an old merc (so its built properly), and its beautiful as well, just look after it and service it well, and it should all be ok.
 
Get it serviced when its due and look after it! If i could afford one i would be using one daily!! Any car can be a daily driver if its maintained!!
 
Great advice guys many thanks. As some of you know from previous posts I am on the lookout for an older "classic" MB but space is in a issue for me this whatever I purchase may need to become my main car. I am fortunate that this SEC is via family member so I have some time to consider it, and should be able to get it to my local indi for a look. At the end of it though its cheap so probably wont warrant too much investment if its not as good as the owner reckons. Will your spot on with this not being the wise move given what I need from it (its not changed since we talked about the 190 the other week) but this is just such a lovely looking car. In short I want it but probably not for any good practical reasons!

I'll try and put them off for a while and decide, the other issue is that the W220 is running so well at the moment!
 
As others have said provided its serviced correctly at the the right intervals every 6,000 miles!!!!!! things should be fine. However the rust protection on this model is not up to modern car standards which I would venture precludes running it in the winter months if there is any road gritting/ salting going on otherwise look for accelerated corrosion under routine running conditions as a daily driver.
 
I see no reason why not !

I bought my W126 500SEL about six months ago , at first used it sparingly but now use it every day , doing a minimum daily mileage of a 70 mile round trip to the office , and often considerably more . I've put almost 10k on it and it hasn't missed a beat .

So far , all I've done is an oil and filter change ( it takes 8 litres to fill ! ) and am about to replace all the discs & pads .

Fuel consumption is not a problem returning between 20 and 23 mpg - very economical for a heavy 5 litre car - some of my older cars with smaller engines are thirstier .

The only rust on mine is a little bit under the parcel shelf which I will deal with in the summer .

The car is no less practical for daily use than a W201 or W124 which plenty of others on here have .

Good luck !
 
Very interesting.. I guess the worry is how it would cope with the rigors of the M25 in the depths of winter. Are there any areas to look for (other than the rust issues) specifically any mechanical points to look out for?
 
It'll take the M25 in its stride, no matter what the weather. It may not have all of the electronic gadgets & safety features of it's more modern siblings, but take a look at the Fifth Gear simulation of a motorway pile up to see just how safe a W126 is. Link here.
 
The thing these alloy block cars are most threatened by is bore wear. This is enough to scrap an otherwise sound engine since they can't normally be rebored. Under normal circumstances this won't happen BUT these engines should never be allowed to overheat or run low on oil under any circumstances. This means all your engine cooling system should be kept in tip top condition. Radiator, cooling fans, thermostat, water pump, hoses and coolant etc.
Front timing chain can be another weak area where failure can be very expensive. I would look for evidence of at least one chain/ tensioner renewal at that mileage. The hydraulic automatic gearboxes are pretty sound if they have been looked after with regular 36k miles fluid/filter changes but are known for B2 piston failure leading to the loss of some gears. Many later cars have had a better modified piston fitted. Other than that make sure any of the electric gismos like cruise control, ESR, ABS etc are working OK.
 
Mine takes the Glasgow M8 rush hour in its stride regularly , although I try to avoid travelling at that time to avoid strain on ME , not the car !

I agree re servicing : I bought mine at 148K from a fellow MBOC member with a service book stamped up by main dealers to just shy of 100K a couple of 'indy' stamps and a 'local' garage stamp but nothing else to back it up - so I have only condition of the car to go on . The car does drive as it should , uses no oil or water , but the only safe assumption I can make is that nothing has been done . The engine oil looked pretty clean when I got the car so could not have been done too long previously ; I have just changed it a month ago with no drop in level over the time I have had the car - this is only the second Merc I have ever had ( out of at least a couple of dozen over the last 30 years , but who's counting ? ) not to have had a noticeable oil consumption , the other one being my 300TE-24 with only 50K on the engine , but 430K on the rest of the car . Most of my cars have done at least 100K when I buy them , so I view a little oil consumption as normal .

I routinely overhaul brakes on any car I buy asap ( I had a total brake failure on my Ponton not long after I got it back in 1982 , that's another story , but suffice to say I'm paranoid about brakes , tyres and anything safety-related ) . The tyres on my car are in good enough condition but are an 'unknown' make that I would never fit myself : I'll get some wear out of them then replace with 'proper' tyres before next winter . The brakes are important on any car , especially so on a heavy one like a W126 and even more so if you plan to tow , which I will be doing with this car .

The tranny will be on my list of things to do this summer - never had one fail on me , but perhaps that's because I always get the ATF and filters changed in a timely manner .

I have a few minor electrical gremlins ( bulb failure warning lamp constantly on despite all lamps being OK and of correct wattage - tried module out of a W124 which had 126 part number - made no difference ; low screenwash warning light not working (not bulb) ; a few switches not illuminating in the centre console ) but nothing of any great consequence and I'll sort these out now we are into the better weather . The only significant fault on the car is non working air-con - I'll try getting it topped up but don't plan to spend a fortune replacing seals etc if this does not work .

I also have to sort out saggy rear suspension - this is mainly because I tote around a boot full of photographic equipment which weighs down every car I have that does not have SLS ; I have also fitted a towbar so need a little extra load capacity . I plan to replace the springs with new ones and also fit a pair of Monroe 'Load Leveller' shock absorbers which can be pumped up with compressed air to compensate for added loads .

That little lot should keep me amused for the summer .
 
Keep the S class if it's newer! Why would you wanna drive a 1991 car in 2009? I can understand buying one for nostalgia, but to make it your main car? :crazy:
 
Because it looks beautiful!

(this is not the car I am considering btw!)

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