What should I do with my project car ?
Posted by Mademonn_@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 67 comments
I own a 1986 Mercedes 190e, 2L.
It’s been 2 years and I did quite a lot on it : - suspensions/ brakes / full interior / driver seat / exhaust/ stearing wheel / full set wheels and tires / intake / catch can…
I initially wanted to drift the thing.
But damn that’s so expensive… I really love this car and I have a lot of fun driving it, but since it’s “”modified”” it’s no longer legal to drive it here in France. Racetrack is really expensive too.
Furthermore, I still need to weld the diff and add a turbo.
Planned to do everything myself to cut the cost but I don’t have a real garage so it is pretty hard to do, and it will probably be expensive anyway…
I was thinking of selling it even if it breaks my heart and finance a new motorcycle to replace my actual 400cc
What would you do?
List it to see if someone would be interested for a “good” price ? Keep it until I can finance my build ? I’m kinda lost.
Striking-Okra-4296@reddit
rwd, cheap tires on the back door less grip, and give the car more acceleration so it has enough power to immediately spin the wheels at whatever angle your drift is. And increase your steering angle.
Grumblerton@reddit
What would have to be changed to make it road legal? Is it essentially reverting completely back to stock?
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Yup, everything back to stock.
Technically, I did pass the inspection (you need to do it every two years) I just needed to re install the old exhaust.
Once the turbo is installed, it won’t pass the inspection unless I get back to stock once every two years. And that’s only for the inspection.
In France, even if the inspection says your car is safe, police, insurance and laws can say it isn’t.
For example, If I crash tomorrow, insurance won’t cover my car bc of the little modifications. Even if I made it actually safer. And if I hurt someone, it would be jail time and pretty much tens of thousands in bills. Guilty or not.
Police can arrest me anytime and take away my car, or force me to get it bone stock.
It’s really fun having a project car and work on it, but here it’s so risky that I don’t think if it’s worth.
KamakaziDemiGod@reddit
Have you considered moving?
This may seem like a joke, but honestly if my country told me my MG ZR (my baby) wasn't allowed to be used anymore, I'd seriously consider moving countries, especially as I've considered moving before but I can't leave the car behind and it was a "sell everything and move" kind of opportunity. Luckily the UK isn't too bad on car laws, besides stupidly high taxes, but if that changed me and my baby would be on the first Eurostar outta here
Zestyclose-Ad-5305@reddit
I live in Texas and they even did away with safety inspections a couple years back. People drive around for YEARS with expired registration tags and do whatever the hell they want with mods. If you live in a metro, you still need an emission check in order to renew your registration, but that’s limited to hooking your car up to an OBD reader. It’s wild over here. Not always in a good way. But hey, Kei cars/trucks are legal now, so there’s that!
No-Succotash-9576@reddit
We are quite lucky in the UK that you can kind of do whatever you want with your car and have it legal. You can even build your entire car from scratch, and if it meets basic rules, it's road legal.
I wouldn't have thought that France has such different laws on car mods.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I did. If I only had my car in my life, no friends and didn’t a like the city I live in, I would.
KamakaziDemiGod@reddit
Yeah that's perfectly valid, and its the other reasons I didn't move, although I could have made all that work, and being somewhere new would have been a nice change.
This is an extreme option, but have you considered a career in politics? Then you could fix the rules!
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Haha I wish I could! But France government is too busy to tax the poor and feed the rich. They don’t care about passionate people doing what they love. They even closed a lot of tracks. What a shame.
Grumblerton@reddit
I would reexamine what specifically would need to be changed back to avoid any legal liability and keep it. Ultimately if the laws are that strict then you’re going to wind up with a great old merc that’s the most modified it can be on public roads. It’s a flex and a great car either way. I can’t imagine not owning my e30 even if I had to keep most of it stock from an appearance perspective and only make small changes under the hood. If the car brings you joy, then I would set it up as a fun weekend/nice day car that I could keep on the public roads.
NervusBelli@reddit
Literally everything. You are not allowed to do anything here except cosmetics like skirt, spoiler etc. Tires only in manufacturer approved size, same with wheels, no lowering springs, no change of injectors for higher flow, no ecu tuning, absolutely no adding turbos
grease_monkey@reddit
I have family in France and visit quite often. The inability to modify a car has kept me from wanting to move
BWFTW@reddit
I remember reading an article about how Japan has a similar 2 year rule. So groups of friends would buy garages together and take turns every two years modifying someone's car to pass inspection and then modify it back.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Wow 😂 that’s organization to it’s finest
Psych0matt@reddit
I would debadge it, but I know that’s not everyone’s taste
BN3163@reddit
Keep her mint. I'd personally make it stock but... its up to you. Getting rid of old cars is not a good idea, the giant blobs on todays roads cannot compare even IF you make this bone stock again. Lovely car.
