Does anyone use a classic as a daily driver?

[S14]

hesnotthemessiah said:

I use my E30 M3 every day from April to October. Before it gets tucked up in bed until that nasty weather goes away.

Good man! Me to - apart from last year as I moved house so things were tight for a little while - managed not to have to sell it so roll on Springtime!!!

[Electron]

I use a Mercedes 500 SEC as my everyday car.



One thing that really p*sses me off is being tailgated by Polish lorries on the M25. Happy to use a classic everyday but wouldn't want to go though a similar experience in anything less structural ...

Before anyone asks I had to be in the slow lane to peel off the next exit and was blocked ahead by the flow of the traffic ...

[jith]

Electron said:

I use a Mercedes 500 SEC as my everyday car.



One thing that really p*sses me off is being tailgated by Polish lorries on the M25. Happy to use a classic everyday but wouldn't want to go though a similar experience in anything less structural ...

Before anyone asks I had to be in the slow lane to peel off the next exit and was blocked ahead by the flow of the traffic ...

Identical to mine electron; and they are just brilliant!

[Pigeon]

My everyday car is my Volvo 164... works a treat. But then it is a Volvo

[WDRV12]

My Old series 3 4.2 is the work horse but I did use the V12 XJS as everyday use until I sold her in December

[whirlybird]

Use my 1935 Austin 7 Ruby most days, only car that could get up the local hills during the snow, even 4wd Audis gave up , the drivers faces were a picture as they reversed back as I over took them, progress though technology, my a**s !!!!!!!!!!!

[SB - Nigel]

whirlybird said:

Use my 1935 Austin 7 Ruby most days, only car that could get up the local hills during the snow, even 4wd Audis gave up , the drivers faces were a picture as they reversed back as I over took them, progress though technology, my a**s !!!!!!!!!!!

shows up the obsession for wide tyres

[ADP68]

jith said:

Electron said:

I use a Mercedes 500 SEC as my everyday car.



One thing that really p*sses me off is being tailgated by Polish lorries on the M25. Happy to use a classic everyday but wouldn't want to go though a similar experience in anything less structural ...

Before anyone asks I had to be in the slow lane to peel off the next exit and was blocked ahead by the flow of the traffic ...

Identical to mine electron; and they are just brilliant!

Those SEC's are beautiful. I take it they're good everyday cars then. Are they stored over winter because of the salt etc?

[mph]

I really like the look of those 500 SEC's.

I've long been considering getting an older merc as an everyday driver to replace my modern car, but I really know very little about them. What are the pro's and cons and what other mercedes models should I consider?

[NEFOC]

Using my Esprit today. First time this year as the wife needed my Evo 6. Although the fuel pump was a bit sticky she did well and got me to work. Hope I get home OK. Think I'll drop her off for a service next week just to ensure she runs daily though the spring summer.

Tris

[lowdrag]

mph said:

I really like the look of those 500 SEC's.

I've long been considering getting an older merc as an everyday driver to replace my modern car, but I really know very little about them. What are the pro's and cons and what other mercedes models should I consider?

I have a friend who has nbow done over 500,000 in his with very few problems. Everything I have heard about them is positive except the dreaded iron moth but even that has only been wheel arches which is to be expected. One of the last true Mercedes built up to a standard and not down to a price. Have a look here:-

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=549

[jith]

lowdrag said:

mph said:

I really like the look of those 500 SEC's.

I've long been considering getting an older merc as an everyday driver to replace my modern car, but I really know very little about them. What are the pro's and cons and what other mercedes models should I consider?

I have a friend who has nbow done over 500,000 in his with very few problems. Everything I have heard about them is positive except the dreaded iron moth but even that has only been wheel arches which is to be expected. One of the last true Mercedes built up to a standard and not down to a price. Have a look here:-

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=549

You are spot on about the build quality Lowdrag.

A bit about these cars when they were new for your interest. Mercedes set the project up on the drawing board with the intention of producing a proper grand tourer with performance combined with extremely high efficiency.

