W124 e200 or W202 C180?

[Guest calp]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum. And I am really grateful for those who have written some excellent comments on these models. I have learnt so much in less than 24 hours

After the arrival of the little princess into our family I am thinking of getting a car. The new cars are well... new; but the wallet is an old one:) Can't part with so much money and get a piece of junk be it tomyam or kimchi...

Therefore, I am eyeing on the 'seasoned' Mercs. Even though they are old, they are still a head turner for me. I love the design and built. (and I think this is what modern cars lack...)

So, my choice boils down to two major model groups:

W124 E200 and W202 C180.

My questions for them are as follows:

1-Can any kind (and knowledgeable) soul compare these two cars in terms of maintenance, repair cost, technology, electronic stuff, handling etc. I might have missed some items here.

2- In SgCar Mart I see some C180 made in '94 with price tags ard 31k. But the price jumps to 39k for a '95 model. What's the catch? :-\ are these two batches so different? engine, electronic features?

3- How is the FC for both?

4- Anybody uses child seats in them? Is it easy (or even possible) to fix the child seat on them? ;D

5- You name it; anything else that I should know?

thanks in advance for all the comments...

[Guest 9339]

Firstly, welcome to Sgmerc. :welcome:

be patient for your reply, our W124 bro Leon and Kel will answer your ??? shortly.

Do join us for this sunday , i belive you will gain more on W124 and W202...

or eventually being poison to get a W203 haaa....

Cheers and see you.

[g8crasher]

Welcome calp!

Get W202s from MY96 onwards. MY93-95 may have wiring harness issues (reason being they were made from recycled materials and disintegrated quicker - this is an across the board problem affecting W124/202/140 vehicles mfr'd during this period.

Most mechanics I have spoken with will lean towards getting the W124. Slightly less electronics compared with the W202 and the German build quality is almost bulletproof. I understand most RHD W202s were manufactured in the Daimler factory in East London, South Africa so psychologically that may not sit too well ?

Varying FC figures range from about 12.5-14ltrs for the W124 8V model. I expect the W202 to be slightly more fuel efficient.

Have a look at this thread for avg yearly maintenance for the W124 http://www.sgmerc.com/forum/index.php?topic=1367.0

[Guest calp]

Thanks for the replies, guys,

I can't really see any c180 '96 for sale on the market. They must be quite rare?

How bad is this wiring harness problem, btw?

The FC for w124 seems to be high... Is the 16V any better than 8V version?

Dear RC: For the meetup on Sunday; can't confirm now... Still considering...

Kallang is kinda' far for me-from BoonLay

[keltanky]

Thanks for the replies, guys,

I can't really see any c180 '96 for sale on the market. They must be quite rare?

How bad is this wiring harness problem, btw?

The FC for w124 seems to be high... Is the 16V any better than 8V version?

Dear RC: For the meetup on Sunday; can't confirm now... Still considering...

Kallang is kinda' far for me-from BoonLay

A lot of us stay at jurong west(ntu) la

16V is slighty better in FC.

Those after 96 are rare due to those timing high coe la

[g8crasher]

How bad is this wiring harness problem, btw?

The FC for w124 seems to be high... Is the 16V any better than 8V version?

Changing out the wiring loom will set you back a couple of grand. The freaking thing just melts away (engine bay temps in our humid weather). Tedious job.

FC is quite normal considering this is a heavy continental. Case in point - wife got bumped in the door by McDelivery boy on a motorbike and all the car suffered was some surface scratches.

16V engines offer a smoother ride but the 8V ones are punchier and nicer to abuse.

I think many 96 C180s were exported given their higher OMVs hence.

[Guest 9339]

Ya most 96' C's are scrap and exported within 5 years cos by the high omv and coe.Try drop by, most of us dont stay in the deserted stadium lei..... :tazzie: