1994 MB C180 (Manual) Gift Horse?

TargetWidow

Hi there,

A relative of mine who has a lovely collection of classic Mercs has offered me the gift of a 1994 Mercedes C180 with 60000 on the clock. Its one of the manual transmission ones and to be honest I'm not sure what to say or do about it. My own banger of a corolla needs a bit of work done and my relative says I can have this car as a "gift". Its one of those "you can have it but you have to mind it gifts" whereby I wont have the option to sell it on as it was a treasured possession and is in great nick and it's family so I'll be watched like a hawk.

Owner is putting in a new battery and two new tyres and Im good to go.

It'll be my first classic and how the hell did ye get used to that gammy parking brake? Are there any other issues for a girl who does Kerry- Saggart once a month and roughly 14,000 miles per year.

Axa are looking for €650 to insure her (as a primary vehicle) and I'll pay as much again to tax her. Is she primary vehicle stuff do ye think?

If I behave myself with this one I get the feeling theres a much nicer one under canvas that could be mine one day!!:D

All advice gratefully received.

colm_mcm

The handbrake thing isn't that much of a bother once you get used to it, you need to be on the ball with the clutch and footbrake

carchaeologist

Manual Mercs are just wrong to me but hey, it's free!

johnty56

Take it with both hands! A nice Merc, with low mileage, that sounds like it was minded... it should last you for years. Easy to drive, very good steering lock, and not too big. Plus it should be comfortable. You'd be mad not to:)

mattroche

Don't hesitate, grab it, they are a lovely car. However, they are not worth much money, because of the road tax. You will get used to the handbrake very quickly. I don't know how old your Corolla is, but that may be worth a fair few Euro if it old enough.!

FiftyNine

I have a '97 one, manual as well. Great cars. Comfy and reliable, and mine now has over 170k on the clock, it hasnt missed a beat since I got it 60k ago. The car will benefit from having the gearbox oil and back axle oil changed and make sure that you have the correct size tyres on it. Once you get used to the parking brake all the others seem to be in the wrong place. I have been told that it will benefit from having the throttle box cleaned but I havnt done that yet.
Good Luck with the car

hi5

I had a '96 c180 sport. I put up 100,000 miles on it, in that time I put a new catalytic converter and a new viscous coupling fan on it and that was it.
Economical too. I always found the gearbox a bit notchy though.

fancy pigeon

I've had 3 previous and back behind the wheel of a W202 C220 CDI once again.

Things to watch for:

• Rust in the rear passengers footwell (drain bungs) or boot floor (usually either side of the wheel well)
• Steering linkage slop (new draglink needed)
• Broken springs
• The courtesy light may stay on if the door button sticks

That era of W202 93-95 has the buttons from the W201 on the dash (square non roundy finish), plush seats and a big glovebox. Some could fold down the rear seats too

It will benefit from a gearbox and diff oil change (make sure the seal isn't failing and letting oil leak out)

Never rush gear changes in the manual, the rubber rings on the link are very hard to find

My C220 on average does 800 miles a week and never misses a beat

Very DIY friendly, no need for ramps to change the engine oil if on standard suspension

w124man

fancy pigeon wrote: »

Never rush gear changes in the manual, the rubber rings on the link are very hard to find

Ex stock MB, two days from Germany!


If you cant manage the different style of parking brake on an MB then you shouldn't be driving!

fancy pigeon

w124man wrote: »

Ex stock MB, two days from Germany!


If you cant manage the different style of parking brake on an MB then you shouldn't be driving!

I remember with my first W202 the rubber ring on the box for 2nd and 3rd crumbled and after going to several dealers they couldn't find it... I have a printout somewhere at home with every part except those rings!

I ended up fitting a grommet from an Alfa 166 (one in the bulkhead that was a very near fit) as a fix and as far as I know the car is still going with that exact same fix

At least I now Know they're available and I need to look harder for someone that can source them should they fail on either of my W202's

Type 17

I drove a manual S124 200T with the usual foot-operated, hand-released parking brake, and it's not a huge issue, except if you need to do a hill-start and are in the habit of arriving to a stop and instantly putting the car into first, ready to move off.

If you need the parking brake to start safely on a hill, and you're already in first with your clutch pedal depressed, you'll need to:

Put it in neutral, so you can take your foot off the clutch to press the parking brake pedal, and then re-depress the clutch, so you can return to first, and move your right foot off the brake onto the accelerator, ready to release the parking brake with your right hand as the clutch is raised to the bite point...

Foot-operated parking brakes only work well with auto 'boxes, manuals should really have a hand-operated parking brake, but a free Merc is a free Merc, and you do get used to it very quickly.

MercMad

Definitely take it. I've used two over the years as daily cars, the first was a '94 manual and was a great car. I think the earlier ones have slightly better build and seem less prone to rust than the facelift cars.

