1986 Merc - should I???

greenmoneysaver_2

Oh yeah, and to clarify niccy, I am a "bird". . .

And as for the 80's gangsta, have been wondering about blacked out rear windows!

pstuart

We had a 1989 300e auto for four years from 2002. It had 173k on the clock and was only sold due to it becoming 'crusty' underneath.
Returned 30mpg on a run and only costs were for servicing and MOT.
However I do think that it was a good buy due to the previous owner spending £1500 in the previous 12 months and when we sold it the next guy spent £1000 (sometimes I am that lucky).
Later the car was featured widely on TV parked outside a London nightclub with a cargo of gas cylinders and petrol (it still looked good being winched onto a lowloader) this next owner then drove a 4 wheel drive into Glasgow airport and got smoked.

If these type of people trust old Mercedes not to breakdown 'on a mission' then its worth a go.

greenmoneysaver_2

So, my current car choice makes me

1) bird puller
2) 80's gangsta
3) terrorist - you really don't want to call the AA to tow you when you have that lot on board! Although the nightclub was Tiger Tiger, so they were really targetting chavs, maybe not terrorism?

There really is no other choice!

rev_henry

greenmoneysaver wrote: »

So, my current car choice makes me

1) bird puller
2) 80's gangsta
3) terrorist - you really don't want to call the AA to tow you when you have that lot on board! Although the nightclub was Tiger Tiger, so they were really targetting chavs, maybe not terrorism?

There really is no other choice!

Yes, absolutely. Blacked out windows would look pretty good (doesn't cost much to do either!) but would offend the real enthusiasts - you know the ones who are obsessive about it having the original unopened first aid kit etc.

pstuart, these cars have been used by bank robbers, terrorists and gangsters ever since they were first made haven't they?
Upon further research it turns out this is actually a W126, one size up from what I was thinking. In today's equivalent, an S-class rather than an E. This was the car which had airbags and ABS brakes in 1985.

The W123 is always the stereotypical car shown driven by the taliban across the desert on TV. That or a peugeot 504/505, or a toyota pickup. And I have no reason to doubt its accuracy.

Kilty_2

I've found a few old Mercs and BMWs in my search for a banger but the only thing that worries me is running repairs to keep it going between MOTs could be a lot more than other marques.

anewman

rev_henry wrote: »

The felicia was the first skoda made with VW involvement, ergo the first good skoda.

None of the original Skodas were automatic (although I am sure there's at least one person who will have been confused by the "Skoda Auto" badges, lol).

The real first Skoda made with VW involvement was the Favorit Mk2 (from around 1994 onwards), benefited from Polo rear drum brakes, Polo air filter box, bosch monomotronic fuel injection system etc. Felicia was based on the wholly Skoda designed Favorit and had more VW input, including VW's 1.6 and 1.9d engines. VW's "improvements" included a plastic-cased self-destruct thermostat housing, guaranteed to break (skoda made them of cast alloy) and Felicias seem slightly more prone to rust.

I'd seriously love to have an old Merc but insurance and fuel cost would be prohibitive to me.

rev_henry

anewman wrote: »

None of the original Skodas were automatic (although I am sure there's at least one person who will have been confused by the "Skoda Auto" badges, lol).

The real first Skoda made with VW involvement was the Favorit Mk2 (from around 1994 onwards), benefited from Polo rear drum brakes, Polo air filter box, bosch monomotronic fuel injection system etc. Felicia was based on the wholly Skoda designed Favorit and had more VW input, including VW's 1.6 and 1.9d engines. VW's "improvements" included a plastic-cased self-destruct thermostat housing, guaranteed to break (skoda made them of cast alloy) and Felicias seem slightly more prone to rust.

I'd seriously love to have an old Merc but insurance and fuel cost would be prohibitive to me.

Ah right I'm getting confused.

babyshoes

I would be seriously tempted, especially if you can knock them down a fair bit. I love those old Mercs, built like tanks and such a smooth drive!

forgotmyname

The merc will bring you down to earth when you fill up compared to the smart, especially around town.

low 20's to the gallon in a small petrol, less than that with a bigger one, diesel might get past 30mpg if your lucky.

rev_henry

I'm guessing the OP doesn't actually go very far as she doesn't seem to be quite as concerned about it as the rest of us.

You do realise you'll also be the only woman in the country to drive one of these!? That actually belongs to you anyway.