by gerryvz » Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:17 am
Your normal 6.9 will get 10-12 MPG. It's more refined than a 6.3, but I don't like the full hydropneumatic suspension as compared to the 6.3's air suspension (which MB is using again these days in modern form as "Airmatic").
The 126 is a much more competent and refined chassis than the 116.
An excerpt from some recent commentary about the 6.9 that I posted recently over at 500Eboard:
I daily drove a 6.9 for several years. A 560SEL (or an E500E) is a much more competent (not to mention faster) car. The 6.9 only has a three-speed automatic transmission. Count on 11-13 MPG. Bottom line: fairly overrated cars (particularly in US guise, with 250HP (Euros=286HP), restricted travel on the hydropneumatic suspension (until you remove the restrictor , and huge "railroad tie" bumpers), which is one reason why they just don't bring much money in the US. I'm starting to see a bit of uptick in Europe, but they're no 6.3 (or 500E). The suspension is first-generation MB "trailing arm" (i.e. not as good as the later-gen trailing arm as found in the W126) and the W116 platform is ... well.... to be nice ... uninspiring.
Don't get me started on the first-gen ACC climate control system, with its plastic servo that MB borrowed from Chrysler....
If you think that 500E rear hydro struts are expensive, you've obviously not priced out the individual struts (and there are 4 of 'em!) for the 450SEL 6.9 ... nor the 5 accumulators that the car's suspension uses !! The front struts are $900+ apiece list price (discounted in the $650 range), the rear struts are $1,600 apiece, and the accumulators (front are regular W126 accumulators) are $320 apiece!
A 6.9 pales in comparison to a nice 560SEL. Again the 560SEL is much easier to live with, more competent, faster (particularly at top-end speeds), and much cheaper to maintain and run.
Neither a 560SEL or a 500E are going to have NEARLY the rust problems that an M-100 car will have.
I've owned, daily-driven, maintained long-term top-tier examples of all four cars. I have been able to begin to scratch the surface of learning their quirks and intricacies, but only just....
There's a reason I've had my E500 for 9+ years, my 560SEC for 10+ years and my 560SL (R107) for 6+ years. For myself, I really have no desire to ever have another type of car to drive.
Trust me when I warn people away from 6.3s and 6.9s. 90+% of the time they have no clue as to what they are getting into.
Your normal 6.9 will get 10-12 MPG. It's more refined than a 6.3, but I don't like the full hydropneumatic suspension as compared to the 6.3's air suspension (which MB is using again these days in modern form as "Airmatic").
The 126 is a much more competent and refined chassis than the 116.
An excerpt from some recent commentary about the 6.9 that I posted recently over at 500Eboard:
[b]I daily drove a 6.9 for several years. A 560SEL (or an E500E) is a much more competent (not to mention faster) car. The 6.9 only has a three-speed automatic transmission. Count on 11-13 MPG. Bottom line: fairly overrated cars (particularly in US guise, with 250HP (Euros=286HP), restricted travel on the hydropneumatic suspension (until you remove the restrictor , and huge "railroad tie" bumpers), which is one reason why they just don't bring much money in the US. I'm starting to see a bit of uptick in Europe, but they're no 6.3 (or 500E). The suspension is first-generation MB "trailing arm" (i.e. not as good as the later-gen trailing arm as found in the W126) and the W116 platform is ... well.... to be nice ... uninspiring.
Don't get me started on the first-gen ACC climate control system, with its plastic servo that MB borrowed from Chrysler....
If you think that 500E rear hydro struts are expensive, you've obviously not priced out the individual struts (and there are 4 of 'em!) for the 450SEL 6.9 ... nor the 5 accumulators that the car's suspension uses !! The front struts are $900+ apiece list price (discounted in the $650 range), the rear struts are $1,600 apiece, and the accumulators (front are regular W126 accumulators) are $320 apiece!
A 6.9 pales in comparison to a nice 560SEL. Again the 560SEL is much easier to live with, more competent, faster (particularly at top-end speeds), and much cheaper to maintain and run.
Neither a 560SEL or a 500E are going to have NEARLY the rust problems that an M-100 car will have.
I've owned, daily-driven, maintained long-term top-tier examples of all four cars. I have been able to begin to scratch the surface of learning their quirks and intricacies, but only just....
There's a reason I've had my E500 for 9+ years, my 560SEC for 10+ years and my 560SL (R107) for 6+ years. For myself, I really have no desire to ever have another type of car to drive.
Trust me when I warn people away from 6.3s and 6.9s. 90+% of the time they have no clue as to what they are getting into.[/b]