Don't think I'd consider owning a newer MB. Worked on a 2009 c300 doing the rear brakes. The steel lines were rotted, the rear subframe had a hole and almost every nut and bolt was heavily corroded. It spent it's life in NJ and the owner cleaned the undercariage during each winter. So much for MB using quality steel after the w210s! And those cars aren't even that bad, they're all rusting out after 16-20 years of age! They are still simplistic to work on and most stuff is the same as the old cars, but wow. What a disappointment. The ride quality was fantastic for a c class, and the six speed gearbox was smoother than any other manual Ive driven.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

That is unfortunate; that said a car kept in a weathertight garage especially during winter months does better than a car kept outside. Most of us are aware that many older mercedes are prone to rust and need to be checked frequently.

It's interesting that people put so much effort into repairing rust buckets in other parts of the country while we throw away relatively new rust free examples. The other day I spotted the first M272 powered w211 at the Pick N Pull. Likely smog failure.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

I had my first experience, if you call crawling around them in junkyards, with the W210 while looking for parts useable on my W124 since about all there is here are 210 cars. They were probably nice when new, but imo are markedly more "modern" in the least flattering sense of the word, least the interior. The way the parts feel, way they are assembled, the material, not a W124... I've observed in other car models that the newer they are, they nicer they are when new, and vice-versa.

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One more Radar Lover gone...
1982 VW Caddy diesel 406K 1.9L AAZ
1994 E320 195K

The 290mm w210 rear brakes are direct bolt on and they fit inside 15" wheels.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

Road salt has changed from years gone by. It is now mixed with magnesium chloride, this will pull moisture out of the air even in the summer if not washed off. Road crews are also using liquid deicer that is way worse than salt.

My wintertime 84 Bronco 2 of 17 years would keep going with yearly spray cans of paint on the frame / under body. In the past 5 years what used to be solid dark rust has been replaced with light brown fuzzy rust and is also appearing in places that never rusted before.

Nice, tanks for the tip.

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One more Radar Lover gone...
1982 VW Caddy diesel 406K 1.9L AAZ
1994 E320 195K

for retrofit info W210 Rear to W124 rear !

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

Tits1,

I hate to tell youse, BUT that chassis was more likely in the "Recycler's"
due to:

https://www.google.com/search?q=M272+engine+problems&oq=M272+engine+problems&aqs=chrome..69i57.9993j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

AND:

https://youtu.be/XXQArmxXsnM

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BUT ,I do agree with y'all ,ALL,:
"Nothing" in this case [Mercedes] is what we're being asked to accept...
Instead of "The Best".

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'84 300SD sold
124.128

California is one of the most wasteful states IMO. It's rediculous how many cars get tossed cause of SMOG.

The brime is extremely corrosive to cars, but some cars hold up better than others. It's the prep they do the metal, and the quality of the metal as well. Cars aren't made to last beyond 6-7 years these days. No ones to pay to fix a car when they can just have a car payment.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

I forgot to mention, you have to remove the dust shield or swap it from the 210. I chopped it off, it wasn't pretty. But the caliper and disk bolt right on and it works with the existing 124 parking brake. A handfull of 95 124 wagons got the 290mm brakes from the factory as well.
If you spent any time in LA in the 50s-80s you would understand why. Also there are tons of old cars running around here, probably far more than anywhere else in the country because we don't have rust. And they all pass smog, they have to. The problem with MBs in particular is the cost of repairs to keep them smog legal can quickly run into the steep depreciation curve. If you can't DIY its cheaper to simply lease a new Mercedes. California is 1/3 of MB's US market. Same goes for every other luxury brand.

I'm well aware of the M272/M273 problems, thats why I just bought a M112 powered wagon. The thing is when most owners get a $$$$ estimate to fix that the sprocket problem, they'll try to ignore it and keep driving the car until the next smog check. Unfortunately for them the resulting check engine light is an automatic fail for smog check. It doesn't matter whether or not it affects emissions. With a CEL you DO NOT PASS SMOG, you don't get your 2018 sticker, end of story. Nobody wants to deal with that **** on a 10 year old car and thats when the M272/W211 hits the PNP yard.

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CENSORED due to not family friendly words

Cali was the most devoid of Malaise era cars, including euro, of any state I've ever been to. Plenty of pre-smog classics, and you'd see the occasional icon car like a Volvo 240 or such, but between smog and cash for clunkers lord only knows how many great cars were trashed. Cali actively goes after trashing those cars, last I looked they still had a buy-off program if one failed smog, specifically to trap people that fail smog and are faced with a big repair bill.
Not at all friendly to old cars, very wasteful, not to mention sad to see irreplaceable cars junked out. I lived there for four years and change, never again. It IS a good place to buy old euro cars though, and take them out of CA.

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One more Radar Lover gone...
1982 VW Caddy diesel 406K 1.9L AAZ
1994 E320 195K

I'm aware of several major fortune 500 businesses that REFUSE to open offices in California due to the over-regulations and taxes. Cali is a nice place to visit but FORGET about doing business or living there.

Quality as a whole has eroded throughout the entire automotive industry - Domestic - Asian - European.

Ever increasing environmental restrictions, safety requirements and consumer demand for all of the modern day gee-gaw gadgetry has not helped to keep the price in line.

Car mfgs. are cutting corners; they are not the only ones doing this.

It's epidemic.

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Mike Murrell
1991 300-SEL - Model 126
M103 - SOHC
"Fräulein"

I'd counter that quality had gone down when complexity is taken into account.

It wasn't so long ago that 100,000 miles on a car was rare, most anything now will make it that long and farther.