MAG58 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I was sitting at home, playing in my garage per standard saturday night protocol, when I realized something. I've worked so hard to get a big motor ready for my 240Z and I hardly want it in there .... It's my current DD for college, it gets high 20's in MPG, starts first time every time, looks great, is fantastically comfortable considering the suspension that's under it... It may not be the fastest in the 1/4 but damn it handles good. It does everything I want it to. Oil change every 3k, never a down day. This thing is the most reliable car I've seen. If anything will get me through hell and back, it's my ol' 240Z. Maybe I'm content? But I'm 20. I'm not supposed to be content. Aren't I supposed to want it to be a fire-breathing unstreetable monster that requires work every weekend to keep it running? And then again, I made a horrible mistake the other day. I rode in a Mercedes-Benz 190E that had a twin cam M104 3.2 engine stuffed inside (straight up bolt in procedure for the 2.6) accompanied by bigger W124 swaybars, Bilstein's, H&R springs, and 400e brakes. It was 2900lbs for a comfy 4 door mercedes sedan. It was calm. It was quiet. It was downright cozy. The interior is just a nice thing to be in. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever ridden in. For being a mercedes, it took corners at speeds that I would hesitate in my little Z car, without even flinching. The amount of bottom end that big twin cam motor had was nuts. It only had just south of 300hp and it was scary quick. And the next plan on the table was a turbo (which apparently these M104's love to be turbocharged, and love is an understatement) For a mercedes, it was pretty cheap too, I'd say I probably have the same or a little more in my Z car. At the end of the day, it was still a little dinky, stock looking old mercedes benz. You could still bring it home to mom/the ol' lady and not flinch. Had you seen it at a gas station you could not tell that it wasn't the dinky 2.3 that does 0-60 if and only if it's being assisted by wind, a rocket, or the force of the almighty God. I'm conflicted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 dude, you just made me hard, I LOOOOVVVVEEE 190e's and you just lined out everything i would ever want to do to one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerAce Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Considering the guy I go to locally with all the weird problems I have with the Z made his living on fixing MBs, and Zs was a side hobby, I'd say it's all good. Plus, if you don't do the M104, I'll have to do it first, and I'd rather not trod *completely* unbroken ground with that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mayolives Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 MB has be making bad ass cars for a long time and their ongoing involvement in motorsports is well documented. My 1993 500E rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexicoker Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 pics? =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rolling Parts Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 It's America. Everyone has at least 2 cars. No reason why not to enjoy as many as you can afford (hey, ask Jay Leno). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Not the car I was in, but same styling/2.6 looks. No car that looks that... Mercedes ish? Should be that quick. That's just silly. And they Cossie 2.3/2.5-16v's have been known to pick some pretty serious fights with it's arch enemy, the E30M3. Really I don't think you can beat one for the money, now that the E30, IMO has been blown way out of proportion with people getting silly amounts of money for them even if they're all ragged out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 (edited) I had a W126 (1987 420SEL) that was a great highway car. Drove it to race tracks around the country when I was crewing with an ALMS/Grand Am team. 100mph was all day easy and the cops never gave it a second look. I'm still tempted to get a 1991 350SDL, pull the diesel engine and put a 502 Chevy in the car. I saw one in Georgia that had the 502 in front of a 4L80E trans with the stock Mercedes limited slip diff. It hauled ass! Edited October 6, 2009 by johnc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators BRAAP Posted October 6, 2009 Administrators Share Posted October 6, 2009 Very cool. For a quality sedan, you can’t wrong with the German offerings. BMW or Merc. Compared to the BMW offering of the same vintage the Merc has a newer more modern appearance to it’s rival the E-30. I would've guessed this Merc to be the same vintage as the E36. I likey... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Speed Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 No car that looks that... Mercedes ish? Should be that quick. That's just silly. I agree mercedes usually doesn't look the part but in all reality they have always secretly been the HOT ROD german car. BMW has always had the sporty look and handling but mercedes always makes fast straight line cars. They love making deceptively fast sedans, even the 500-560 SEL/SEC's of the 80' were mustang/camaro fighters but people only see them as luxory sedans unless they have actually driven one. To this day they dominate the drag strip with the twin turbo 600 and 65's also their world class NA V8's which put out 580hp in the newest version thats supposed to be released in the SLR predecessor. We go to the local drags with some rich guys from socal occasionally and there was a bone stock clk63 on drag radials and nitrous runnin 11.1 all day long... What a great car company. As far as the 190 goes.... always loved them. Very cool looking, light sporty sedan and they were even offered with Manuals in the U.S. which is very rare for mercedes. Twin turbo straight six 190e is sounding pretty good right abut now LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Agreed. For a mid 80's sedan with all it's safety features and it's size (it's got 15in of wheelbase on an S30), 2900 lbs 89+ and 2700 below 89 isn't bad AT all. I'm currently looking for the 2.6 version as putting my M104 would be a bolt in affair, as would putting the newer Getrag 6 speed out of the little new mercedes roadsters. All of their 4cyl gearboxes even can see 5-600hp daily driven and not complain. The M104 bottom end can see 600+ daily driven and be alright as long as you keep the knock out of the cast pistons. And the 190E was the first mercedes to use their excellent 5 link rear suspension (with factory 3.27LSD in the 16v) and a solid McPherson link front with springs on the A arms. Hopefully I can find one that has seen some miles and is due an engine (though the M102/3's have gone 300k + before a rebuild ) So I can strip it down, put it on a rotisserie and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 So, the Z stays stock while you build a Merc? I say throw a terbeaux swap in the 240 and Get the Speed six for the Benz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Share Posted October 7, 2009 Hmm... I do have an intake laying around, as well as a terbeaux short block in bits... Hmmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators BRAAP Posted October 7, 2009 Administrators Share Posted October 7, 2009 I say throw a terbeaux swap in the 240 ... There you go talking about a pressurized bidet again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatBlack Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Hmm... I do have an intake laying around, as well as a terbeaux short block in bits... Hmmm.... I've got an extra L28ET sitting at the shop... doin' nuthin... There you go talking about a pressurized bidet again... Don't you forget!! I've even tricked a couple newbs, someone called a L28ET related part a "terbeaux" haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Share Posted October 7, 2009 You are all going to have my cars eat me out of house, home, a stable income, and any chance of retirement. God bless you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators BRAAP Posted October 7, 2009 Administrators Share Posted October 7, 2009 You are all going to have my cars eat me out of house, home, a stable income, and any chance of retirement. God bless you all. We forgot one more... Resistance is few-tile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Share Posted October 7, 2009 Pfft. The post E30 3 series dwarf the 190E... The swede's know how to party... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators BRAAP Posted October 7, 2009 Administrators Share Posted October 7, 2009 BMW V-10 powered E30 M3 vs 1000 HP M5! Cars hit 260+ KMH, (161+ MPH)! I guesstimate their roll start to be approx 30-40 MPH, to 260 KMH! Game, set, match! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAG58 Posted October 7, 2009 Author Share Posted October 7, 2009 I feel there are more BMW people that like to build crazy bimmers than the Merc guys. The aftermarket shows this proportionally. I will obviously have to change the status quo. It's about time gives the ol' W201 some much needed respect... Both these cars are amazing, and both gave the other hell in DTM and enduro. Word is that the 2.5L Evo II produced something like 400hp in race trim to fight against those pesky M3's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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