I was wondering if the early 80's MB turbo's were as good a ride as the early 90's turbo's. Like 5 to 5's.

Your question seems ambiguous and open to pure preference/taste. Do you have a criteia as far as ride quality, power, durability/dependability, economy, grin factor, etc.?

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I like the ride and over-the-road feel of the early 80's SD's and CD's. And they have character lacking in the 90's and newer MB's. But, like Babymog says, it's a matter of taste and preference.

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Houston, Texas
1984 300CD 235K miles, Elvira, one owner
1987 300TD 180K miles
1974 TR6 78K miles Sarah Jane, one owner
OBK #27

Yes.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Go with an 84 or non Cali 85 300SD. They got heavier with added features such as an airbag and ABS. Extra weight always smooths out the ride at the detriment of handling and performance.

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green 85 300SD 200K miles "Das Schlepper Frog" With a OM603 TBO360 turbo ( To be intercooled someday )( Kalifornistani emissons )
white 79 300SD 200K'ish miles "Farfegnugen" (RIP - cracked crank)
desert storm primer 63 T-bird "The Undead" (long term hibernation)

http://ecomodder.com/forum/fe-graphs/sig692a.png

Best to worst:


W126 300SD
W124 300D
W123 240D-300D

Owned them all.....

Jim

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14 E250 BlueTEC black. 45k miles
95 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 66k miles
94 E320 Cabriolet Emerald green 152k miles
85 300TD 4 spd man, euro bumpers and lights, 15" Pentas dark blue 274k miles

I think the ride quality of the newer MB's is better, but in that vintage a well sorted W126 or W124 would probably soak up the bumps the best.

Early 90's would also include the W140 which is the best riding out of the lot, but I wouldn't touch an early W140 with a 10ft pole.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

That's good to know Hat, I'd be pissed if you got 10' pole marks all over my 140.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Get a later one, the early ones are nothing but trouble. 1997 or later.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

'97 or later? Tell me that's a typo!!! Most of MB's quality problems started in 1996.

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Houston, Texas
1984 300CD 235K miles, Elvira, one owner
1987 300TD 180K miles
1974 TR6 78K miles Sarah Jane, one owner
OBK #27

No thats not a typo, and I have no idea where 1996 came from. Define "quality problems" what changed in 1996? The wiring harness issues were over in 1995. The W210 came out and had some teething problems as any new model does. The R129 was unchanged, the C was unchanged, the S was updated but largely unchanged. The ML wasn't out yet, no CLK, the G was unchanged.

The early W140's had never ending front end problems, some had a shimmy that even MB couldn't figure out how to get rid of. The early 5spds in the S320's were ehh marginal, IMHO. They all have evap problems, but more so in the early cars. 1992-95 all had bad wiring harness. The early M104s were more likely to need a headgasket. Everything was new lots of glitch's.

By 1997 all of the above problems were sorted.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

You might have a slightly different opinion if you had been reading all of the reader feedback in the MBCA Star magazine over the last 10-12 years. Quoting the problems before 1996 supports my other long held theory that 123's and 126's were the last of the great MB's built.
I bought our CD and SD new, right off the showroom floor - then, every time the model changed, my wife went back to Stephens Motors (now Park Place) in Dallas, hoping for a new MB sedan. She drove the "new" S-class, talked to the service manager and each time, came home in Bert, her 1982 300SD. Why? Not because of price or economics, rather because she did not think that MB had built a better car than what she was driving - 26 years later, her opinion (and mine) hasn't changed. As a fourth car, we bought a new, '98 ML320 - living proof that MB should
not build vehicles in Alabama - sold it not too long after that (while it was still in warranty).

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Houston, Texas
1984 300CD 235K miles, Elvira, one owner
1987 300TD 180K miles
1974 TR6 78K miles Sarah Jane, one owner
OBK #27

I know dozens of happy owners of late model MB's.

I call BS on anyone who says they are junk after a certain date. If I did a google search of the MB forums I can find that statement for every year after about 1980.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

i disagree, id have to say the 124 has a much better ride than the 126. I have a '91 124 and my folks have a '91 126 and id say the biggest difference is in the noise. the 124 is alot quieter on the road and it doesnt ride like a boat (some people like that though). Its a newer design, so i figure the design is alot more sophisticated.

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

This is a very touchy topic.

The W126 can ride like a boat, rising and dipping softly with the bumps. Or it can jar your bones. Depends on what tires, shocks, and wheels you have it equipped with. The average W126 falls somewhere inbetween, with a bias towards the softer side of things, stock, for the 1st gen, and harder for the 2nd gen.

The W124 rides just about as well as a W126. It handles like a dream in comparison with the lack of roll. The early 300E's were the best, imho, gassers built in the MB lineup for soul.

The W124 feels considerably lighter and harder to control at sustained triple-digit speeds, whereas the W126 just feels planted.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)