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  #76  
Old 08-29-2000, 02:11 PM
LarryBible
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CR's went down on Benz products as well, at least the ones that came to the US. The US equipped cars had to pass the same tests, and at that time, MB had no magic solutions either. I'm trying to remember if my wife's '73 250 had an EGR valve, I don't remember one, but it was a US model and must have passed emissions testing somehow.

The valve situation was the same. In order to hold up for long periods with unleaded fuel the seats had to be hardened. When the catalytic converters came along in '75, the hardened seats came with them. I have a '78 Ford 4X4 pickup that was just big enough that it did not have to have a catalyitic converter, but it got the hardened seats anyway.

Have a great day,
Larry

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  #77  
Old 09-04-2000, 05:43 PM
mattsuzie
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Speaking of Pick-up trucks, I was wondering when MB would come out with them. Their SUV seems to be a hit.
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  #78  
Old 09-04-2000, 10:46 PM
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JCE JCE is offline
Down to the Wear Bars
 
Join Date: May 1999
Location: So Kalifornia
Posts: 2,189
According to my last issue of the Star, "in the 70's, MB Argentina produced a Pick-up 220D. It was powered by a 60 hp (DIN version of the OM 615 4 cyl. diesel and used a 4 speed manual transmission. Weight was 3042 lb, and max payload was 1565 lbs." They also show a Binz GmbH & Co. custom built 4 door E class Pick-up. Somehow it doesn't come across to me as a replacement for the El Camino.

One thing that I really miss about 60's GM cars was the large degree of customization you could order from the factory. Several in line 6 cyl and V8 choices on my 67 Malibu, several carb options, choice of tuftride, cast, or forged cranks, even cyl. head choices (remember powerpak heads?). Bucket or bench seats, several rear axle ratios, trans choices, radiator capacities, instrument packages, brake and spring packages. I guess all the choices were not really compatible with computerized just-in-time inventory systems, and manufacturing cost savings. The wide variety of possibilities may even have contributed to the reliability issues, by increasing the range of parts that the line workers needed to know about and get right for each configuration, for each model year! On the other hand, you didn't have to take the moon roof and heated seats just to get the fold down rear seats you wanted, as so many manufacturers force you to do in their "package" system of optional equipment.

------------------
JCE
87 300E, 65k miles
Smoke Silver
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  #79  
Old 09-09-2000, 03:09 PM
LarryBible
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Can't pass up replying here to the mention of MB pick up trucks.

Sorry Bill for continuing this non MB abomination.

This morning I had breakfast with a business associate and his wife in Hamburg. They were clearly not car people, but if you have a meal with me it's impossible not to discuss cars. He had already learned that I have a place in the country and don't live in the city. His English was as bad as my German, but we managed to communicate. When I told him that I drive a Mercedes he was very surprised. He asked if I had a pick up, and I said yes, but I use it only for a truck.

He and his wife were very amused about the number of people in the US (he recently visited our offices in Texas) drive pick ups. They were both totally amused at this. When you stop and think about it, there are many people today driving pickups for cars. It took someone from a different culture to make me think about this.

I'll bet that if I went through our parking garage in Richardson and did a survey, I would find that at least 50% of the pick ups in the parking garage wouldn't have a single scratch in their empty beds. This is, of course, a Texas thing.

Of course, MB makes trucks, and they make some cabover flatbeds that most folks would consider to be the pick up trucks of Germany.

Have a great day,
Larry
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  #80  
Old 09-09-2000, 03:17 PM
nokia8860
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VAG all the way with me. From A1 GTi A2 16v A3 Golf Cabriolet and A4 GTi is what I owned prior to my W202.

My next car....money dependant of course would be a E55 but if that doesnt happen I'm going to pick up a late model A2 and drop a 1.8t 20v in there, chip it, K04 turbo, Intercooler and some other neat little things to get it going to 300+hp.

And that my friend is my WERD!

------------------
Meine Name ist Joey und auf VWvortex, mercedesshop, und VWenthsiast bin
ich bekannt als Nokia8860.
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  #81  
Old 09-09-2000, 07:50 PM
tom karels
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Now considering a GM or Ford product, you need to compare the two to a mb the same way you compare a blond to a brunette, its the way you treat them if you want them to last. Go by way of the bible and they last forever, treat them the way the world says and in no time you got (______). Yes! That.
TK-had some experience in my 55 years.
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  #82  
Old 09-10-2000, 09:10 AM
mattsuzie
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Hey Lar,

How's Germany? I don't think Bill will mind you talking about MB trucks?

I apologize for not being more clear in my question.

Does MB produce any pick up trucks (or have they ever) for US use? If so , what are there model numbers? If they have, why did they stop?
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  #83  
Old 09-10-2000, 10:43 AM
LarryBible
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The closest thing to a pick up here, except of course for the very rare sighting of an American pick up truck, would be the small cabover flatbed trucks. Most of them made by Benz. They are more like a 1 ton flatbed than a pick up.

There are a few very, very small pickups that I think are made by Fiat. The smallest Japanese truck you've seen are bigger.

I doubt that MB will ever enter this market for two reasons. Their design criteria for their vehicles typically is for the European market, and the roads and streets are narrow. The autobahns and highways are not too narrow, but the city streets and country roads are so narrow you wouldn't believe it.

