I blew a big leak on my A/C system on my '94 940 regina wagon- I heard it/felt it go so I know it's easily accessible in the engine bay. It's a nice car, base model cloth seats, needs some cosmetics, I could sell it for $700.00 most likely in the shape it's in now, speedo doesn't work(I know the fix), and there's the A/C issue, plus maybe....maybe a new compressor plus the line that blew under the radiator, I'd still have to trace it down.

It's got 175k miles on it, the motor and trans are good, and the fuel pump, filter, and relays were just done.

I'm wondering if it's time to take out the money I can get from this car, and go with searching and locating a "cherry" 940 with leather-power seats/sun roof (something I'd really love to have), probably a '94 or '95. They seem to be going UP in value as of late, not down. Heck you can buy '01XC70s for less (ask me how I know).

If say I found the leaking hose which I can do, and I needed to fix/replace the A/C unit compressor, I just don't know if it's worth it. I've gotten frustrated and dropped cars in the past that just needed a few extra parts and regretted it, but the whole Regina VS. Bosh thing drives me a bit batty.


But...they do match. $700.00 goes a long way towards a 2-3k nice 940 wagon though...

 

The AC was the main reason I had to sell my 740 and get into a V70. Last time I had the system refilled was in 05 and it cost me $350, I was told the freon was getting rare and expensive. Last year when I wanted the same thing, they told me there is no more R12 available, and my only option is to get a whole new system compatible with the new eco friendly refrigerant for only about $3k. And even though I had everything done to the car mechanically, plus paint, tires even new headlights and taillights, at 200K miles I decided to go for the XC.

 

My 940 uses RF-134A, cheap and plentiful... I'd be diagnosing the leak myself with died RF gas, and an IR light, then replacing the compressor with a rebuilt or junk yard piece if of reasonable working bench capacity. A show car, this is not. This is the thing you take to home deopt, spill a gallon of paint inside, and don't bother to clean it up. I just wonder if I should keep fixing or go with a better shape car. These just seem to be aging no matter what, and the seals, rubber, relays, etc. are going no matter how well they've been taken care of over the years....

 

You can get all kinds of shameless crazy prices for work these days! A V70 is a POS and can be had for cheap for a reason. 740/940 are getting hard to find in decent shape.

 

Fix the car. You know what's wrong with it. You could buy a newer fancier car and 6 months down the road the engine or transmission goes. And by the way, cloth seats are way better than leather seats especially in Volvos.

 

You are right It's what I'll do. It's mine, it's registered, it works, I don't have to pay taxes, etc. Winter is coming, so...

Why is it that the cloth seats are better? One of the main reasons I drive these cars are for the cabin design. I have severe spinal disease and trauma, and while I've known volvo seats (and Saab) are some of the best there are, I was stunned at how well the cloth non power seats in this base model wagon are for comfort. My XC is the first car I've had that feels "roomy" compared to the RWD Volvos but they both feel great on my back. I will say the headrest on the XC actually touches my head. I'm 6'5" with a 32" inseam so most cars headrests meet me between the shoulder blades.

 

I thought Volvo RWD's had the best car seats til I got a 'model 124' Mercedes (E-class from 1985 to 95). The seats in my 1993 Mercedes 300CE convertible are sublime.

 

I nearly bought my fiancee a 2001 Audi A6 wagon... But it was a NYC car with tons of oil leaks and the PCV valve problem, it was cheap but my gut said no. HOWEVER, man was that thing comfortable.

I've been looking at some mid-80's Mercedes sedans. I love the look, the interiors compete with anything the Swedes have made...and they're just frikken cool. My friend who's also a savant mechanic and does house calls has an '86 sitting in his driveway I could get. I think I might pull the trigger on it, I think??? It's a w-126 300 class?, can't remember the rest... It's really nice. Sharp styling all around, cream leather interior, paint is shot and faded, but that doesn't bother me. It could be another "alternative" to cars that fit me, Swedes, Germans, they have their fair share of 6'+ peeps that's for sure.

 

Just picked up a "sublime" 1994 E320. 150k, 99% flawless, the outside temp gauge is funky, and, that's it for flaws! Changed the oil, 7.5 lts of Mobil1... Paid less for it than what a good 940 would cost--go figure!

 

It's a SIGN!!! I tell you!!!

I just looked at Craigslist and typed in 940 wagon, did the "expanded" search.
Nothing came up. Nothing. And I'm 70 miles north of NYC on the CT coast, so that covers all the way from Jersey to RI. I took of the wagon, and ONE white 940 with blown air bags came up for $1k!!! and tons of other stuff, plus three sedans.

