W140 v. W202 v. late W124? Which one is better?

[DieselHead]

My sister is finally turning 16 in three months and I'd like to help out and get her a car. I'll feel a bit closer to paying back my parents for 7 years of tuition. I couldn't afford to buy a new car better than a Honda Civic (which is a perfectly good car, nothing wrong with it) so I'm thinking about a used Mercedes. My parents will foot the maintenance bills but I still want to buy the most reliable one for my money (about $15,000). Which of these three will provide the best service? The older W140 S-Class (early-mid 90's), the last C-Class series? or the early 90's E-Class 124 cars? What are your stories with these? Which ones should I stay away from like the plague? Thanks a lot for the advice.

Alex

[PC Dave]

Alex, how exactly does one get adopted into your family? Is there a form I have to fill out? Interviews?

I'll take a clean '95 E420, bro.

[DieselHead]

When I was 16, my parents provided me with transportation, nothing super fancy. Now that my sister is 16, I want to provide her with transportation, nothing fancy. Thanks for the suggestion.

[The Godfather]

For 15G's get a W202.
My sister just bought a '99 C280 Sport w/ 60k miles for $14,100

Dieselhead-
Nothing super fancy huh? Well that narrows it down to the 202 and 124 cars. I would vote for a C220 or C230K(ompressor).

As for the 124 cars - a 2.5 diesel model would fit the bill for a 16 year old perfectly.

Please take my advice and avoid a $15k 140 car, as the maintenaince would qualify as punishment for your parents.

What about the 126 cars?

Mike

[PC Dave]

Hmm, Fahrgewehr makes a good point. McDiesel has been trying to sell an extremely clean and well maintained 200k W124 300D 2.5 for a couple of months, he recently lowered his ask from $12.5 to $9.5. He's also in your area(ish) in New Jersey. Check it out in the "Cars" forum.

[Ashman]

W124. Rated as one of the safest cars ont he road by the insurance companies, Very Reliable, easy to have work done on them, and not too expensive on maintenance.

Classic good looks, timeless styling, engine is a workhorse, no excess computers controlling things.

You can't go wrong with a W124.

202 - Good looking, reliable, a wee bit smaller than a w124, makes it a bit easier to park.

I personally prefer a w124, but then again, I have one.

You can find ver nice w124's for cheap. May I suggest a well cared for w124 wagon? Great looking, plenty of space for a teen to haul friends and stuff around.

Gas mileage on a w124 varies from 16 mpg minimum city, to 20 + Mpg highway.

Diesels get much better gas mileage, and are generally good for 250k miles before any major work is needed, but thats subject to proper maintenenace.

Alon

[Michael K]

I’d invest in the newest, best condition C280 I could find in your budget range.

I’d also be sure to purchase the Starmark warranty. This way, if anything major does come up, the cost would not be on your folks.

I may be wrong, but I think the 124’s are past Starmark eligibility.

Best of luck.

[blackmercedes]

The best bang for your buck is probably an aspro four cylinder C-Class.

The 1996 C220, and 1997-1998 C230 cars are good buys because:

1. The M111 engine is bullet-proof and long lived. No headgasket problems, and the 1996 on cars have no wiring harness issues.

2. Easy on gas. The four cylinder cars are more than powerful enough to slice through traffic, climb mountain passes, or spend all day at 100+mph, but can easily break 30US mpg.

3. Easy to service. The engine bays on the four banger C's are open and parts are easily accessed. I do most of my own service on the C230, and it's a snap.

4. 1998 cars have lots of nice stuff, and prices are reasonable now. You get side bags, SmartKey, 722.6 five speed, and the same body updates as the 99-00 cars. Also, on 1996-98 cars, you get the fully automatic climate control, which is a nice feature for those of us (like me) that enjoy it.

When miles roll on, repairing the M111 W202 is pretty easy. The timing chain is double row chain, and will last along time, but when it's time to be replaced, is pretty easy thanks to the open engine bay. Things like thermostat housing, water pump, serpentine belt and tensioner/shock, and so on are easy to get at, and parts reasonably priced.

The AC systems on C-class cars are the variable pressure compressor systems, and are the most reliable of the MB systems.

The evaporator and blower motor are not buried beneath 30 hours of labour.

For driving, the compact C-Class offers decent interior room (it's a family car for us) but is easy to park and drive. The C-Pillars are a little big, but the mirrors are reasonably sized, so that makes up for it. The C-Class chassis is rock solid, and the A-Arm suspension is much better than the strut set-up in the W201/W124 cars.

The W202 has a much better reliability record than the W203 C-Class, and as a used car, they make a really good buy.

Good luck!

[Holson Adi]

I don't know if you could get a Starmark'd 1995 E320 Coupe/Sedan/Wagon or 1995 E420 for $14k starmark'd.

However if you could I wouldn't even look at anything else. I love the looks of the W124, especially its very simple interior (no im not being sarcastic).

Otherwise I've seen C220s and C230K's for around $14k starmark'd.

That's about it really...

[blackmercedes]

Originally posted by DieselHead
Ok, it seems like the big S-Class is out of the running. Is the 6-cylinder C-Class much worse than that 4-cyl. equivalent? Alex

The W140 is pretty costly to run, especially as a used car for someone on a fixed budget.

The 2.8L M104 engine in the W202 C-Class (94-97) is a great engine, but does have a tendency to leak a bit that the M111 does not. The head gasket is a known trouble spot, but it does have a few other places that can spring the occasional oil leak.

On the plus side, the engine is strong and will last a long time.

The 2.8L M112 V-6 engine in the 98- C280's are proving to be durable, and pretty much unburstable. No more leaks!

If you can get a good deal on a C280, I'd not pass it up. 1996-2000 C220's, C230's, C230K's, and C280's are all pretty good cars, and I'd just shop for a cared for example for the right price.

Alex:

I don't know how to attach previous threads, but I asked the same question last summer befoer buying my E-320 from a fellow forum member.

It's listed under the title, "What to buy for around $15,000??"

There is a lot of good advice there.

My two cents: I've been very happy with my 124.

[DieselHead]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Ok, it seems like the big S-Class is out of the running. Is the 6-cylinder C-Class much worse than that 4-cyl. equivalent? Also, would you drop this much money on an eBay car, sight unseen? I'm seriously considering the newer 124 cars, but the C-Class is, *gulp*, so cute.

Alex

[jsmith]

the w124 is just an all around great car. having said that, c-class cars are turning out to be good bargains too. i would go for the later model c-class if it's in your price range. note that it crossed over to the v6 at some point which i understand is an even more reliable engine than previous 6's.

Originally posted by jsmith
note that it crossed over to the v6 at some point which i understand is an even more reliable engine than previous 6's.

After the '95 model. 'Course that brings up the whole "V-6 vs straight 6" debate.