For some time I've noticed that a large number of folks that own/drive MB have aquired them "used". I have always got rid of my cars when they began giving me trouble. Question, could the various problems reported here be just these "problems" the previous owner thought might occur? Thus the existance of this forum.

Nicely stated! Wish I’d have written that first. There have been any number of threads proclaiming the new or newer MBs unworthy and too inferior to own, while someone's cherished 1984 French-fry oil burner is coveted beyond life on this earth.

I remember a debate I was in years ago about the value of restoring vs. buying new. One person said that he wouldn’t own the then new S600. Of course this person’s car wasn’t worth the sales tax of the S600..... The implied point being that affordability plays a large (perhaps primary) role in one’s perceptions.

The good news is that MB makes so many quality vehicles, there is something, new or used, for almost every budget!

Yeah :cool:

I suppose if I ever get to where I could afford a new Benz, I might buy one. But I'll dump the thing before the warrenty runs out. I can't ever see owning one of the current models, even when you can get them for $5000.
But since I will probably never reach that income level, yes, the 'ol w126 is "the best". I can fix most of it myself. That's a big reason for wanting to dump the '96 Chrysler we own. It's a POS, and when something goes wrong, I have to pay a shop to rip me off....er...I mean fix the car.
I was raised by an engineer dad. He taught me alot about how things should be built. The Benz's of the 80's were pretty much the last of the cars to fit that bill.

I'd sell the SDL and buy a W220 if I could afford to. There both great cars, I don't think quality has gone down peoples perceptions have just changed. When the 560SEL's came out I'm sure people were saying the same things.

I know I'm going to get flamed for this but I think the W211 looks better than the W123. :D The new SL just looks stunning.

Right on, Tracy.

1983 240D...
 

"Best in last 20 years" because two decades puts hardly a dent in the longevity of these remarkable cars. They were the last generation of the pre-computer Mercedes-Benz, and combined wonderful build quality, design, simplicity, and materials. The looks of the W123 sedans are less dated than many of the cars that followed. Like the Packard 120 of 1935-40, the 240D gives remarkable value for money, whether bought new or used at almost any point along the timeline. Like the 120 when it was "only" 20 years old, W123 diesels can be had for very modest amouts of money, and simplicity and available parts (which wear out slowly) have only reinforced their popularity. The enthusiasm of "junior" Packard owners who bought their cars in the 1950s-60s for use as daily drivers and second cars (only to find out that if cared for, the cars never got old) mirrors the enthusiasm for the W123 diesels today.

Sad to say, electronics and other very "mortal" components (like the leak-prone hydraulic roofs of the SLK) make it unlikely that many Mercedes built after the late '80s will still be on the road 20 years from now.

Right on, Jim.
;)

Read this review of the 380SEC when it was introduced.

http://www.500sec.com/tests.html

Read the 380SEC road test (4th article down, on the left.

Don't want to read it? Allow me to summerize:

The article complains that there are too many pointless gadgets which will only become problems as they age. The testers felt like the electronics were to difficult to decipher (becker radio) and were 'attempting to out-smart them'.

The article concludes that MB needs to concentrate on the basics, not fancy gadgets. This was 21 years ago.

Another angle.

Nobody wanted seat belts back in the 50's or 60's either. And radial tires!? Forget it!! Power windows were a joke(anyone remember Cadillacs hydralic power window system? Drip, drip, drip)

I guess we'll just have to wait another 20 years, and come back to this discussion, and see if the current S500 is anything anybody wants to own with 300,000 miles on it. Who knows. Maybe it'll be considered a "good" car by then, compared to the "junk" that's being built at the time.

Simplicity key to longevity...
 

I've noticed that many cars from the '30s through the '70s that tended to survive did so because they were simple...crank instead of "power" windows, none of the early "air conditioning", stick transmissions. An example of a "better" make from this period...Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Hudson, Packard...would grow old enough in service to survive into the time frame where it would become a "collectable" car. The key to such survival is that these gizmos which would act up were often the reason cars were sent to the boneyard, rather than any major mechanical problem. A few months back I bought an '81 240D with manual transmission and crank windows and signs of a decent level of care over the years by two prior owners. The 240 shows less wear than many cars only a year or so old (and is likely to be giving fewer problems).

Hey, I have both types of cars. I have a w123 with manual everything and electronic nothing. I also have a w220 is quite nice when its -10F fricking degrees outside. My butt gets warm, the steering wheel is warm, my wife can run the heat full blast without melting me (what is it about women and excessive heat?). and my kids don't have to be frozen ice blocks in the back seat. Even with the block heater on the w123, its still pretty much unwarm air for a couple of minutes. You cannot tell me that some complexity is not desirable in moments like these. While I constantly extol the virtues of diesel, especially looking at the 425K miles on that beloved wagon, its pretty darn nice to be able to start up a car at 6 am without the neighbors pointing a RPG or heavy caliber machine gun at you :D I love diesel clatter as much as any other guy. On the other hand, the mood lighting also really gets me into a good mood... until it stops working haha :p

Do "older" MB diesels tend to "run cold"?
 

The last post reminded me that my 240 NEVER seems to be able to push heat when it's really cold out. I posit this is due to the facts that the water jacket (source of heat) has to go through an engine block much heavier and with much more metal, which would tend to dissapate the coolant heat rather than maintain it to a level that would provide comfort to cabin passengers. Just a thought.

RE The best MB. Many folks, I'm one of them, think MB's age well. I think this is correct. Thus I would not trade my 7 year old C280 in. This car is the 1st one I've ever owned that seems not to show any wear what so ever and runs like new and needs so little maintenance I can't see getting rid of it. So I come to the conclusion that MB's are really quality cars and I will stick with them next time I need a new car. Like I said, little maintenance, little problem, and great utility. What more can you ask?

I think the best car MB ever built was the ML320. The 98's were the best.

Lot of talk about nice old cars lasting many years in the days of olde. But how many miles were they racking-up? If memory serves me (that's a caveat from hell) my old vehicles in the old days didn't last much over 80k miles. I never owned real high quality, just your standard Detroit iron.

The first car I had that really lasted was a Dodge (Mitsubishi) Challenger. Then all of a sudden mid-range cars started lasting well into 100k's. I'll bet owners of modern M-B's reflect a higher expectation that comes with some well-earned cachet from yore and also M-B owners tend to be a lot more anal, don't you think?

B