best use of $4000?
 

Still scanning the marketplace and trying to figure out what i want. I really did like being in that 84 wagon yesterday.

$4K is about my target price, more or less, depending on the deal.

In that range, i can get a something from the mid-eighties that's been very well preserved, with just a few minor issues and blemishes but in that same range i can find a 95 E300.

First, is that a correct summary?

Will the older car hold its value better? Will the new car continue to depreciate?

Is the 95 cheaper because of its issues or because it hasn't been around long to be interesting?

Are the older D300's fetching more money than they did a few years ago?

thanks

How about some Apple stock from, say, 1985?

Are you saying cars from the 80s are already on the way up? Were these cars worth less a few years ago? Nothing else form the 80s is rising. But it makes sense.

What's the objective - maximize resale value, modern driving experience, minimize maintenance cost, minimize maintenance effort, do you need a wagon, ... ?

Sixto
87 300D^2

The objective is a bit intangible "to have well-made car with a soul"

I guess I'd like to hear from someone who just spent $4K on a clean 87 as to why he didn't spend $4k on a very clean 95 E300

He'd rather have refinement and a passenger side airbag than a turbo.

Sixto
87 300D^2

My simple 2 cents...

I own an 87 300D Fast car for a diesel. Rides and drives like a modern car. Still has that "old" school feel and is solid like it was carved out of a solid brick. Course the bad is the infamous head issues, Mine had the #14 and sure enough it cracked...

My 82 300TD, Classic looks, lots of room. Peppy but not fast. Great MPG, dependable, easy to work on and parts are reasonable. Comfortable even on longer trips (I've driven mine 6 hours each way before.)

Had a 300CD (coupe) IT was an 85, was faster than the TD, has a totally different feel to it. Interior wraps around you, seats are more comfortable etc... Of course, less room inside...

I don't have a 95E300. But I do drive a 99 E320 wagon. LOTS of plastic on this car. Car feels cheaper compared to the 87 and below. That said, it's a rocket, gets good mpg and seems to really be a nice road car.

But in the end it comes down to what you like. My wife likes the E320 better (newer) I personally like the 82 300TD better. She's the boss so it's the one that gets to be sold :(.

These wagons come up all the time. Yes they are not as common as the 300D's but there always seems to be 4-5 of them on CL in the Atlanta area at any given time.

One thing, you will not loose money on the TD. In a few years, kept up, it will still bring you everything you have in it at resale. I cant say that for the 95 E300 or even my 99 E320. So getting one of the "Classic" TD's is kind of like having a free car for the years you drive it.... Oh, and they are dirt cheap to insure. :)

PS

Also, do keep in mind that the older MB's you can work on yourself, using mostly basic tools. AS you get newer, you start to get all the computers etc that make these a real pain, unless you have access to a solid diagnostic computer. I have access to a newer 10 Thousand dollar Snap On system that can read my E320, with out that, your looking at some very expensive trips to the MB dealer or a speciality shop. The newer cars have computers everywhere. Inside the transmission, inside the shifter well everywhere really... Heck mine has at least 4 separate fuse boxes, More fuses than all my other cars combined, requires expensive tires, Parts are expensive, etc... But when it's running right, it is nice...

Hope someone can chime in on actually owning one of the E300's and see if they are the same.

$3000 for a rust free low mileage early 80's turbo 300d or SD in AZ. $500 for a ticket to Phoenix and $500 for diesel to drive home.

anything from the 80's or 90's is fully depreciated at this point. prices on those cars are more dependent on condition than anything else. i'd take an impeccably maintained 300k mile car, over an abused and neglected 100k mile car.

avoid cars from the rust belt, they are all rusty disasters. all of them.

avoid cars from florida. florida does not perform any kind of vehicle inspection or emissions test. dealers take crap cars, ones with poor collision repairs, major engine problems, etc. and flip them in florida, because they don't need to pass any sort of safety or emissions test there.

for 4k you are in w123 territory. a w124 for 4k is going to be a mess. get a good solid car that you can afford. not a basket case mess that you can't. 4k will also get you a decent jetta 3 tdi or passat b4 tdi, in case you want a solid reliable diesel with modern air conditioning, and aren't set on a mercedes.

i see nice clean 240d's with manual gearbox selling for $2k in good condition.

remember to budget for repairs and "deferred" maintenance. any car that's 20+ years old will have plenty of both.

If you are contemplating between W123 and W124, best to drive both first and then make your decision. The ride and handling of the two series are worlds apart.

There's also the 90-93 300D 2.5 turbo to span the '87 300D and '95 E300 bookends.

It's easier to find later models with heated seats and traction control if those are relevant features to you.

I'd say half the folks buy the car in the best condition at the time they're ready to buy, the other half have the funds available when an interesting car presents itself.

Sixto
87 300D^2

Decisions, decisions
 

I bought a '95 E300 in March and subsequently sold my '87 300D Turbo to Sixto (hi there) so there may be some similarities in our experiences. My '87 was not a very good example (it was abused when it was young), although I dumped a lot of money into it and learned a lot about 124 maintenance.

The '95 has all of the model refinements that the '87 lacks but at least some of those can be retrofitted. The 603 turbo engine has more power than the 606NA but I may actually never have seen the 603 working well -- Sixto thinks it has an IP problem. Perhaps because of that, I'm happy with the performance of the 606NA in the '95.

I don't know why the later 124s don't sell for more money; maybe it's just that they are now several models out of production or maybe it's the normally aspirated engine. People may remember the NA engines in the 220, 240, and early 300 engines. The DOHC 606NA engine is much more responsive if you let it rev as it likes to do. I routinely (once the oil has warmed up) spin the engine up to 5000 RPM (rev limit is 5500) and it loves to run.

Regardless of which you choose, try to get the one with the best set of service records so that the purchase is less of a crap shoot. In many cases, there are few good ones available when you're ready to buy so you end up getting what's for sale whether it's exactly what you want or not.

Jeremy

I would buy a $2500 300d with working a/c and less than 200k on the clock ,you can keep the rest around for small repairs in the future.

I think that if you buy a decent condition W123 for around $3K and leave $1K for repairs and parts, that would be a reasonable budget. Personally, I like the W123s with less to break on them - hence my penchant for a 240D with manual transmission, manual windows, and if I could, delete the sunroof or put in a manual one. There's SO much less to break.

OK, I'm comfort-loving, so I did insist on getting one with A/C and fixing it.

Good luck,

PE

^^ the last two posts.

If you basically liked the feel of that scruffy wagon, you will like a w123 that's sorted, or only has minor issues, a whole lot. I would push the budget to $3500 for a nice car that warrants it, though the advice to keep a grand or so aside for a rainy day is well put.

The w124 is a much more modern car in many respects, quite a different experience, and especially so when speaking of the diesel engines. The diesel w124s are way quicker, smoother and quieter than the older cars. They are a bit more complex but still a DIY proposition.

As I said in another post, the w123 was introduced in 1976, which means it was designed in the early 70s -- a world leader at the time, mind, but still 1970s tech.