BWFTW@reddit
The car looks awesome though
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Thanks ! But it seems like it’s not to everyone taste 🥲
BWFTW@reddit
It's a good thing you didn't build it for them then :)
Confident-Benefit600@reddit
Get rid of that wing
newoldschool@reddit
do full efi and modern lsd totally transforms the car
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Same shit, full efi is totally illegal
newoldschool@reddit
does France have any historical car exceptions?
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Everything has to be stock Old cars or new cars As I said before in another comment, even if you take a hold car and make it safer and more reliable, it’s not road legal anymore. You can ask to legally assess the modifications to make it road legal again but it takes YEARS and cost a kidney 😅
chatapokai@reddit
Change your rims asap imo. They don’t fit the style of the car at all.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Some hate it, some love it.
chatapokai@reddit
I’d buy it if I wasn’t so far. I’ve always wanted a 190.
I only mentioned the rims cause your question was very open ended. I think they look more like BMW M3 rims and are an inch too big for the Merc. I’d throw on some BBS-style meshies with a lip if it was mine, but it’s not lol.
Honestly if you’re not in need of cash, just keep and enjoy it. It looks to be in great condition so just have fun with it and eventually get something that’s cheap and smashed up to drift around.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I don’t really like bbs style rims and I wanted mine to be a little different, as most of 190e ends up with stock amg rims or bbs / stance rims.
I don’t know where you live but 190e are pretty common here in EU and are pretty cheap ! Bought mine 2000€ 2 years ago running and driving
chatapokai@reddit
East coast USA. They’re rare here now and are starting to crawl up in price significantly. Trash ones are about $2k, decent ones around $7k, and nice ones owner 10k. Car prices here have been insane since Covid. Bought my MR2 for 1500 and it can sell for almost 10x that now. Dumb.
If you don’t like BBS/AMG rims (which I respect cause they really are everywhere), some multi-spoke straight rally rims (like 12-16 spoke) or OZ shield rims would also look sick. Hell anything 1552 makes would look great. Ok I’ll stop with the rim talk lol.
Maybe I’ll save up for one. I have space for just one more car but it can’t be a full project and I’m kinda itching for a V8.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I would love to own a 69 mustang V8 but it’s kind of impossible to find here in France, and I’m poor anyway 😂
notanotablecloud@reddit
Hahaha, a dream car. The 69 Mustang Fastback But so fucking pricey in Europe, it’s not even funny xd
mikeh0677@reddit
I love the way they look. The lowered suspension looks great too.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
These are coilovers. It was a pain to install but it does look good 😌
notanotablecloud@reddit
Use it as a taxi! Then the speed doesn’t matter ;)
As a French person, you should know those movies xd
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Why do you think I fell in love with the 190e 😂
notanotablecloud@reddit
Ohh lmao those where the “bad” guys right? Red/white painted in trucks xD
I saw a white fast car, and a french person. First thing that came on my mind :p
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Yes, white / grey ! I do love the 406 tho, there are some replicas in France from the taxi movies, they look great 😌
mr_lab_rat@reddit
Either make it road legal and drive it or sell it.
Putting a turbo on NA engine in a way to deliver power smoothly for drifting is gonna cost more than the car is worth.
I like the bike idea
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I like the bike idea too, I should drop the drift build idea and invest the time and money it would have cost me to do bodywork - paint and make it fully functional 😄
WildHogPower@reddit
Au yeux de la loi ? Pas légale, non.
Mais le plus important selon moi, c'est l'assurance. Essaie éventuellement de te renseigner en disait que tu comptes modifier ta voiture (et non que c'est déjà fait), et voit jusqu'où ils sont prêts à ajouter des trucs à la liste.
J'ai des potes pour qui jantes/covering c'est passé. Ils sont assurés, l'expert pourra rien dire
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Jantes / covering oui, sauf que là on parle de passer un atmo en turbo, pont soudé, siège baquet et tout le tralala. J’avais prévu de faire du drift sur route ouverte, pas sur circuit 😅 C’est un risque à prendre, mais vu comment les flics sont tendus depuis quelques années, c’est vraiment jouer avec le feu.
WildHogPower@reddit
Je pense que si tu choisis les bons coins aux bons horaires, t'a peu de chances de te faire chopper, surtout si t'as accès à du rural
Mais c'est vrai que c'est un sacré risque, j'aavsi aps capté que tu voulais autant la modifier.
Honnêtement, avec tant de moyens investis, je pense que j'en ferais un sleeper. Un extérieur OEM+ pour pas que les flics clc, et puis tu roules tranquille en choisissant tes moments pour attaquer
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
C’était un peu l’idée, mais difficile d’avoir un setup sleeper et de drift, ça demande pas mal de modifications. Sauf si l’idée est d’abandonner le drift ? Ce qui n’est pas impossible non plus. C’est franchement triste qu’on soit aussi limités en France, sachant que 90% des personnes qui font de grosses modifications font le nécessaire pour avoir la sécurité qui va avec.
