On Sat, 27 Jan 2007, Mitch Haley wrote: > > > "John W. Reames III" wrote: > The fronts were OK when I got it, the back was unsalvageable. > Climate control dead except for the fan. Shocks were Sears and worn, > one of the backs seemed oil-free. For $550 almost five years ago, I > got a rustfree car with 300k on the clock that would get 27mpg at > 75-80 mph. I had been looking at $2-3k W126/OM617 when I found the > 1979 W116. It's quite peppy around town, I wonder if the pre-1980 cam > has more low end torque than the 1980-85, or if the lack of EGR helps > that much?
Make sure there is no rust around the front sway bar mounting! I think Proper disabling of the EGR makes a difference, but I believe there is a difference in transmissions and rear axles as well. 27mpg sounds about like what I got out of my 84. BTW i forgot to mention, I'd rather be hit in ANY mercedes as compared to any VW (at least prior to the last generation or two)... I was rear-ended in a 126... maybe 35mph, I was stopped. The left side trunk pan tore loose from the frame, the rear doors chipped paint off their back edge and the body due to sudden excessive intimacy, the sunroof popped open The inside of the trunk... well the bottom liner was torn loose on the front edge (where it was hinged) and pushed forward about 4-6". I remember thinking that the spare might need to be deflated if it were to come out... The rear bumper was pushed in hard (the forward ends of it were definitely down. Oh yeah and I still could drive it home (75 Miles, I waited 90 mins for the Leesburg cops, wasnt gonna wait another 90 mins for towing to boot!)... When I got the trunk open (Yep it opened right up), I was unable to re-close it because the lid had spring back out enough that the latch tab was outside the rear panel of the car. Did I mention that I was uninjured? Did I also mention that the other driver's rearview mirror came UNGLUED from the glass (his head did not hit it...) and smashed itself on the dash, breaking plastic bits off of it? I'll take a Benz any day coming or going. Period. Lots of people will tell you that a car "just gets you from point A to point B" and that "You don't need anything that fancy"... yeah a car gets you to point B, but the hidden assumption is that you are alive to get there. THAT is the REAL primary job of the car--to keep the occupants safe in an unsafe world WHILE getting you from point A to point B. Comfort and style is nice (well comfort--driving from full to empty on the tank without javing to stop for a walk, is a good thing, IMHO), and fuel mileage is great, but Geo Metro XFIs got great mileage (54-58 I want to say), but would you want to be hit in a car that is made of plastic? Anyhow.... -j.
