Jumping ship from Mercedes.
Discussion
Hi all,
I drive and maintain a 190e 2.6 but fancy a change. It's fast enough, very comfy and i like the 80s styling.
I'm thinking of moving to a similar model and have narrowed it down to BMW 5 series e34 or Jag xj x300. In both cases inline 6 seems like the best bet.
Can anyone comment on either of these two model compared to old Mercs? Are they as easy to work on? Is parts availability/price as good? Reliability?
Thanks
I drive and maintain a 190e 2.6 but fancy a change. It's fast enough, very comfy and i like the 80s styling.
I'm thinking of moving to a similar model and have narrowed it down to BMW 5 series e34 or Jag xj x300. In both cases inline 6 seems like the best bet.
Can anyone comment on either of these two model compared to old Mercs? Are they as easy to work on? Is parts availability/price as good? Reliability?
Thanks
Might be worth posting this in this thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I am rebuilding an E39 535i at the moment.
Although it's slightly newer than the E34 - I have been able to buy all parts brand new from BMW. This includes window switch packs, insulation foam, dashboard, all electrical connector blocks, hardware etc. There hasn't been a single part I haven't been able to buy, with the majority of it next day collection. My car is almost 20 years old, I would think the E34 would be as well catered for.
I have a friend who rebuilt an E28 5 Series and he was able to source the majority of the parts straight from BMW. I believe they have a classic parts catalogue.
Although it's slightly newer than the E34 - I have been able to buy all parts brand new from BMW. This includes window switch packs, insulation foam, dashboard, all electrical connector blocks, hardware etc. There hasn't been a single part I haven't been able to buy, with the majority of it next day collection. My car is almost 20 years old, I would think the E34 would be as well catered for.
I have a friend who rebuilt an E28 5 Series and he was able to source the majority of the parts straight from BMW. I believe they have a classic parts catalogue.
Combustion29 said:
Great, sounds similar to mercedes. They can be very cagey about giving out their part numbers but it's not usually too difficult to get them to talk.
Part numbers are usually very easy to source for BMW, for an E34 go here: https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/select?product=P&...It is still possible to order a lot from them for older stuff and if they don't have it a google search of the part number will often lead you to a way of getting said part!
Stu08 said:
I am rebuilding an E39 535i at the moment.
Although it's slightly newer than the E34 - I have been able to buy all parts brand new from BMW. This includes window switch packs, insulation foam, dashboard, all electrical connector blocks, hardware etc. There hasn't been a single part I haven't been able to buy, with the majority of it next day collection. My car is almost 20 years old, I would think the E34 would be as well catered for.
I have a friend who rebuilt an E28 5 Series and he was able to source the majority of the parts straight from BMW. I believe they have a classic parts catalogue.
That sounds awesome!! Now where is that build thread?? Although it's slightly newer than the E34 - I have been able to buy all parts brand new from BMW. This includes window switch packs, insulation foam, dashboard, all electrical connector blocks, hardware etc. There hasn't been a single part I haven't been able to buy, with the majority of it next day collection. My car is almost 20 years old, I would think the E34 would be as well catered for.
I have a friend who rebuilt an E28 5 Series and he was able to source the majority of the parts straight from BMW. I believe they have a classic parts catalogue.
Parts availability on the X300 6 cyl XJ is very good and they're Tonka toy simple to work on. Drive train and engines are bomb proof, the killer will be rust.
Don't dismiss the later X308 V8 though, it's a much quicker and more refined car but you must buy one with all the issues like secondary timing chain tensioners and water pumps sorted. The 300 is a good enough motorway mile muncher but its a ponderous old tank to drive round town or down the lanes and is noisy and harsh when extended whereas like for like engine capacity the V8 XJ is very much quieter and significantly more lively and responsive. You'll struggle to better mid to high 20's MPG with both.
If you want to beat Mercedes ride quality then buy an XJ with 16" wheels and comfort / touring suspension. Anything else will disappoint.
Don't dismiss the later X308 V8 though, it's a much quicker and more refined car but you must buy one with all the issues like secondary timing chain tensioners and water pumps sorted. The 300 is a good enough motorway mile muncher but its a ponderous old tank to drive round town or down the lanes and is noisy and harsh when extended whereas like for like engine capacity the V8 XJ is very much quieter and significantly more lively and responsive. You'll struggle to better mid to high 20's MPG with both.
If you want to beat Mercedes ride quality then buy an XJ with 16" wheels and comfort / touring suspension. Anything else will disappoint.
If you have a sorted 190e you should keep it. These are the kinds of cars which get under your skin and you'd be very disappointed to give it up for another car and later regret it.
I daily an E34 and have purchased a lot of parts for it from BMW, parts availability in general is not a problem. The mechanicals are tough and easy to work on. They drive pretty nicely once all the suspension has been replaced however the steering box (not rack!) does blunt any sporting pretences. They rust but no worse than Mercedes of the era. They are prone to irritating niggling error messages on the onboard computer. You'd probably find it quite heavy compared to the 190e which is a small car by modern standards.
