Replacing a W201 with a S202

tc20

Would i be mad to replace my W201 with an estate C202?

The 190 I have is a solid enough example, though it does have some rust issues, I can live with. It does need some work, front shocks for a start, and it will need the rear subframe mounts replacing too in the not too distant future. I'm thinking of doing the fronts first, and then when I get the rear done, I hope to put new shocks on the rear too - seeing as the rear axle will need dropping I might as well get some other gubbins replaced too.

I've being toying with the idea of a W202 estate, or perhaps an E46 wagon.
I spotted this Rover 75 tourer on the ads today

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/rover-75-estate-connoisseur-1-8-automatic/9442275?offset=1

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-318-touring-automatic/8900010?offset=16

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-3-series-bmw-318i-touring-nct-0216/9433806?offset=2

I know the 1st BM doesn't seem to have a current NCT, but its just here for example purposes. I don't know too much about the Rover.
E36 estates are thin on the ground in decent nick, but would also be considered
There was a W202 wagon on Done Deal recently,(wine colour in Limerick) but it seems to have disappeared. From what I've read/heard, the W202 was a retrograde step from MB in terms of build quality/reliability over the W201.

It'd be the 4 cylinder variants I'd be looking at, and have always liked the compact exec estates, though I wouldn't rule out a Mk1 Focus either. I'm a bit torn though as I'd like to maintain my classic status
Must be an auto model too, as Mrs tc20 has auto only licence

Any comments/thoughts are most welcome

w124man

W202 estates are hard to get because people tend to drive them till they drop, plus the fact that there aren't too many of them over here or the UK.
Everything anyone ever made was a retrograde step in terms of build quality/reliability over the W201. It was a very well built car then and still is now, however, the W202 is a very underrated for what it is and as a saloon, there are some great deals out there

74merc

I have an S202 which replaced a C124 and the drop in quality was significant. However the 202 is still way ahead in terms of quality than anything else on the market today.
As already stated, the numbers of them are dwindling due to structural rust in the sills and general tatty bodywork.
Mine has been sitting on the driveway for 3 years now. It's too good for scrap but there's no market for breaking them.
It's a shame really, it's a C280 Sport with electric leather, AMG Type IIs, glass sunroof etc.
You're welcome to scavenge any parts for beer money though, I think I'm going to weigh it in soon.

tc20

thanks folks,

I would like to hang on to the 190, but i'll wait and see what condition the rear axle and associated arms/etc are in and if its worth keeping her going.
Most 190s are going to have some rust at this point, and I did spend some time looking for this one, discarding others along the way. I would buy another in a heartbeat if the right one came along.

@ 74merc - is your C280 off the road for mechanical / body reasons? It sounds like a nice model with all the toys.

74merc

tc20 wrote: »

thanks folks,

I would like to hang on to the 190, but i'll wait and see what condition the rear axle and associated arms/etc are in and if its worth keeping her going.
Most 190s are going to have some rust at this point, and I did spend some time looking for this one, discarding others along the way. I would buy another in a heartbeat if the right one came along.

@ 74merc - is your C280 off the road for mechanical / body reasons? It sounds like a nice model with all the toys.

No reason other than I fancied a change. It's very high spec and it has donated bits to some C43s such as AMG wheel arch spats and headlamp wipers.

tc20

tis a shame as you say, too good to scrap. Would there be any worth in advertising it in the UK? Bigger pool and all that...
(and thanks for the offer of parts by the way!)

MercMad

Well the W201 is definitely better built and a good one should be a keeper. I have had a few and recently sold one with 211,000 miles on it and the buyer has since said its the best car he ever drove. He got the sills welded and its sailed through the NCT.

I have a C180 A/T that I will be selling, with only 99k, on it and it doesn't feel as well put together at all, though there is more space, economy and performance but it doesnt feel a s solid as a W201. Again as w124man says the W202 are still way ahead of other cars of the era. I have to say I love them and had had several.

