carl888 Posted 12September, 2015 Report Share Posted 12September, 2015 I'm into 1970s and 1980s Mercedes-Benz. Luckily the 4 door models appear to me the most, and if you look around you can pick up stunning nominal mileage examples for not a lot of money at all. All the more remarkable considering how expensive they were when new and the obvious build quality. This is my 1974 280 SE. tazzieman and Peter M 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 12September, 2015 Report Share Posted 12September, 2015 That looks to be one very well cared for Benz! Almost bought a W116 a few times myself Yes old Mercs are very cheap compared to everything else and how well made and engineered they are!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 12September, 2015 Author Report Share Posted 12September, 2015 Wow, sweet. My family had a silver/blue one like that. I can remember the smell just looking at your photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 13September, 2015 Report Share Posted 13September, 2015 Old MB are just cool. And you can get family/friends inside, unlike an old Porsche.Looking forward to getting one soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 13September, 2015 Report Share Posted 13September, 2015 You would look good driving one Tazzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 13September, 2015 Report Share Posted 13September, 2015 You would look good driving one Tazzie If I'm half as competent as this guy I'll be as happy as a porker on PFA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 14September, 2015 Report Share Posted 14September, 2015 Magnificent part of the world , but avoid the crazy benzes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 14September, 2015 Author Report Share Posted 14September, 2015 I started thinking yesterday 'how hard could it be to run a 300sel 6.3?luckily today after a good nights sleep I am no longer thinking this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 14September, 2015 Report Share Posted 14September, 2015 I started thinking yesterday 'how hard could it be to run a 300sel 6.3?luckily today after a good nights sleep I am no longer thinking this.The answer as you are probably aware is quite hard - lovely car though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 15September, 2015 Report Share Posted 15September, 2015 Nice one. I'll be interested in your long term report.One month down and still loving it. Heavy it is but a great engine it has A so called performance Aussie car with its kW labelled all over it could not accelerate away up a steep high speed hill. Smile is still wide driving this beast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 17September, 2015 Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 Sadness that my old Merc will be moving on to a new owner, has been a joy to have. Tempered by the fact that it is going to a loving home And also that it makes house construction a bit easier and moves me that little bit closer to future Porsche ownership Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 17September, 2015 Author Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 Sadness that my old Merc will be moving on to a new owner, has been a joy to have. Tempered by the fact that it is going to a loving home And also that it makes house construction a bit easier and moves me that little bit closer to future Porsche ownershipnice! Did you see my photo on page one of the thread? Very soft spot for these old beauties. I assume they're not big bucks but hard to find a good one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 17September, 2015 Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 nice! Did you see my photo on page one of the thread? Very soft spot for these old beauties. I assume they're not big bucks but hard to find a good one?Yep, they look good in white. Assume it was a 250SE or 280SE?Not that dear compared to most other cars. A few grand up to $10k - $15k is all you should pay.Very well built and drive great!! I've had 3, time to move on..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 17September, 2015 Author Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 280SE - the old man always reckoned the 250s were better because the 280 had cooling problems - i remember it blowing head gaskets or something like that. Maybe it was the van towing or the big-ass dash AC it had.Solidly built all right - I recall getting a ride in a friends XC falcon (which was much newer) and loudly proclaiming that it was a piece of junk and an old bomb. His parents took offence to that, I recall I think they didn't like me much from then on. Things kids say. It's not like I intentionally thought the Benz was special, it was just our car and I had a vague idea that there were not very common. But it doesn't take much of an observant kid to detect the difference in fit and finish, noise and ride quality between a 280SE and a Falcon '500'. ANF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 17September, 2015 Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 Although my 250S does have a leaking head gasket (external only) I do not believe that there were any head gasket issues with them, very similar motors too.Sad thing is the XC would be worth more now in similar condition....I still say that my recently departed W210 E320 (97) is better than anything currently from Ford or Holden.... that was a superb car!! The Germans do know how to make cars (mainly Porsche and Mercedes!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted 17September, 2015 Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 I've yet to have the pleasure of driving a Mercedes, however, I've owned a '90 325i and currently have a '96 535 as well as the 3.2 Carrera I owned, and I also drive a lot of brand news cars, including XR6 and WRX's where I work; and I can honestly say the German stuff, even though it's much older leaves, the others for dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 17September, 2015 Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 I should have included BMW and Audi in as well as I have driven some nice ones Maybe we should have a German car appreciation thread in addition to this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 17September, 2015 Author Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 (edited) I've yet to have the pleasure of driving a Mercedes, however, I've owned a '90 325i and currently have a '96 535 as well as the 3.2 Carrera I owned, and I also drive a lot of brand news cars, including XR6 and WRX's where I work; and I can honestly say the German stuff, even though it's much older leaves, the others for dead. 96 535 - must be last of e34 or very early e39?my other