John Freer indignantly answers my post about the 140 previously discussed: > > <<Roger, you gotta be kiddin'! > > You mean to say that all them 500 engined MB's have "engine guts" > problems? Oh those poor folks in their SL500's and E500's... > Seems to me I recently read a post from Herr Ritter over on his MB list about V-8 problems including flat cam lobes and their oiler failures. And chain guides. And more. > > <<Are you also saying that there are no MB's out there over 10 years old > that haven't had an A/C problem? Just read on this List a few days ago > that a new compressor was around 800.00 for a 201.>> > You betcha others have AC problems, but the percentages are vastly less than the 140 and the cost to fix is less. I saw a cosmetically very well kept V8 140 at my dealer just last month with an evap leak and the pile of parts removed from the car just to access the failed component was half the size of the car. OK, that's a slight exaggeration. The bill was going to be about four grand. > > <<Front suspension issues were addressed early on according to my MB > printout with an upgrade as a "goodwill" fix. The official "fix" was > more than just a rebate on a new car purchase.>> > So what was new about the front end design of this model? Hasn't MB been building front suspensions for big heavy models for decades? Did the 116 6.9 have suspension problems? What about the 6.3? Or the 600? > > <<And regarding the door suckers, big deal. It's a 500 dollar repair and > you can fix it if you want, no big deal. Sure beats the heck out of > the 3,000.00 leaking head gaskets on the 6 cylinder gas E class MB's > from that era.>> > My C280's M104 leaky headgasket was replaced under warranty and the cost would have been about $1500, had I been billed. And it was a one time fix. > > <<And, BTW, most MB's of that era had lousy wiring harness's and weak > evaporators.>> > Well, lets see. My '85 and '89 201s had no harness problems nor did my '95 C280. And my '01 C320's harness is an entirely different design and although it looks cheap probably isn't and there is no sign of deterioration after four plus years. > > <<I may be whistling in the dark but I refuse to have a battle of wits > with the unarmed. OTOH, these old wife's tales are great for us that > see the need to obtain the last great MB built for a reasonable price.>> > I grant you there have been lot of old wives and their tales on the various MB lists but in this case there is plenty of evidence available. As far as being unarmed, I have been reading posts about the 140 on perhaps five MB lists for nearly ten years now. Plus, the Service manager at one of the local dealers has been a friend for decades and I heard plenty about the 140 in the early years of the model. And at my dealer I am well acquainted with the service employees and have heard the same stories.
And remember, even though a 140 can be bought cheap (ish) these days, you are still repairing a 75 grand car. Having said all that, I have driven a few 140s (plus the W220) and they are marvelous to drive and ride in. The V8s have good power and can be driven through gaps in traffic that are smaller than they are. OK, have at it. RLE > >