To be honest I would avoid UK cars as the bodywork on 202's are the weak links and all that salt wont help. All of mine were Irish cars and strangely its the newest of them all that had the worst bodywork. I've just put two new wings on and various bits to get a May 2016 NCT.

tc20

^ thanks Ben.
Whether I choose to stay with the 190 (preferred choice) or go with a compact estate, it will be a daily driver, but I'd prefer it not to be of the tatty patch n go variety, so I'm prepared to wait for a good 'un.
As posted, the S202s are thin on the ground, and while an S124 is not in the running, they seemed to have disappeared off the roads at an alarming rate? Sure you still see the odd one, but their numbers are greatly reduced..

w124man

tc20 wrote: »

As posted, the S202s are thin on the ground, and while an S124 is not in the running, they seemed to have disappeared off the roads at an alarming rate? Sure you still see the odd one, but their numbers are greatly reduced..

I am guilty of having broken three S124's over the last twelve months. Most S124's you see in Ireland came from across the water and because of the salt etc and the fact that they get worked very hard and tend not to be looked after, they are now a rare sight. The ones I broke up were absolute rust buckets, tarted up for sale. I now have a beautiful '93 two litre example with not a spec of rust on it which took ages to locate and buy!

Why is an S124 out of the question?

tc20

w124man wrote: »

I am guilty of having broken three S124's over the last twelve months. Why is an S124 out of the question?

So you're the one to blame
When I was looking for a replacement for my 123, I definitely considered a W124, in fact it came down to either a W124 or the W201. The main deciding factor was purely down to size. Mrs tc20 wasn't comfortable with the W124/S124, as she drives it as often, if not more than I do.
At first I thought the 201 was too 'compact', (especially after the wide open cabin spaces of the W123) but its perfect as a small saloon. Like all cars over the last 15-20 years, it looks diminutive when sat alongside its modern successor.
I'm leaning towards a wagon/touring variant to lug all the family kit around in. A European road trip holiday could be on the cards too, so the extra space would be useful.

w124man

Tempting ..... eh?

tc20

A fine looking example W124man - did you source her in Ireland or across the water? I'd love it, but it is too big for herself (careful now). I'm not rising to your bait, but is she for sale?

w124man

It came here when it was 18 months old so its been here for over 20 years which explains its rust free condition. I found it in Delgany and it was love at first sight .....


Not for sale ....... yet!

v240gltse

I saw this in the flesh and its in amazing condition.

brendan

w124man wrote: »

Tempting ..... eh?

tc20

it never rains but it pours...

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-e200-estate-7-seats/9559997?offset=5

NCT'd til next Feb, 7 seater, and a decent history for close to €2k

http://cars.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/mercedes-e220-estate/9471334?offset=25

no test, but original Irish estate for under €2k

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/very-nice-merc/9540515?offset=21

or something newer again with long test..

I've been toying with the idea of taking the plunge I have to say, since W124man posted his estate but.....
I cant justify getting such a large* car (* I know they're really not that big, but for our needs it would be just that too big. So the hunt for a smart compact estate continues..(much as it pains me to say so )

W123-80's

Admittedly these are not the best examples, but have you considered an E30 touring or an E34 touring?

https://cars.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/original-irish-1989-bmw-e30-touring-se/9505738

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/bmw/5-series/used-1994-bmw-5-series-518-i-se-t-clare-fpa-201521233565034

https://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/1994-bmw-e30-touring/9371874

W123-80's

tc20 wrote: »

it never rains but it pours...

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-e200-estate-7-seats/9559997?offset=5

NCT'd til next Feb, 7 seater, and a decent history for close to €2k

http://cars.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/mercedes-e220-estate/9471334?offset=25

no test, but original Irish estate for under €2k

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/very-nice-merc/9540515?offset=21

or something newer again with long test..

I've been toying with the idea of taking the plunge I have to say, since W124man posted his estate but.....
I cant justify getting such a large* car (* I know they're really not that big, but for our needs it would be just that too big. So the hunt for a smart compact estate continues..(much as it pains me to say so )

Nice.. Tempted by all three. I'm getting itchy feet with the Legacy..!
Anyone have any thoughts on the W201 '03..

tc20

Thanks for the links W123.
An E30 touring would certainly fit the bill, as would an E36, but good ones are rare. I'd go as modern as the E46, but would rather stay in the 80s/90s
Much as I love the E34, I feel it falls into the same category as the S124, very tempting, but just too large for our requirements.
The black E30 in your first link is a belter, however I'm after an auto as my wife has an auto only licence and she'll be driving it as often as I will.
I've always had a thing for the Mk1 Focus, and a decent estate model would do too.

W123-80's wrote: »

Anyone have any thoughts on the W201 '03..

