Lacking enthusiasm....please help.......

Lacking enthusiasm....please help.......

Author
Discussion

maston

Original Poster:

872 posts

151 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
All,

I have purchased one of my dream cars at an unbelievable price biggrin
It is an 1999 W220 Mercedes S500, 1 owner from new, only 91k miles and is a beauty.
It is near mint condition with only a couple of small hardly noticeable rust imperfections.
Unfortunately ALL mercs tend to rust in places (This is my 3rd merc now).
If you didnt't already know Mercedes S class depreciate hugely and considering this baby cost over £75k (I paid a fraction of that) new I personally think they are an absolute bargain now.
Electric everything (even the headrests !!!) beautiful full leather electric heated seats.
The drive is awesome, literally silent (double glazed windows) and the power, goodness me, with 300bhp it totally flies. The kickdown is immense smile
I purchased this as a weekend car but am using it as my daily driver at the moment due to someone hitting my BM at the rear which is now getting repaired.
I appreciate an old merc is not everyone's cup of tea but I love it.
I will not go on and on about it but my problem is my poor 390SE is not getting a look in at all.

We came back from holiday last week, tried the 390 and it started misbehaving yet AGAIN and after a couple of miles was parked up and has been left ever since.

The problem is the merc and wedge are completely chalk and cheese and at the moment the merc is winning in every aspect. It is even more economical than the wedge averaging about 23mpg. Utter comfort, so so quiet and goes like a rocket. Upon kickdown you can just about hear the 5 litre V8 take off biggrin I have owned many fast cars but this is in another league.

So please help me in seeing sense and not totally giving up on the 390.
All comments positive/negative/indifferent appreciated.

Hope all are well.........

Kind Regards

smash

2,062 posts

227 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
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Erm....think I should probably keep out of this one wink

Congrats on the Monster Merc purchase tho smile

PRAGMATIC MODE: There is a 100% guaranteed solution to 390SE running problems...4 barrel carb conversion - junk the POS flapper system. Not cheap though so you'd have to really want to keep the car and not be bothered about returns to do it. Difference between you and me is you actually love the car really (yes you do!)

Edited by smash on Thursday 28th August 13:54

ElvisWedgely

2,714 posts

164 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
I am in a similar situation to you. For a number of years now I have owned a BMW 645CI Convertible. It seats, four in comfort, the top comes down, everything is electric, it's a V8, and in sport mode it's a bullet. It also looks awesome, cost about 80k when new and value for money second hand, and is more economic than the Wedge. I've always owned a TVR along side it, usually a V8 Wedge. However, this is where we differ. If I don't use the Wedge for even one weekend, I miss it immensely and suffer from withdrawl symtoms. Which do I enjoy driving the most? The Wedge ofcourse. The sound, the looks, the attention, the danger and the power. And anyway, the BMW never goes wrong, so what fun is that?

Tony. TCB.

stevoj

798 posts

160 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
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Break it Ian, then mine will be even rarer!!

Only joking mate, if you get rid then when the TVR WEDGE VIDEO eventually comes out, remember? the one shot at BBWF, the part when we were interviewed and asked how long had we been friends because we had the same car,then we answered we have only just met would stand for nothing.

Keep it, sort it, get rid of the BM and have two cars you love.

gmw9666

2,734 posts

199 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Ah but that 1 day when the old girl works and you take it for a blast, with small children and grown adults stopping and staring with joy at the sound of something fantastic

Your car your choice. I find that folk who post this type of topic are actually looking for approval from the group to make a decision, which you already have made in your head. I did, which really is silly when we are the age that we are

So from personal experience, if you are bored / tired of her get shot and let the next custodian take charge


440Interceptor

636 posts

146 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
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My 10 cents worth: You have to love these cars for them to make any sense. If you don't, then you should sell to someone who will. Oh, and when those ubercars do go wrong they will stab you in the wallet big time.

mrzigazaga

18,534 posts

164 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Ian your making my eye twitch...The solution is simple..SELL the Merc...SELL the Beema..Spend the money on the 390SE....Or SELL the Wedge...SELL the Beema then moan about how much you miss the Wedge..As said i hope you know a friendly Merc mechanic these cars are not good being interfered with by Fred in his shed...Parts are NOT cheap either...Good luck..I must say though ...That model of Merc looks like a barge of characterless garbage..(Sorry) ..You'll be smoking cigars soon and wearing Chiquita gold bracelets...Give me a Wedge any day..A real mans car....Ziga


