Manual 6 speed

[Dosco]

I know most will say a Merc without an auto is not a Merc however I have seen a number of secondhand C220 and C270's with the six speed manual box so does anyone have any thoughts or info on this option?

I have driven the E220 with a six speed box and apart from the reverse being a real dog of a job to engage I could not fault it really.

 

[television]

We have had a few boxes That are a little stiff when going from 1-2 but other than that nothing much and only one fault where the selector rod slipped, and one where the lay shaft got noisy

 

[duncanh]

Manual 6-speed

I have now covered over 173K miles in my manual C220 cdi. (My previous merc was a W210 E300TD Auto, great car, but I prefer manual).

I have not had any trouble with the manual. If you had difficulty getting into reverse, then I suspect it is a problem with that car, not the gearbox in general.

The old issue about needing three feet to drive a manual is also a fallacy. You just have to be out of gear when you put the parking brake on.

I have had four Mercs, three of them manual. The lowest mileage I did in a manual car was over 100K (I had all three from new), and I never had a gearbox (or clutch) problem with any of them.

 

[jberks]

I'm sure Merc manuals are fine really. There are thousands out there in taxis, all working perfectly for stellar mileages.
Its just that the luxobarge , sit back in the armchair driving feel of them is spoiled by all the work of driving a manual. If you drive somewhere in the north of Scotland where roads are clear, speed cameras are scarce and the roads are fun then I can't really argue but on normal roads where you're stop/start, up and down the box constantly, 1st is too low and the traffic is pulling away, drop into 2nd and you're too fast and have to put the clutch back in, back into 1st.... , how can that be 'fun'?
I drove a loaner last week. New so the box and clutch were nice and light but it was getting really tedius having to mess with the gears all the time.
A friend, who does 30k per year has just changed his car. What did he want?, "anything so long as it's an auto" came the reply.
The Mrs, - "I don't want an auto". She borrowed an auto version of what she's got as a lonaer. Now I get "I love my car, just wish I'd gone for an auto".

The 'driving pleasure' of chasing through the rev band on an open road can have its appeal on a 6500 red lined petrol engine but on a diesel with that narrow band, it must be a pain. You'd spend your life chasing it. An Auto is almost always in the right cog to allow you to use all that torque when you want it.

There are lots of manual mercs 'available' for a reason .....

 

[Dosco]

I'm sure Merc manuals are fine really. There are thousands out there in taxis, all working perfectly for stellar mileages.
Its just that the luxobarge , sit back in the armchair driving feel of them is spoiled by all the work of driving a manual. If you drive somewhere in the north of Scotland where roads are clear, speed cameras are scarce and the roads are fun then I can't really argue but on normal roads where you're stop/start, up and down the box constantly, 1st is too low and the traffic is pulling away, drop into 2nd and you're too fast and have to put the clutch back in, back into 1st.... , how can that be 'fun'?
I drove a loaner last week. New so the box and clutch were nice and light but it was getting really tedius having to mess with the gears all the time.
A friend, who does 30k per year has just changed his car. What did he want?, "anything so long as it's an auto" came the reply.
The Mrs, - "I don't want an auto". She borrowed an auto version of what she's got as a lonaer. Now I get "I love my car, just wish I'd gone for an auto".

The 'driving pleasure' of chasing through the rev band on an open road can have its appeal on a 6500 red lined petrol engine but on a diesel with that narrow band, it must be a pain. You'd spend your life chasing it. An Auto is almost always in the right cog to allow you to use all that torque when you want it.

There are lots of manual mercs 'available' for a reason .....

Thanks for that and of course the present 'barge' is an auto and is without doubt a pleasure and half to drive. It would appear the C220/270's I have been looking at are all X contract hire motors.