Technically, Amigo is not our research object, he has not been restored, and he should not even be on this site. But he’s a member of the family, we get along with him for a while this year. Now it’s time to calculate what are the rewards. Why we would keep him and fall in love with him.
Once I watched Nicky Fox’s “Car File” S10EP25 (November 1998) first time few years ago, I realized we are missing the other part of Persian Kitty instantly. The iconic set of Azurite Blue S 280 and Brilliant Silver V 230. Later, I finally completed this set by luck. At the end of the review, Nicky Fox switched from the V 230 to the S 280 and said, “Well if you’re still solvent once the families fled you can always slide back into what may remain most people’s idea of ​​what Mercedes really means.” So, after six months together, how eager are we to slide back into our S-Klasse?
Dream & Reality
Considering how rare he is here, I can’t express how happy I am to have gotten him. Maybe his presence on this site explained everything, I haven’t even introduced some of my 140s. As a 2002 V 230 Ambiente, this is the top spec besides the V 280. Standard options for the Ambiente include six leather seats, two sunroofs, folding table, refrigerator and curtains. Just imagine, on the way home from school on a winter day, other children are either sitting on their bikes in the cold to avoid traffic jams, or can only be strapped into the safety seat of their parents’ EV, facing forward and envy the bicycles outside the window without being stuck in traffic jams. My children can turn on the lights and table to eat, play cards and chat. To avoid unnecessary envy, you can draw the curtains… Is there anything better? At least the new V has no curtains and folding table. I am not a fan of VW VR6, so V 280 is not on my list.
The above are the user scenarios I envisioned, they are the motivation for me to do my best to find 638 V-Klasse that has never been introduced here. Only a few were imported for strange reasons, some were used by Daimler’s headquarters in China. Now there are no more than 5 surviving. When I finally found one, there was no reason to miss it… My wife said that I am a fanatic, “You are good at setting a goal you envision, and then working hard and looking forward to it crazily. When the facts do not coincide with your hopes, you will become frustrated.” She’s right, so I believe I should be exposed to more frustrating things, which will help heal my mental illness. To a considerable extent, I have been cured by these cars.
It may be hard to believe, but this year my family has spent more time in Amigo than in all of our S-Klasses combined. Among everything, if it is the most profound impression, then Amigo is a trick master, I remember every moment when he made me laugh and cry. I picked up him on May 20, 2024, and then cleaned and worked on him. On June 2, I thought it was not good enough, but it was time to introduce him to my family. I drove him home from the workshop with great anticipation, parked him in the square downstairs, and waited for the dark to turn on internal lights to let the cabin become an Istana. I finished dinner with my wife and children, and then came over to enjoy this important moment. When I proudly turned the key to open the door – the key broke in the door handle.
After spending two days removing the aftermarket immobilizer and GPS and recovering the dozens of wires that had been cut on all four doors, the central locking system could finally be activated with the key instead of the aftermarket immobilizer. But I forgot that the key blade had not been used for a long time thus it had not been tested for durability – it broke when I first unlocked the car in front of my family. Ouch! My wife didn’t blame me for being exposed them into hot summer. It was a surprise to her too, she knew I’m considerate of my cars. She just grumbled in a low voice about the poor quality of the key. Of course, this key has star on it, so who has to be accused is not questionary… What a good first impression!
While my wife and kids were waiting in the square, I rushed home to get the spare key. I opened the passenger door and climbed to the driver’s side, opening the other doors, thank god you can do that on the V. From the first day I got Amigo, he never missed a chance to play a prank on you for your negligence. A few hours ago when we were driving on the highway from the workshop home, the passenger side wheel suddenly rubbed violently, I thought the tire or bearing was broken. Then it turned out that the wind went through the front bumper and tore the mud guard and pushed it onto the tire. So you know this car hasn’t been driven on the highway for a while. By the way, I was really surprised why they put a big hole in the front bumper to scoop the wind onto the mud guard.
