my dad used to have a ferarri red 380SLC about 15 years back.........i still see that car around...driven by someone else...i recognise the car coz the new owner didnt change the number plate......i think this is quite rare in malaysia.....most of the ones i see on the road are 280SLC.....

my dad had to sell it off....rust problems.....did the whole thing up....but the rust problems keeps coming back.....road tax was killing too.....about rm20k per year(company registration, my dad told me that amount...until today i dont believe)......

up till today, the old skool SLC is still my favourite......when i have the chance and money, i'll get one for sure!

the SLC is actually a SL wif a metal roof. Its to cater to the market of ppl who wants a more engaging car bcos wif the megal roof, the chassis is much tighter and more rigid thus has better handling.

The later generations SL use soft tops except the R230 which came wif a SLK like foldable metal roof.

Indeed its a rare car. I've seen it only a couple of times in KL and once in Singapore, in fact it was last weekend when i drove there.

For that particular generation of Mercedes, I love the SEC. Another big coupe, a strict 2+2 where as the SL(C) is a 2 seater wif a bench behind that is good for anybody that's below 4 feet tall..



A little bit of trivia, the SEC was replaced wif the S Class coupe (that look like a damn tank). That has been replaced wif the CL class. And they've just replaced the CL class.



This post has been edited by xtracooljustin: Apr 26 2007, 02:55 AM

lol..merc merc merc...really nice..i like e class a lot..but now..i like the new s class.

i join the gang k..hehe..

me go around im me dadz 230E..erm..1997 model me thinks..

haha..so far me hv push da car to 170km/h..hehehe..

me wonder wats me max speed

in 1997 the e class is the round eyes one.. w210. and its called e230 instead of 230e..
so which 1 is urs?

my next car will be E-series in 5 years from now! Currently I drive the new camry... time to save up some $$$,$$$

not satisfied with the new camry?

camry? ohh im loving it... i'm setting up a new goal to own merc one fine day!

I drive an E. But what I really want is a 5.

hehe, my family got 1 w124...
now i am driving.. 2300 de... kindda old ady..
pickup slow... but at hi rpm... perform quite well
hehe

my friend got 1 w123 with turbo engine.. wan me post up the pic?!

would love to see the W123 with turbo pics..hehe...

i myself driving a reliable and strong W123...superb car...

here it is...
the plate edit already... as he dowan ppl know the actul number..



btw, u modified ur w123?
w124 can put in RB ar? or a 1Jz?

This post has been edited by kuenny: Apr 27 2007, 02:02 AM

dude ur fren has one sweet W123... if W123 can put in RB engine... i dun c y W124 cant... a V12 also can fit in that engine bay of W124.

ur going to do it? go for it man... give u moral support

hi, anyone have engine spec for w210 E230?

the 2nd hand price is affordable, 1997 e230 selling below RM 80k, rather go for luxury continental car than a compact vios or city.

lol all the main online searches came to engine displacements being bigger the 3000cc

http://www.street-car.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2

This post has been edited by Nothing Better To Do: Apr 27 2007, 09:14 AM

It's affordable, but can you bear the maintenance and fuel consumption?
1997 is 10 years. And after 10 years, things start falling apart VERY FAST. Also note that in the past decade or so, MB quality has been viewed as... kinda dodgy.

Honestly, an old luxury car will cost so much more to maintain than a compact Japanese car. Better stick to the Vios or City, IMO.

it all depends on luck id say, wheter the previous owner(s) have taken care of the ride via maintainence and driving style.

other then that, id say go for it. it has that gangster look to it

thx

actually my father bought e230 2yr+ ago,
that time was RM140,000, sigh, after 2yr the price drop down like hell.

luckily, this car is still running fine.

owning this car for 2yr, last 2month jz appear 1st prob, spent abt RM500 for rpm sensor and some parts (not sure is what already).

fuel comsumption of this car is incredibly low compare to another car that he owns, cefiro 2.0, volvo s90 2.9, volvo 240 2.4, & saga 1.5 auto.
RM0.16/km @ 120~140km/h on North/South highway.

maintenance is quite heavy, cuz he insists to use fully-syn lubricant, need 6-litre..
flush gearbox every 30k-km with the what synthetic type-4 auto fluid, each flush cost near RM200.

i totally agree with the point that old luxury car will cost much to maintain, especially europe car. i also wonder how long can this w210 last for?
(my saga is yr 1990, even can use until now, almost 18years)

but.. normally we can find a w123 with 1J or RB,
but hardly we see a W124 modified.
becos my W124 is lack of torque already... slow pickup

Issues with the W210 that I know of:

1) Certain V6 engines have the harmonic balancer problem. There was a recall/service campaign bulletin about harmonic balancer failures and a replacement schedule. Affected cars include W210s from '98 - '01 with 112 and 113 engines. Which equates to a heck of a lot of cars. Some cars outside that range also were affected. But basically, a harmonic balancer failure while the car is in motion is a very expensive problem.

2) Blower motor regulator for the A/C tends to fail after a while too. Apparently this affects the earlier batch of W210s, and in this country, it's not a good thing.

3) Rear electric window regulator failures x100000. The palstic gears get mashed up and the window falls into the well. Have to replace the entire assembly.

4) Suspension ball joints wear out at an alarming rate, especially on the Avantgarde spec with the lowered ride. Looking at maybe 50k too, but you may be able to live with the lower tolerance if you drive sloooowwwlly and carefully. In our pothole country, good luck.

5) Mass air filters/ 02 sensors have to be replaced at maybe every 50k.

6) Talking about sensors, there are a lot of warning lights that pop up. You'd find that many have the letters ABS/ESP/BAS and such. Problem is the brake light switch, and if not, then the actual accelerometer at the wheels.

7) Rust. Anti-corrosion wasn't somethign MB took a lot of care of during the W210 era. Always check the car super thoroughly for rust. Especially, look at the wheel wells, and around the suspension components.

8) The Infamous Steering Wheel Squeak. Quite possibly the most annoying issue possible.

9) At every 100k, you'd be thinking of a piston ring replacement, and motor mounts.

10) At 150k, you'd want new rotors too, cos new pads won't stop the brake squeal.

11) Transmission: worry about this. At 150k, some other Mercs would be begging for a tranny overhaul.

12) Others: wheel bearings, cats, deterioration of internal plastic parts, failure of electric seat motors, air cond vent vanes breaking, rubber button coating melting into a sticky mush, interior light failure and yeah, rear brake lights burning out and melting out the brake light housing.

While many of the problems above are faced by many W210 owners, not all affect them. My regular merc mechanic says that he sees a lot of the above in W210s, there are some particularly problem-free ones. Ultimately, it also does depend on how spirited/careless the previous drivers have been.

However, you can't discount the fact that this is a premium auto, and carries premium features, which upon failure, demands a premium bill. The W210 came in a time when really complex electronics were first making their way into regular passenger cars. So if you do decide to get one, jus tbe aware of the costs involved.

Also, W210s are kinda underpowered and severely wanting for a 6th gear....

Edit: this post was't actually targeted at the person quoted, more towards those thinking of owning a W210.

This post has been edited by Roland San: Apr 27 2007, 03:10 PM