They only made one mistake, and this was rapidly rectified. The saloon and coupe version of the 500 was launched in 1981 and one of my customers then bought a 500 saloon. I remember driving it and it was utterly superb in its day, phenomenal acceleration and very nimble for such a big car. But in their desire for efficiency, Mercedes reduced the width of the timing chain from duplex to simplex to cut down internal engine friction. Bad mistake.

My customers chain broke on the M1 coming back from a weekend in london; at 125 MPH!
The engine absolutely disintegrated and he was left on the hard shoulder in a pool of oil. The car was two months old and had only done 4000 miles.

This event was occurring with several V8s and they were quickly recalled and the chains put back to duplex. My customer's car was brought in to the dealers, he was given a new car to drive and his engine was replaced in a few days. Despite some of the stories you read on here about Mercedes, they were an entirely different entity in those days. The only other problem was one of these faults that I struggle to understand with a company like MB. It was found that some of these cars suffered from leaks to the rear screen; sometimes when the car was only a couple of years old. Unlike a modern car, the screen is fitted utilising a soft rubber seal, it is not bonded to the shell, and is fitted dry. Why on earth do they do this? The rear screen on the coupes is extremely raked and therefore will always have a pool of water sitting on the screen after rain or even a carwash, it therefore MUST be sealed. All it takes to overcome this problem is a tube of windscreen sealant. If you own one of these cars this is a must.

These really were the only problems with these cars and the chain problem only happened with the first few in production. The car was beautifully put together and featured an all alloy engine, KE Jetronic with the option of closed loop injection with a cat, alloy bonnet and boot lid, a proper pillarless coupe that is the next best thing to a drophead with the windows down and the sunroof open. It had many interesting features like the seat belt assistors that pull the belt forward when you close the door and start the engine and electric, heated seats.

The combination of the engine setup, the final drive gearing and the extremely low Cd guarantee quite simply astounding economy from a 5 Litre engine. My own car will achieve over 30 MPG at 65 MPH. It's the only car I've ever owned with 300 BHP and an economy gauge in the dash!

Despite the fact that it is a 2 door coupe, the rear seating is very spacious and the boot is absolutely collosal. All of these features combined with Aircon as standard make this a touring car of immense ability. If however you are in a hurry, it will show 140 MPH in seconds on the motorway.

Lowdrag has linked to several ads for these cars and you can see from the prices that they have to be one of the best bargains around just now. I don't understand why they are so cheap, but I don't think it will last. If you want one, this is the time to buy.

My conclusion to this is that there are some cars that are just special: it's an indefinable thing, but you know it when you drive them, and this is one.

[TomJS]

jith said:

lowdrag said:

mph said:

I really like the look of those 500 SEC's.

I've long been considering getting an older merc as an everyday driver to replace my modern car, but I really know very little about them. What are the pro's and cons and what other mercedes models should I consider?

I have a friend who has nbow done over 500,000 in his with very few problems. Everything I have heard about them is positive except the dreaded iron moth but even that has only been wheel arches which is to be expected. One of the last true Mercedes built up to a standard and not down to a price. Have a look here:-

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=549

You are spot on about the build quality Lowdrag.

A bit about these cars when they were new for your interest. Mercedes set the project up on the drawing board with the intention of producing a proper grand tourer with performance combined with extremely high efficiency.

They only made one mistake, and this was rapidly rectified. The saloon and coupe version of the 500 was launched in 1981 and one of my customers then bought a 500 saloon. I remember driving it and it was utterly superb in its day, phenomenal acceleration and very nimble for such a big car. But in their desire for efficiency, Mercedes reduced the width of the timing chain from duplex to simplex to cut down internal engine friction. Bad mistake.

My customers chain broke on the M1 coming back from a weekend in london; at 125 MPH!
The engine absolutely disintegrated and he was left on the hard shoulder in a pool of oil. The car was two months old and had only done 4000 miles.

This event was occurring with several V8s and they were quickly recalled and the chains put back to duplex. My customer's car was brought in to the dealers, he was given a new car to drive and his engine was replaced in a few days. Despite some of the stories you read on here about Mercedes, they were an entirely different entity in those days. The only other problem was one of these faults that I struggle to understand with a company like MB. It was found that some of these cars suffered from leaks to the rear screen; sometimes when the car was only a couple of years old. Unlike a modern car, the screen is fitted utilising a soft rubber seal, it is not bonded to the shell, and is fitted dry. Why on earth do they do this? The rear screen on the coupes is extremely raked and therefore will always have a pool of water sitting on the screen after rain or even a carwash, it therefore MUST be sealed. All it takes to overcome this problem is a tube of windscreen sealant. If you own one of these cars this is a must.

These really were the only problems with these cars and the chain problem only happened with the first few in production. The car was beautifully put together and featured an all alloy engine, KE Jetronic with the option of closed loop injection with a cat, alloy bonnet and boot lid, a proper pillarless coupe that is the next best thing to a drophead with the windows down and the sunroof open. It had many interesting features like the seat belt assistors that pull the belt forward when you close the door and start the engine and electric, heated seats.

The combination of the engine setup, the final drive gearing and the extremely low Cd guarantee quite simply astounding economy from a 5 Litre engine. My own car will achieve over 30 MPG at 65 MPH. It's the only car I've ever owned with 300 BHP and an economy gauge in the dash!

Despite the fact that it is a 2 door coupe, the rear seating is very spacious and the boot is absolutely collosal. All of these features combined with Aircon as standard make this a touring car of immense ability. If however you are in a hurry, it will show 140 MPH in seconds on the motorway.

Lowdrag has linked to several ads for these cars and you can see from the prices that they have to be one of the best bargains around just now. I don't understand why they are so cheap, but I don't think it will last. If you want one, this is the time to buy.

My conclusion to this is that there are some cars that are just special: it's an indefinable thing, but you know it when you drive them, and this is one.

At what point did Merc stop building decent cars; is the mid 90's CL (SEC replacement) still ok?

[jith]

TomJS said:

jith said:

lowdrag said:

mph said:

I really like the look of those 500 SEC's.

I've long been considering getting an older merc as an everyday driver to replace my modern car, but I really know very little about them. What are the pro's and cons and what other mercedes models should I consider?

I have a friend who has nbow done over 500,000 in his with very few problems. Everything I have heard about them is positive except the dreaded iron moth but even that has only been wheel arches which is to be expected. One of the last true Mercedes built up to a standard and not down to a price. Have a look here:-

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=549

You are spot on about the build quality Lowdrag.

A bit about these cars when they were new for your interest. Mercedes set the project up on the drawing board with the intention of producing a proper grand tourer with performance combined with extremely high efficiency.

They only made one mistake, and this was rapidly rectified. The saloon and coupe version of the 500 was launched in 1981 and one of my customers then bought a 500 saloon. I remember driving it and it was utterly superb in its day, phenomenal acceleration and very nimble for such a big car. But in their desire for efficiency, Mercedes reduced the width of the timing chain from duplex to simplex to cut down internal engine friction. Bad mistake.

My customers chain broke on the M1 coming back from a weekend in london; at 125 MPH!
The engine absolutely disintegrated and he was left on the hard shoulder in a pool of oil. The car was two months old and had only done 4000 miles.

This event was occurring with several V8s and they were quickly recalled and the chains put back to duplex. My customer's car was brought in to the dealers, he was given a new car to drive and his engine was replaced in a few days. Despite some of the stories you read on here about Mercedes, they were an entirely different entity in those days. The only other problem was one of these faults that I struggle to understand with a company like MB. It was found that some of these cars suffered from leaks to the rear screen; sometimes when the car was only a couple of years old. Unlike a modern car, the screen is fitted utilising a soft rubber seal, it is not bonded to the shell, and is fitted dry. Why on earth do they do this? The rear screen on the coupes is extremely raked and therefore will always have a pool of water sitting on the screen after rain or even a carwash, it therefore MUST be sealed. All it takes to overcome this problem is a tube of windscreen sealant. If you own one of these cars this is a must.

These really were the only problems with these cars and the chain problem only happened with the first few in production. The car was beautifully put together and featured an all alloy engine, KE Jetronic with the option of closed loop injection with a cat, alloy bonnet and boot lid, a proper pillarless coupe that is the next best thing to a drophead with the windows down and the sunroof open. It had many interesting features like the seat belt assistors that pull the belt forward when you close the door and start the engine and electric, heated seats.