Man. I remember when you could just go out and pick from whatever five wagons were closest to you. I bought my first '94 940 w/146k miles when it was less than ten years old for $3.5k

 

a W126 is a S class, the big luxobarges. could be anything from a 300SE to a 560SEL (SE is standard wheel base, SEL is long wheel base with more back seat leg room) ... the 280-300 are inline 6 cyl, the 380-560 are V8s. There were also SD, SDL same thing with turbodiesels.

a note for benz shoppers. 1992 or 93 to 1997 or 98 were the 'ecojunk wiring' years (same as 1980s volvo biodegradable). any car from that era shoudl have had its engine harnesses replaced, and if its HFM or LH injection, had the throttle actuator ("ETA") replaced too.

the inline 6's suffer from weak head gaskets, driven hard, they could need a new head gasket as often as every 100k miles, symptoms are usually minor oil or coolant leaks at the block to head, but sometimes misfires. if driven reasonably, the head gasket will go 250k or more miles.

the model 124 (E class) 6's automatic transmissions suffer from a weak reverse clutch. symptoms of eventual failure are that, when fully warmed up, shifting into R takes longer to engage. 1 second is optimal. 3 seconds is starting to wear. 5-10 seconds, and if you keep driving it too much longer, you'll loose reverse entirely, or it might even grenade. a top quality fully rebuilt transmission for my wifes 1994 E320 wagon was quoted at $2700 installed by a SFBA specialist. (she's somewhere around 3-4 seconds if its hot).



R-L, my 1993 300CE Cabriolet, wife's 1994 E320 wagon, and our 1990 300E2.6 rat-sedan

 

I did see some '99-'01 era Merc wagons for sale fairly cheap when I was shopping for and bought my '01XC (I know, I know...my journey to the Dark Side is complete), but... kinda like the V70 vs. a 940 they just didn't seem to have the same "umph" if you will for quality. Lots of plastic body panels and peeling paint, broken doo-hickies and switches. Is that a fair assessment? They all came with laundry lists of parts/labor done, like long lists, which makes me think that's a trend that won't stop.

I know little to nothing about Mercedes but I can learn. There's a sedan down the road from my Fiancee's place that's sitting on a lawn with $1,500.00 in the window. It's earlier than '86, it's got that metal trim around the lower body panel very classic looking. I'm going to stop and take a peek and a pic today, go see my friend's '86. He has an '85 too. But, he's a mechanic too. The '86 needs a water pump, tires, etc. I can't believe how nice the interior is inside.

That's a lot of great info on these cars. If I were to really say push come to shove and put a 940 head to head with one of these cars, which one would you say is more DIY friendly? Not withstanding parts cost/availability, just ease of work for someone of my mediocre mechanical ability? I'm better than most, but I'm no true mechanic.

Is there a specific model year to shop for in these things? I'm aware of the redblock eco-wiring years, and I've always gravitated to the 940s, but I'd do a 740 turbo intercooler if I could find one.

EDIT: A craigslist search yielded a metric $#!( ton of Mercedes cars in various ranges of years and prices. Given I've (we've?) gotten way off topic, is there a place you would suggest I go to learn more about these cars? Familiarize myself with model years, configurations etc.

There's a '72 that just looks killer, but realistically this thing will need to be daily drive reliable and maintainable. Years of availability were across the board, the better condition mid 80's and minty early 80's cars were fetching anywhere from $1,500 for a good condition running car w/minor issues, to 10K for what looks like frame up resto/show cars and higher. AND, 2005 Kompressors were going for $3k... which doesn't inspire confidence in me at all for that price. I've got a bug up my *** on this one and I don't think it's going to let go... I've toyed with getting a plain V70 post '01, there's a few that need belts/vavle jobs/or engines depending on the damage for $500.00, but the XC has ridiculous MPG and road noise, I won't deny it puts a smile of my face most of the time, sound system, seats, etc. are just dandy. But I think it might be time to drop it and go a different route...it's a shiny new toy for sure but it scares me being a fordvo.

We've had this discussion before on other threads regarding my body size, etc. and options for the aging and harder to find 940 cars. But I think it may be time to move forward on this one... Being a car guy, I think I'd like one of these a lot. For some reason a Volvo isn't a Volvo to me if it's not a wagon, just as a Saab isn't a Saab if it's not a hatchback, but I could live with a Merc Sedan given I've got two wagons in the fleet now. And, my fiancee really needs a good car, her '03 Corolla which has run FOREVER is burning oil up at about a quart a week, could be stuck lifter, but it's not the kind of car with 300k miles I'd sink a ton of money into, and I just hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. Worst ergos ever...

As always your help in these matters is so appreciated gentlemen. Thank you.

 

Ok, up front, there's three 'families' of mercedes, C class smaller cars, E class midsized, and S class luxobarges. There's also the SL class 'roadsters', 2 seater luxury cars with cloth tops AND removable hard tops. Each of these families has gone through numerous generations, the ones I'm most familiar with are the model '124' series of E class from 1985 to 1995. The 1996+ E class were model '210'. The earlier E class from the 70s into the early 80s were model 123, these include the very popular 300D diesel (and 300TD diesel wagon, the T was for Touring).

just to add to the confusion, in 1994, they switched from 300E to E320 designation for essentially the same car (with a slight face lift). When they switched from chassis model 124 to model 210, they still were E320 even tho they were a completely different car.

Personally, I don't like the newer E class, as you say they are more plastic. I'm not a big fan of the C class, if I was getting that sized car, I'd probably go for a BMW 3 series. The S class are just too big and heavy and luxury loaded.

