the new 126
 

Could write a book with the complaints from owners of newer MB's.

Here my Idea D.C. sells C.to Ford they deserve each other. Them D sells all it's factories around the world and updates it's factories in GERMANY with the loot

In these Mercedes Benz German factories they dust off the old dies and build the new 126 only this time they offer the american model with roll up windows,manual controls on air and heat,sunroof and seats, with better air componets, better designed seats,4, 5 and 6 speed manuals in all models.
turbos for all engines,no talking dashboards,power door closers,no keyless entry ,put the money all that crap cost into well made parts..In other words return to the highest quality drivers car that can possibly be made.Instead of spending their profits on slick adds and put it back into engineering where it used to be.......

There really no competition for such a car BMW
is going the same route as D.C. brigng out the latest gizmo ridden troublesome expensive type car as D.C. is and hyping them as the best cars in the world.

I'll bet there would be a much bigger market for a new 126 with the best wheels and tires ,upgraded supension a turbo V8 ,6 speed manual gizzmo free, than any sales executive would ever guess.I'd bet my Rolex on it...........
William Rogers.......

Hear, hear.......
 

I absolutely agree. Back to basics without all the bells and whistles.

I'd trade my left you-know-what for a factory fresh 126!:D :cool:

I wish that was possible.

Unfortunately, in order for the dealer to profit well, they have to mass produce, and the new car buyer now is REALLY only interested in new "gizmos". This is how MB pumps out their sales.

The problem is that everyone would keep their W126's until they died (the owners, not the cars). And that would not be good for future sales of newer MB's. Everybody would already own one, and the technology would be the relatively similar year by year anyway.

A factory fresh W126 with leather seats looks more luxurious than a Maybach in my opinion. It looks more solid, I guess; more real.

Limited production is still 1,000 units per year. Heck, do you know how many W126 350SD's were made worldwide? Not too much higher than that number!

W126
http://photos2.ebizautos.com/145/155640_3_400.jpg

Maybach
http://photos2.ebizautos.com/811/105941_23.jpg

I MUST BE SOFT EH? COMPARING A W126 TO A MAYBACH?:D

They wouldn't sell any and go bankrupt. MB is just one division of Diamler AG. Everyone that replies to this post would buy one, outside of that sales would be small. I would love a new W126 they are one of the greats, but now they are getting dated. Soon to be classics hopefully.

Yes, people love cars that look like big monochromatic plastic shells, nowadays. Just like taste in contemporary music.

I think the new cars are too bland. Need more chrome, and less plastic.

As far as the W126 looking dated. Depends on what year. If you have the post '85 models, they look very modern. If you have pre '85 models, they do look like classics.

DslBnz I couldn't agree more. Every one seems to want a car now that looks like a plastic egg. Boats were going the same way for awhile, but now the classic style's are comeing back. Maybe cars will go the same way.
As far as the W126 looking dated, the W126 is in a transition period in my opionion. It is to new to be a classic but to old to look modern. I love the way it looks and to be honest don't care, either way. I think in another 10 years it might be a classic.

Yep, I can hardly tell one blob-box from another these days.

But W126's .. hell, those are far too new. My old W116 is just as good (mostly..ok it's noisier) with more style. Put 'em up!

Amen to that...both are useless and annoying. :)

About the only vehicle I'm really interested in owning tat was built after 1990 or so is a mid to late '90's Dodge pickup. :)

Hey, the W116 is the W126. Just a different body. Everything from the W116 was carried over to the W126. That's why I like it so much!;)

If I could I would own a W126 and W116 too. But living in New England, with all the unpredictable weather, I need the rust resistance of the W126.

With the Cummins, of course. Not the gasser. ;)

I'm gonna have to disagree with you guys on this one. Maybe I"m too young to appreciate the old school benz's (aside from the 450SL), but I like the look of some of the new cars like the G35, Z4 and M3 just to name a few. They have their own distinct look, and all look aggresive. If you want a car that doesn't do the driving for you, with an aggressive motor and transmission (I KNOW I'll be flamed for this) buy a BMW. You could go with a 6-speed auto 760 (6L V12), 6 speed manual M5 (5L V8), 6 speed manual 540i (4L V8), or a 6 speed SMG M3 (3.3L I6). All BMW's have an option for stick (except for the 7), and they are known for lots of power and aggresive suspension, while having leather and wood inside (if you like, everything's an option on a bimmer).

