greg123
Member
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2003
- Messages
- 46
- Location
- Nottingham UK
- Car
- 12, daily driver a hotted up Octavia 1.9tdi (custom injectors, ARB, poly bushes, cupra wheels etc)
Looking to get some Merc experience and see if I take to it.
I currently run a very capable, roomy, very economic car that I have a blast in. But I fancy something really luxury, and to see if it's worth the trade off with mpg/running costs etc.
I'm 6'4 and I had a 2005 SL500 Convertable Hard Top for a couple weeks, it was cramped, my head was shoved up on the roof. It steered well though. Ideally I'm looking for something that will mainy take me in great comfort, but sometimes take two 5'6 family in the back.
I can tell you a 2001 S320CDi with a sunroof was cramped for headroom and felt slow and cumbersome round town compared to my current car (I fit in an Octavia, Golf and Fiesta with room to spare so it's about driver cockpit size not car length).
I can tell you that I had lots of room in all directions in a w210 without sunroof.
Ultimately, I'll probably be wanting something either 3.0TD, 3.2cdi or 2.7cdi as I run biofuel, go on long trips and used to run a properly converted WVO/SVO oil burner which may be a potential on the 3.0TD I guess.
BUT, for now I'd like to find a bodyshell I like. I'll find something cheap and try it, if I like it I'll hold out for my ideal spec/colour and sell it when I get one. I have found out the hard way that you never really know a car series tilll you live with it for a bit. That's how I know a V90 Volvo was lovely to sit in but I couldn't abide the wind noise from it's old outward seamed non-flush glazed 1970's design bodyshell. I also found out the way I loved how it's 3.0 24v I-6 lept off the line and how a w124 of the same size felt like a 1.3 fiesta off the line (2nd gear starts, hate them....).
So, bearing in mind build quality, ease of maintainece (I'm a VAG specialist and do some Merc on the side so I have a vested interest in being able to fix it, with new or breaker bits that don't break the bank) what do you think may suit the bill, this is what I have come up with so far in the 1.5k-5k 97-2003 range I'll be looking at, probably with cars that are not cosmetically perfect but nothing too dodgy:
1) s210/w210 E class. I know about the rust. Nice inside, estate would do me great as an all rounder. May try a V8 then buy a diesel if I like the body.
2) CL, late W140 or early w215. I liked the quick steering of the w215, it felt less of a barge than the E or S class too. Not sure if 2x rear seats are really big enough? Diesel only available by a conversion....
3) C class estate. Always dismissed it as not really being up to the luxury to make it worth it, but would a 2002 C class estate have enough room and be significantly better built than an E class? It's the same size as the car I have now, so if moving to it from 60mpg+ on a run I'd need some good reasons.
4) CLK - VERY cheap good value for money, look classy like an E-class but lighter so may be more sporting like I'm used to. Not sure if it's big enough or if I'd need the longer 2003 model which could get expensive. Diesels expensive, not sure if it's got useful enough rear seats - does it drive any more sporting than a more practical C/E class?
5) S class. Love the air ride. Seems cumbersome and slow (I can't easily drift it out of a mini roundabout...) round town with quite a lot of swinging the wheel and body roll evident compared to the hot mid size diesels I tend to gravitate to and very loose feeling compared to my tweaked daily driver, probably awesome on the motorway. I don't like cruising up by 100mph though which is why I'm a fan of fast handling cars and lower cruising speed as I don't want to lose my licence, never had any points nearly 20 years now! Petrol up to 2002 just about affordable, diesels are expensive and don't seem very economic. Dash and trim seems a bit cheap and unimpressive compared to say an A8, but the legroom and seats are awesome particulaly in the back - the air ride is the best of any car for comfort I have driven (A8 is a nail in comparison, though it's not a bad ride on it's own merits).
So that's it, what do you think will fall to pieces, what can I fit in, what's your advice. I like all cars and all have their merits but I hope this gives you some idea of what I'm aiming at. It may be worth saying that if I can't settle with a E/C class estate, I'll have to run two cars to fit the bill. One more economic and estate/general use and one more special a GT car or a large car, only problem wiht a GT car is rear seat room as if I can't take folks I'll just end up using the daily driver on long trips too and it's a waste of money runing two cars.
