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  #1  
Old 12-09-2003, 03:12 AM
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Recommendations for first real car.

Having turned 18, and having a steady flow of income, I'm now in the market for a new(er) vehicle before heading off to college.

My current vehicle is a 1982 New Yorker, a comfortable car, but no more than that. What I'm trying to find is:

-Something that is comfortable and quiet at speeds of 70-90 mph
-A car that is cheap to own after the initial purchace
-An engine that can provide some go power if needed (for accident avoidance), or for pleasure, with enough control to be able to use that power on turns
-A price of under $6-9000

My first choice was a 560 SEL, the Mercedes I had dreamed of owning for a long time. Looking into my options further, I found the W210 body style, and the E420. Newer, and without the bubbly and bland (in my opinion) appearance of the newer cars. After hearing of the reliabilty issues (airconditioning failure), I decided against this. For the same reason, I decided against a BMW 540i. Now I'm looking at a Lexus LS400, '95 or up.

Not quite sure of what to choose.

Comments, or any kind of reply is welcome.

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  #2  
Old 12-10-2003, 06:28 PM
A. Rosich's Avatar
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Well, your second requirement: "A car that is cheap to own after the initial purchase" should almost rule out any Mercedes-Benz.

But, If you are a motivated DIY guy, maybe a well mantained 300 E / 260 E / E 320 (W124) should serve you well.

In your budget range, I will certainly stay away from V-8 engined cars.
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  #3  
Old 12-11-2003, 11:05 AM
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You seem to make a lot of conflicting statement.

- You want a car for less than $9,000 that doesn't cost much to maintain, yet you are shopping for MB, BMW, and Lexus?

- You want a car for less than $9,000, but you're considering E420, 540i, and LS400?

- You want a car that can has good power that can be used in turns, but your considering an LS400 or 560SEL?

These are not things that go together. Lets try to help you by clearing some things up.

Your price range is "Less than $6,000 - $9,000". So, which is it? Less than $6,000 or less than $9,000?

You want something quite and comfortable at highway speeds, yet it needs straight-line power and handling. Which is your prioity? Typically, comfort = poor handling or firm ride = good handling. Which way would you be more likely to lean towards in this choice?

You want something that is "cheap to maintain after initial purchase". You will have to define "cheap" because that can mean very different things to different people. Do you mean $250, $500, or $2,000 in repairs & regular service per year?

Do you mean cheap for you to repair & service or for a mechanic to repair & service?

These are all important questions and the answers will help us help you.
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NOW: 2017 C43 AMG, 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 1966 230SL, 1980 450SL (for sale!)
PAST: 2006 C230, 1997 E300D, 1994 E420, 1994 Neon Spt Cpe, 1984 300ZX, 1983 Celica GT, 1976 Electra Limited, 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650, 1979 Suzuki PE175, 1978 Suzuki DS100
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  #4  
Old 12-12-2003, 02:08 AM
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I'll attempt to be more precise here.

My price range would be under $9000.

The main reason that I'm considering the 560SEL, the 540i, or the LS400 is that I can get an early 90's model in that price range, one with a good body, mechanicals, under 150-200k miles. I've been shopping around, looking at prices and options for about 4 months now, and think I can get that price.

Good power to me would have to be getting to 60 miles per hour in about eight seconds or less. I'm used to it taking quite a bit longer. As far as the turns, I'm not wanting to wallow through corners at rational speeds.

I'm really not sure of the exact maitinence of the Lexus, but I hear (and would think) that they're pretty trouble-free. Being as they're Toyota, and from what I've researched. As far as the Benz's, I've been reading that a good model with full books and service should be bulletproof, minus the standard maitinence, which I hear costs about $1000-2000 each time. I wasn't, and am still not sure on either of these points, and that's a main reason why I wanted to ask here. Cheap, to me would be under...$600 a year in service. I could go up on that if the car was as good as I hope, though. Th reason I'm looking at these cars is because I want to be able to enjoy my driving, not bear through it.

My priorities would be comfort over handling, silence and no vibration over acceleration. The main reason I want power is for cruising, rather than racing, and for safety. Even in the small time I've been driving, power has saved me a few times in a smaller car that I regularly drive (1994 Mitsubishi Galant, good gas milage and reliable, but my knees, wrists and ears ache after I take my 32 mile drive to work).

As far as servicing myself, I'd try everything I could, but I figure that I'd be sending the car off everytime something major happened. I'm a beginer, at best, as far as car mechanics.
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  #5  
Old 12-12-2003, 09:22 PM
A. Rosich's Avatar
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As Mr. Masteller said before, I think you are a little way off of your expectations and budget considerations.

You may be able to get a Lexus or an M.B. for $9,000, but a 150-200 k car is a high mileage car, and regardless of how well maintained it was, it will ask of you a lot of money to keep it going (don't be fooled because it is a Lexus it has Toyota spare parts prices).

From all your considerations, I will look for a well kept Honda Accord with not so many miles, a V-6 and fully optioned.
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  #6  
Old 12-12-2003, 09:32 PM
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Galt,

That makes a lot more sense and I agree now that you understand what you want. All the cars mentioned have good power, comfort, and are relatively quite at highway speeds.

My only concerns would be your odds of getting an actual low maintenance car with over 150,000 miles on it. In order to have any chance at finding a quailty car that was not neglected by a previous owner, it will be a must to have accurate documentation on all regular service as well as the repairs. Even if you do find a well cared for car, regardless of brand, it could still require major repair costs for "normal" high milage wear. Things like suspension components, transmissions, major engine components, axles, and more can fail at high milage. My father-in-law had a 1992 Acura Legend he bought brand new. After 9 years and 130,000 miles the transmission was going. It would cost about $3,000 to replace, almost as much as the car was worth. He sold the car and got a new 2001 Lexus ES300.