The combination of the engine setup, the final drive gearing and the extremely low Cd guarantee quite simply astounding economy from a 5 Litre engine. My own car will achieve over 30 MPG at 65 MPH. It's the only car I've ever owned with 300 BHP and an economy gauge in the dash!

Despite the fact that it is a 2 door coupe, the rear seating is very spacious and the boot is absolutely collosal. All of these features combined with Aircon as standard make this a touring car of immense ability. If however you are in a hurry, it will show 140 MPH in seconds on the motorway.

Lowdrag has linked to several ads for these cars and you can see from the prices that they have to be one of the best bargains around just now. I don't understand why they are so cheap, but I don't think it will last. If you want one, this is the time to buy.

My conclusion to this is that there are some cars that are just special: it's an indefinable thing, but you know it when you drive them, and this is one.

At what point did Merc stop building decent cars; is the mid 90's CL (SEC replacement) still ok?

Hi Tom,

Mercedes merged with Chrysler in 1998, and it was, for many reasons, an unmitigated disaster. There are many arguments as to who lost out and what exactly transpired between the parties, but one aspect that is absolutely undeniable is the alarming lowering of production standards from the mid nineties to around 2005; the merger ended in 2007.

The most significant problem was rust, albeit more prevalent in some models than others. This happened with frightening speed on some cars: I'm talking about cars only 3 months old developing serious corrosion.

I think if you are considering a car from this era, you have to have it fully examined in detail, and make sure it has had no history of corrosion or repairs. My personal view in this is that I would not and never will buy an MB from this period. If I was obliged to however, I would not touch one that had any history of corrosion repairs.

This is yet again another example of how corporate boardroom greed and unsuppressed ambition can lead to disaster: just like British Leyland.

[S47]

Often considered it, If I did it would have to have an efficient modern fuel injected engine, so I guesss that limits the candidates somewhat,
Maybe a Mk2 cortina or Anglia estate with a zetec or duratec.
Anyone drive one of those??

[ADP68]

Jith, you are a fountain of knowledge. Is the 560 a lot worse on the fuel front? I was thinking of getting an SEc as a daily driver, but my run is only 4 miles each way to the station and back.

[RB26DETT]

Electron said:

I use a Mercedes 500 SEC as my everyday car.



One thing that really p*sses me off is being tailgated by Polish lorries on the M25. Happy to use a classic everyday but wouldn't want to go though a similar experience in anything less structural ...

Before anyone asks I had to be in the slow lane to peel off the next exit and was blocked ahead by the flow of the traffic ...

I love these !

[williamp]

RB26DETT said:

Electron said:

I use a Mercedes 500 SEC as my everyday car.



One thing that really p*sses me off is being tailgated by Polish lorries on the M25. Happy to use a classic everyday but wouldn't want to go though a similar experience in anything less structural ...

Before anyone asks I had to be in the slow lane to peel off the next exit and was blocked ahead by the flow of the traffic ...

I love these !

A beautiful car.

[jith]

ADP68 said:

Jith, you are a fountain of knowledge. Is the 560 a lot worse on the fuel front? I was thinking of getting an SEc as a daily driver, but my run is only 4 miles each way to the station and back.

I have to say ADP, that this kind of use is not what these cars were designed to do. But if you want to use it like that, I think you really need to stretch its legs on a weekend!

If you are going to do lots of short runs starting with a cold engine, it is vital you get a 560 with a cat. Now having said that, I can't remember working on one that didn't have a cat. The advantage is you are running the injection as a closed loop system; i.e. the lambda sensor is constantly metering and adjusting the fuel to keep it really lean which is obviously very important on these kinds of journey.

I would think it might even work out more economical than my 500 for example which doesn't have a cat, but it is an '86. I would look for a late '89-'90 560, but for god's sake make sure the cat is ok before you buy. They are very expensive.

[ADP68]

I want one. How does one know if the cat is good? Is it an inspection job, or is there something a mechanical numpty (like me) can diagnose?