Rob, old school Merc fan

[Robert Day]

I recently acquired a very clean W202 C220 1995 elegance, grey leather interior and have spent the last 3 months detailing, changing instrument cluster bulbs, fitting new door rubbers, fitting 4 lovely 16" refurbed 8 Hole E Class wheels and a heap of silly jobs from changing the electrical arial to cleaning up and painting the scuttle panel assembly after discovering water in the blower motor tray. (It was still working, dunno how).
I bought it with damaged left hand side and both o's doors and wing were repalced and painted by the excellent A Reid sprayer.
It's almost done. Need to get the boot sprayed,

Previous Mercs owned:

My beloved W123 series. Fully restored. Took 6 years. Sold it 9 years ago [sob]

Oh and I just sold the boring old C220 cdi.

 

[LostKiwi]

Looks lovely!
Welcome.
I'm also an old school fan - mines an r129 500SL.

 

[Srdl]

Hi Rob and welcome to the forum - that's a interesting collection of cars that you've had

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Hello and welcome Rob. Nice cars, all of them I'll bet you have no trouble selling them?

Nice job on the 1995 model too, Happily, that comes from before the era in which MB were prone to rust.

Alex.

 

[A.J.]

Hi Rob, welcome to the forum

 

[John Laidlaw]

Welcome Rob, admire your patience, wish I had it and the time!

 

[Robert Day]

Hello and welcome Rob. Nice cars, all of them I'll bet you have no trouble selling them?

Nice job on the 1995 model too, Happily, that comes from before the era in which MB were prone to rust.

Alex.

Well, I might have to duck after posting this one but I think the W202 series was the last of the proper Mercedes. In fact that should be more specific: until 1998. My W reg (2000) C200 sport was a great car, not powerful but beautifully balanced and harnessed. However, it was a rust bucket and I trawled the web for eons trying to find a W 202 sport model that was really clean to play with but to no avail.

Another anathema that I owned. Great (in a straight line), solid, well built, very reliable but couldn't live with the FWD malarkey. I say 'anathema' because I cannot fathom why they didn't go rear wheel drive. I think it could have competed with all the executive cars and would still be in existence. More juicy than my W202 C220 loaded up with lead. SAAB 2.2t.

I never did sell that band stand. Mind you, it wasn't mine.

 

[A.J.]

Well, I might have to duck after posting this one but I think the W202 series was the last of the proper Mercedes. In fact that should be more specific: until 1998. My W reg (2000) C200 sport was a great car, not powerful but beautifully balanced and harnessed. However, it was a rust bucket and I trawled the web for eons trying to find a W 202 sport model that was really clean to play with but to no avail.

Another anathema that I owned. Great (in a straight line), solid, well built, very reliable but couldn't live with the FWD malarkey. I say 'anathema' because I cannot fathom why they didn't go rear wheel drive. I think it could have competed with all the executive cars and would still be in existence. More juicy than my W202 C220 loaded up with lead. SAAB 2.2t.

I never did sell that band stand. Mind you, it wasn't mine.

Saab turbo lag........I remember it well !!

 

[LostKiwi]

I also had that model of 900. Mine was a 2.0t SE and as you say great in a straight line. Corners on the other hand were downright scary....

 

[Alex M Grieve]

I had SAABs between 1972 and 1985. I had a 95, a 99L, a 99 EMS and a 900 GLS. The earlier ones were much better but the last one I had (900 GLS) was unreliable. At one point they changed from being a niche enthusiasts marque to thinking they were BMWs - marble lined dealerships and BMW prices, both for purchase and servicing. Sadly, as the prices went up, the reliability came down. Ho hum.

Alex

 

[turbopete]

local GP (to me at the time) had a 1990 Saab 9000 CSE 2.3 turbo (the spec below top spec Carlsson I believe) and, back in the day (this was about 1994) that thing could REALLY shift!!! and apart from being FWD (and getting used to the little SAAB foibles like parking in reverse and odd places for the ignition barrel on the 900, it was the more usual place on a 9000 IIRC) build wise at the time, they could have taken on BMW and Audi and won EASILY. MB were still building 124s and 201s when that 9000 was new, so they would probably lose out to MB, but SAAB or Volvo? at the time SAAB every time. shame GM couldn't turn it around, in many ways, although I think that the platform sharing and parts bin sharing with GM may have diluted the SAAB feel a little, had they followed GMs orders