does price come into this equation anywhere? the reason i ask is im not really a mercedes guy but i found an 88 300 e for what i thought was a really good price. it had a few problems but a/c was not one of them. it still has a minor oil leak. im learning everyday something new just by hanging around here, and i enjoy driving the car.

If by price in the equation you mean cost of maintenance/repair, I've not found my 124 to be all that expensive to repair or maintain. Maybe I'm numb to the costs, having owned an Audi quattro and a Benz 300D in the past. However, my wife drives a later-vintage Honda and the repair/maintenance costs per item and procedure on that vehicle are comparable to the costs on my Benz. The build quality is not comparable, in my view (or that of most other forum regulars from what I can tell). I also keep some costs down by doing some work myself.

If you're talking about purchase price, in my case, I firmly believe that even though my car is older than hers, the fact that she paid more than twice what I paid for her Honda - a somewhat inferior example of automotive engineering - makes me wonder why more people haven't figured this out (driving the Benz resale prices higher) and have learned to stop making payments on cars that they can't expect to last as long and provide as much pleasure all the while.

Just my little way of thinkin'.

__________________
David

His:
2003 Dodge Durango SLT
2002 BMW E39 530i Sport
1988 Mercedes 300TE
Hers:
2003 Chevrolet Suburban
1999 E430

Exactly! When new, my Acura Legend Coupe (second and last Honda product) was listed as one of the "10 best cars in the world". It started requiring work almost minute it was out of warranty. In the last 2 years, comparing repair records with my 300E for the times the 2 cars have needed comparible parts or services, the MB prices averaged less in cost, lasted longer, and had a lower fail rate for the parts that were replaced (zero failures on the MB, 3 different genuine Honda parts failed within 6 months of installation on the Acura).

When new, the Acura was 70% of the cost of the 300E. Now, a used Acura of comparible miles, equipment, and condition is 40% of the value of the used 300E. Price reflects where you want the value - up front for a short term vehicle, or down the road in terms of saved repair costs and higher trade in or insurance value. It is a personal choice with no "right" answer.

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

cost of parts for Honda and Mazdas, having owned both. I do not feel MB parts are too out of line if purchased from Partsshop.com

I like the E320 a lot but in all honesty when I have to run to the grocery or make a short trip (under 5 miles) I take the Honda. I don't like to run the MB unless it is going to get up to operating temperature. The Honda feels more like an "in-town" car.

Jim
'95 E320
'97 CRV

cost of parts for Honda and Mazdas, having owned both. I MB parts prices are in line when purchased from Partsshop.com

I like the E320 a lot but in all honesty when I have to run to the grocery or make a short trip (under 5 miles) I take the Honda. I don't like to run the MB unless it is going to get up to operating temperature. The Honda feels more like an "in-town" car.

Jim
'95 E320
'97 CRV

its ironic but my wife drives an 98 accord lx. its her second accord and we have not had any trouble with either of them. they are the 4 cyl v-tec. this one has 60k and brake pads are all ive had to do. i plan on the t-belt at about 90k and maybe run the valves. on the other hand i bought the 300e with some problems that i new about. it would'nt start when cold and the a/c blower would not work. the cold start problem was a 10 amp fuse in the relay behind the battery and i'm still working on the blower. its got 157k and is very nice, but has some age problems, like loss of coolant and small oil leaks, like a new head gasket would probably fix both problems. anyway i think if you buy the car cheap enough you can fix all these things and still be ahead with a great car.

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85 300 sd 168k current driver
85 300 sd parts
81 380 sl 125k
84 190 d 160k just bought!

Not sure if a trip is in your plans or not, but...

There is a 1988 300E in the San Diego Union today, 51K miles, 1 owner and listed at $8,500.00.

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Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

I know that the person who started the thread already has a 300E, but Mike's note about the car in San Diego reminds me of another point. I need to be delicate about this because it may SEEM, although it is not meant to be, somewhat insensitive about some of those who might buy one new and then later want to sell. That said....

I have found that if you are interested in buying a used Benz and are extremely patient, you can eventually find a good to excellent example at a ridiculously low price. My 300E, for example, was previously owned by an older couple who kept it as their second car at their second home in San Francisco. They rarely drove it, but maintained it religiously. When one of them became unable to drive, they realized they didn't need 2 Benzes in the house and decided to sell one. I took a look at the car, looked at the service records as provided by the tech who maintained it (who also maintained the 300D I had at the time) and discussed it with the tech and on a lark offered less than 75% of their asking price, which itself was more than reasonable. No negotiation has ever ended sooner and I had the car later that afternoon. They obviously were unconcerned about the money. A friend of mine recently purchased a 300TE in unbelievable condition with around 30K for $1500! The person who owned it was no longer able to drive and simply didn't need the car or the money. The person who bought it was simply patient. Sort of like employment...if you're desperate, you won't get hired. If you can wait, the job offers come to you.