If you go this route, just be prepared to have a very high priced repair once in a while. Anything major on a luxury brand will be very expensive. I just had a power steering pump replaced on my E420 under Starmark warranty. It cost me $0, but would have cost $705 for parts & labor, and that's with a remanufactured pump.

Perhaps you should take the same care in finding a well cared for Camery or Accord with a V6 engine for $6,000 and plan on spending the other $3,000 on it in the first 2 years. Not as classy, but a good performer that's well built, comfortable, and quiet.
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NOW: 2017 C43 AMG, 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 1966 230SL, 1980 450SL (for sale!)
PAST: 2006 C230, 1997 E300D, 1994 E420, 1994 Neon Spt Cpe, 1984 300ZX, 1983 Celica GT, 1976 Electra Limited, 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650, 1979 Suzuki PE175, 1978 Suzuki DS100
www.mbca.org - www.sl113.org - www.ohio4x4.com
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  #7  
Old 12-12-2003, 09:33 PM
BlackE55
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I have a '91 560SEL (126k miles). It's been reliable, but has not been cheap to maintain. If I totalled up my receipts, it would be over $600/yr and some of the work I did myself.

For a first car, I'd go for something much less expensive. What car? Well that's a whole different thread.

When you have a great job and some money saved up, then go for the Benz. Spend your hard earned money on books, tuition, beer and women instead.
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  #8  
Old 12-13-2003, 02:24 AM
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This isn't/wouldn't be my first car. I just consider it my first "real" car, since the prior/current ones aren't what I would choose.

First car was a 1985 Ford Tempo. Basic transportation. Only real accident I had was in that car. Hit a curb, the wheels and engine moved over a foot. Still drove, but the steering wheel was zero'ed at about 90 degrees clockwise.

Second car was a late 80's Corisca. Not much better.

Current is an '82 New Yorker, Fifth Avenue. Great seats, a feeling of security, but a 0-60 time of something like 17 seconds, with a fear of the suspension bottoming out in corners.

I've been driving a 1994 Galant. Good on gas, reliable, but very noisy, and very hard on my joints. I'm not overweight, but I feel as though I'm the only thing absorbing shocks in the car.

The feel of luxury, a quiet ride, protection from being hit by just about anything...not things I want to give up.

I wouldn't mind having a luxury car that's expensive to repair, if it happened seldomly. I'd just save up each month.

But if luxury is really too much cost, I'd agree that the V-6 Camery sounds like a good second choice, except for a doubt about the potential of having some fun with the car (Twisting roads, good speed, stuff like that).
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  #9  
Old 12-16-2003, 08:34 AM
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Galt,

Hi. In chronological order, my cars have been:
- 1976 Buick Electra Limited (donated to charity)
- 1984 Nissan 300ZX (totalled in accident)
- 1983 Toyota Celica GTS (traded in on Neon)
- 1996 Dodge Neon Sport Coupe (traded in on E420)
- 1966 Mercedes 230SL (still own)
- 1994 Mercedes E420 (still own)

I think that you really need to test drive at least 3 examples of each of the cars you are considering. If the luxury brand cars are significantly more comfortable and enjoyable to you that it seems worth risking a few potential $2,000 repairs, then perhaps you should go that route. First, I would spend the same time and energy looking for well cared for (well documented) V-6 Camrys and Accords in your price range and test driving them. Use them as a "baseline" then compare to the luxury cars you drive. After the E420, my favorite car was the 300ZX. The nice cars are nice for a reason, you just have to pay for them.
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NOW: 2017 C43 AMG, 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 1966 230SL, 1980 450SL (for sale!)
PAST: 2006 C230, 1997 E300D, 1994 E420, 1994 Neon Spt Cpe, 1984 300ZX, 1983 Celica GT, 1976 Electra Limited, 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650, 1979 Suzuki PE175, 1978 Suzuki DS100
www.mbca.org - www.sl113.org - www.ohio4x4.com
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  #10  
Old 01-02-2004, 12:45 PM
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I am the same age as you and looking to buy a MB also. My price range is alittle less around 7-8k. I would stay away from any of these cars unless you are willing to do some work yourself and have a good understanding of most of there systems. I would like a 560SEL too but they get bad gas mileage. I feel the 420SEL is a better choice. My first choice is a 300SDL or 300D cheaper to run and less cost for fuel. For 9k you will be looking at the best of the W126. You should be able to get into an early 90's one with under 100k on the clock. I would think a mid 90's C class or E class would be a good choice also. I don't think you can get a W210 for 9k. It would have to be a killer deal. The cheapest ones I see are like 11k and tired. Do some research on this site. Also autotrader.com.
I do all of my own work so maintaince for me is the cost of parts. If you do not maintain your cars well or pay someone else to do everything I would not recomend an older luxury car. The V-6 Camry could be a good choice. Also don't assume that because the LS400 is a Toyota it will be cheaper to maintain. Parts for these cost big $$$. Good luck with whatever you chose.
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  #11  
Old 01-02-2004, 04:28 PM
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The best compromise between comfort speed handle etc. is the 300CE, the newer the better but they're all good. I take mine with Corvettes and SS's and what have you on the freeway and keep up good. Plus I know for a fact mine is smoother, and handles better, especially with tuning. The 88-89 have better lowend response, but my priority is freeway and the 2nd gen. 90-93 is the best. I have spent a total of 15K on mine, after new trans. AC recharge and of course sound, interior, and performance improvements.

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