Still, the key didn’t affect our mood. My sons were very excited, they kept saying “This car is amazing!” while sitting opposite my wife. I was very happy that the facing seats I set were recognized, which was the most important reason why I have been trying to find a 638 V-Klasse for the past few years. It is said that this is the first minivan that provides facing seats. In my opinion, this layout is particularly suitable for a family to pass the boring time of riding. I swear that in the two years from when I thought about the 638 V-Klasse to the realization of my dream, the new V on the market could not provide facing seats. I criticized the current situation of lack of humanistic care. Then only two months after Amigo came to our home, Mercedes launched the new V here, which provides facing seats.
Then we passed a pit, my wife said that for a moment she felt like she took off. Oh yeah, she sat in the last row, which is on the rear axle. Forgive me for not being able to sit in the back and drive, I know nothing about it and am unprepared. I had a profound misunderstanding of air suspension, I thought this term must be more comfortable than the conventional hydraulic springs on the 140. Now we must learn that the main function of the 638 V’s rear air suspension is to adjust the height of the rear axle rather than reduce bumps. Before the shock absorber starts to work, the rear axle has already brought the vibration to you without reservation. By the way, this is a front-wheel drive vehicle, it does not have a rear axle in the traditional sense, where is the axle? I think he’s like a wounded with injured legs, crawling forward with two legs that cannot walk. My wife sits on the throne above these legs.
Imagine they deal with the S-Klasse and Tesla Model X every day, so in order to avoid these foreseeable comfort slides, I did some work to bring my users and target scenarios closer to each other. When I first sat on these seats, I thought it was filled with asbestos instead of sponge, how could it be so stiff! And the posture was also uncomfortable. The person who approved these seats should resign, but you know Dr. Zetsche succeeded. To reduce the complaints of my family, I added two extra child cushions to the seats, which can filter the vibrations transmitted by the seats. This worked, at least they didn’t complain until they reached the first intersection.
Soon, more complaints came from the rear. My wife said that the seats were like hard benches. You see, my efforts were ruined by the rear axle. I can only explain that this is a European van. In Europe, such vehicles are designed to carry goods rather than people. I don’t know why I regretted it after explaining it this way. Why did I say this? But I have learned that driving Amigo with passengers requires more careful observation of the road, making my steering wheel a shock absorber for them. The temperature is rising, and the air conditioning and fan are already working at full capacity. Such a big vehicle has only AC nozzles on the floor at the rear. Have they learned that cold air will gather downwards instead of upwards?
Humanistic Care
Adjusting my expectations and refining the car further, I decided to set off again. Amigo’s second reception mission was my Dutch friend Eric von Ingen. He is a Chinese automobile scholar, in my opinion the most authoritative Chinese automobile expert. I took him to investigate some 1930s automobile history in the archives of my city. That afternoon, I was driving on the highway with NETA Auto’s VP Chang Bing, who is my childhood idol, and Eric. It suddenly started to rain heavily. I was worried about Amigo, but surprisingly he did well. Since the wind noise could not be heard in the rain, he became even more comfortable. Soon the sky cleared up, just like my mood. But Chang Bing and I, who were sitting at front, did not talk too much with Eric in the back, because the voice still could not be effectively transmitted.
After dining that evening, with some time left before boarding the train, I wanted Chang Bing to autograph some items I brought for him. That was the first time we met, but I had wanted to meet him since 2005. He is a renowned car designer of Hongqi. Just when I wondered which bar is quiet enough, he suggested we go back to the cabin and do that, he noticed the folding table. Hey, it was awesome, we had a meeting face to face like the scene in the sales brochure. I even thought of parking it on the side of the road as a restaurant during traffic jams next time. If you do this in a Toyota Alphard, you’ll look like a real idiot. But I feel the envious eyes outside the window, this is a car with humanistic care.
