Okay, so i had planned on keeping my Merc forever because its just so cool and useful and it would be really hard to replace with one this good again.
However... After a message out of the blue from a guy wanting to buy it / do a swap its got me thinking about 'what would i replace it with?' and so a seed of (possible) change has been sown.
I would very much like:
A BMW e34 525 TDS Touring manual
or
A VW Golf mk2 GTD
or
A BMW e39 530d Touring
or
something else similar i havent thought of. Or possibly even something completely different!
So onto my Merc.
Its a Mercedes 190d 2.5 W201, one of the last made and on an L-plate
It is the 5 cylinder single cam normaly aspirated diesel lump. I'm sure most already know but these engines are beyond bulletproof and are still being used now as taxi's in the developing countries, having a chain driven cam and Bosch rotary diesel pump they are also one of the most veg friendly lumps you can get. Also makes a nice noise having 5 pots.
Runs perfectly, starts without fail everytime in any weather and absolutely will not let you down. No smoke, uses absolutely no oil or water.
Autobox works perfectly and is very smooth, kickdown works as it should.
Being one of the last 190's it has pretty much all the kit available: 4 electric windows, heated mirrors, duel zone analogue climate/air con, electric sunroof (only tilts, slide is tempramental) as well as lots of 'MB wood' on the console.
Interior is about perfect and is the brilliant and nigh on indestructable MB Tex.
Exterior is faded but polishes up fantasticly, i also bought a spare set of the plastic lower cladding panels as i was going to experiemnt with some different colours on the lower half and keep the originals the correct red. There are a couple of rust blisters in places but nothing thats has really broken the surface and a few dints and scratches in places commensurate with the age. Underneith is solid. The passenger corner of the front bumper has dropped slightly, id imagine from a parking bump with the old lady, its only dropped about 5mm and i'll get around to straightening it one day. The only bit of bodywork on my list to replace if i keep it is the drivers side front wing as it has a very shallow dint and a couple of rust blisters so i imagine replacement is quicker than repair.
It has 15" Merc Pentas wearing 205/50/15 tyres that look awesome and really suit the car.
Its lowered around 50mm on chopped springs but done as correctly as can be, making sure the ends of the springs still have a taper and locate properly. No rubbing, no grounding, no dislocation!
One of the best things about this particular 190 is the story with it: A friend who works for a local haulage company told me about it. The Boss of the compnay bought it from the local dealership when it was an ex demonstrator, he drove it for a few years before giving it to his older sister. He then took it back from her custody last year when she was in her late 80's as she had given up driving. During its time with this family it had documented every single time it had fuel put in with the price, amount and mpg... now thats record keeping! So apart from myself it is only one family owned, still living in the same town it was purchased from, still with the dealer plates and dealer sticker in the back window, dealer tax disc holder, original manuals, original Blaupunkt radio casette and speakers still working perfectly.
Mileage is a barely run in 173k and rising as it is used daily. These engines can and have gone over a million miles, consult google and the old German taxi's!
It has mot till mid January but i would put a full years mot on for peace of mind.
I have some pictures but no photobucket account but I'm happy to email them/mms if you have something I'm interested in swapping with.
Possible cash adjustment either way, and if not i am more than happy to keep it
Andy
However... After a message out of the blue from a guy wanting to buy it / do a swap its got me thinking about 'what would i replace it with?' and so a seed of (possible) change has been sown.
I would very much like:
A BMW e34 525 TDS Touring manual
or
A VW Golf mk2 GTD
or
A BMW e39 530d Touring
or
something else similar i havent thought of. Or possibly even something completely different!
So onto my Merc.
Its a Mercedes 190d 2.5 W201, one of the last made and on an L-plate
It is the 5 cylinder single cam normaly aspirated diesel lump. I'm sure most already know but these engines are beyond bulletproof and are still being used now as taxi's in the developing countries, having a chain driven cam and Bosch rotary diesel pump they are also one of the most veg friendly lumps you can get. Also makes a nice noise having 5 pots.
Runs perfectly, starts without fail everytime in any weather and absolutely will not let you down. No smoke, uses absolutely no oil or water.
Autobox works perfectly and is very smooth, kickdown works as it should.
Being one of the last 190's it has pretty much all the kit available: 4 electric windows, heated mirrors, duel zone analogue climate/air con, electric sunroof (only tilts, slide is tempramental) as well as lots of 'MB wood' on the console.
Interior is about perfect and is the brilliant and nigh on indestructable MB Tex.
Exterior is faded but polishes up fantasticly, i also bought a spare set of the plastic lower cladding panels as i was going to experiemnt with some different colours on the lower half and keep the originals the correct red. There are a couple of rust blisters in places but nothing thats has really broken the surface and a few dints and scratches in places commensurate with the age. Underneith is solid. The passenger corner of the front bumper has dropped slightly, id imagine from a parking bump with the old lady, its only dropped about 5mm and i'll get around to straightening it one day. The only bit of bodywork on my list to replace if i keep it is the drivers side front wing as it has a very shallow dint and a couple of rust blisters so i imagine replacement is quicker than repair.
It has 15" Merc Pentas wearing 205/50/15 tyres that look awesome and really suit the car.
Its lowered around 50mm on chopped springs but done as correctly as can be, making sure the ends of the springs still have a taper and locate properly. No rubbing, no grounding, no dislocation!
One of the best things about this particular 190 is the story with it: A friend who works for a local haulage company told me about it. The Boss of the compnay bought it from the local dealership when it was an ex demonstrator, he drove it for a few years before giving it to his older sister. He then took it back from her custody last year when she was in her late 80's as she had given up driving. During its time with this family it had documented every single time it had fuel put in with the price, amount and mpg... now thats record keeping! So apart from myself it is only one family owned, still living in the same town it was purchased from, still with the dealer plates and dealer sticker in the back window, dealer tax disc holder, original manuals, original Blaupunkt radio casette and speakers still working perfectly.
Mileage is a barely run in 173k and rising as it is used daily. These engines can and have gone over a million miles, consult google and the old German taxi's!
It has mot till mid January but i would put a full years mot on for peace of mind.
I have some pictures but no photobucket account but I'm happy to email them/mms if you have something I'm interested in swapping with.
Possible cash adjustment either way, and if not i am more than happy to keep it
Andy
