What is the worst Mercedes ever made?

[BlackC55]

The vaneo being high sided and softly sprung handles like soggy cardboard so I have to disagree with your view on them been able to be "driven". I would never say an a-class or vaneo were fun to drive. Quite the opposite. The vaneo is terribly under powered for it to be "driven".

Originally the Vaneo was designed to be a light van like the transit connect etc. They changed there minds and made it into a car instead. Whooops.

The depreciation on the vaneo is franky terrible too. Second hand they swap them for used biro's on ebay.

Sorry to pi55 on your parade, its just my personal view.

 

[BlackC55]

Why be so horrible to your wife????? lol

 

[hitt]

Mixed opinion from me . .

The original A-Class would probably be at the top of most peoples list. Terrible car in both quality . . and the direction in which its taken Mercedes Benz.

However, looking at the core range (c,e,s) I would say the worst car in my opinion (and sorry if I offend any owners) is the first CLK.
I had one as a courtesy car and hated it.
Yes, it was safer. Yes, it was more modern . . but it was simply taking what was the e-class coupe . . throwing to onto a C-class platform, slapping on the W210 style headlights and throwing away features like motorised seatbelt extenders and the one point that pains me most is that its not pillarless . . infact the rear windows don't even go down?! . . Thank (please insert your prefered deity here) for the newer CLK which stopped being a mishmash and brought to us a nicer looking, pillarless and seatbelt extending design

OK I've put on the fireproof clothing . . I'm prepared to be flamed.

 

[ian_c_uk]

The depreciation on the vaneo is franky terrible too. Second hand they swap them for used biro's on ebay.

Exactly, thus cheaper and better made than the competition.

 

[BlackC55]

Better made!!!!! Are you sure you own one? Have you actually looked closely?

I love Mercs but they went wrong with the Vaneo.

 

[ian_c_uk]

You see that is where you are going wrong, you are comparing it to mercs. There is no other merc that does the job the vaneo does, small on outside \ big on inside, especially at the price they go for.

I bought it for what it does, not for what the badge says.

(fyi, I had a skoda before it, if you get bored of vaneo ribbing )

 

[BlackC55]

Good answer and you made me laugh.!!!!

 

[BTB 500]

Early A class and early ML class are surely hot contenders.

The Vito van (previous shape) has a terrible reputation - obviously this affected the V class too. In Germany dealers are apparently refusing to take Vitos (even in good condition) as part-ex.

I really hope the current shape Vito is better as we're likely to be getting one soon - purely because of the V6 diesel with auto gearbox. Otherwise I'd play safe and get a VW Transporter 2.5 (174 bhp) instead, that's only available with manual transmission though.

 

[BIG Sean]

The early a-class is shockingly terrible. Cheap turd.

Not that cheap either!!!

 

[grober]

Funny hand signals

Heres my nomination. Didn't they have funny hand signals in those days.

Heres some background info.
In 1941, it appears, Hitler ordered 2 or more 770-K Mercedes-Benz cars equipped for his personal use. To the 20'-long chassis were added 2,000 lbs. of armor plate and bullet-proof glass which, with 500 lbs. of fuel, oil, and radiator fluid, came to nearly 10,000 lbs. of weight per car. The armor plate is 1/2" thick while the glass is 1 1/4" and is said to have been tested by Hitler himself when he shot a Luger at it. One of the cars still bears a nicked side window.

Engines in the 770-K put out 230 hp from single-overhead-cam straight-8s but employ dual carburetors and dual ignition, 2 plugs for each cylinder, to get it. Superchargers cut in automatically if the gas pedal is floored. Nevertheless, 100 mph was probably the top speed ever reached by these Hitler cars. And even with 51-gallon gas tanks, these gas eaters get barely 3 mi. to a gallon, affording a driving range of only 150 mi. Equipped with independent front and back power brakes that surpass U.S. safety requirements, the cars could be lubricated en route by a couple of pumps on a pedal on the driver's side. Many features, such as the 4-wheel independent suspension with coil springs and hydraulic shocks, were standard equipment not only on the Hitler cars but on other contemporary models of Mercedes as well.

Tw

 

[Rose Chap]

My view is that cars like the A Class, Vaneo Class and V Class may not be bad cars per se - they are probably broadly similar or better to their immediate competitors, but as someone else said I just don't think they add anything to the Mercedes-Benz brand.

I feel the same way about Porsche and the Cayenne. A very cynical exercise in marketing, regardless of its acheivements round the Nurburgring.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Ive got to say the First gen A-Class.

We had one as a Hirecar once, and the quality of the intertor was shocking (roughly the same as my Mk1 Mondeo!). God knowns what the early ones were like.

It felt so cheap - not Mercedes like at all. - That said the extertior wasnt too bad.

 

[Sp!ke]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the W210's....

More rust on them than on 1980's Italian cars - Fugly too.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the W210's...

More rust on them than on 1980's Italian cars.

Overall they are still amazing cars! The intertor design still feels brand new, still have lots of over-engineered features.

 

[MBManInKen]

Don't know the model number, but the S class monster around early to mid eighties I think, it was after the W126. Think it was refered to as the barge?

The S-Class that followed the W126 was the W140, between 1991 and 1998. It might not have pleased everyone, but it sure was not a bad car, quite the opposite. When I changed over from my W126 to a W140, S500, it was a big step forwards in terms of equipment, comfort, riding pleasure etc.

The W140 was quite a brilliant car and quoted more often than not as the best luxury car of its generation.

It did look a bit imposing, but the newest S-Class has picked up that theme again - more "chunky" and showing off its size than the W220.

Guido

 

[BenzComander]

Still cant open the tailgate on mine...............!

Will get my coat

 

[andy_k]

I love the light hearted snobbery in this thread but at the risk of upsetting a lot of people I think the worst car Mercedes ever built was the 190. It was the start of a long downward slope because for the first time ever Mercedes were selling a car made down to a price and advertising it as an alternative to Cortinas!!

From that point on the cars were made to a price where they had to compete and that was where corners started being cut and the brand threw away it's "exclusive" tag.

Andy

 

[BlackC55]

For me it has to be the v-class.
They are so badly made.
They always go wrong.
They rust. They drive badly.
They cost a forture to buy even though its a van with seats.
They are expensive to maintain.

They are all round the worst

 

[Benzowner]

The other problem about the "worst car" made tends to come down to whether you personally like the style of the car. Now I know the model. I sat in a W140 and I must admit it was, in its time, very luxurious, but the outside was, imo, hideous.

When the Vaneo came out, with the curtains, my wife thought it looked like a he**** wont let me spell car for carrying dead bodies in boxes

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Another car to add, the W203 'Sports' Coupe.

Looks like a Civic from some angles, and the A-Class style grill ruins the front.