W215 Vs W140 CL's

[guydewdney]

Is it me, but the 'spec' of the 215 is much better (well, more toys - like command, more leccy bits on the seats etc) - but the design is carp and the build quality is carp?

Went and sat in one for the first time today - priced at 7K or so, silver with black leather - and I was surprised at the basic plasticiness and cheapness of it. The stitching in the leather door handle was particularly poor, and has a sharp edge, the door hinge (weirdly complicated parallel mechanism) was loose and heavy feeling.

The real thing that struck me - no seatbelt hander thingy, and the seatbelt was a real stretch to get to, being so close to ones shoulder.


just me?

Should I buy a mint 140 coupe 500 as an appreciating classic?

 

[st4]

Very different cars. By the sounds of things its the W140 you are after. Get that

 

[Howard]

W215 is one of the prettiest MB's ever made IMO.

Fast too in 55 , 600 , 65 guise.

 

[st4]

W215 is one of the prettiest MB's ever made IMO.

Fast too in 55 , 600 , 65 guise.

I'll agree to disagree with you mate, I think its quite an ungainly car from the side on. Nice inside, great seats and interior...but ropey ones can be a real PITA

W140 as that cool imposing get out of my way presence.

 

[JasM]

The W140 is better built but the W215 is better looking. Tough choice.

 

[C240Sport97]

140 also less complicated and easier to fix than 215

 

[c955]

W140 as that cool imposing get out of my way presence.

I'd go along with that...

 

[V12]

140 feels like a tank after the 215...

 

[guydewdney]

yeah - but that tank feeling is nice

 

[guydewdney]

W215 is one of the prettiest MB's ever made IMO.

Fast too in 55 , 600 , 65 guise.

really?

seriously - the headlamps look 'sad' to me

 

[millo777]

I thought the c215/w220 had full leather i.e. dashboard, headliner, tops of door cards etc? this options was pretty rare on the c140/w140 so I would have thought a c215 would have been more tactile, less plasticky?

My experience with a w220 was pretty awful, and that was a brand new car (albeit one of the first), pretty much everything broke or caught fire.

The biggest problem I had with the w220 was the incredibly dim witted first gen air suspension. Just terrible. crashy over pot holes, on the odd occasion it worked.

Overall I think the 140 is a much better car, but with fewer toys. The c140 though has somewhat chellenging looks imho and reminds me of a Ford Scorpio with those odd front lights. They need at least 18" AMGs to look even halfway decent.

I wouldn't expect the value of either to go up to any significant degree to be honest, so buy something you'll enjoy owning and driving first and foremost.

 

[C240Sport97]

I thought the c215/w220 had full leather i.e. dashboard, headliner, tops of door cards etc?

optional on both, except for the top end V12 and AMG V12 versions

140 non leather dash much nicer than 215 non leather dash

 

[Will]

140 coupé - has to be said - isn't the most elegant of MB's designs..

Solid cars they may be, but they aren't pretty. 215 CL is beautiful, but would ruin most people's pockets when they go wrong.

C/W 126 - lovely cars. 140 CL/S - solid cars but ugly (even Sacco admitted the roofline was wrong ), 215/220 - pretty but fragile.

I was always slightly impressed by the 215 CL door hinge though!

You pays your money and takes your choice.

 

[Howard]

really?

seriously - the headlamps look 'sad' to me

Honestly , if a w140 CL came up behind me , i'd have a go ..... if a 215 came up , i'd move over

 

[V12]

And if it was a v12 it would destroy you...

 

[Ierton]

140 coupé - has to be said - isn't the most elegant of MB's designs..

It's plain ugly .

 

[Howard]

And if it was a v12 it would destroy you...

No doubt , but there aren't that many of them around , there's a lot of 55 / 600 w215s at least around here .

The 215 has a lot more road presence than the 140 which is as ugly as my first girlfriend.

 

[V12]

My father has his 600sec and his CL55k parked next to each other in his garage.
The 215 looks much smaller even though in reality there isn't much in it. (optical illusion - something to do with the large flat panels?)
Although I agree the 215 is a better looker (in my opinion), the 140 has better road presence in my opinion.
Driving the 140 makes you feel like king of the road, the 215 is good, but not as good.

Our perception of special cars changes as more or less of them are on the road. Due to not seeing many C140s on the road these days, in my eyes, there are a rarer sight, making them a little bit more special.

 

[C240Sport97]

what about the 216, the current CL

 

[V12]

what about the 216, the current CL

= a heck of a lot more money...