Hello,

I was hoping someone could give me advice on getting financing for a car that's older than seven years old as most banks will only finance a 1996 and newer car. Unfortunately the mercedes cars that I like are the pre 1996 ones so now I'm in a position where I've been approved by my credit union but can only buy a mercedes I don't really want.

Funny story but I recently had my heart broken at an auction where my fantasy came true. My fantasy of buying a E500 from someone who was unaware of its value and so getting it dirt cheap.

I ran across an 1994 e500 with 92k miles on it, the body was in very good condition, 17 inch amg wheels, but the check engine light was on, the coolant was low and I noticed a slight skip when I let the car idle. Everything else on the car worked, no leaks. The guy with me said it might need a valve job as only six of the eight cylinders were firing, this was his guess. I still thought this was a good deal and tried to get the car, it went for about 14k but since I couldn't purchase a car that was pre 1996, the dealer with me didn't want to bid on the car past 15k. I'm still trying to get over this dissappointment by purchasing a 1997 e420 and convincing myself that it's better than the e500, but it's not working especially after seeing the car and coming to this forum. I'm hoping someone will say valve jobs on the e500 cost 10k as this will make me feel I dodged a bullet. I was tempted to get a home equity loan but managed to control myself but anyway sorry for the long story, any advice on how to get older cars financed so this doesn't happen again will be appreciated. I don't want to go thru dealers because I will get a higher interest rate.

Thanks in advice