Some of the attitudes that are different here are; a car that would be considered extremely small by American standards can be a well thought of performance car here. I am driving an Audi A4 1.8. It will cruise all day at 200km/hour (I know because I ran it that fast for awhile yesterday). To many people here, this is considered a very nice, very fast car. An attitude which sort of couples with this is that in speaking to some fellow carnuts over here, they are really curious why we have all the big engine, big, nice, fast cars, when we aren't allowed to drive over 70 or 75 mph. When you stop and think about it, they have a point. I guess we need them so we have acceleration, that's the only speed kick we can legally get in the US.

The closest thing to a pick up made by Benz that has made it's way to the US would I guess be the Unimogs and the Galaendewagon (sp?).

The second reason, I guess, is that they now have Dodge trucks as part of their cousins stable.

I wish that all of you could come to Germany and see the cars, and talk to people to learn how they think about cars. It's fascinating. However, it's not near as nice as it used to be. I guess since the European union, drivers from other countries are more common in Germany. There is the occasional person who will move into the left lane and make slow down quickly, it happened to me once yesterday, and once today, but it was when there was lots of traffic. I expect that those two people did not originally learn to drive auf Deutscheland. However, when you come, don't bring a pickup truck. You'll do better in a C Class or an Audi A4, or A6, or ..........

Good luck,




------------------
Larry Bible
'84 Euro 240D, 523K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles
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  #84  
Old 09-10-2000, 02:28 PM
russla
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My first car was a 65 Plymouth valient, with the 373 Commando V8, and Barracuda running gear, (very mundane looking mustang eater)

I've owned a 79 Ford truck that was bullet proof.

In addition to my Merc, I also own a 96 Windstar, and have no respect for Ford, there has been so many things wrong with this car it would hurt me to mention them. but the major ones are listed below

it only has 42k miles and the head gaskets are going, the transmission is going, and there are numerous electrical gremlins.

Ford had a tremendous problems with the 3.8 V6 over it's life, and is treating its customers very poorly, (just look at the tyres from Bridgestone, they knew, and only fixed the problem in Saudi!!!! 88 people died in the states, because of the way they handled the problem.

At this point, I feel I would never consider a Ford again, and I will continue to tell every one I know, to avoid them. Quality is not Job 1!!! ( I don't think they are a moral company)

I had a 1977 240d, that had 205k miles, and everything worked on it (save the vacuum which went south when the 21 year old lines couldn't cope any longer)

Sorry for the tirade, but Ford is at the bottom of the list, after Mercedes, I would buy a Volkswagon or Audi

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  #85  
Old 09-10-2000, 04:02 PM
LarryBible
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Russla,

A headgasket blew on my wife's Windstart at exactly 100,000 miles. I repaired it myself then a few months later, we got a letter saying that if headgaskets failed that they would take care of it. I did not have any receipts.

The Windstar is a bad example of Ford vehicles. I've had some Fords that were outstanding and bullet proof. That's the only bad Ford I ever had.

The engine in the Valiant/Barracuda was a 273, not a 373. And the tire company which built the bad tires that Ford bought was Firestone, not Bridgestone.

Good luck,

------------------
Larry Bible
'84 Euro 240D, 523K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles
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  #86  
Old 09-10-2000, 10:06 PM
mattsuzie
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Nokia... uh?


Larry,

That is too bad that MB is not considering a pickup for the US, because I think that it would be a hit. Honda makes some Accord models for US only and I think that it would be a hit if MB did the same for pickups. Look how well their SUV is doing. DO you see a lot of them there? I was in ITaly a few years back , and although not Germany, I have an idea to what you are talking about.

Dumb question, but do you see a lot of Benzs there? What seems to be the model of choice? How about older models, 126? 123? 124?

Russla,

Bridgestone owns Firestone so technically Bridestone is responsible for the blip, just ask the US Congress that had the CEO testify in Congress. Technically, however, the subsidiary Firestone (as Larry mentioned), I believe at the Ilinois plant was to blame for the faulty tires among other plants around the country.

Both Ford and Firestone new about not telling US officials. Anyway, enough of that.
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  #87  
Old 09-11-2000, 01:33 PM
nokia8860
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matt: You did ask what cars we had b4 our Benz so thats what I posted I drove dubs all my life.

------------------
Meine Name ist Joey und auf VWvortex, mercedesshop, und VWenthsiast bin ich bekannt als Nokia8860.
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  #88  
Old 09-11-2000, 04:13 PM
Dingo
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I had a Cadillac Fleetwood and a BMW 735i...neither is close to being as good a car as my 300SD or my 300D. The BMW was a POS...why anyone would buy a second one is beyond me. The Caddy was great reliabilty wise, but felt like I was piloting the QE II.


------------------
Travis the Turbodiesel
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  #89  
Old 09-11-2000, 04:16 PM
LarryBible
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If anyone is interested in my response, you can follow me with this topic to the General Discussion forum.

Maybe this will help to free up the Tech Help forum for Tech Help, and maintain availability for us all to continue some of the fun off topic discussions.

Thanks,
Larry
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  #90  
Old 09-11-2000, 10:23 PM
mattsuzie
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Nokia, Ok. I guess the only only word I could recognize in your response was Golf. I get it now.


Larry,

I think talking about Mercedes in Germany would be barely on tech help topic, but on it none the less. If you choose to post there fine. You're wisdom will be missed.

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