RE: SOTW: Mercedes E300 Turbodiesel

[TiMopar]

I have just bought a 98 c240 estate with the strandard falling off paint around the wheelarches for £800. Whether that was wise remains to be seen, but what amazes me is that none of the prior owners were willing or able to do anything about it. Are Merc owners just not 'hands on' people?

[anything fast]

lionrampant said:

That interior just pushes it over the edge into unacceptable territory - it's not even luxurious.

on ebay; fake leather seat covers £10.99, fake wood steering wheel cover £2.99

job done!

[matthias73]

I appreciate this is a fine car, but it does nothing to excite me. It doesn't go that fast, its not a v8 or similarly interesting motor, the colour is terribly bland, and despite being a merc, doesn't make you look like you won the lottery, which many of these sheds can do.

However the tiny part of me that urges to become a history teacher and wear tweed does like it.

[Hellbound]

Strawman said:

Hellbound said:

So you can change the exhaust and make it sound like a lazy, old, badly cared for V8 at low speeds, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uaYuWXT0Kg

...then change the turbo for a bigger one and remap it. I wonder what you'd end up with.

I think this earlier estate has the engine similar to the SOTW one fitted plus a turbo from a truck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24afjVqm2Uw

That's pretty epic really. A diesel estate from Mercedes that's been fettled with is far more interesting than your usual, numb Audi A6 with a remap and stuck on S6 addenda.

[handbraketurn]

You can run these on veg oil...

[fat freddie]

Got to say my R plate E320 has been a great way to smoke about the place this past year or so. The rust thing seems to be quite random, affecting some cars and not others. Mine's got no more small scabs than you'd expect on any 15 year old car but an identical one parked two streets away looks like it's spent its entire life down a salt mine.

Couldn't do a Diseasel though, and if that's what the cloth seats look like I'm glad mine's got moo, but so far it's been a great buy for £900.

[Red than Dead]

mattman said:

is it me, or does the rear look a different shade on the passenger side? picky at shed money? of course!

I had one the same colour and the panels looked different when it was new!!!

[urquattro]

[quote=TiMopar]I have just bought a 98 c240 estate with the strandard falling off paint around the wheelarches for £800. Whether that was wise remains to be seen, but what amazes me is that none of the prior owners were willing or able to do anything about it. Are Merc owners just not 'hands on' people?

I run an 1985 W126 500 sel, its done just short of 200k miles and in 13 years never touched the engine beyond really over the top oil/servicing etc.
The bodywork bill (3 years gap since last episodes) to sort out all issues, spray and lacquer etc was £640, you can not run a quality care without this care as well.
Its when they get old and grabbed by people like us they get cared for again.

[xxxscimitarxxx]

glendon said:

What on God's Good Earth were designers of seat upholstery snorting/injecting/rubbing in their eyeballs in the late nineties?

mind altering drugs were a good deal back then

[slarnge]

Good strong engine and not bad to drive,just watch for rust!!

[Gatefold]

lionrampant said:

That interior just pushes it over the edge into unacceptable territory - it's not even luxurious.

I raise you this.



C230k

[Bash Brannigan]

Gatefold said:

lionrampant said:

That interior just pushes it over the edge into unacceptable territory - it's not even luxurious.

I raise you this.



C230k

I like that...is that bad? It's not a million miles away from the Golf GTI's tartan interior. I also like the velour interiors from SELs and the pinstripe ones from 1980s Porsches though.

[Gatefold]

Bash Brannigan said:

I like that...is that bad? It's not a million miles away from the Golf GTI's tartan interior. I also like the velour interiors from SELs and the pinstripe ones from 1980s Porsches though.

Personally, I quite like it as well, because it adds a bit of character to one of Mercedes' dullest interiors. But the car has been for sale for a long long time, and I'm guessing the interior is to blame, because its a decent spec otherwise.

[mrpenks]

For my money, I'd rather this car that also has a reputation for rusting, electrical niggles and shoddy quality

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...

[DamienB]

mrpenks said:

For my money, I'd rather this car that also has a reputation for rusting, electrical niggles and shoddy quality

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...

I knew it'd be a 166 without even clicking... but they do look lovely.

[mrpenks]

DamienB said:

mrpenks said:

For my money, I'd rather this car that also has a reputation for rusting, electrical niggles and shoddy quality

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...

I knew it'd be a 166 without even clicking... but they do look lovely.

Haha, nasty stickers aside, it seems okay. And you can keep it out in the rain without it melting like the merc so others can enjoy looking at it too.

[CDP]

TiMopar said:

I have just bought a 98 c240 estate with the strandard falling off paint around the wheelarches for £800. Whether that was wise remains to be seen, but what amazes me is that none of the prior owners were willing or able to do anything about it. Are Merc owners just not 'hands on' people?

My Vectra's got a couple of scuffs. No point in spending the money fixing a car that I'm going to get rid of for a few hundred. I've found metallic paint too difficult to do myself.

[Rhythmeister]

That engine from the linked video sounds HORRENDOUS. For similar money buy a Legacy quad cam or 2.2L instead, simples!

[Buzypea]

Zzzzzzz wake me up for next weeks SOTW

[Esseesse]

Frimley111R said:

LuS1fer said:

Crap diesel. Rated 0. Next.

+ 1

+1 what a piece of st. I guess the e39 might be a little bigger but no wonder it was "the best car in the world" when Mercedes were churning out this kind of junk.