Spent part of my day working on my car, and stared wondering about the best place to buy cars. All regions seem to have their quirks - for my region, it's obviously all the rust (hidden and seen). From my nightly forum reading, it seems that cars from the south could be sun-beaten and dry rot rubber. Out in CA, there seems to be lots of emissions mumbo-jumbo, which everyone seems to agree is less than desirable. Seaside locations seem to have their own issues too.

So, make your case. Where's the best place to buy a car?

My thought is somewhere in the south (I'm anti-rust), but not somewhere on the coast. My buddy has bought a couple of cars in Texas, and they seem to be in great condition. Maybe a place like Georgia (winmutt?) or the Pacific NW (bgkast?) would be nice too, given their moderate temps and weather conditions.

Just some lazy Saturday food for thought...

__________________
1984 300D: 275,000 miles (soon to be for sale)

In search of my 1987 300D in anything but white.

Northern Nevada-generally very little precipitation and very low humidity. Road salt is used, but only a couple of times each winter, and it's economically depressed, so prices are usually cheap.

That much being said, one of the best deals I ever got on a car was in Simi Valley, CA of all places.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

I've heard Greenville, SC was a good place. You do have the sun but not the salt. I'll take the Sun over salt anyday. Tint the windows, put a sunshade up in the front windsheild, and keep it waxed.

Much easier than washing salt off in the winter when its below 32*

__________________
1999 E300 Turbodiesel
179,000 Miles

CA or Japan.

The nicest W126's and 80's AMG cars seem to come out of Japan.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Odd since much of Japan is coastal, I could taste the salt in the air when running in some cities there.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I think climate is secondary to the ownership history. 1st and second owners tend to keep their cars garaged and clean. I'm at the southern border of the rust belt, but many of my grandma's friends have owned cars for 15-20 years, and they look like new. I suspect less modern suburban areas in the Northeast contributes to this as well, with less garages to protect cars.

Yes Texas and Cali have it easier, but there are nice cars everywhere. The defiant spent most of it's life in kansas city, but doesn't have rust, and garaged it's entire life.

Just like with everything, there are exceptions which I'm sure subsequent posters will relish posting.

__________________
1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

I am near Greenville, and yes, it is possible to find some nice, rust-free cars here at reasonable prices.
The sun can be a little rough on things, but it sure beats cutting out rust and welding in patch panels, not to mention removing rusted bolts with a torch.

I'm in the same area and agree. I've gotten some overall nice ones here for good prices. Sun damage isn't usually too bad unless it has set out with no protection for an extended period. I've also gotten a couple of clean rust free cars from the inland northern Cal area. Close enough that it's just an easy day trip.

LOL, should we be revealing our sources like this?

__________________
H.D.B.
OBK #45
-----------------------
'75 W115 240D, wife's dd, 197K
........'75 W115 300D, my dd, 245K
.. .. ..........'82 W126 300SD, the 'someday' project

I would choose Southern California. It has VERY low humidity and NO snow unless you're in the mountains..... Especially if you can find a car in the desert! Look into Palm Springs, CA lots of older folks who stored these cars until they passed and wives or vise versa don't know what to do with them. You'll find yourself with a low mile, pristine condition car for a VERY low amount.

The only thing that is hard to these cars down here are the drivers and the heat, if you're looking into the desert that is.... The heat is very strong, so I imagine cars here will have a higher chance of having cracked dashes and faded interior.

__________________
2007 BMW 328XI

Rust free area and most of the MB would be garaged (or in the barn). For 95+% of the people, their "word is their bond". Honest, hardworking, etc. Handshake is as binding as a notized contract.

There is a 1960 MB on Craig's list (Amarillo, TX) that is a rust free example.

__________________
Charles
1983 300D, bought new, 215k+ miles, donated to Purple Hearts veterans charity but I have parts for sale: http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-cars-sale/296386-fs-1-owner-83-mb-300d-turbo-rebuild-parts.html

Actually i am a believer than the best place to buy an old mercedes is rural Texas. These vehicles were plentiful (oil money), most of these cars have never seen salt, and as somebody else above mentioned most houses in TX have 2 car garages, so most of them were garaged most of their lives.
Furthermore in rural TX you dont have emission testing (actually there no testing for diesels or 25 year old cars either) and inspections are a lot less anal than in urban areas, so it is a good place to register you car also(I know OK, LA and AZ have similar rules).

__________________
------------------------------------------
Aquilae non capunt muscas! (Eagles don't hunt flies!)


1979 300SD Black/Black MBtex239000mi
1983 300TD euro-NA. White/Olive Cloth-MBtex 201000mi. Fleet car of the USA embassy in Morocco
1983 240D Labrador Blue/Blue MBtex 161000mi

My 300D is in very good shape for its age and mileage, and it was originally owned by a doctor in the Houston area. It later spent some time in Alabama before going to Vegas. How it got from there to a lemon lot in Mound House wasn't clear in the carfax.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Although I think there are more nice ones in the south, I've got to agree with Tyler on the individual cars and owners being important.

An example might be my quattro I bought new, drove every winter for 10years. It was always garaged at home, and covered at work, never a door ding, ever. Whenever I drove it in salt, I'd get home and wash it thoroughly by hand, under and over, including the engine bay and every spot it could hold grit or salt.

It is still around, all of the threaded fasteners under the car are nice gray, no brown, all of the underbody etc. is still in great shape.

Some other examples are my Father's Porsche, an old '84 that has never seen salt, or even his regular cars that either sit in the garage all winter or the one that goes to Florida with him each fall and returns each spring. All have Michigan plates and titles, ... but aren't salt-driven.

Even retired year-round folks don't drive here when the weather is really bad, so the cars are spared the saltiest and nastiest days. Depends on the car, the owner, etc. Also the town, much better to drive around little towns like mine in the winter than the horridly salty streets of larger cities like Detroit, no way to escape to un-salted back roads there.

Unfortunately, those cars are the exceptions, not the norm here. You have to know what you're looking for in the "rust belt".

The good part is with cooler climates and more overcast skies than Seattle, dashes, interiors, and other plastic/rubber parts as well as paint, last forever here.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

The junkyard of course ! that's where the old grandpa's cherry 'Benz goes after he dies and the tires are flat and battery is sulfated...

Eastern Wa. state has incredible vehicles but it's beginning to fill up with yuppies so ...

FWIW , there's SCADS of old Mercedes Diesels in the Palm Springs are , they're impossible to sell , especially when they don't run or have issues .

__________________
-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I live in the TX panhandle. In general you're correct. Problem is there is no dealer in Amarillo, therefore there does not seem to be very many mercedes cars around here. Lubbock and Wichita Falls have dealers, I would assume there would be more cars in the southern panhandle/west texas.

__________________
1982 300TD 279K.
1984 190D 5sp 265K