Well, I really appreciate all of the great feedback. I did actually consider a 3.8 powered buick, (Had a Delta 88 with the 3.8 in high school), but I really hated to go back to the buick after having a benz. I am leaning toward either a 201 or a 123, due to cost, availability, and (hopefully) reliability. Does a 190E 2.3 get decent (20-25mpg) mileage?
Dave.

i love my 94 202 (c280) have you considered a tdi vw? or late 90's early 200's honda civic? mercedes is in no hurry to give us a late model c-class diesel which is what i am really waiting for. (in europe you could get a diesel in the c class in the mid-90's that got mid 30's or better on the highway

Yes. My '92 201 2.3 gets 25-26 mpg reliably on my 33 mile commute (66 miles per day). If I really nurse it (50 mph on 2 lane roads, and 60 mph on the interstate) I can get it up to 28-29 mpg reliably.

FWIW: the EPA mileage rating for the 124 is only 1 mpg lower than the 201 with a 2.6

The cheapest car to operate and maintain on a budget is a 240d stick. I would recommend an 82 or 83. The only weak point is the ac is not all that great in them.

Buy the best one you can afford and keep it up. It will be worth the same or more when you decide to move up to something newer.

The 280e is a fine car but uses LOTS of gas,

Tom W

As soon as I've resolved my tranny issue, I'm selling my 280CE. Asking $3k for it. (What I paid)

I wouldn't consider a 190E. I had one and they were
good in their day but MB stopped making 'em in
'93 so they're OLD, OLD technology. You'd have a hard time finding one in decent shape these days. Second the
recommendation for a C220, which I now drive. They're the successor
to the 190E and are a much better car. Can also pick 'em
up pretty cheap. I get 32mpg+ highway
with mine, though I drive like an old lady.

jeeze... for what?

Depends on the commute. I commute in my 140 most of the time. While its not the cheapest car in the world being trapped inside some cheap plastic and polyester cloth lined metal coffin on the way to the office just does not appeal to me.

Then again since this is a school situation it might not be advisable to attract the attention of angry goth kids and environazi's. My 140 spends most of its day in a parking deck with the company of other MB's Porsche's and the occasional Ferrari.

If I had to suggest a Mercedes I would suggest a 123 or 126 depending on your commute. Both the 126 and 123 were built before the world went cheap and have good construction quality and comfort.

You can drive an older 123 diesel into the ground and it will just keep going and going and going. I had a friend that had a 123 that they did near zero maint on that kept going and going for years. The rear axles sounded like a train going down the road and there was not a panel on the car that did not have a dent. The only reason it ended up being retired is the hood release eventually broke from them shutting the car down from under the hood for so many years. The only service the car ever saw was an occasional fuel filter when it refused to start. It was on the "everlasting oil change" because of the oil that needed to be added during leaks and never actually had a change done.

The 126's won't put up with that kind of abuse but they have classic styling and a reasonable around town and highway ride if you like a big car.

Japanese cars are great until they hit 200K. They loose virtually all of their resale value at that point and even the most well maintained cars start loosing accessories like crazy at that point like Alternator, A/C compressor Power steering and other bolt on engine items. Japanese cars are great to own from about 70K (where most of the new resale has gone) to about 150K where people start getting afraid to buy them as Japanese buyers don't buy for quality they buy because they are cheapskates. They won't take the abuse that many of the other makes will endure.

P.S. When I say 126 I am thinking more on the lines of a 300SEL or a 300SD with an OM617. Notice there is already a 560SEL. :)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PRIVATE-OWNER-NO-RESERVE-ON-A-5-DAY-AUCTION-39-PICS_W0QQitemZ200170420925QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200170420925

I know it is on Ebay and by definition probably not too advisable, but these cars are simple, durable, and get very good gas mileage. This one looks very clean and whomever replaced the A/C compressor at least knew enough to replace the receiver dryer as well.

Food for thought. I would not buy a car from Ebay if I could not examine it in person first.

Sure but if money is super tight, an M104 needing a head gasket job can be a killer. While a Honda, Toyota, or some GM car can be kept going on a shoe string budget.