Any mercedes is going to be a more expensive car to maintain, unless you can do everything yourself. There is very good dealer parts availability, much better than Volvo these days, and everything is made for diassembly albeit complex. Its definitely worth paying more for a car that has full service records, and I would highly recommend a full pre-purchase-inspection from a reliable mercedes-only indie just so you know what you're getting into.

but, find a clean '124' series 300E/E320 sedan, and take it for a spin, try the seats for size. later ones often have a power adjusted steering column, where you can move the steering wheel in/out a few inches. they /all/ have power seats (***** on the door). I think they have huge head and leg room.

oh, another little thing, virtually all the E series model 123 and 124 wagons have hydropneumatic rear suspension. Its really not that complex of a system but its certainly more complex than coil springs and tubular shocks. it gives an amazingly good ride, and levels the car with any load. if the rear ride is harsh, you need new 'nitrogen sphere's also called 'accumulators'. if the system has leaked out all its juice, you may need new plumbing, or new seals ni the leveler valve. use ONLY ZH-M hydraulic fluid in these, do NOT put anything else in the tank (which is up behind the left headlight, next to the ABS module).

p.p.s. the 124 convertibles are fairly rare I expect they are on the cusp of being a collectors car.



766 imported into the USA in 1993, and about 5000 more combined in 1994/1995.

 

Pierce, thanks so much! So I stopped and looked at this thing.... I like it a lot, I'm not sure this is the "one" for me, but these cars really seem to be "car guy" cars. Well engineered, quirky for sure, but I think I could see myself in one. It's a "luxo-barge" as you put it, holy wheel base batman. It looks like something a Politburo member would've been driven around in by a chauffeur. The back seat is like a living room. Here's some pics, it's a V8... so I'm not so sure I really want to live with the MPGs on that kind of car, and it needs some body work and paint. I'd guess it's original owner, with 124k miles. Not sure of the year, but I'd guess '84-'85? I think '85 was the cut off for this one, I can't remember just now. The interior could use a detail, and there's some tears in the leather not major, but it's in good shape overall. I could see myself in one of these...



http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...%3A34%3Bnu0mrj

 

Oh, and check out the bumper sticker in the back window!
Not sure if this guy is really excited about being a Republican, or if he has a sense of humor about dating the car! It's retro alright.


Here's some rust spots...under the hood was also missing the matt and had a lot of surface rust. But all repairable stuff I could do in my spare time.

 

I have thought about BMWs, but my only experience was with a 3 series, it drove like no other car I've ever been behind the wheel...ultimate driving machine and how, but...I need a 7' shoehorn and a 50 gallon drum of axle grease to get in and out of it. That's what being in the cockpit of an F-16 must feel like.
When I was young and healthy I rode motorcycles, and drove big mopar trucks. My friend had two BMW bikes, and I was used to 1200cc rocketships, I had an FJ1200 built to the 9's, stage 3 jet kit, K&Ns, BUT...I took his R600 for a ride and good god, again drove like no other bike I'd ever been on....the transverse engines on those made it handle in a peculiar but exciting way. No more motorcycles for this guy though, I've got a Son now and one dump and it's over for me.

I don't know how much BMW bikes cross over to their cars, but they are nice. I think Mercedes would be a better bet for me though.

Shaquille O'Niel drives a BMW, and my spine is longer than his but he can afford to have it torn down, re-fabricated, and rebuilt with custom seats to fit his enormous body.

 

the 5 series BMWs are about the size of the E series mercedes, and the 7-series compare with the S class mercedes. I had the hots for a 530i wagon (last of the straight 6's) from circa 2000 but never could find one in the right sort of condition and price.

 

So not to open another can of worms, if push came to shove and you were going to recommend a car for someone like me, if I could keep on the majority of maintenance tasks in my driveway, with parts/cost of repair, would you consider BMWs of the same era or similar? I was a huge Saab lover too, but with my connective tissue disease I just can't drive stick anymore my knees are shot and gone and one stand on a clutch in traffic and I'm going to be in the hospital again, and the Borg Warners are just too much of a gamble.

 

so there's a 560Sel, '86? a 420 sel '85? and the one above. I think I really want to go for that 560.... needs a water pump, paint is rough, not much rust, 124k miles.

My mech has them in his driveway, I think about $1,500 for the 560? it's been sitting for a couple years, needs a water pump and tires.

It's gorgeous.

 

I'd vote to keep the 940. I own a 95 850T wagon and my daughter uses it as her daily driver. She can fit more stuff in that car than we can in my wife's Highlander! Fixing the AC is not that horrific unless the leak is in the evaporator (a problem area in the 850s). Quite often people thing they need a new compressor when in fact they just need to reshim the clutch. So if you find the leak, my coaching would be to 1) replace that part along with the various o-rings, orifice valve and the receiver/dryer 2) check the AC clutch gap and reshim if way out of spec (I think the spec is .3-.4mm and it goes wonky when it at .8mm or more ) 3) have a shop due the recharge. They can vacuum out the old and fill with a proper oil/freon mix. I assume this is after having a proper dye test done. Once done, you are set for a while and can work on the Speedo (I've done the gears on the 850 already). Besides, you can probably walk over to FCP's new place in Milford right?