now that I've said that, I'll wait for tobasco and the other bimmer bashers to flame me.:rolleyes:

4NDELIT I will get flamed for this too, but BMW's are awsome. My friend had a 1993 735I. It was a lot of fun. Cool car but not in the same league as the S320. The only BMW's I hate are the ones Chris Bangle designed. The new 7 and 5 series. The new 6 and the Z4 look okay. The old ones are awsome, I would love a 2000 740IL.

yeah... Bangle's gonna drag the company under, but the engineering seems to keep getting better (4.5L V8 and 6L V12 have tons of new tech). I like my dad's 750il (200) most out of all the luxury sedans, because it's a true driver's car (beautiful sounding engine, sporty suspension, nice looking 18's, and a 5 spd auto tranny).

No,... Bimmers aren't bad really. And the styling, up until the new Bangleization started, was very good looking.

One thing I don't like about the Bimmer is the lack of space. There's no room in it to put all of your stuff. No real center console, just a drop-down glove box, usually.

The cars perform wonderfully, and truly have soul. But they feel cheaper than a Benz, and the ride isn't in the same league.

They're good sports cars, but I wouldn't want to live with an M3 everyday of my life with those rock hard, paper thin seats.:rolleyes:

I think it's a generation thing. I'll bet to younger folks all 50s cars look the same. I used to be able to tell one car from another from a hudred feet without my glasses. Now I have to get really close to be sure I'm looking at a W211 and not a Huyndai Sonata. And at that my prescription's gone down.

This is becoming the next oil thread. Unfortunately, the folks who vote with their wallets have spoken and the rest of us lost. Besides, I wouldn't buy a brand new W126 for what it cost new in 1981. I'd wait 10 years and then buy one :) I wonder if I'll be alive in 2015 when the S400CDI is 10 years old.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
83 300SD

"Now I have to get really close to be sure I'm looking at a W211 and not a Huyndai Sonata. "

That's what my Dad says. He calls cars now "Jellybean cars". They all look the same just different colors.;)

I think I remember reading in MB Enthusiast about the W126 dies being sold to a company in S. or N. Korea and is building them now.

Shaun

I remember that too. I think only to be sold in Korea? Or something like that.

Newer MB's That Do Look Pretty Good

The W210 is a great looking car, and the front-end four lamp face is formidable. In my opinion, it is a bit more intimidating than a narrow-nosed W124. Especially with xenons and lower fogs on. ;) (that'll be my next avatar!)

I get a lot of looks with my R107. Of course the new R230 is practically just as stunning from the exterior. Gorgeous, absolutely GORGEOUS car! Its too bad they don't make a diesel version.:(

Can you argue that the W220 is an ugly car? OK maybe the taillights are a little bland until 2003, but the overall shape and stance is perfectly "S-Class". The interior is not typical MB quality as we already know.

I like the way some of the new MB look. Maybe because I'm younger. I work at a boat yard, where you can't throw a rock without hitting one.:D I have come to realy like the W211 E class. There are two new E55's that are parked outside the store every weekend, they look incredible! The new SL's R230s are one of the most stunning looking new cars made, in my opionion. The W220 is a very sharp looking car, most importantly it's looks are ageing well. The new CLS though is as ugly as can be. The only thing that I don't like is that silver seems to be the only color MB offers anymore. I swear every new MB I see seems to be silver.

I too, was a fan of the W211. Until I got a glimpse at the rear end (too Camry'ish by being overly curved). The front is a big improvement over the W210 as it is more daring and sporty. The backseat seems to have a little bit less legroom than the W210.

I am 20 years of age and like nearly every Mercedes model ever made(some more than others). Despite the age, they are all truly timeless. I can't think of another manufacturer that can really compare with the all-around qualities of Benz.;)

The CLS REALLY breaks from tradition. It is ugly as sin, all right.
:rolleyes:

As sins go, the CLS is borderline venial compared to the C-coupe which is beyond mortal... possibly original :)

Seems like MB European-ized and brought into the current century the M45.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
83 300SD

I'll stick with my '89 V126 over anything new!
 

