Well, the time has come for me to move away from my wagon.... I know its going to be tough, but my little sister is starting to drive, and my parents are going to give her my car.... Not to mention that she is aging, and I go to school like 60 miles away from my trusty mecahnic, so I need to get a car thats going to be more dependable than my current car. Right now, my wagon is out for service, as it needs a water pump, and its got a misfire right now...

So I am stuck with a dilemma. I have to buy another car....




My dad is going to help shop with me, and he understands my attachment to the wagon, but he said its time for a different car... I am looking to spend like $6k-10k but trying to stay well below the $10k maximum. He is going to cosign so I can get the loan that I need to buy this car. We have also established some guidelines for this new vehicle, and its got to have 4 doors, and it has to be a Mercedes.... Its got to be built after 1996. It needs to get over 25mpg on the freeway, and be a safe car. Most importantly, it needs to be reliable.



I am thinking an ML320/430, an E320/430, or an C230/220/240/280/320. So far, I am leaning toward the ML, as I have had one, and had nothing but good to say about that thing. I am also looking to see if there is a W210 E-Class in my budget, as I really like the idea of a car. I have also found various W210 Wagons that look appealing, but they are around $8500.


Let me know what you guys think...


Thanks, Justin.

__________________
-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

Go with a 123 or 126, You will never regret it





WELL YOU DID ASK

__________________
81 Mercedes 300SD 289k.......SOLD
82 Mercedes 300CD 252k......slow ride

82 mercedes 300 SD...mi Unknown
83 Mercedes 300D ????ksniff..gone too
84 Mercedes 300D 148k........SOLD
85 Mercedes 300TD 386k and holding some one elses project

Now wait just a minute. Did things change that quick???!!

A week ago at the Diesel drive you were extolling the virtues of the wagon (I agree btw!) and how you'd like to keep it forever. Now this?

Certainly the easy utility of a W210 wagon and an ML would work, and could be had within your budget if you shopped well, but you'd need to be lucky too.

The W124 is the last of the E class that had unarguable Mercede3s Benz build quality and durability.

Your family's newer cars have all been really good ones, but frankly, those later cars have had serious build quality issues, especially ones from 2000-2006. You'd neeed to be lucky once again if you went for one.

The ML, which are NOT built in Germany, have had a VERY high percentage of really bad ones sold, especially in 1998-2000 models, also.

Likewise, the W210 wagons have had issues with such things as the spring perches, rust, and quality control, and electronic and sensor problems the W124 NEVER had.

If you are willing to take the bold step forward and let the W124 go, well, OK, but do so with an clear mind about the pitfalls you could face.

If you have hesitancy, talk to your father about it, and see if he can shift things around, let the sister (for instance) inherit the ML, and source a good replacement your mother could like, or start your sis out with an agreeable used Mercedes, like a really nice W124 E300 sedan in a color that she liked, which was in good condition.

You should keep your wagon. It is in beautiful condition, you know every quirk and fault it has like the back of your hand, and you have put some VERY excellent modifications to it that only a true W124 person could appreciate, and you have many more in mind (see signature..)

Plus the W124 is FAR more mechanic friendly and DIY friendly than any ML or W210 could dream of being.

I trust that I am not meddling too much here - but I feel I know a little about you, and the car yiou have - and I think a better tack would be to maybe, if you like the wagon and would like to keep it, rather persuade your parents to steer your sister into something appropriate for her, and not your wagon.

And perhaps, if it is fair and reasonable, get a little help from them at the same time, to upgrade the wagon towards the euro accessories and performance that would bolt on easily, and make it faster and closer to the dream car it could be.

That would be your kind of a consolation prize, for your being "forced" to keep that old car.

I wouldn't let it go without a fight. It is a really beautiful wagon. I know that, I have recently been in it, and I know how good it is. You should keep it.

You might want to keep in mind that it is not altogether out of the question that any new or indifferent female driver would run it into the ground or wreck it, within a year. How would you feel watching that take place?

Educate your sister in the joys of a W124 or a W201 sedan. See if your father is agreeable to bankrolling the purchase of one. I'd bet a long weekend of careful looking in the Los Angeles area would net you one in beautiful condition, and in a color that she likes.

Girls are funny about that - Proper interior and exterior colors ARE VERY IMPORTANT to them. I know that. (But don't know WHY it is)

There seems to be a LOT of subtext here. No reason not to make everything work out in your best interest, in this situation. Don't change the wagon without a REALLY compelling reason. From what you have mentioned, I don't see one here.

Unless I am missing something REALLY big.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Jim, I absolutely love my wagon, but its just comsuming more and more money every year.... Last year, it consumed $2500 in maintainence....


Not to mention the feeling of uncertainty in that you never know if something may or may not fail.....


My dad is concerned with all of this... He wants to make sure that the car that I have is safe, and reliable, something he is always questioning in the older cars we have...

__________________
-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

I don't know, I feel that I just went through all this too; have dumped a huge pile into the coupe, and brought everythingg I could think of up to date, and it has never run better.

So the W124 wagon is now feeling unreliable, and you guys want to unload it on your sister????!!! - Just kidding, but you get the point.

What is to say you haven't spent enough on that wagon so it is PERFECT now, and can't be relied on?

How do you know when it is out of the shop it won't roll for years, trouble free, except for maintenance. This is not some Ford or Dodge or Mitsubishi that could just be wearing out. It is a rock solid W124 wagon.


Breakdowns on
the road are not likely (Home to UOP) and the wagon has free MB roadside assist, you can call anytime for help.

Who is to say you might get even UNLUCKIER with a newer, $10,000 used ML or W210 wagon that some owner is looking to unload on some poor unsuspecting buyer, and you bought it?

The fact is that any Mercedes from 1997-2006 is actually MUCH more likely to have reliability problems stastistically, than a similar W124 car?

I am not denying that the newer ones are more luxurious, better equipped, smoother, perhaps more spacious, safer and comfortable, and equally capacious, but there are a LOT more pitfalls ahead in buying a used one of the models you are contemplating.

Phrases like "Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don't" and "Going from the Frying pan into the Fire" keep coming to mind.

Make the change if you must, but if you do, make it an informed one, and as risk free as you can.

Any 10 or more year old Mercedes will need work, and money spent on it, but unless your particular car is suffering of structural integrity, rust, or other issues making it a danger to drive, there is no reason not to keep it running.

It's a really, really, good car, from what I have seen of it.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

So, you will have a loan payment, you want to buy a $10,000 or less Mercedes that offers 25 mpg on the highway, and you're seeking relief from high upkeep costs. A $10,000 gas Mercedes with a six-figure odo reading will not fit your financial criteria. Face reality, realize that most of us cannot drive the car of our dreams while attending college, and look at a used Honda Accord.

My dad would pay about three quarters, and i would pay the other quarter. Thats why i am leaning toward an e320 or an ml.

__________________
-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

I'm skeptical that a good W210 can be found for less than $10k. I have been stopping at used car lots and most seem to be kind of beat. It may be possible, but its going to be hard.

Their is a 1996 S320 for sale not to far from me for $7k, it looks really nice!

If you can live with a smaller car, I'd look for a 4 cylinder C class.

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

95 - 97 C230, and pay cash for it.

Having a car payment while in college is possibly the single worst financial decision you could make.

PaulC is right - get something inexpensive and reliable. Get the car you want later.