126/500SEL anyone got one? hows its compare to a 6.9

[B13]

Hi everybody,

Anyone here got a 500SEL? I've got an opportunity to get one which has 180,000km, no rust, needs some diff work but its cheap.

Would it be any more economical than my 6.9 in normal day-to-day driving or so close that its hardly worth mentioning?

Its a 1981, H/C engine, no emissions, HK delivery.... going to check it out today. While I'm no 126 fan if I can save some $ on petrol this may be a solution.

I.

 

[Michel]

Hi everybody,

Anyone here got a 500SEL? I've got an opportunity to get one which has 180,000km, no rust, needs some diff work but its cheap.

Would it be any more economical than my 6.9 in normal day-to-day driving or so close that its hardly worth mentioning?

Its a 1981, H/C engine, no emissions, HK delivery.... going to check it out today. While I'm no 126 fan if I can save some $ on petrol this may be a solution.

I.

My 1987 (series2) W126 560SEL is cheaper to run than the 6.9 petrol wise...
I would guess the 500 would be also, considering it's an import and probably doesn't have much of the pollution stuff on it...

 

[Des]

Ian, I think we may have touched on this subject before with you, looking at a car with better fuel consumption than the 6.9. I'm not sure if I have already said this before, but I will repeat it anyway, as they say the sound of one's own voice is a sweet melody.

I really don't think you will see any noticeable difference in fuel consumption unless you get a diesel or a Golf, I know you appreciate Golf's but need the three pointed star. I understand from the amount of k's you have put on the 6.9 you do a fair bit of driving, have you considered a W123 diesel? in a manual gearbox? From my own rough calculations with my 280S, 280CE, and Volvo 240, from these cars I get:

Volvo 240GL - 14-16l/100k's
Volvo 850 - 9l/100k's
280S/280CE - 14-16l/100k's
Golf - 6l/100k's
W123 230 - 20l/100k's

What are you getting from the 6.9? 50l/100k's? 30litre's per 100 k's?


I really don't think unless you go diesel you are going to see the savings you are after to compensate you for the outlay on another car.

 

[Michel]

Ian, I think we may have touched on this subject before with you, looking at a car with better fuel consumption than the 6.9. I'm not sure if I have already said this before, but I will repeat it anyway, as they say the sound of one's own voice is a sweet melody.

I really don't think you will see any noticeable difference in fuel consumption unless you get a diesel or a Golf, I know you appreciate Golf's but need the three pointed star. I understand from the amount of k's you have put on the 6.9 you do a fair bit of driving, have you considered a W123 diesel? in a manual gearbox? From my own rough calculations with my 280S, 280CE, and Volvo 240, from these cars I get:

Volvo 240GL - 14-16l/100k's
Volvo 850 - 9l/100k's
280S/280CE - 14-16l/100k's
Golf - 6l/100k's
W123 230 - 20l/100k's

What are you getting from the 6.9? 50l/100k's? 30litre's per 100 k's?
I really don't think unless you go diesel you are going to see the savings you are after to compensate you for the outlay on another car.

I was getting 15/18L/100 out of the 560 on the highway and 20-22 around town (driving reasonnably)
Unless you want to buy a rice or an oil burner, it isn't worth outlaying the extra money to save a few bucks...

Have you thought of gas conversion?
You do get $2000 back from medicare..

 

[B13]

Getting around 23-25 litres per hundred daily driving in the 6.9

That drops to probably 17-18l/100 on the freeway at 110-110km/h.

No gas for me, well not on a 6.9... I'd consider a M117 engine car on LPG, but not an M100.

Thinking outside the circle here, looking at what MB makes that fits my criteria, the C43 AMG (a small C-class car from the 1990s with a 4.3 litre V8 from the S-class installed in it) looks like it would return the economy I'm looking for and the stick I'm used to.

Ian.

 

[HansKruger]

there was a green, same as your 450sel on eBay a week ago or might have been a 280sel in eBay

Maybe something like that for you

 

[Styria]

The W126 - 500 that B13 refers to is certainly very keenly priced with even some rego. as well. It is obviously a Hong Kong car and, as such, has no pollution gear and it would have plenty of get up and go - would probably even shade his 6.9 by about 0.4 seconds to the 100 mark. It would also be a little more economical, especially with the figures quoted by B13 for his 6.9.

The trouble that one can run into is that you finish up having too many cars on your hands, and you can't do justice, or use them, or WHATEVER, to appreciate them properly etc. etc. and they can become somewhat of a millstone around one's neck.

So, one needs to be a little judicious when it comes to decide if another car is needed on the fleet, for whatever reason. That's my part of wisdom for the day. Regards Styria