car is an e39 535...family wagon is e39 528Benzes...done more riding than driving. Loooong accelerator throws and solid ride, not as lively as BMWs in the main. Always liked Benz interiors. A hidden gem amongst benzes is the 190e, which despite being a bit cramped inside has a fantastic ride and turning circle - but lacks power. Awesome mini-s-class interior though.i drive a lot of new stuff as rentals....for the most part I find them dissapointing. Ironically, I had a Kia which was e-type like in size and looks, and it drove very well. I could tell it would fall apart after a couple of years though.I've driven multiple subarus and disliked each and every one of them. All have jiggly rides and feel sloppy to me. The worst rental car of recent times was a Camry sports model which combined noisy engine, poor visibility and crashing, bouncy ride with bland looks and voltage-inducing staticy surfaces inside.I should have included BMW and Audi in as well as I have driven some nice ones Maybe we should have a German car appreciation thread in addition to this one?we can start a BMW appreciation thread!i don't think anyone appreciates Audi - tolerates them is more like it. Edited 17September, 2015 by Coastr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 17September, 2015 Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 (edited) don't think anyone appreciates Audi - tolerates them is more like it.The people I know with Audis are as a group Very Serious city people. Mostly the cars are grey and black.I had a 1977 BMW320i once. Very solid build quality , and sad to see it go. It was a very happy bright yellow and my wife also loved it.I'm looking forward to learning more about vintage artisan-made benzes . Edited 17September, 2015 by tazzieman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 17September, 2015 Report Share Posted 17September, 2015 (edited) i don't think anyone appreciates Audi - tolerates them is more like it.I certainly do! Have you driven any? Very much up on my list of marques to own. I would love an S3 or S4 or even an S8 one day!! Too many cars that I want......Almost bought an A8 4.2 quattro, lovely car and a C4 S6 - wish I had!It was a toss up between a E39 528 and my eventual E320 years ago. Could not fit into a E39 with a sunroof (and most 528s have them!) and the E320 had much more power and handled sublimely with the Avantgarde option I owned a Subaru Forrester before my Benz obsession started, most bland and uninspiring car I have driven, did not have it very long.I'm looking forward to learning more about vintage Classic artisan-made benzes . Edited 18September, 2015 by ANF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coastr Posted 18September, 2015 Author Report Share Posted 18September, 2015 I'll grant that Audi has made some significant cars. Most have the engine out in front of the front wheels in reverse-porsche-logic (lead tipped arrows are great!) and while all good-ish cars, usually there is an equivalent BMW which is better. A8 4.2 quattro? Yeah, nice enough. Against a E38 740i? Yeah, easy choice. The Audis are all VAG platforms in nice clothes trading on German prestige built by the likes of Benz and (later) BMW. I like my engineering from the ground up, not the inside out. It takes serious dedication to build a 5 seat RWD family sedan which still has 50:50 weight distribution when it's so much easier to just stuff a transverse narrow angle V6 between the axle and the radiator and give your occupants more room. Of course you can resort to tricks like 4wd to get it to handle but you've still got the bass-ackwards weight distribution and VAG parts bin mechanicals. But don't just take my word for it - look at comparative used valuations for old A4s vs equivalent 3 series, A6 vs 5 series - the people have spoken!I have a 'sunroof' delete E39 which is rare in itself but the 528 does have a sunroof (leaked twice from blocked drains grumble grumble) but it has power adjustable up/down seats which you can set in serious down-low boy-racer mode if so desired. Lately I've been adopting a up-high approach and finding it better for visibility, even with the noggin brushing the headlining on occasion.Anyway, back to Benzes...anyone driven an R107? Are they just luxobarges? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 18September, 2015 Report Share Posted 18September, 2015 Anyway, back to Benzes...anyone driven an R107? Are they just luxobarges?I test drove a couple of mid 70s ones (both ~4L V8s from memory) and they were underwhelming. Felt heavy and underpowered, but I guess OK for cruising around . Not the least bit "sporty", suspension - very spongy though perhaps to some extent that was because they were old,cars. Of course they did rally them in 5L guise, but the suspension was tweaked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch-monkey Posted 18September, 2015 Report Share Posted 18September, 2015 The people I know with Audis are as a group Very Serious city people. Mostly the cars are grey and black.I had a 1977 BMW320i once. Very solid build quality , and sad to see it go. It was a very happy bright yellow and my wife also loved it.I'm looking forward to learning more about vintage artisan-made benzes .I have a 2002 in Ceylon gold, and one in taiga green.i like it that cars actually came in colours back then. tazzieman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzieman Posted 18September, 2015 Report Share Posted 18September, 2015 I have a 2002 in Ceylon gold, and one in taiga green.i like it that cars actually came in colours back then.There's one like this not far from my place. Not to everyone's taste. The shape is classic and functional and in that regard reminds me of the Bracq Mercs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANF Posted 18September, 2015 Report Share Posted 18September, 2015 Each to there own, I have driven both E38 and D2 A8 - A8 wins all day long for me Even with the lower seat I still hit my head on the roof of a E39 with a sunroof - it is rare for them not to have a sunroof - unless it is a 523. All W210 e class that I have seen do have sunroof and I just fitted.I have driven a C class, 3 series and an A4 - was most unimpressed by late model Class (w204) and quite liked the Audi - a quattro turbo was in line for wife's new car but she liked the Volvo S60 more R107 not exactly sporting, C107 (SLC) may be a little better with the fixed roof and was the rally car, not a patch on a 928 though A guy I know raced/ races a SL/ R107 with a LS?? V8 transplant and a 3 speed auto manualised, leaves lovely blacks lines everywhere but is not a great handling car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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