If you want more of a cruiser, go for the W124. If you want a more fun to drive, lighter on its feet kind of car, the W201 puts the 124 to shame. Quite a bit lighter. You pay for it too with rear seat room and head room. Compared to a 123 or 124 the 201 is pretty tiny on the inside.

Personally I like the 201 because it handles better.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

As an ardent W201 fan, I have to say that comparing the W201 to the W124 is a bit misplaced as they occupy two different positions in Mercedes' mid-80's to mid 90's product line.

Each influenced the other. FWD was considered for the W201 prototype, but RWD was thought to offer a better driving experience and would make parts interchange with the W124 possible.

The W201 was the lightest sedan produced during Mercedes modern era. It was also one of the most costly R&D project till that date. The Colin Chapman inspired multi-link rear suspension was debuted on the W201 and would become the standard rear suspension set up on Mercedes sedans for nearly two decades.

What W201 owners like to crow about . . . the 2.3-16 variant was the platform that Mercedes chose for their official return to circuit racing.

Yep.

Look at the back of a W140 and you will see the W124's influence.

Remember that these cars all shared a common DNA -- Bruno Sacco's DNA.

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Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

I wonder how the 190E/w201 would look like it it shared w123/w116 DNA instead of w124 styling...

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

LOL, it's the W124 that has W201 DNA.

Sacco's design for the W201 was a radical departure for Mercedes at the time. A low front, raised tail with short front and rear overhangs. Sacco called the angular lines of the W201 "diamond cut" and the car actually took styling cues from the C-111 concept car which MB never put into production. Sacco still regards the W201 as one of the most dramatic designs which he oversaw.

they are nice looking.

i remember them as being very exciting to look at when they first came out. i still like them a lot.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Just so happens that I bought one of each new and suffered through their early years.

After driving my '78 300D from '78 to '85, I was tired of the lack of performance, the engine clatter, and the mediocre fuel economy. So, head up and locked, I sold it and bought a new '85 190E. Turned out to be a dark period in my MB-owning life. That piece of crap was hands down the worst car I have ever owned, reliability-wise. It virtually lived at the dealer (thank God for the warranty) up until the end of the warranty period when I traded it on a new '89 190E 2.6. And, during the time I owned the '85, six of my friends owned '85 and '86 models and their experience mirrored mine and all were disposed of early.

The '89 was much more reliable with far fewer warranty repairs although at 70K miles the pistons and related parts were replaced (paid by MB) because of excess oil consumption due to incorrect piston sizes. The 2.6 was a more pleasant car to own because of the added power and smoothness of the M103 engine and the fuel consumption was nearly the same. Matter of fact, the fuel consumption numbers of the 300D and the two 201s were within 1 mpg of each other throughout my time with them.

After the big engine fix in the '89 (pistons/rings, rod bearings (of course), valve guides etc.) I moved into a '95 C280 (Garnet Red/Saddle leather) which continued trending downward in repairs and turned out to be quite a good car, keeping in mind the superiority of the M104 engine vs the M103. But in '01 the lure of the W203 led me to buy a C320 and aside from the well known electronic glitches has been quite reliable, despite all the JD Power comments to the contrary. I still have a lot of faith in MB which means I will be driving an '08 C-Class in about four months.

My advice would be to find a good mid-cycle W202 which would serve well and is a bit more modern and upscale that a W201 although for certain all of the 201s designed in faults would have been repaired long ago. Multiple times, most likely. One important thing when looking at 201s is to be sure the secret AC mod has been performed which fixed the early problems. One of the visible indicators is side panels on the plastic undertray (must be in place) and similar panels on each side of the radiator to force all incoming air through the condensor. There were other component replacements but these were the visible ones.

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Roger E.