- not quite sure what you mean here edit - gotcha the W210...

W123-80's

tc20 wrote: »

Thanks for the links W123.
An E30 touring would certainly fit the bill, as would an E36, but good ones are rare. I'd go as modern as the E46, but would rather stay in the 80s/90s
Much as I love the E34, I feel it falls into the same category as the S124, very tempting, but just too large for our requirements.
The black E30 in your first link is a belter, however I'm after an auto as my wife has an auto only licence and she'll be driving it as often as I will.
I've always had a thing for the Mk1 Focus, and a decent estate model would do too.

- not quite sure what you mean here edit - gotcha the W210...

Yup. I meant W210..!

w124man

W210 has a dreadful reputation for rust but Irish ones could be good and I've seen some really nice ones about. Capri has a V8 one !!


Where is he these days?

w124man

This is for sale!

tc20

is that in Ireland ?

I did view an S202 at the weekend, but a for a couple of reasons I passed it over. It might do as a daily hack for someone, but not quite what I was looking for. The search continues . . .

w124man

Its in the UK and is an MB club members car, yours for £995 !!

tc20

w124man wrote: »

Its in the UK and is an MB club members car, yours for £995 !!

Looks tidy, but with the current STG£ rate, add another €700 for VRT, ferry etc, unfortunately it's a non-runner. Thanks for posting though!

w124man

Yeah I feel the same way. Actually if £/€ was more realistic then that car would be on my driveway!

tc20

just an update on how my search is going folks..
I have now viewed 1 S202, and 3 W202s and although I knew that they rusted, I have to say I'm disheartened by the random outbreaks of tinworm on the cars I've viewed. 2 of the cars were originally Irish, so its not just the swimmers that are blighted. I've seen rust in all arches, door handle surrounds, boot locks, beside sunroofs, sills, on top of door frames and just about anywhere on any body panel.
My W201 may have a bit here and there, but nowhere near what I've seen out there so far.
All of the cars I looked at have current and long NCTs, and my plan is to hold on to an estate for a number of years. Any of the saloons would be a stop gap until the right estate came along, so I'm losing faith in finding a good S202. The plan ultimately is to have a compact family estate; it may well be that I will have to move to a more modern shed (Focus Mk1 or Octavia)
I'll keep ye posted on any findings, we live in hope!

w124man

tc20 wrote: »

The plan ultimately is to have a compact family estate; it may well be that I will have to move to a more modern shed (Focus Mk1 or Octavia)

Good God man, you need help! So ultimately you are looking for an S202?

tc20

so folks, an update at last on this one..

after searching and viewing quite a number of W202 & S202 with no joy on one that passed muster, I picked up an Astra G estate. Not a car that immediately inspires any kind of quasi classic euphoria i'll admit, but it suits the family requirements.
This means that my W201 will now be (reluctantly)on the market. I'll put up an ad on DD in the next week or so, but that I'd show it here in case there's an interest. Mods, if its ok, I'm just posting a few pics for now, its not advertised anywhere yet


1992, 1.8 auto, 131k miles on the clock
NCT & tax until end of Jan 2016
I bought it in Oct 2013 (2 years ago) and it then had 122,570 on the clock.
Irish car from new, and I'm the 4th owner.
Previous owner was a local farmer who had it for approx. 18 years.
Mushroom MB-Tex interior, with some wear on the drivers bolster, but it hasn't deteriorated in my 2 years of ownership.
15" 8 hole alloys
Original Blaupunkt Toronto radio/cassette. The tape deck never worked, it won't accept the tape for some reason, but I could live without that.
Shortly after I purchased the car I brought it to Ben Lichtenberg, who changed the following @ 122743:
new water pump, thermostat & housing
all fluids (oil, brake, ATF)
new fuel, oil, air & ATF filters
brakes all round
prop shaft coupling (the donut one)
new plugs

Last service with a local indy @ 128k

Although it is not a showroom standard car, she's been thoroughly reliable and has never missed a beat. I could go on and on, but suffice to say, I will be sad to see her go but that's life. When I do post up an ad, i'll be starting @ €1,500. there will be of course a boardsie rate

some sample pics of both attached

tc20

couple more pics..

w124man

Am I the only one that cant see the pics?

Collibosher

w124man wrote: »

Am I the only one that cant see the pics?

You are not alone, just blank pages