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Why I'm considering to never drive anything smaller than a W126

11K views 26 replies 15 participants last post by  fraxdear 
#1 ·
A while ago I ended up being in a rear end collision in beloved W126 560SEL "Pegasus". The accident happened on a highway at my speed of about 35MPH. I don't know the speed of the cargo van that struck me.

I didn't have any problems except for slightly sore neck for next couple of days. Right after the impact I was under impression that it was nothing major. Then once I pulled over I realized how bad it was.

If I ever have a W124 Wagon I will never have any passengers in that 3rd row seat after seeing this kind of damage. I'm also considering to selling my W201 or maybe turning it into a rally car.

I think a W124 sedan would be acceptable but I still would want to have a W126 as my daily/long distance driver. I only wish it would be possible to retrofit side air bags to the older chassis :)
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Wow, glad you came out OK. A few years ago I had a front collision (I was standing still) in a W124 wagon. The guy hit me at about 35 miles per hour, and my car spun around and was totaled, but I had no injuries whatsoever. At that moment I fully realized that I will stick with Mercedes Benz, and that smaller cars are definitely not for me.

My wife currently drives our W210 E320 wagon, and I the W126 560SEL. I might look for a low milage, mint W140 S500 in the future, but nothing smaller, that is for sure...
 
#4 ·
Mercedes was one of the first, if not THE first to have crumple zones on the old heckflosse iirc. It's unfortunate the damage was so severe, but if it hadn't been, I'll bet your neck would be worse than it was.

The truth of the matter is that the 126 was probably the safest car in the world when it came out, and I believe was praised as so... But if you truly want safety, almost any car out there now is more safe. Technology has come a long way in the past 30 years.
 
#13 ·
The truth of the matter is that the 126 was probably the safest car in the world when it came out, and I believe was praised as so... But if you truly want safety, almost any car out there now is more safe. Technology has come a long way in the past 30 years.
In a front end collision I agree but IMO the rear end of most modern sedans just don't have the same substantial mass that a W126/W140 has for the $$$'s.
 
#5 ·
Despite modern advances in technology, there is however something to say about size and weight in relation to safety. A modern smaller car may not hold up as well if hit by a larger, heavier vehicle.
 
#6 ·
I don't know what the problem is today with a lot of these drivers. For one thing, I truly believe that these newer cars have too many gadgets installed around the area of the dash. Some of them light up like airplane cock pits and a majority of these bad drivers are paying more attention to the dash then what's around them on the road. The one thing that really irritates me the most is the drivers who insist on tailgating!

Be safe out here driving and I pray that all stays well with you and yours in your travels near and far! Later!
 
#7 · (Edited)
Horrendous wreck

This surely depicts the ABSOLUTE, ultimate, and utterly unassailable argument for owning the w126.


Look at the passenger compartment on yours. Not deformed, even one mil.limeter, the saftety cage built in there did EXACTY what it was designed tio doi.

Imagine if you were in a Kia "Soul", or a Nissan "Juke", or "Cube" in an impact like this. You would be dead or paralyzed forever if you took a hit in a miserable "gas saving" econobox like that..


To celebrate your survival perhaps we should all go fill up our w126 tanks to the brim and drive aroud in circles for awhile to celebrate your good fortune and choice of cars.

Go buy ANOTHER one.


edit "IRONY" meter saw the license plate "D(E)NT PUSH" and went "CHIRP".

 
#21 ·
Hahaha, my dad always said to keep a w126 wrapped around you at all times, and you will most likely always walk away from a wreck. (Also to keep a spare w126 in running condition! ) I have taken that recommendation to the extreme!
 
#12 ·
Maybe not...

I think a late w 140 would be safer for about the same money. They really feel built like a tank, even more than the 126

My 220 is definitely less of a tank than my old 126 sec
The princess did not wear her seatbelt though and look what happened to HER.
 
#15 ·
I'm really impressed by what I see in these pics and the video too. Having been in a few accidents, the W126 obviously has a lot of structural integrity.

At my job (machine maintenance in an automotive plant with welding, some assembly, and tier 1 stampings), I see that structural integrity is in a different line of thought when so many features (like airbags) are present. That's not knocking modern auto construction, is just to say things are viewed differently.

Great thread, I'm glad the OP started it.
 
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#22 · (Edited)
I had a friend who used to say "you either pay at the pump, or you pay at the hospital."

The W126 is a big car but it's actually not that heavy for it's size. Both a modern 550i and an A6 outweigh it. I think even a new Taurus outweighs it.

The most important factor in crash performance is always the structural integrity of the passenger compartment. If the car collapses around you there's no way you will survive a crash, doesn't matter how many airbags you have. The W126 has large crumple zones and many innovations on top of a very sturdy (and large) passenger cell. Also it's designed for crashes at high speed on the Autobahn, and kinetic energy (which has to be absorbed in a crash) increases with the square of speed, so a 120mph accident has four times the energy of a 60mph accident.

I agree it was probably the safest car in the world when it was made; and even when Volvo was touting all their safety technology I remember being surprised that the W126 was rated #1 on the IIHS safety list.

The safety cell keeps you alive: the airbags, knee bolsters, etc. mean you might actually walk away. Also a big car wins against a small car every time:



Even with airbags a flimsy car is a deathtrap. This is why I'll probably never buy a Chinese car:
 
#24 ·
I had a friend who used to say "you either pay at the pump, or you pay at the hospital."

The W126 is a big car but it's actually not that heavy for it's size. Both a modern 550i and an A6 outweigh it. I think even a new Taurus outweighs it.

The most important factor in crash performance is always the structural integrity of the passenger compartment. If the car collapses around you there's no way you will survive a crash, doesn't matter how many airbags you have. The W126 has large crumple zones and many innovations on top of a very sturdy (and large) passenger cell. Also it's designed for crashes at high speed on the Autobahn, and kinetic energy (which has to be absorbed in a crash) increases with the square of speed, so a 120mph accident has four times the energy of a 60mph accident.

I agree it was probably the safest car in the world when it was made; and even when Volvo was touting all their safety technology I remember being surprised that the W126 was rated #1 on the IIHS safety list.

The safety cell keeps you alive: the airbags, knee bolsters, etc. mean you might actually walk away. Also a big car wins against a small car every time... Even with airbags a flimsy car is a deathtrap. This is why I'll probably never buy a Chinese car...
Even the W140 models outweighed the W126 models.

Here's a dramatic multi-car crash with a W126:

 
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