I keep advising my son to get rid of his Mitsubishi and buy an MB. Most of the parts are cheaper on the MB. Plus they are designed better and built better. His Eclipse is the biggest POS I have had the displeasure to work on.
That said, a newer small Toyota is a decent car. Stay away from the bigger ones (Camry, Lexus) more money, more expensive repairs and no more reliable.

Wrong reaction...
Did you sell already?
He knows how cheap it will be to fix the current problem, or he would not be willing to buy it...

Post your repair costs, this sounds very fishy to me.

__________________
ASE Master Mechanic
asemastermechanic@juno.com

Prototype R&D/testing:
Thermal & Aerodynamic System Engineering (TASE) Senior vehicle instrumentation technician.
Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH).
Dynamometer.
Heat exchanger durability.
HV-A/C Climate Control.
Vehicle build.
Fleet Durability
Technical Quality Auditor.
Automotive Technical Writer

1985 300SD
1983 300D
1984 190D
2003 Volvo V70
2002 Honda Civic

https://www.boldegoist.com/

Nope, I still have it, I just told him that i might be selling it, and no repairs have been done yet.

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Jason

00 Subaru Legacy (fun wagon)
96 Nissan Sentra (disavowed)
82 300SD (garage queen, will run again hopefully)
87 300DT (Gone: 10/15/2010)

You are nuts to buy a $700 Mercedes. If you are working with a $1,000 budget, an MB should not even be on your list. The only thing that amount of money will buy you in MB world is a parts car. If you want a Mercedes, do it right and buy one that performs to spec. That means a tight suspension, strong motor, and a nice interior and good paint. Anything less and you don't get the real MB experience, but rather a crappy car that looks expensive.

What's the deal with the other cars you own?

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'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

i've developed my habit from my dad . They're all kinda shady. However, his 116 was good when he bought it in 1996 in pristine condition for $2000 at the time (fully maintained but only with partial records). Now its been degraded quite a bit over the years

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Jason

00 Subaru Legacy (fun wagon)
96 Nissan Sentra (disavowed)
82 300SD (garage queen, will run again hopefully)
87 300DT (Gone: 10/15/2010)

Why don't you get rid of a few cars? If money is a concern you shouldn't have more then 1 car.

I would sell three and put the money from those into your nicest one. Then take the $1k you were going to spend on a 5th car and put it into a 5 year CD or mutual fund.

Your insurance, fuel, and maintaince costs will be reduced freeing up money for other things.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Problem is, those aren't really my cars, just cars of the family. However, my uncle has picked up the 82 SD, and my brother just got his license so he's getting the 83 300DT. I guess i'll just keep the 300D and break my mechanic's heart again (2nd time i've broken up a sale with him). Oh well...

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Jason

00 Subaru Legacy (fun wagon)
96 Nissan Sentra (disavowed)
82 300SD (garage queen, will run again hopefully)
87 300DT (Gone: 10/15/2010)