Quote:
Originally Posted by ashedd
Judging by the vehicles in your signature.. the w123 wagon will be like driving the flintstone's mobile. I, personally, do NOT like the w123 wagon. I sure have hauled a lot of stuff with it, but it sure is ugly, uncomfortable, sucky a/c(with R12!), crappy mpg's(I get 18 in town), locks freeze in the winter, loud engine, uncomfortable(did I mention that?).
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Keep in mind he's coming from a Volvo 240. Compared to a 240, the inside of a W123 is an anechoic chamber.
If you're talking about how loud the engine is *outside* the car, that's different...although a B230 with its solid lifter clatter is not a quiet beast either.
The cars actually have a lot in common; both are basically semi-luxury cargo haulers. Both are fairly primitive in engine and suspension design compared to modern cars. Neither is really meant to be driven briskly. A 240 is a bit cheaper to feed, I think -- it's a less complex car, and while it gets about the same fuel economy as a W123 diesel, it does it with gasoline instead of more expensive diesel fuel.
From a handling standpoint you'll probably find the W123's independent rear end is a little less hair-raising on rough corners than a Volvo 240's live axle, assuming everything is correct with the SLS system (which is a big assumption.) The Volvo 240's rack-and-pinion steering is much tighter than the W123's pitman arm system, though. There's a certain amount of designed-in on-center slop in pitman arm steering.