First Classic Car - BMW or Merc?

Kildalkey

Hi - I have a longstanding interest in classic cars, primarily contemporary 70's and 80's cars. My previosu job involved high miles so it wasn't practical to own one. I have moved job, am on a bus and really want to dip my toe in the water of classic car ownership, but want something practical that can be used every day. I would love some advice on two cars that have caught my eye:

1. A W123 220 CE or 280 CE coupe. Can't help loving the design of these Merc's. Are they worth a punt?

2. An E24 / E28 BMW 635 (or 628). Again, love the styling, but are they easy to live with?

All advice welcome, particularly what I should look to pay for either.

mike65

W123 would be a 230 CE (the 220 was a w114/116 though there was a shortlived 2.2 diesel w123 but not a coupe naturally) or 280.

There are several peeps here who own or have owned one or other or those cars I think.

My own suspicion is that a 230 CE would be a less intensive ownership experience that a 25-30 year old 6 series. But I might be wrong.

Mike.

Kildalkey

Good point, not sure why i put in 220 - just highlighting my lack of knowledge!:D

carchaeologist

Id probably go for the BMW, i think they look better than the mercs,of which there seems to be a lot more of around, but id bet that parts for the mercedes would be easier and cheaper to come by?

Dades

carchaeologist wrote: »

Id probably go for the BMW, i think they look better than the mercs,of which there seems to be a lot more of around, but id bet that parts for the mercedes would be easier and cheaper to come by?

There's a lot more mercs around for a reason!

mike65

Yep they made far more w123s than E24 and 28s!

Mike.

MercMad

The W123's would be far easier to live with, cost of spares/servicing etc., but obviously would not be as good to look at as the BMW. It depends how much driving you intend to do, W123's are real mile munchers !

BTW Mike, to be pedantic the 220 was only a W115, ie a four cylinder, either petrol or diesel. W114's were all six cylinder's 230,250 and 280, coupes therefore were only 250C, 250CE and 280CE.

The W116 was the larger S-Class body !

But you knew all that right ?

mike65

/shakes fist! :mad:

Mike.

MercMad

Yeah I thought so !!

mike65

A 2.2 w116 would be the last word in leisurely!

Mike.

3ps

I had a 1972 2.2 diesel and it was slow, but only in first and second. It wasn't actually too bad in general!

Dades

mike65 wrote: »

Yep they made far more w123s than E24 and 28s!

Yeah well they must have made more of them for a reason.

carchaeologist

Im told the mercedes are quite simple to work on mechanicaly, and the suspension design for example was carried through several different models with little changes, would that be correct?

mike65

The underpinnings of the w123 cars are closely based on the previous generation. (w114/w115).

The suspension/steering and drivetrain of the w124 is the same as the 190/e/d rather then the late period w123 series though.

Mike.

Kildalkey

Ok, thanks for all the info. I have jut had a quick look on carzone for examples on sale. I would appreciate your thoughts on one of each example:

A 1987 635CSI, seems relatively original:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=792355

A 1981 230CE, again seems relatively original, although I am fairly sure it has been on carzone for quite a while, so possibly a cause for concern:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=584962

And finally, a 1982 280CE which I think has also been hanging around carzone:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=698758

I would appreciate any feedback on whether these appear to be solid, or to avoid. Of course, tricky to judge from a picture.

Oshbosh

I've had a 1982 230CE for the past 6 years and can say it was a great car, never let me down once.

Mechanically they are very reliable and will literally go on forever if you look after them properly. Rust is the main worry so buy the best one you can unless you're interested in restoring.

Very comfortable and the styling is superb.

Which ever you choose, having somewhere dry to store it is a must i think.

I actually need to sell mine on and while it still runs great it needs work, it would make a good project for someone with the right skills. If anyone is interested pm me. ( Navy Blue / 1/2 cream leatherette )

PaulK_CCI

Kildalkey wrote: »

Ok, thanks for all the info. I have jut had a quick look on carzone for examples on sale. I would appreciate your thoughts on one of each example:

A 1987 635CSI, seems relatively original:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=792355

A 1981 230CE, again seems relatively original, although I am fairly sure it has been on carzone for quite a while, so possibly a cause for concern:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=584962

And finally, a 1982 280CE which I think has also been hanging around carzone:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=698758

I would appreciate any feedback on whether these appear to be solid, or to avoid. Of course, tricky to judge from a picture.

Cannot comment on the specific cars offered for sale, but if you're looking for something practical to be used on an almost daily basis, I would not be suggesting a BMW 635. Brilliantly engineered cars, pretty and a hoot to drive, but they can be pretty expensive to maintain and fix if stuff starts to go wrong. Especially on the mechanical/engine side, parts will not be cheap, and running cost pretty steep!
The 123 series are superb for practical driving and useage, IF you can find a good one. The 2.8 straight six, is reasonably quick and comfortable, but fairly strong on fuel and oil! The 2.3 is a bit more sedate but still good enough for modern day to day traffic. Watch out for ROT on these cars, check for steeringbox issues, as they are very expensive to replace... The 123 series has already for years been a very popular daily driver here on the continent because of the 25 year tax free status, and you won;t find any good cheap ones running around anymore, with strong prices being paid for them, especially the diesel version and the coupe's.

Oshbosh

depends what you mean by 'cheap',

you can certainly get a good 230CE / 280CE for less than 5k euro. You can of course pay 10k+ for something with low miles, lived in a cocoon, never driven in the rain, FMBSH etc etc but there are plenty of other good ones out there for reasonable money.

Rust / Rot is the enemy but sure isn't that always the way with these oul cars

mike65

E24 is more prone than a w123 in that respect I think.

Mike.

carchaeologist

I think the key here is to spend as much as you can afford,both BMW and mercs are very well screwed together cars, typical of the germans and a good one of either looked after will last a long time.

8~)

I have both a W123 and an E28 - both have been daily drivers in the past and both are now 'semi-retired'; I thought that because the two cars have lasted so long and are still in good order it would be a pity to continually subject them to the potholed roads and damp muddy winters.

The BMW is a lighter, more agile and involving tail happy driver's car. It is still very comfortable and will cruise happily all day long. Inside it's now dated and is a bit less classy than the W123.

The W123 is an armchair on wheels, has an indestructible feel to it and an air of solidity that I have not experienced in any other car. There is just something about the car that I cannot fully identify - it is like it exceeds the sum of its parts.

Both cars have been reliable and trouble free, needing just normal servicing in the main. There are items that inevitably need replacement after 20+ years. Regarding rust, there are some known areas on each model of car though they are much more resistant than many other marques.

Bottom line is you need to drive an example of both cars and decide which you prefer. They are very, very different, even though at the time they were competing for the same market.