Cheers, Greg.
I currently run a very capable, roomy, very economic car that I have a blast in. But I fancy something really luxury, and to see if it's worth the trade off with mpg/running costs etc.
I'm 6'4 and I had a 2005 SL500 Convertable Hard Top for a couple weeks, it was cramped, my head was shoved up on the roof. It steered well though. Ideally I'm looking for something that will mainy take me in great comfort, but sometimes take two 5'6 family in the back.
I can tell you a 2001 S320CDi with a sunroof was cramped for headroom and felt slow and cumbersome round town compared to my current car (I fit in an Octavia, Golf and Fiesta with room to spare so it's about driver cockpit size not car length).
I can tell you that I had lots of room in all directions in a w210 without sunroof.
Ultimately, I'll probably be wanting something either 3.0TD, 3.2cdi or 2.7cdi as I run biofuel, go on long trips and used to run a properly converted WVO/SVO oil burner which may be a potential on the 3.0TD I guess.
BUT, for now I'd like to find a bodyshell I like. I'll find something cheap and try it, if I like it I'll hold out for my ideal spec/colour and sell it when I get one. I have found out the hard way that you never really know a car series tilll you live with it for a bit. That's how I know a V90 Volvo was lovely to sit in but I couldn't abide the wind noise from it's old outward seamed non-flush glazed 1970's design bodyshell. I also found out the way I loved how it's 3.0 24v I-6 lept off the line and how a w124 of the same size felt like a 1.3 fiesta off the line (2nd gear starts, hate them....).
So, bearing in mind build quality, ease of maintainece (I'm a VAG specialist and do some Merc on the side so I have a vested interest in being able to fix it, with new or breaker bits that don't break the bank) what do you think may suit the bill, this is what I have come up with so far in the 1.5k-5k 97-2003 range I'll be looking at, probably with cars that are not cosmetically perfect but nothing too dodgy:
1) s210/w210 E class. I know about the rust. Nice inside, estate would do me great as an all rounder. May try a V8 then buy a diesel if I like the body.
2) CL, late W140 or early w215. I liked the quick steering of the w215, it felt less of a barge than the E or S class too. Not sure if 2x rear seats are really big enough? Diesel only available by a conversion....
3) C class estate. Always dismissed it as not really being up to the luxury to make it worth it, but would a 2002 C class estate have enough room and be significantly better built than an E class? It's the same size as the car I have now, so if moving to it from 60mpg+ on a run I'd need some good reasons.
4) CLK - VERY cheap good value for money, look classy like an E-class but lighter so may be more sporting like I'm used to. Not sure if it's big enough or if I'd need the longer 2003 model which could get expensive. Diesels expensive, not sure if it's got useful enough rear seats - does it drive any more sporting than a more practical C/E class?
5) S class. Love the air ride. Seems cumbersome and slow (I can't easily drift it out of a mini roundabout...) round town with quite a lot of swinging the wheel and body roll evident compared to the hot mid size diesels I tend to gravitate to and very loose feeling compared to my tweaked daily driver, probably awesome on the motorway. I don't like cruising up by 100mph though which is why I'm a fan of fast handling cars and lower cruising speed as I don't want to lose my licence, never had any points nearly 20 years now! Petrol up to 2002 just about affordable, diesels are expensive and don't seem very economic. Dash and trim seems a bit cheap and unimpressive compared to say an A8, but the legroom and seats are awesome particulaly in the back - the air ride is the best of any car for comfort I have driven (A8 is a nail in comparison, though it's not a bad ride on it's own merits).
So that's it, what do you think will fall to pieces, what can I fit in, what's your advice. I like all cars and all have their merits but I hope this gives you some idea of what I'm aiming at. It may be worth saying that if I can't settle with a E/C class estate, I'll have to run two cars to fit the bill. One more economic and estate/general use and one more special a GT car or a large car, only problem wiht a GT car is rear seat room as if I can't take folks I'll just end up using the daily driver on long trips too and it's a waste of money runing two cars.
Cheers, Greg.