Advantage: Mercedes

[gedcruise]

I have advocated old school Benzes as good cars for young drivers.
A couple of hours ago, our twenty year old got involved in an accident with my lovely old W201. The 190 has rolled its last mile, but the airbag on this nineteen year old machine still worked, and, more imporatantly, my son is just fine.
Cars can be replaced. In an accident, you would rather lose the car than anyone's life. In the old days, Mercedes used the slogan "Engineered like no other car in the world." Based upon the four that we have owned, I have always thought this was more than just hype.

 

[Ed_T]

I advocate driving school for lead footed teens.

 

[Kestas]

I'm glad to hear about your episode, and that everything turned out as well as it could.

But it's too bad that Mercedes has decided to throw in a lot of useless junk that often breaks and costs an arm and a leg to repair, along with their fine engineering. I love the solid ride, suspension, and safety... but just as I fix one item, another breaks. I have a 95 E320 bought used, and it's not the car that your old W201 was, nor was it the car I expected it to be. Unless Mercedes starts to simplify their cars, I'm afraid this will be the last Benz I'll buy.

I've got an arm full of money, and the automaker that builds an attractive, sensible car that has the ride and strong body of a Mercedes, and is reliable and easy to repair will get my business.

 

[moribundman]

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the airbag on this nineteen year old machine still worked

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When did the airbag expire? I think my 1996 Audi requires new airbags in 2010 (I have to check).

 

[Quattro Pete]

I believe Audi recommends replacing the airbags every 10 years.

 

[gedcruise]

Kestas,
Agree with you. Current Mercedes cars are known for trouble. Lord help the second or third owner.
OTOH, the 123s, 124s and 201s are classic old-school Benz. Simple, easy to fix, cheap parts, reliable, and very long lived.
For Ed T,
since you have no idea what the circumstances of the accident were, I would advocate that you keep your uniformed opinions to yourself.

 

[Aldaris]

I'm not a big fan of old Mercedes Benzes. They're a pain to work on and the parts are very expensive. What you're really paying for with those cars is the solid clunk when you close the door.

 

[Tornado Red]

Several months ago there was a news story here in San Diego County, about a head-on collision involving a late-model Mercedes sedan driven by a teenage girl.

She and her younger brother suffered scratches and bruises, the two occupants of the other car died at the scene.

I don't know what the other car was, but I know the two-lane road where it happened, and the typical speed is 50-60 mph. I think the other car may have been driving faster when it crossed the center line.

The parents of those teenagers were probably very glad their kids were in a Mercedes instead of a less-safe car.

 

[1sttruck]

Some relatives were driving too fast after a rain in the SoCal desert area, and the Taurus hydroplaned. The car finally rolled a few times and also went end over end. They were both back at work in a couple of days, and they said that a couple of friends ended buying one after seeing what they went thru.

 

[Kestas]

I'll second that. Not many people know that the Taurus/Sable line are a safe model.

 

[rjundi]

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Some relatives were driving too fast after a rain in the SoCal desert area, and the Taurus hydroplaned.

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Beyond slowing down I wonder if they buy better tires now? I found most hydroplaning has to do with cruddy tires.

My WRX rides on Bridgestone RE960's($155/each in 205/55/16) I have yet to experience any hydroplaning in torrential downpours and ponding at speed limits or even above (eg 75MPH in 65MPH).

 

[1sttruck]

"I found most hydroplaning has to do with cruddy tires."

Rain in SoCal seems like it can be like ice storms in other areas. The dad of one of my daughter's friends has an auto repair shop, and he said that rain, even more than winter, produces the bulk of his customers.

 

[rpn453]

Not too many cars these days aren't safe, until they get smoked by a bigger one!

 

[gedcruise]

Aldaris,
Are you speaking from personal experience, or what you have heard?
I've owned four older Benzes, and in my experience, they are easy to work on, parts prices are quite reasonable, and any Mercedes dealer can order any part for any car, something in which Daimler-Benz has long taken pride.
What you are paying for is a level of structural soundness and suspension performance found in few cars contemporary with an old Benz. You also get, except for the twin-cam sixes, engines of legendary durability (not just the diesels), and a really unbreakble automatic. The 115 and the 123 have a well controlled ride and fine handling, combined with a level of suspension compliance that you cannot understand without driving one. The 124 and the 201 are also very good, although I really prefer the 123 out of the group.
The structure of the 123, in particular, was a revelation when the car was new back in the 'seventies. That is what you are paying for, then as well as now.

 

[Kestas]

I'd probably be sharing the same experience as yourself, but I wanted a convertible. Hence, my troubles. Within the past two weeks my convertible top, seat belt presenters, and roll bar stopped working. My expectations were much higher for this car.

I retire the car each season when I can work on such issues. Unfortunately that means my 71 Cutlass gets neglected.

 

[moribundman]

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I believe Audi recommends replacing the airbags every 10 years.

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I know replacement is not yet due and the car is 11 years old. Maybe I'll remember to check today. VW extended the replacement interval on the Corrado by a few years to over 12 years.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

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I advocate driving school for lead footed teens.

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I advocate mandatory driving school with strict tests based upon military standards that instruct people on proper driving habits over long periods of time that only allow those who clearly will avoid collisions to earn licenses to legally drive for anyone who wants to obtain a driver's license. I also advocate changing age restrictions to height restrictions, as height is inversely proportional to the size of blind spots while age has no relation to safe driving habits; what does have an effect on driving habits from which higher ages tend to diverge are the types of driving styles people are taught to idolize, such as those seen in video games like Grand Theft Auto.

 

[gedcruise]

All well and good, but the simple fact is that accidents are random events, and no amount of instruction will eliminate them.
Airline operations are conducted at well beyond the standards of any military air arm, for example, but there are still accidents. Not very often these days, but every now and then.

 

[1sttruck]

Maybe it's different now, but years back when working on a VW engine I thought I'd replace a bunch of fasteners, and thought that Mercedes would have better metric stuff than the local auto shops. I told the parts guy what I was doing, he thought it was a good idea, gathered all the stuff per my list, rang it up and then said 'oh my'. He paused, said that he couldn't charge that much, and offered a reasonable price that I accepted. I haven't gone back for anything else, and have related the story to friends with sticker shock for repairs on their BMWs and Mercedes.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

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All well and good, but the simple fact is that accidents are random events, and no amount of instruction will eliminate them.
Airline operations are conducted at well beyond the standards of any military air arm, for example, but there are still accidents. Not very often these days, but every now and then.

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If people drive carefully enough (i.e. within the traffic laws without driving aggressively while anticipating potential problems before they occur), they should be able to avoid collisions the entire duration of their lives, much like many airline pilots, with the exception of airborne particles like small rocks (one hit my window recently) and debris (a bumper from a vehicle that did have a collision struck the bottom of my car not to long ago, it was being covered by a plastic bag such that I could not figure out what it was until it was too late).