I think you can see the pattern of what I'm saying. Since that sort of purchase can be made of such a wonderful piece of automotive technology, it amplifies my point that a good purchase of a good example of a used Benz, in my view, is almost always better than the purchase of a new domestic or most other import. Less expensive, better design and execution and simply more fun to drive.

I will agree with Jim on one thing. We take my wife's car on ski trips. Not mine. And I do tend to use my beat-up pickup for running to the grocery store. But maybe that's because the dogs like to go too...

__________________
David

His:
2003 Dodge Durango SLT
2002 BMW E39 530i Sport
1988 Mercedes 300TE
Hers:
2003 Chevrolet Suburban
1999 E430

Our Golden Retriever is a snob. If we say "ride in the car" he always runs to the Benz. If we walk past the MB to the Acura, he stays by the MB until told to heel. Maybe he knows something about the Acura we don't!

__________________
John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

and my car is that lovely cream color with parchment Tex interior. We call her "designer dog" since she was bred as a show dog, but was too flawed to make it (and we rescued her from the insensitive idiots who owned her for show purposes). She loves slobbering all over the backseat of my car, looks good doing it and hates climbing into the Honda. The Black Lab (my wife's dog) loves the Honda, but that's probably because my wife is always in it with him (one of the reasons I can stand being in there!!!). Both dogs will stoop to being tied up in the bed of the Toyota truck, but only because that usually means going to someplace they like; the grocery store (I can't figure that one out), or a lake or river for retrieving and swimming.

There's no question dogs are smarter than we are. They've figured out how to be able to lay around the house all day, have their food brought to them and have humans throw toys incessantly for them. In addition, they can drop a load anywhere and some human will rush to clean it up. We pet them, bathe them and brush them. All they have to do is act nice once in awhile, leave the meat on the dinner table until it is actually given to them and remember to pee outside.

Enough - this is way off-topic!

[Edited by dtanesq on 01-17-2001 at 07:42 PM]

__________________
David

His:
2003 Dodge Durango SLT
2002 BMW E39 530i Sport
1988 Mercedes 300TE
Hers:
2003 Chevrolet Suburban
1999 E430

I'll always keep my 300E. However I also read that the 300E feels more "nimble" than the 500E/E500. I sure handling is better however I don't want to loose that nimbleness in a car. does the Sportline suspension add a much harder ride. ?

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"Damn the torpedos, four bells full speed ahead"
-Admiral Farragut




-1987 300E Smoke Silver
-1997 S320 Black on Black
-Soon To be E55 AMG
-27 foot Grady White Offshore Sportfish.

CaptAlex300E:
Actually, to me the car is more nimble, and more comfortable on good roads. On rough roads it is somewhat less comfortable than before. The increased handling is much more noticable than the decreased ride quality.
I bought this car from my parents when my father died and my 87 year old mother couldn't pass her drivers test. My mom had ridden in the car every day since it was new. She rides in it several times per week with me now, and doesn't know that I have changed the suspension. She has even remarked that she always looks forward to riding in the MB because it is 'so much more comfortable than her friends cadillac'!!! Go figure. I am certainly not about to volunteer to her that I have been transforming "their pride and joy" into an autocross wannabe!

__________________
John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

John, as you know, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps like you, sometimes I get so paranoid about things mechanical going wrong in my car that I manufacture them in my mind. Likewise, it may be possible that after installing a sport suspension I would be over-sensitive to bumps and jiggles that I wouldn't have even thought about beforehand. I'll bet your mother is right - it is a sweet handling, comfortable car (that just happens to be a wolf in sheep's clothing!).

__________________
David

His:
2003 Dodge Durango SLT
2002 BMW E39 530i Sport
1988 Mercedes 300TE
Hers:
2003 Chevrolet Suburban
1999 E430

David:
Well, maybe a coyote in sheeps clothing - it's just a little short on fangs to draw Rudyard Kipling's or Jack London's praises.

[Edited by JCE on 01-18-2001 at 02:43 AM]

__________________
John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E