Quote:
Originally Posted by babymog
I agree with all above. As an Engineer, who worked on Mercedes projects with Mercedes' Engineers, my experience is a bit different.
The 124, 201, early 140s, and R129 were the last IMO of the Engineers' cars. Marketing decided much more after this point.
Mercedes-Benz never merged with Chrysler, that was how it was sold to us here in America. Daimler-Benz bought Chrysler, lost their asses and their repution, built some Chrysler cars using old W210 suspension parts, and sold Chrysler at a garage-sale. Bad move that purchase.
The 124 is IMO the best-built and Engineered mid-size car ever, was my favorite as an Engineer and as an owner of many. The early are great cars, later ones better refined and appointed, no difference in quality. The chassis IIRC is 30% high-tensile steel, I don't believe that any other manufacturer has ever bothered to spend the money to create a car with the natural frequency of the W124, it was however benchmarked by every car manufacturer in the world.
Long live the Mercedes 124.
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Small correction, as of 2010 it is not marketing any more, it is Lawyers and Unions - see the Toyota issues.
Interesting part: all Toyota model under acceleration recalls are using accelerator by-wire and ARE affected by cell phones. The first mass-prod car with accelerator-by-wire is ... 1994-1995 W124.
IMHO the best reliability/engineered car ever is 1992 W124 with full 4sp auto and M103 engine, even if it is 2.6