Classic Car DD

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970-Mercedes-Benz-250-Series-Coupe-/110873366687?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19d091509f

I would love to DD something like this but I don't know how reliable or the gas mileage these old Mercedes get.

Here's my DD, being used as a wagon should be:

Here's my DD, being used as a wagon should be:

mguar wrote: Wow! daily driver? what else? a Jaguar XK-E !!! The worlds best crumpet collector. the early ones get 20 MPG and are plenty sporty speed wise. If you can't keep one of those running turn in your man card.. They are extremely durable. OK I wouldn't drive it in the winter or even on days that rain is forecast simply because cleaning the wire wheels is a real chore.. (Pop them off one at a time while watching a sporting event on TV they take about 1/2 hour or so to clean and polish if SWMBO objects bring in a large towel to set them on so the rug doesn't get tire tracks.) If she still objects next time take home one of the crumpets you caught

I know a great guy who for 20 years drove the same series 2 Jag XKE, every day that it did not snow. The jag started life as a coupe but then as opportunity presented itself he rebodied it to a roadster.
Just a few years back, his series 2 was hit and totaled. He replaced it with the most beautiful series 1 roadster.

The funny part is what he drives when it snows. It is then that he drives a 1939 Chevy Pick Up. And not some resto-mod version but rather a real 1939 truck. Sure it has been updated a little but that means it has a 6 cyl engine taken out of an 1973 Olds Omega that he put in some time in the '80's.
His truck looks just like this in the same color combo and condition.

David S. Wallens wrote: If you don't need a/c or a back seat, how about a rubber-bumper MGB. Those big bumpers are nice for parallel parking, and the cars are priced less than their chrome-bumper counterparts. Parts support is stellar, and the top goes down.

OR a Fiat 124 Spider, even cheaper, as good parts support. There is a fella here at work who DDs a rubber bumper MGB...

PS: Osterkraut just bought a Fiat 124 Spider and is DDing it...

jrw1621 wrote:

mguar wrote: Wow! daily driver? what else? a Jaguar XK-E !!! The worlds best crumpet collector. the early ones get 20 MPG and are plenty sporty speed wise. If you can't keep one of those running turn in your man card.. They are extremely durable. OK I wouldn't drive it in the winter or even on days that rain is forecast simply because cleaning the wire wheels is a real chore.. (Pop them off one at a time while watching a sporting event on TV they take about 1/2 hour or so to clean and polish if SWMBO objects bring in a large towel to set them on so the rug doesn't get tire tracks.) If she still objects next time take home one of the crumpets you caught

I know a great guy who for 20 years drove the same series 2 Jag XKE, every day that it did not snow. The jag started life as a coupe but then as opportunity presented itself he rebodied it to a roadster. Just a few years back, his series 2 was hit and totaled. He replaced it with the most beautiful series 1 roadster.

There's a garage I pass going to work that has a late 60's/early 70's S2 in the lot right now. It was in a garage around the corner and got flooded out during the storms last Spring. It appears to be in the perfect condition to be a DD. It's not restored, but looks basically complete. Some day I'll be able to stop and pick their brains about it.

I think I'd do a GTV. Such a beautiful car. I wonder what a good one would cost?

I tried to buy a new Giulia in '74. The dealer was a little eccentric. Wouldn't negotiate off the list price...fair enough. All I asked was to pick up the car at the dock in Houston. "Nope. I drive all the Alfas back myself." So, I bought a Europa.

93EXCivic wrote: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970-Mercedes-Benz-250-Series-Coupe-/110873366687?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19d091509f I would love to DD something like this but I don't know how reliable or the gas mileage these old Mercedes get.

They're pretty reliable if looked after - these models were the ones that cemented Mercedes' reputation for reliability. However they can rust rather well and especially the 250 has a bit of a drinking problem.

BoxheadTim wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1970-Mercedes-Benz-250-Series-Coupe-/110873366687?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item19d091509f I would love to DD something like this but I don't know how reliable or the gas mileage these old Mercedes get.

They're pretty reliable if looked after - these models were the ones that cemented Mercedes' reputation for reliability. However they can rust rather well and especially the 250 has a bit of a drinking problem.

Really I was hoping they wouldn't rust since my W123 is fairly rust free. How much of a drinking problem does the 250 have?

Raze wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: If you don't need a/c or a back seat, how about a rubber-bumper MGB. Those big bumpers are nice for parallel parking, and the cars are priced less than their chrome-bumper counterparts. Parts support is stellar, and the top goes down.

OR a Fiat 124 Spider, even cheaper, as good parts support. There is a fella here at work who DDs a rubber bumper MGB... PS: Osterkraut just bought a Fiat 124 Spider and is DDing it...

Sure, that would work, too. I'm thinking for a daily driver I want the bigger bumpers. I know how people park.

Lincoln Continental Convertible for me, it would have to be black, low and have some huge wheels on it and have a modern FI engine...

Cole_Trickle wrote: nicely done C10.

This.

David S. Wallens wrote:

Raze wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: If you don't need a/c or a back seat, how about a rubber-bumper MGB. Those big bumpers are nice for parallel parking, and the cars are priced less than their chrome-bumper counterparts. Parts support is stellar, and the top goes down.

OR a Fiat 124 Spider, even cheaper, as good parts support. There is a fella here at work who DDs a rubber bumper MGB... PS: Osterkraut just bought a Fiat 124 Spider and is DDing it...

Sure, that would work, too. I'm thinking for a daily driver I want the bigger bumpers. I know how people park.

TBH, early Miatae are damn near "classic" status now. Mine is coming out of the bodyshop this weekend, will be my daily driver again, and it's 20 years old. Just a thought, if you want a "classic" roadster to drive....and yeah, I get that it's not quite the attention grabber that an MGB is. I've only known a couple of people who DD'd an MGB, but both had surprisingly good luck doing so. One was a clean rubber bumper roadster, and one was a beat-to-hell chrome bumper GT.

I do have a non-car-knowledgeable friend (who's a lady to boot) who just bought a cherry 1976 Scout 4wd to drive every day. So far, she loves it, despite the exorbitant price she paid and how much it's in the shop for piddly stuff. She has a short commute, though.

No a Miata isn't classic to me and I couldn't be bothered with them. I would take a TR7 first.

93EXCivic wrote: No a Miata isn't classic to me and I couldn't be bothered with them. I would take a TR7 first.

You're entitled to your opinion. Just like I am to say that I think I'd walk before driving a TR7.

EDIT: Had forgotten the pre-1980 qualification you made. I think it's kind of arbitrary, but it's your question to ask.

psteav wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: No a Miata isn't classic to me and I couldn't be bothered with them. I would take a TR7 first.

You're entitled to your opinion. Just like I am to say that I think I'd walk before driving a TR7.

Well you might be walking a lot if you do have a TR7.

I just don't fit in a Miata and it always reminds me of a soulless copy of the old British cars which I love. I get why people love them but they leave me cold. Also not pre-'80

93EXCivic wrote: Really I was hoping they wouldn't rust since my W123 is fairly rust free. How much of a drinking problem does the 250 have?

From other 250c and 280c owners I have heard estimates anywhere from 8-16 mpg mixed. Mostly on the lower end of the scale. I too am looking for a hardtop coupe of that generation, as mentioned previously in the thread.

bastomatic wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: Really I was hoping they wouldn't rust since my W123 is fairly rust free. How much of a drinking problem does the 250 have?

From other 250c and 280c owners I have heard estimates anywhere from 8-16 mpg mixed. Mostly on the lower end of the scale. I too am looking for a hardtop coupe of that generation, as mentioned previously in the thread.

Damn that shoots down that idea.

Living in the land of road salt, subarus, and above average gas prices a single year round classic DD is hard to pick. It boils down to reliability between a Mini and a Civic.

3 season would be a mild 302 mustang.

Damn the gas prices and go all year, a CJ

Raze wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: If you don't need a/c or a back seat, how about a rubber-bumper MGB. Those big bumpers are nice for parallel parking, and the cars are priced less than their chrome-bumper counterparts. Parts support is stellar, and the top goes down.

OR a Fiat 124 Spider, even cheaper, as good parts support. There is a fella here at work who DDs a rubber bumper MGB... PS: Osterkraut just bought a Fiat 124 Spider and is DDing it...

Drove it to work and back today. Front passenger brake was smoking when I got home. Fix It Again Tony!

For the record, said car has NO bumpers now, but I'm not too worried about it, they're cheap.

93EXCivic wrote:

bastomatic wrote:

93EXCivic wrote: Really I was hoping they wouldn't rust since my W123 is fairly rust free. How much of a drinking problem does the 250 have?

From other 250c and 280c owners I have heard estimates anywhere from 8-16 mpg mixed. Mostly on the lower end of the scale. I too am looking for a hardtop coupe of that generation, as mentioned previously in the thread.

Damn that shoots down that idea.

IIRC the 280 twin cam gets better mileage, at least that was the word in Germany.

I'm not sure how much of the blame needs to be placed on the carb(s) on the 250 (some odd Solex, IIRC) - these might be much better on fuel when Megasquirted. Either way, the 250 was an old engine when these were new and that didn't help their efficiency.

BoxheadTim wrote: I'm not sure how much of the blame needs to be placed on the carb(s) on the 250 (some odd Solex, IIRC) - these might be much better on fuel when Megasquirted. Either way, the 250 was an old engine when these were new and that didn't help their efficiency.

Megasquirt would indeed be a great upgrade on these. The OE carbs have been known to warp on the shelf in the original boxes, and heaven knows most folks aren't comfortable with the complicated carbs Mercedes employed at the time.

MG Bryan wrote:

93EXCivic wrote:

MG Bryan wrote: For a pre-1980 DD, this:

You are a masochistic...

E36 M3, that was, by far, the the *least* masochistic option that came to mind.

You know, actually, it's not as crazy as it might seem. I mean, any British sports car of similar vintage is gonna be just as much mechanical trouble at this point, and the fiberglass body means it's less of a corrosion issue than most classics.

In reply to Max_Archer:

Have you ever been round a TVR? The built quality on them made BL look good. Don't get me wrong I would love one but no way as a daily.

Not to mention that there is a reason that the state of the chassis is usually referred to as "Blackpool rot" in the UK. OK, so it's a pun on the candy called Blackpool Rock but it should tell you something...