I daily an E34 and have purchased a lot of parts for it from BMW, parts availability in general is not a problem. The mechanicals are tough and easy to work on. They drive pretty nicely once all the suspension has been replaced however the steering box (not rack!) does blunt any sporting pretences. They rust but no worse than Mercedes of the era. They are prone to irritating niggling error messages on the onboard computer. You'd probably find it quite heavy compared to the 190e which is a small car by modern standards.
Jaguar steve said:
Parts availability on the X300 6 cyl XJ is very good and they're Tonka toy simple to work on. Drive train and engines are bomb proof, the killer will be rust.
Don't dismiss the later X308 V8 though, it's a much quicker and more refined car but you must buy one with all the issues like secondary timing chain tensioners and water pumps sorted. The 300 is a good enough motorway mile muncher but its a ponderous old tank to drive round town or down the lanes and is noisy and harsh when extended whereas like for like engine capacity the V8 XJ is very much quieter and significantly more lively and responsive. You'll struggle to better mid to high 20's MPG with both.
If you want to beat Mercedes ride quality then buy an XJ with 16" wheels and comfort / touring suspension. Anything else will disappoint.
The Merc is the first car I've worked on properly so it made sense to stick with an inline 6. I suppose I was wary of a V8 as it would be new to me plus more complex. Also with the V8 I have to discount certain years due to the nikasil issue. Also I don't like the styling as much on the later model.Don't dismiss the later X308 V8 though, it's a much quicker and more refined car but you must buy one with all the issues like secondary timing chain tensioners and water pumps sorted. The 300 is a good enough motorway mile muncher but its a ponderous old tank to drive round town or down the lanes and is noisy and harsh when extended whereas like for like engine capacity the V8 XJ is very much quieter and significantly more lively and responsive. You'll struggle to better mid to high 20's MPG with both.
If you want to beat Mercedes ride quality then buy an XJ with 16" wheels and comfort / touring suspension. Anything else will disappoint.
HustleRussell said:
If you have a sorted 190e you should keep it. These are the kinds of cars which get under your skin and you'd be very disappointed to give it up for another car and later regret it.
I daily an E34 and have purchased a lot of parts for it from BMW, parts availability in general is not a problem. The mechanicals are tough and easy to work on. They drive pretty nicely once all the suspension has been replaced however the steering box (not rack!) does blunt any sporting pretences. They rust but no worse than Mercedes of the era. They are prone to irritating niggling error messages on the onboard computer. You'd probably find it quite heavy compared to the 190e which is a small car by modern standards.
I like my 190e but cosmetically it's too costly to get to the standard I want. I'd rather buy a car with a good exterior to begin with. Sure I could just get another 190e but now that I have some mechanical skills, seems fun to try different cars. Also there is something really classy about the Jag. I daily an E34 and have purchased a lot of parts for it from BMW, parts availability in general is not a problem. The mechanicals are tough and easy to work on. They drive pretty nicely once all the suspension has been replaced however the steering box (not rack!) does blunt any sporting pretences. They rust but no worse than Mercedes of the era. They are prone to irritating niggling error messages on the onboard computer. You'd probably find it quite heavy compared to the 190e which is a small car by modern standards.
HustleRussell said:
The steel block straight 6 in the E34 is a great engine if looked after. The later gen engines fitted to most E39s are aluminium. They are slightly lighter but less robust and no more powerful.
Is there a particular one to go for or are the M50 and M20 both pretty good?Combustion29 said:
HustleRussell said:
The steel block straight 6 in the E34 is a great engine if looked after. The later gen engines fitted to most E39s are aluminium. They are slightly lighter but less robust and no more powerful.
Is there a particular one to go for or are the M50 and M20 both pretty good?Combustion29 said:
I like my 190e but cosmetically it's too costly to get to the standard I want. I'd rather buy a car with a good exterior to begin with. Sure I could just get another 190e but now that I have some mechanical skills, seems fun to try different cars. Also there is something really classy about the Jag.
That seems a shame OP - I had a 2 lire 190e many years ago and it's one of the cars I wish I hadn't sold! What about a W124 Merc? Maybe a 300e-24 valve or a 320e? I drove a couple back in the 90s and they were great cars! Where I went wrong was buying a C280 Sport to replace my 190e.
Mr Tidy said:
That seems a shame OP - I had a 2 lire 190e many years ago and it's one of the cars I wish I hadn't sold!
What about a W124 Merc? Maybe a 300e-24 valve or a 320e? I drove a couple back in the 90s and they were great cars! Where I went wrong was buying a C280 Sport to replace my 190e.
Yeh unfortunately it needs a respray which doesn't make sense given the value of the car. W124 would be very similar but I don't like the styling at the front. It has a strange sloping face which isn't to my taste. I'd really like a w126 sec but too expensive now. Like you say, I would avoid any of the newer Mercs.What about a W124 Merc? Maybe a 300e-24 valve or a 320e? I drove a couple back in the 90s and they were great cars! Where I went wrong was buying a C280 Sport to replace my 190e.
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