Puis quand tu vois farine, la boiserie, mangeur de cardans et tout le reste qui roulent sur route ouverte avec des caisses de 700+ tu penses que ça passe mdr Sauf que derrière moi j’ai pas les finances pour me sortir de la merde et ni la notoriété pour qu’on laisse passer
WildHogPower@reddit
Ah nan je suis d'accord, c'est honteux qu'on puisse rien faire.
Je pense honnêtement que le drift c'est compliqué, surtout si le budget est un obstacle. C'est sûr que si t'avais la thune de fdb, la question ne se poserait pas.
En l'état, je pense que privilégier un truc usable au quotidien, c'est la meilleure idée
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
En effet, je vais peut être lâcher l’idée drift et plutôt mettre l’argent dans la carrosserie et la fiabilité ! Dans tous les cas le budget pneu aurait aussi fait mal.
C’est vraiment dommage, en France soit t’as de la thune et t’achètes directement une voiture puissante pour te faire plaisir (que tu pourras pas utiliser à 100%) Soit t’as pas de thunes et tu te débrouille pour faire un projet correct et tu finis en taule mdr
WildHogPower@reddit
Ah ça je suis bien d'accord. Je sais pas si tu le connais, mais "illégal" sur Insta/Tiktok milite pour la réindroduction des cartes grises type "mod", pour déclarer et être dans la légalité.
J'ai pas l'habitude de faire ça, mais hésite pas à lui donner de la force. Peut être qu'il se fera entendre, et réussira, qui sait ?
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Je suis déjà abonné et je regarde régulièrement, c’est un peu voué à l’échec mais ça coûte rien de soutenir !
WildHogPower@reddit
L'espoir fait vivre haha
Mavrosian@reddit
Come to America, and enjoy modifying your car however you see fit (as long as you don't go to California).
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I like free healthcare
Mavrosian@reddit
Then quit whining and sell the car or use it for what you built it to do.
appepuppe26@reddit
is it seriously that strict in France? even in Germany you are allowed to modify as long as it's TUV certified, which is what our system goes after here in Finland. as long as the product is TUV certified, it can be installed and inspected.
We are even allowed to engine swap (to an extent) to newer engines never offered in the original car, for example a 2.3 VR5 in a mk1 golf.
(Åland Islands have their own rules about car modification, and they do some crazy builds over there, but sadly not allowed on the mainland......)
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Yes it’s really, really strict. You can’t legally swap unless it’s the exact same motor. The only thing you can do (not legal tho but it’s acceptable) is OEM+ Spoilers : not legal Engine work : not legal ECU flash : not legal Bodywork: not legal Wheels : legal if it matches the constructor list (not a lot of choices Etc etc. If it’s not bone stock, you can be in big trouble
appepuppe26@reddit
Well that's fucking lame :P
And I thought the Swiss were strict when they banned motor racing due to an accident that happened in Le Mans
DB_Coopah@reddit
Revert what you need to make it road legal / comfortable to drive, get a 190E Evo II body kit and slap it on there, drive and enjoy.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I like the Evo II but what a weird guy I would be driving a Evo II replica with a 4 cylinder 120hp engine 😂 And my 190e is a phase 1 - non facelift model, pretty sure an Evo 2 body kit won’t fit
DB_Coopah@reddit
Aw that’s a bummer. Was worth a try. 🤷♂️
SuKharjo@reddit
Just put the old exhaust back and keep it on the road, man. Get some beat ass BMW to drift instead. They have much better mod support, and noone will care if you slam it into the wall.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I agree, I don’t give a damn about wrecking a bmw, but the idea wasn’t to buy another moneypit 😂
texan01@reddit
needs a set of cragars, white letters and a stinkbug stance! then you can jump coke cans with it.
(I kid of course!, it's awesome the way it is!)
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
I don’t like stance looks and it drives terrible haha, I like the way it looks, even if it lacks bodywork
texan01@reddit
the 190 mercs have always had a certain gravitas that just mean business. Too bad all the ones we had in the US has the underpowered four and weirdly programmed automatic that always started in 2nd gear instead of 1st.
You forced a 1st gear start and it would be acceptable, but drive normally, it was a slug.
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Mine drives well ! I don’t have much power but it is pretty light for a big ass car (1200kg) It’s a manual 5 speed. I always hated automatic 🤭
Dienik@reddit
you should give it to me
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Hmmm no
Affectionate-Map8474@reddit
Je pourrait être intéressé, mais t’es à 900km de moi (Suisse Romande), donc ça fait un bon bout de route , surtout avec mon dépanneuse
En tout cas, en vu du temps et l’argent que t’as coulé dedans, à ta place, je le garderai
Met le de côté , et reviens à un moment dans le futur quand t’as plus de capital financier à mettre, quitte à prendre une garage box pour faciliter les travaux
Si t’était plus près, je t’aurais accueilli avec plaisir dans mon garage:)
Mademonn_@reddit (OP)
Mec je rêve d’avoir accès à un garage, avec un pont 😅 ça m’aurait tellement facilité les choses