The 638 V has a fixed seat slot, which means the seat position cannot be adjusted. There is actually not much room for backrest adjustment either, it is much smaller than the new V by today’s standards. When the rear seats face each other, the second row seats cannot be too far forward, otherwise they will touch the backrests of the front seats. Of course, in order to maximize the rear space, I compressed my backrest angle as much as possible. I didn’t force myself, I would say it’s just right. Such seating creates a gap, but they could be practical. I can put the children’s bicycles in it, which is more stable than putting them in the trunk. Since I have to pick up the kids at kindergarten from my workshop through the highway everyday, I rarely do this with Amigo. But every time they see that it is Amigo in the parking lot, they are very excited and screaming “Amigo!”. Compared with my ultra clean 140s, his huge advantage is that they don’t have to take off their shoes when boarding.
If you check the sales brochure, the top-of-the-line Ambiente is actually used more as a business car than a family car, where people hold meetings on that table. Hey, you know what, facing seating makes the legroom for adults really tight, so it’s hard to avoid your legs rubbing against the opposite passenger. You better hope or not that it’s the opposite sex (if you like the same sex, then it can be any gender you like), which is probably why there must be a table on top to cover movements underneath… That’s it. I believe such seating is more suitable for families rather than meetings between strangers. If you have several kids, it’s the ideal ride. By the way, putting the kids in the second row facing rear also helps prevent them from getting hurt in a frontal collision, but my sons prefer to sit face to face.
The warm lighting is definitely a visual treat, and there’s a bus-like light switch on the dashboard to turn on all the lights. Add curtains and armchairs, and you’ll find that the S-Klasse stole the Pullman name, the V-Klasse is the Pullman train that deserves the name! Imagine you need 3 times the budget to upgrade from a C-Klasse to an S-Klasse, and get no more than 30% extra space. But you get a Mercedes this huge for about the same money as a C-Klasse. What’s there to complain about? Hey, sometimes you really think that vans should be upgraded to the top premium cars, as no sedan can match the space, even the MAYBACH. Amigo has become our means of transportation to go outdoors on weekends, so it has the highest insurance amount of all my cars. In addition to the fact that it has 6 seats, it is also fully insured because he’s a kids carrier.
Amigo is my most practical Mercedes, and it even plays the role of an ambulance. Once my elder son broke his chin while riding bicycle, blood kept flowing out. He almost fainted. I carried him to the Amigo and rushed to the hospital with my other son. He was operated on immediately, I looked at the Amigo downstairs from the window and was glad we had such a car. The next day we decided to go for a walk in the suburbs, children refused to sit in. “It’s too fast!”, I remembered, that was the fastest I had ever driven, the speed and wind noise were completely ignored. Our city ambulance was the MB 100 2.3 (661) once produced by Ssangyong, they had the same M111 E23 engine as the V 230. I don’t remember our speed, but it was definitely faster than any ambulance. We even arrived at the hospital early, the surgeon came from his lunch half hour later. My friend once joked that he didn’t know what AMBIENTE on the door means, he thought it was “Ambulance”. It really deserves the name!
The children seemed to be scared by the experience that day. But after a while, when Amigo appeared at the kindergarten gate again, they still ran over. They excitedly tell their classmates “That’s our Amigo!”, other children also began to pay attention to this van full of warm lights and curtains. Fortunately and unfortunately, the most despised van in the family became the children’s most beloved.
Chauffer’s View
Amigo is not good at moving passengers to their destination fast and comfortablely. If you ask me if it is more suitable for drivers in this regard, I learned it on my first Autobahn journey. I feel more and more that this is not my problem, but first of all the Germans’ problem before it becomes my problem. It is true that in Japan, where this car sells well, the speed is lower and not many people need to take their families on the highway every day. But this is a car with a German star, I have the impression that Autobahn is there. Because time is very important to Germans, and time often needs speed in exchange.
The 638 V-Klasse does the opposite. First of all, as a German-spec top-of-the-line V-Klasse delivered to Lübeck, it does not have cruise control. Allow me to excuse other potential frictions, this bread-shaped vehicle is so dependent on the foot on the gas pedal. Even wind resistance can quickly reduce the speed after slightly releasing the accelerator pedal. Moreover, the air passing through the two large holes in the bumper and hitting the fenders forms an effective air brake. Even the Vito 114 sold in China was equipped with cruise control. Then, being a 2002 Mercedes it only has 4 gears. The engine will never willingly cruise quietly. Maybe I’m spoiled by those multi-cylinder S-Klasses, I never saw such revs. If it was a V 200 it would be even worse.
