What is the best Mercedes........

[219]

Can anyone post a pic of a W100 type 6oo ? I dont know what one looks like. please

And if you want to see more -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMzMPp_N7uQ

YouTube - M-100 Powered Mercedes Benz

YouTube - FOR SALE Mercedes Benz 600 Limousine LA California Rust-Free

YouTube - Mercedes 600 at the race track

Oh , and there's this one , owned by a certain Mr. Clarkson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMxMP7-LrdQ


Then there is the famous m100 website , where you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about these cars ......and more !

The International M-100 Group

 

[SL300-24]

I have a W124 and it is really well built.......however the W140 is the daddy no doubt, not the prettiest, but build quality is second to none.......

 

[bennesspipers]

Thanx for those websites Pontoneer, well worth watching, i wonder if a damaged one'll turn up on e-bay, hmm

 

[stwat]

It's a close call between the W201 and the W124. But the W201 pips it for me.

Well, it would wouldnt it I'm basically hooked on them.


Stu

 

[Adam230K]

I think as a 'budget merc', the w201's and w202's are the best Mercedes have to offer all-round, much more reliable and durable then any other saloons of its class.

W123/W124 are probably the best build quality of all time. Everytime i go back home to egypt i see multi-million kilometre w123/4's and i'm amazed to see that some of them still have the original engine and gearbox, a sign of true engineering.

The most beautiful looking mercs of their time upon release would have to be the SEC, R129 SL and the CLS for me.

 

[219]

Thanx for those websites Pontoneer, well worth watching, i wonder if a damaged one'll turn up on e-bay, hmm

They do turn up from time to time . There was one found recently in an Edinburgh garage which had lain for 20 years , or more , and had been badly vandalised - still went for a few thousand ! Alas they are never cheap .

 

[amwebby]

What is the best Mercedes? That's easy and for each one of us the answer is the same. It's mine.

 

[mercmush]

The best in recent years must be a 560 SEL,I had one for a few years & it was very safe, very fast, very well built, had great mpg for such a powerful, heavy car ( 22 mpg ), reliable, comfortable, had a good touring range, well kitted out in standard form, rode well on the factory alloys & tyres, had a massive boot & could easily seat 5 big adults & perhaps best of all it was discreet.

 

[grober]

The most significant Mercedes model of last quarter of the 20th century must be the W201 or "190". It was Mercedes first "compact" car and vital to the start of the C class mid size model line and their continuing fortunes in the mass market up to today. It heralded a series of cheaper lighter sportier more fuel economic Mercedes for the masses in step with the increasing price of fuel and demands of environmental legislation. It was ultimately comprehensively outsold worldwide by the W124 much of whose engineering was largely based on a slightly scaled up version of the W201 design. If it had a weakness it was the lack of any body variants such as estates or cabriolets such was the focus on the development of the saloon version. Without the pioneering W201 and its engineering development its quite possible Mercedes would be merely a rebadged version of another mass manufacturer's car and not a successful producer of cars today. It was that important! Maybe not the most desirable model but maybe the reason we can all still drive Mercedes today??

 

[andy_k]

Maybe not the most desirable model but maybe the reason we can all still drive Mercedes today??

It was also the beginning of the end for snooty dealers.

I remember the 190 launch. I wanted one and could just about afford it.

At the time I was running a 2 year old Cortina 2.3GLS estate which was quite a desirable car. I went to Mercedes and not only wouldn't they take a part exchange, they wouldn't sell me a 190 - I had to be an existing customer and have owned a Mercedes for at least three years before they would put me on the waiting list. Asd the dealer said, they were looking at keeping a better class of customer

I compared the two cars and the 190 looked a lot 'cheaper' than the Ford. The interior trim was plastic not real wood, the seats were vinyl not the nice velour of the Cortina and the 190 didn't look anything nice as my then girlfriends stepfather's Merc.

The dealers registered our interest but were bound by their 'policy' and couldn't sell us one.

Three months later, we started getting phone calls from the same dealers offering us all sorts of incentives to buy the 190 - it seems that their initial policy had been changed and despite what they said, Mercedes were now selling to the 'riff raff'

Yep, it changed things, it signalled that Mercedes were happy to compete in an open market place. It also meant they were willing to cut costs in order to achieve this and was probably the beginning of their 'car for everyone' policy but it also heralded the beginning of the accountants rather than engineers building cars era

 

[Will]

I'm not so sure about all that Andy.

The W201/190 was launched in the early 80s. I would have said that the proper 'MB' build quality remained up until at least the R129/W124/W140 era? The W201 predated all of these of course.

Every single 190 ever made had real wood trim and not plastic. I think it was 'Zebrano' wood, however a few had walnut.

As with all old Mercs the 'basic' spec was basic, almost everything was an option - and was only really limited by the depth of one's pocket. Even in the early-mid 80s you could spec a 190 up with a driver's air bag, electric/heated/memory seats, air conditioning, ABS brakes etc. MB tex/leather/cloth etc were all available as required.

Grober is dead right about the importance of this model. It is unquestionable. It's also quite impressive how so much of the technology from the W201 was carried forward right into the 21st century. Even items such as the multi-link rear suspension on your E55 comes from the W201 design

I can't comment on the dealerships from the early 80s, I wasn't driving cars then but the cars themselves were fantastic and have certainly stood the test of time

Will

 

[andy_k]

I can't comment on the dealerships from the early 80s, I wasn't driving cars then but the cars themselves were fantastic and have certainly stood the test of time

Will

Mercedes dealerships were places where accountants and solicitors went to buy cars. Joe public was neither welcome nor invited.

The ad from Mercedes which springs to mind was that you could buy a 190 for the same price as a top of the range Cortina - a direct comparison and a car built to a price to compete in the market.

I don't doubt that they were great cars (never a favourite of mine but still great cars) but the 'real wood' interiors were a veneer which compared to the 'proper wood' in other cars just looked 'cheaper'.

I agree it was a milestone car but it was also a turning point in the way Mercedes developed and sold cars

 

[Charlie W]

hhm is say that a merc estate is the most practable car in the world, for sure...such great build quality and space and luxury on four wheels is hard to find without the silver arrow, or star more appropriatly...
the 123 is such a brilliant car, however the dated interior can seem to old, even in comparison to the 124 interior, which is so ergonomical and well planned out...i drive a 200te, white with cloth interior, manual windows...very basic and the interior is never-failing...all the dials and buttons not only look great but still feel great to use...ive never been in a 123 but im sure it is the same...however i reffer the angular designs of the 124 interiors...
the mercedes of the later nineties and earlier noughties got a much more reounded and less angular intrioir, i find this to be less ergonomical however, the buttins are still very solid, we had two etates asfmaily cars, however there is always the issue that the car, (the 210 model was it??) was built for the american market, mercedes being owned by gm(i think at the time) lost its fundamental aims of absolute build quality...
the later e class models, form 2003/2002 onwards were much better, however some people have known to have 'friday cars'(the odd car that is full of problems)...however our family 320cdi, bought in 2005, now with 100000 miles on it still goes like new, very solid...friends 2004 320 cdi is full of problems, and have refused to use it for a year, looking to sell it however depreciation has avoided it...
Ive seen pictures of japanese market w124 E60 amg's...this, to would be the best merc if i could afford it/get insurance...fast, with the best design, and excellent build quality..
ive even seen w140(nineties s-class) adapted into estate, using an old ford estate boot top...looks ok but of course very rare and i imagine maybe seriously impeeded quality...
have a look on youtube for the 'Fifth Gears w124 estate durability test' to see just how literally bomb-proof mercs can be...truly awesome...