Apples and oranges.

Yes and no. Check some of the parts prices on the Japanese cars. $300 for the alternator that dies on top of labor to install it because the engine bay is impossible to get into is nasty on a budget as well.

As for the head gasket thing those other cars loose automatic transmissions at about 100-125K which costs about the same as a head gasket if you go with a used transmission.

Personally after seeing the abuse that my friends 123 endured I would have to go with a 123 if I wanted a car that would thrive on abuse.

My philosophy is you pay one way or another with cars. You either pay on the front end with interest, depreciation and higher insurance premiums on a new car or pay on the back end in service and repair work on an older car. Japanese or German the car makers have figured out how to make money over the life span of the cars. While German cars are more expensive all the way around you get more for the money you spend.

Its also a matter of choice and preference. After driving in high quality German and Swedish cars I could not go back to driving commodity made cheap Japanese cars. While there are claims that they are more reliable (even though most of them require 3000 mile oil changes which makes them see the inside of a service shop more most German cars) they just don't have the level of fit and finish that German cars do.

That being said have you considered "disposable" cars? Any make car you can buy for $800 or under and driving it until it dies and then buying another? There is a big market of unwanted cars out there. It of course would not be a cool car at all but buying one and patching it as cheaply as possible and then dumping it if it has a major malfunction is the cheapest way to own a car. :)

Oh I have owned both, MB's cost a lot more to take car of than Honda's and Toyota's. Parts for Japanese cars are cheap and everywhere. I can run down to Autozone and get an alt for a Camry for $100. Try that on your W140.:D I4 Camry's and Accords are pretty easy to work on, the V6's are tight, but so is the M120, and M119.;)

They last quite a long time too, my 1993 Camry is still on the road and going strong, 170kish miles. Not bad for a car that cost $18k in 1993, cheap, cheap transport. Original engine and trans.

MB's are great cars, but I find they need $2k-$3k worth of stuff a year. Unless of course its pretty new and under warranty, or you drive it into the ground.

Gee people let's get this triaght.
M-B's and shoestring budgets are complete opposites. :D
I would never own a Toyota, for the simple reason, a few years ago I volunteered to do a tune-up on one, for a friend of mine.
Went to the dealership to purchase OEM parts and got chastised by the Service Advisor, for doing underhood-work on my own vehicle!:mad:
He would not even tell me what sparkplugs were required.
So Toyota ( substitute Honda, Nissan, etc. ) you can kiss my rosy red cheeks, as I will never buy one of your s.@^% buckets.

Guys, I am really impressed by all of the input. I won't be making a decision until summer 08, so I have some time to think things over. I will be on a budget, but I've saved up enough that if I have to have some repairs done to a MB, I can take care of it. I'm somewhat scared of the M104's head gasket issues, don't know if the M103 had the same problem. How about the 2.3 4 cyl? Was it a good or bad engine? As far as diesels, I have heard lots of bad things about the 3.5, such as "rodbender". Is this accurate? Also, were all 126 diesels turbos? And are the MB diesel turbochargers "problematic"?
Thanks, Dave.

No turbo unit on a Mercedes Diesel is troublesome, so don't worry about that. You don't really want a non-turbo Diesel as they are quite slow - the minor exception being the 1995 E300D, which isn't mind-numbingly slow at least.

An aluminum-head Diesel (603) is prone to cracking the cylinder head if run hot. So don't run the damn thing hot! ;-)

Don't buy a 3.5L Mercedes Diesel. Bad motor, period point blank.

Honestly I would not buy any Mercedes Diesel right now. The Diesel "duuuude" craze has inflated the "value" of the used Diesels to the point that there isn't much if any economy to buying one right now. Plus Diesel fuel is not cheap compared to gasoline, oil changes can be pricey, etc., etc. There is much more value to be found in a nice used gasser MB.

You can find yourself a really nice gasser MB for the price of a marginal or even crapped out Diesel. I'd seriously consider a 1993-2000 C230 or C220. Good cars.