Another experiment consisted of trying to talk to myself. I failed the first time, believing that at 120 km/h my own voice was transmitted more from my bones than through my ears. For this reason, I later replaced 4 Continental silent tires, 4 wheel bearings, and 2 drive shafts. It was a clear improvement, but the effect was about the same as the side windows lowered down at 140. I must admit that Amigo is not good at moving at high speeds at all, that would only embarrass us. Now I am only willing to drive at a maximum speed of 100 km/h, as the extra 20 km/h will bring exponential physical and psychological burdens.
If there are no complaints about revs, power is perhaps the least noteworthy part of this car. The 2.3-liter M111 output 122 PS. The unladen weight of this van is almost the same as that of the S 280, but with 68 PS less. How can you expect the response from the S 280, which is already a sluggish enough car? The important thing is that the 4-cylinder output is not so linear, and with a weight of near 2000 kg, there is not much distance between standstill and violent acceleration. This is another reason for passenger discomfort. I studied the possibility of adding the Kompressor to the cabin, which could add 40-50 PS, but there is not enough space. Maybe it is more realistic on the MB 100. Even with the 4 cylinders, it doesn’t improve the economy. It weighs about the same as the S 280, but consumes more fuel. The fuel consumption in our congested city is about 17L/100km, while the S 280 is about 13L/100km.
Fortunately, with that weight, high-speed stability is not an issue. I invited various people to test drive Amigo, including real van drivers. They commented that you can feel the weight of the car, its chassis is very solid. But when you start, you feel that it is not so heavy, whether it is steering or accelerating. This is due to the original design: it was originally a van used to load goods, the gear settings are conducive to quick starts. In fact, due to the huge brake booster, its brakes are more positive than any 140 I have, surpassing the MY1998 with BAS. The field of vision is absolutely first-class, and in this respect it beats almost every passenger car on the road. When I try to experience Amigo like a van driver, I get more happiness.
The new era has definitely helped with the car’s specs. With the 140, even in the last model year of 1998, heated seats were only standard on the V12. Now the 2002 4-cylinder van has it, too, and their switch are right out of the 140. The switch’s retainer even comes from the 140’s very premium overhead reading light, which is only standard on the Pullman. While those green buttons and plastic wood remind you this is a bus or van, only the orange heat switch tells you it could be from a higher-end vehicle. The added premium also includes the sound of the Gelandwagen’s closing doors.
Parktronic is very useful for a boxy vehicle like this, even though it’s just 4 sensors on the rear bumper. The Parktronic display is a digital number display on the instrument cluster, which starts to display when the distance is less than 160 cm, and it stops when the distance is less than 30 cm. If you turn the steering wheel while reversing, there is a high probability that your airbag will cover the entire instrument panel including the distance display, at least 3/4 of the time. Once again, you learn that all the luxury features of this car are patches from other cars, they are very reluctantly squeezed in here like the switches of the 140 Pullman.
All Mercedes dealers in China cannot service the 638 V-Klasse, this is due to their complicated after-sales system. Simply put, special authorization is required to operate a commercial vehicle business, which filters out many passanger vehicle dealers. Yes, I believe only the 638 V-Klasse is considered a commercial vehicle. However, since they were never officially introduced, no Chinese dealer has the parts agency rights. After I knew that my parts supplier could not do this, we went to several dealers to request service, so that some parts could be ordered by the way. However, the German warehouses always rejected their orders after 1-2 days. So, this is only for owners like me who have a workshop and knowledge to work, even more efforts and resources are needed than the S-Klasse to keep the V running.