Newer MBs just don't have that formal, regal, elegant, stately style that they did on any S-CLASS past 1990. BMWs always lacked a distinctive look (except for those two nostrils on the grill). From the back, they look like almost any Jap car. MBs always looked elegant from all angles. 1991 MB opted for a much sportier look for their sedans to compete against the Lexus and Infinity market. I think its a shame that they gave up the more formal look. I will keep mine forever. No competition!

Re: I'll stick with my '89 V126 over anything new!
 

what are you smoking? try kidney grill with four seperate lights ALWAYS. Mercedes switched from round headlights, to square headlights, to round-ish blob headlights, and everything inbetween. BMW has always had the traditional kidney grill, and four round headlights (sometimes behind a lens cover). Look at the old 2002, the E21 320i, the E30 325is, the E36 328i, the E46 330i. They all have 4 headlights, and kidney grills. ALL. Now, look at the 5-series. And the 6. And the 7. notice a trend? The only exceptions are the M1, Z1, 8-series and their motorcycles (for obvious reasons I would hope even you could notice). Now, tell me what mercedes design they have kept with all of their cars? Headlights? not a chance. Taillights? change them all the time. Grille? Not at all... they changed from emblem in the grill, square grill, rounded grill, etc. I was waiting for you to say something blatently wrong and negative about bmw's.

Until Bangleization started, BMW was always recognizable. I could always tell a Bimmer, side, front, and rear. Unmistakeable to me. It seemed one manufacturer was holding true to tradition, and guess what? BMW sales figures were way up! People loved them. Even though the Bimmers hadn't changed the bodies that much since the late '80's.

Still, as nice as a pre-Bangle Bimmer looked, the interior space was way too small.:(

DslBnz, I think you are right on all thee points ,I stuided Design at Columbus College Of Art and Design in Col.OH and later swicthed to Fine Arts but if my memory holds the design instructors always stressed "form follows function" .

It looks to me that somewhere along the line that major companies that were once leaders in that concept have fallen to the powers of look at me ain't I cool to sell their cars.I really don't want a car that massages my back while it talks to me even if it is a sexy voice............

William Rogers.........

I second that! While I love the new cars, I always remember asking my dad a few years before he passed away if he wanted to go the new car show in Seattle. He and I used to go all the time when I was young. He turned me down, saying there just wasn't anything new to look at anymore. They all look the same. But ask him about going to a car show in the 50's and 60's, and he'd just light up!:) "Now that was exciting!" he'd say. All that chrome, and new features, like air conditioning!:D

I only "smoke" after sex. Thanks for asking!
 

I hope your little Beemer logo button doesn't fall off your trunk lid, because people would yell,"nice Camry"more than they already do now! Better carry a spare button and super glue just in case! My new phrase for Bimmers is>"Jap from the back". Uh oh, time to smoke!

sorry, I must have misinterpreted the quote in your sig. As far as japanese looking tails, try looking at the new e-class. And way to go for responding to only 1 part of my post :rolleyes:.

Want rice with that?
 

Ahh-so, Beemer-son. Nice car! MB S-CLASS headlights, swept back design, much prettier. Beemer uses old and low-tech design.

wow... ignorance must be bliss buddy... BTW, in japan, when addressing a person by their last name, the follow it with san, not son. Low tech design??? By what comparison? What's low tech? Better go to the doctor, it seems you have a case of caranial rectumitis.

Unimpressed!
 

Have driven a 750 IL last year. Yawn... Want speed and luxury? Try a SL500, SL55 or SL600. BMW doesn't make a convertable that competes with any of these! Not the ugly little Z4 for sure!

try a Z8... you're trying to compare a 5L SL500 with a 3L Z4... we already had this discussion last time. Compare it to a 5L Z8, and you'll see how much more horsepower the bmw has.:rolleyes:

In fact, go back and read the other thread again, and see what I said in response, because it seems you didn't hear me the first time, or you're just too thick headed to learn things.

You giving Japanese lessons?
 

I guess it's appropriate that you speak it if you drive a look-a-like! Don't you need to glue your little logo button on or something? Bye-bye Jappy-son "Jap from the back"

actually, I don't speak japanese, I just know formalities. It's amazing what things you learn when you actually go out and talk to people from other countries. Also, in case you have that short of a memory, I drive a 450SL... not much of a "Jap" if you ask me, but then again, you have such a skewed perspective anything could be possible. I don't need to glue any logos on my car, and your mindless drivel is a waste of time.:rolleyes: