1977 Mercedes-Benz 250 review from Australia and New Zealand
"A timeless classic, delivering comfortable, economical and supremely reliable motoring"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
A front suspension ball-joint needed replacing. An after-market part was used that cost (at $150) about half the Mercedes original.
The plastic capping on the boot ledge broke.
The air-pump door-locking system sprang a leak after a lock was forced down.
Hit full on at the point of the left front wheel at 60kph by an old Holden. The Holden died on the spot. I was able to drive the Benz into a nearby parking space, engine still purring away and all essential organs intact. Owing to a 20cm displacement of the engine compartment chassis, though, the car has sadly to be written off.
General comments?
The fact that the car had been reconditioned and had LPG fitted at around the 200,000km mark was a major attraction, though cold starts were a bit tricky owing to the compression required to pull in the first puff of gas. It cost no more than my old Nissan wagon to run. While no dragster, it moved quite smoothly around town and was a lovely touring car. It would stall on petrol in town, but would handle hills better on petrol than on gas when travelling at over about 80kph.
A bright orange with all the chrome trimmings, when polished it always seemed to turn heads and inspire envy. Sadly missed.
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| I would sell my new car before I sell this one |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1977 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5 in-line six petrol, LPG Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 297000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 330000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Nissan Bluebird |
| Date of Entry | 7th December, 2001 |