I can really add anything else, its all been said.

mattroche

I have a 99 C180, when I start cold, I have noticed it takes a while for it to change up gears. Any solutions?

w124man

mattroche wrote: »

I have a 99 C180, when I start cold, I have noticed it takes a while for it to change up gears. Any solutions?

They do that to heat up the cat quickly. All my W124's do the same

TargetWidow

FiftyNine wrote: »

I have a '97 one, manual as well. Great cars. Comfy and reliable, and mine now has over 170k on the clock, it hasnt missed a beat since I got it 60k ago. The car will benefit from having the gearbox oil and back axle oil changed and make sure that you have the correct size tyres on it. Once you get used to the parking brake all the others seem to be in the wrong place. I have been told that it will benefit from having the throttle box cleaned but I havnt done that yet.
Good Luck with the car

I've decided to go for it and I'm laughing here as I've been driving for years but I've never heard of a throttle box and I'm half afraid that ye are going to send me off to my mechanic looking for him to give my throttle box a good clean out like builders send newbies to the hardware shop looking for skyhooks or glass hammers! Off to Google that now to be on the safe side:)

TargetWidow

Just another question now that I am going ahead with it... First Ireland have the cheapest quote but are insisting on joining a classic club. Not a problem as I think it's a great idea and would be a bit of fun but since you all know the scene so much better than I can I ask what clubs ye would recommend and why? My relative is in his 80s and what he would consider an interesting club might be very different to what I might enjoy. Are there any classic clubs that maybe do an annual tour down the Wild Atlantic Way or anything like that? I love beautiful cars but I love 'em best when I'm behind the wheel.

mgbgt1978

It might be best to check what clubs First Ireland have listed as acceptable. Not all Clubs are accepted by some Classic Insurers

mattroche

Were are you living? Very likely there is a Classic Club near you. You are welcome to join the Clare Classic & Vintage Club if you like, and enjoy the Wild Atlantic Way, and the Banner County in general! Membership is E20.

Tzar Chasm

if she was Daysul you could join one of the local tractor clubs

hi5

'Throttle body' not 'throttle box' a throttle box is something to do with guitars I think:)

TargetWidow

A quick 3 month update and a further throttlebody query if you can guys please. Firstly the parking brake thing was a total non issue. Sorry for sounding like a woman driver for worrying about it She's a total joy to drive. I joined the Kingdom Club and haven't seen a run I'd be interested in yet but I live in hope.

Since then I tracked down the leak which the previous owner claimed was oil and it was clutch fluid coming from a cracked slave cylinder, now replaced. She still swings around behind me like a raincoat on a windy day on left hand corners at very moderate speeds and I dare not take her beyond 50 mph because she starts the same craic all the time then... I thought it was just being a rear wheel drive but I now suspect the left bushing needs doing. I'll do them both while I'm at it on payday and hopefully she'll be a more fun drive then:)

Finally last night she started doing some new tricks. When I take my foot off the accelerator to change down gear for junctions etc, the revs go bloody mental and I have to tip the accelerator to bring them back down. Thought it was a lovely MB mat that the previous owner had installed (as it was a little too big just by that pedal) so took it out but she's still doing the same today. It made me think of ye and the advice regarding getting the throttle body cleaned... Would this be a possible cause of it do ye think? Big job or small job?

And finally all advice regarding fighting rust very welcome. She's white and I wash and hand detail and wax her once a week but she's not used to living by the beach on the Wild Atlantic Way and she's developing rust spots in areas where I can now see her previous owner had badly touched up the paintwork and chome grille. Any rust- proofing advice very welcome.

Thanks everyone.

unkel

TargetWidow wrote: »

It made me think of ye and the advice regarding getting the throttle body cleaned... Would this be a possible cause of it do ye think? Big job or small job?

Yes sounds like a dirty throttle body alright. Not a big job to clean it.

Nekarsulm

Your errant rear-end (!) is likely to be worn links, as you thought. But just have a quick squint at the rear tyres, I had an Austin Montego (that's a saga for another day) which developed symptoms just as you describe, and it turned out to be a rear tyre which had developed a "lump", due to some of the internal steel/nylon giving way.

TargetWidow

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Your errant rear-end (!) is likely to be worn links, as you thought. But just have a quick squint at the rear tyres, I had an Austin Montego (that's a saga for another day) which developed symptoms just as you describe, and it turned out to be a rear tyre which had developed a "lump", due to some of the internal steel/nylon giving way.

Thats another handy thing to watch out for, thanks Nekarsulm,

I was listening especially this morning and noticed a clunk at the back left wheel whenever I changed down gear or up... this would be consistent with play on the bushing arm, but I'll have a look at the tyres too although the original owner claimed to be putting new tyres and a new battery into her before handing her over but it's still worth checking. Thanks all.