Love these cars so much, I have a major soft spot as my Dad had (and I still have, after repurchasing the exact same car) his w140 S500. They're so solid, peak era in merc design language and 'solidness' for me, good to see them getting the appreciation.
I had a black 87 190E 2.3. Felt like a bank vault, pulled like a 6 cylinder. I miss that car. I now have a 93 S320 (W140). So powerful and comfortable, I am always tempted to do a long drive. I am getting an R129 SL next as a daily. Probably, a SL280 or SL320.
I'll never sell my R129 and just put a new canvas roof on her and (among other things) replaced the springs, which -- incredibly -- were original to the car. Two amazing results: the car actually now rides a bit higher now, so, the front lip doesn't scrape anymore on driveways and; I can now feel what each of the four wheels are doing at all times, totally "new" suspension feel. I love these cars so much.
@@TheCarCrush All cars that had the new fuel injection, ie, non Bosh KE Jetronic had it. The W140 when It debuted, the 129 when they switched the engines from the original fuel injection to the new. Other models as the change was implemented as well.
Yep they all had LH Jetronic. Just replaced the harnesses on my 95 SL600 a few months back. You can pick up the models affected by the wiring harness issues for a great deal. If you are somewhat mechanically inclined it’s a no brainer
@@TheCarCrush May be a UK thing, a lot of us Brits took of badges from the back so other drivers never knew what it was, it's called de-badged in the driving world here. Because if someone wanted a race they would wanna race a slower car. 😅😆😆
i have a 82 240D,. a 93 300D 2.5turbo, and a 99 e320 and i am looking to buy more MB's. I also have a 5sp manual i want to install in the 93 w124 diesel. the 99 e320 tranny doesn't shift into 5th gear but runs and shifts great otherwise and gets 25 mpg city driving as is. It is a rocket but i drive in conservatively as i am 71 and the e320 has 170k on it. It is my daily beater.
My own 190D has been really unreliable, but it's fair to say that the ride is nice compared to most stuff - excluding big luxury vehicles, it also wears well, feels solid, and tbf, seems to better at speed than slowly.. handy around town too
@@TheCarCrush I'll discount a blown head gasket due to a low pressure turbo 25+ yrs ago, but otherwise.. front ball joint failure while fortunately driving slowly, one alternator brush wore out prematurely, blew a coolant hose in steady driving, and it leaks quite a bit of oil.. I can't seem to get all of the parts I'd like, so have something else now for daily duty. Non-breakdown faults would be a leaking rear window, closed sunroof, OVP relay, broken injector fuel line on a long journey. It once had a small engine fire when I was a child. One door card is a bit crappy. I've replaced most of the front and some of the rear suspension, changed the head gasket, partial cooling system refresh (parts I could obtain). Still have jobs to do but am having a rest to do other stuff for a bit.
@@TheCarCrush tbf, what it does do, it does well, you can tell Mercedes spent some money developing a generally good product, stuff like air circulating really well round the back of the car from one side to the other without being really loud, heat-reflective window glass so it's not totally roasting in hot weather, being easy to drive and quite forgiving on the edge etc.. in some ways it's still a good car which does things better than a lot of new stuff. I have been extremely pissed off at times, but it's also my late grandad's last car, so I can't really justify setting fire to it when I do feel like it, and I calm down after a bit. I was young but old enough to remember different trips out and about in it from new to the present.
@@miagee2 ah that’s fine then. If I was in your place, I’d sell both to buy a w204, preferably the estate, this generation will become a classic in no time.
The last generation of the Diesel 190 makes 75 hp and the first generation had 72, not 71. The engine was a 2.2 in America and Canada Only. If it's a 2.0 it came from Europe probably! There was also a 5 cylinder 2.5 diesel engine . I have an April 1993 diesel also. With sportline interiors! Mine is a 5 speed manual! Not 4.
I was speaking to the absence of creaks and rattles in Nick's car, specifically, which is 30 years old. In the intro there's tons of context about the era of manufacture, "the final year of Mercedes first-ever compact car," etc. I think we can agree the car was well ahead of its time?!
These guys might think these cars are great daily drivers but I own a 1994 E280 W124 & a 2003 E320 W211 & I'll tell you all one thing, the W211 is by far the better car by virtue of one thing, the rack & pinion steering which Mercedes introduced after the W124. It is by far the better car & the 320 V6 engine is an absolute dream to drive & maintain. And I should know!!!!!
W211 outperforms our older Mercs in every way but...lacks the style, character, and bank-vault feel of the older cars. I (Joe here) wouldn't call them classics. I do quite like the facelifted W211 E350 (2006 onwards I think) both in terms of style and performance plus, they ditched the SBC braking system which -- although warranted by Mercedes through 2029 (!) -- can be a pain in the ass. I actually helped launch the W211 when I was on the PR team at Mercedes-Benz USA - so I should know, too :-) -- and those earlier W211's I would NOT recommend, there were a ton of issues.
I'd traditionally have preferred rack and pinion but have ended up with 2 cars that have steering boxes.. one's loose due to the coupler bushes wearing, but both actually feel quite fine in terms of the driving feel and responsiveness. There are some newer mercs with rack and pinion which don't feel very good, so the box may contribute less than the suspension geometry, specifically castor angle.
I'm probably in the same camp. Haven't driven too many cars apart from rentals once in a while, an old Opel and an Audi. I'd still dare say that I'm most at ease and biased towards the W201 combo of it's geometry/recirc ball box. Where I to spot a rim-eating/blow-prone pothole while at speed (no frost) - I would feel that the w201 is the most predictable and safe automobile to do relatively powerful evasive maneuvers @@beautgrainger147
The 190D was a long distance runner with a good fuel economy 34mpg and 47 mpg on the highway. The car was popular with drivers who had a long commute or with sales representatives.