PS:If you turn up at a "Sausage meet" in it then i will encourage the squirrels to eat peanuts off it...biggrin

smash

2,062 posts

227 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Wedge drivers scare mongering about Mercedes? Really?! laugh

maston

Original Poster:

872 posts

151 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Thanks for all the replies biggrin

Steve, you may have a good idea and totally agree with your comments too Scott smile
Mark, that is the sort of reply I was expecting from you mate, thank you, lol rofl

Regarding the comments about reliability I can't see how a 91k mile merc s500 will go wrong really, certainly seems good to me biggrin

The BM looks nice and I will agree with zig the merc looks a bit naff in comparison. But looks aside the merc is a fantastic car, much better equiped than the beamer and the ride is second to none. Utter comfort and totally quiet travelling at warp speed if required smile
I like the fact that the merc looks a bit naff though, I have already had a youth pull up next to me in his modern turbo tin box thingy trying to race me. I don't normally oblige but on this occasion I decided to leave the spotty youth for dust biggrin

I'm sure my love for the wedge will come back but it will feel quite sluggish against the merc. I think to be honest I'm not that fussy about the look of a car, I just want it to be FcensoredK fast yikes

Now, must start looking at Boxsters again...... biggrin





Edited by maston on Thursday 28th August 17:24

celcius

688 posts

254 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Awesome car , nice choice

Greg

maston

Original Poster:

872 posts

151 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
celcius said:
Awesome car , nice choice

Greg
Hi Greg, not sure if you mean the merc and not sure if you are taking the P or not ??? rofl

celcius

688 posts

254 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Hi ian
No im not taking the piss,
I do mean the merc.
Photos please

Greg

chj

763 posts

212 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Once you have had a wedge, they get in the blood and are impossible to forget.
If you sell it you will probably buy another later on.

bluezeeland

1,965 posts

158 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
perhaps if you'd spend what you paid for the Merc on the 390 ? biggrin

Rockettvr

1,804 posts

142 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Hi Ian
Congrats on the new purchase - those mercs are an awesome piece of kit. As said the repair bills can be horrific but the upside is that they were a very expensive bit of kit new and should have been maintained to a very high standard so should be very reliable.
Back to the 390 - Tbh I think you've run out of love for it ( the fact that you've been out and bought a merc kind of underlines that) so my advice would be to move it on to someone who'll put some time money and effort into her. Enjoy the merc for the winter and if you find your pining for another wedge come spring then you can buy another-maybe by then smash will have his sorted and you can buy that rofl (sorry Scott couldn't resist the dig!)
Hope to still see you around from time to time
Ron

adam quantrill

11,535 posts

241 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
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Take the engine out of the Merc and drop it into the wedge!

smash

2,062 posts

227 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
Ron - fair game mate, no worries lol! biggrin

superwedge

1,286 posts

147 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
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I think the doctor;s is open at 9 tomm ,I think he will help you?rotatebangheadbiglaugh

jon haines

950 posts

245 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
In my opinion its simple, we dont have wedges for the comfort, fancy gizmos, fuel economy or practicallity. We have them because they put a massive smile on your face when you floor it! If yours is not behaving then I would invest time/money to sort it out. Converting to carbs not for me a good efi flapper out performs carb set up anytime but emphasis on a good efi flapper. Hope that helps.

mrzigazaga

18,534 posts

164 months

Thursday 28th August 2014
quotequote all
jon haines said:
In my opinion its simple, we dont have wedges for the comfort, fancy gizmos, fuel economy or practicallity. We have them because they put a massive smile on your face when you floor it! If yours is not behaving then I would invest time/money to sort it out. Converting to carbs not for me a good efi flapper out performs carb set up anytime but emphasis on a good efi flapper. Hope that helps.
+1...Although i find mine very comfy and the TVR lighter is my favourite gizmo even if i don't smoke anymore...It also heats up very quickly and doubles up as an anti-aggresion device..Luckily there is no-one in south London with a circular burn mark on their forehead...Yet!.

You could get the engine rebuilt for 3K...Don't worry about the paint yet..Once I'm competent with the sewing machine then i will help sort out your interior..Obviously you would have to cover the cost of materials, My hourly rate will be very reasonable and you will be indebted to me forever but its a small price to pay...smile

Before you know it you will have a reliable decent looking rare Wedge..Simples....