If it’s just regular maintenance, it’s very economical. But when it comes to repairs, the parts prices and availability are horrible. For example we had an inaccurate fuel gauge that was integrated with the fuel pump. This could have been done to reduce costs at the time, but the cost of replacing the fuel gauge is quite high. Many parts are no longer available, in fact I found that most parts are no longer produced after 2010. Even the engine, you may think it’s just a regular M111, but it’s not. It’s just called an M111, it’s very different from other M111s. Not only is it front-wheel drive, it’s also more compact. The silver paint makes me, who can’t tolerate dust, very happy. Their tolerance for dust is high. So I rarely wash him, just wipe with a cloth and spray some wax.
I’m going to leave the design for last, lest anyone think I’m being flatter. After all, this is such a practical vehicle that few people would favor it for its styling. But as I mentioned in “Impression: Acquisition of Amigo”, when I first learned about the 638 as a child in 2002, I was attracted by its design. At that time, when I saw the 210 and 220, which shocked me with their new design language, I was happy to discover another Mercedes from the past era. After the 202, the 638 was the last design that didn’t look so unconventional. Its design was frozen in 1993, designed by Michael Mauer from 1989 to 1991. When you tell people he’s the debut work of current Porsche chief designer , they laugh.
Social Status
Admit it or not, like it or not, cars are the business cards of drivers. For example, when you see a fancy Gelandwagen, you know you see someone in opulance, even if the driver may just be a parking attendant. Or, people adore the S-Klasse, but people also consider some S-Klasse owners are assholes. It’s not the cars’ fault, some just don’t deserve their cars, but the S-Klasse deserves everyone. So we usually consider that cars ranks higher than people, or in other words, people are usually not better than their cars.
With Amigo I’ve had many experiences of being looked down upon by security guards, literally anywhere, even entering my own apartment parking lot. When the security guards see a tall van, which is called “bread” in China, they assume that you have no parking space and you are a delivery person who is asking for trouble. They are not in a hurry to come out, but slowly pick up the register book, slowly put on the coat, and make an impatient expression “Another stupid delivery man, how many times will it take?” They treat you as the only kind of people that they has the confidence to make things difficult in a day.
When I said I had a few parking spots, or asked why the delivery guy couldn’t have a spot, they thought I was a liar, which made things worse. You know there are a dozen security guards in this neighborhood and they’re always changing their positions, so don’t try to find the last person you argued with to open the gate for you. I found the most effective way, which is to bet 100 bucks that you have a parking space. Some of them will change their minds after seeing the stars, some will be tougher out of self-esteem. In general, I know that I am the underdog in a car like this, I can’t even use the horn to urge them like other cars, the NOS genuine horn of Amigo will turn us into a real delivery van.
They may be right, because the evolution of auto styling has made some designs more functional. In 1995, any Chinese behind the wheel would be looked at with awe, even if he drove a “Mercedes bread”. He might even get more respect, because while other businessmen used S-Klasse to cheat others of their investments, V-Klasse owners had a spare Mercedes to entertain their families. But today, the definition of MPV or minivan has changed. Amigo’s styling is similar to those of the cheapest Chinese delivery vans. As long as you look like a sedan or a modern MPV, the security guard will let you through.
For me, I don’t care about social status per se, but it is a real inconvenience. My neighbor just bought his new Toyota Alphard for $140,000, he can get through the gate quickly even without a license plate. But imagine that their children have to look at the dark, incomplete world through that little black window, maybe through a smartphone… I’m pretty sure that Amigo is the children’s favorite among our cars. One time my sons pulled the curtains open and waved goodbye to their classmates in the parking lot, like a happy train. I’m pretty sure I saw a few children who wanted to climb out of their parents’ BMW X7…
How can the world become better? Our society is committed to educating us to be the opposite of children. Because what children like is considered childish, you have to be different to prove that you are mature. We have long forgotten where we came from. The constitution says that this nation is led by the working class, but the working class is discriminated against everywhere in the city.. People prefer tinted glass like Alphard to filter the world and refuse real life.
I am glad that Amigo finally became our real rock. I have no psychological burden to use him, and the kids always have endless fun in the car. Such cars represent the values ​​of that era—cars are quite equal to people. They are not your fantasy, not your business card, but your friend.