Is it worth it?
 

I need a second car before school starts in Jan. I found a 89 300E
with 161k for $4,900 it has upgraded wheels, a new computer, and tune-up. Head gasket was replaced. Is it worth the price.

Car cosmetics look clean and it was detailed by wholesaler.

What do you think.

Kinda hard to say with no information on:

- PPI results; what needs attention, what works/doesn't

- service records

- accident history

- title history

- local resale value

What kind of schooling warrants a second car?

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
83 300SD ... $950, see cars forum

I am still trying to fix my 190E. It is very difficult to get into drivers side. You see, I broke my hip and had an implant. It is much easier to get into a larger car. It takes forever for me to get around on crutches. Also, My Chev P/U is up too high off the ground so it hurts to get into.

Local resale prices are all over the board. From 4500-6800 for the same model. Some have more mileage than others.

Cosmetically it looks clean. I would put a pic with reply, but I cannot figure how to do it without uploading to a temp web site.

I was told it has a clear Carfax History.

You're looking at a 15 year old car with 161k miles that is held by a wholesaler. I would offer him/her $2500, settle on $3k pending a PPI. Otherwise look for a lower mileage, newer car. I would doubt that the wholesaler has more than $2000 in that car.

I agree with gstigler. $4,900 is way too much, unless the car is perfect. Buyer beware.

Thanks for the tips

I realize they try to get about 2K from each car purchased. I saw his purchase invoice and he paid too much. He paid $4,000 for it,
put $263 for tune-up, $250 for upgrade 1994 E300 wheels. And he detailed it.

It has two year old new paint which makes me suspect. Interior very good with no cracks anywhere. Slight brown tint on door panels. Smoker car?

Carfax report says mileage ok, with emissions ok. It has only 1 bar on oil
pressure guage at idle. My 190E has over 2.

Question what should the oil pressure guage read?

What are other members paying for their 300 series cars?

I think that price is a little steep. A nice 88-89 560SEL can be bought for that $$$.

Something close to the 90's that is reliable, prefer less than 145,000. 2K for reserves. Haven't worked for two years and currently I am a student.

Waaa, Looking today I missed a 300SE 1990 with full records that a wholesaler took in trade. 140K he told me went for $4000.

Keep looking, you'll find something acceptable. It's not your fault that the wholesaler paid too much for it, he should know better, he's in the business. That makes me think that he doctored an invoice on the car.

There are a lot of these cars out there changing hands. There's a nice 420SEL (1987 I think) in my neighborhood for $3995.

Keep in mind that with any MB you should be prepared for at least $3k in repairs in case anything goes wrong. If you are in school and definately need reliable transportation, consider a used taurus or sable. Yes they are boring but you can get a reliable one with less than 60k for about $5k. These cars usually have no problem doing 150-200k without significant repairs.

I thought those had transmission problems?

look - any car that is 13 years old and has 150k miles is a crap shoot at best given your circumstances. so i got to agree about the tauras. something in a 98 with 50-60k miles that looks good should hang in for another 50-60k miles with a minimun of expense. most cars like this can be fixed by most mechanics not a special dealer. and most fords of this style should go 120k with almost no repair cost. my 98 marquis has 92k and all i've done is change oil and put gas in it.

just my .02$

Too $$$$. Pass!

My neighbor had a Taurus and it turned out to be a piece of junk.
Another friend had a Sable and it had head gasket problems. I had the same problem with my Escort. Sooooo, I would like to steer clear of Ford.

As for driving a Taurus, I am 47 and have been spoiled during the years with electric windows, seats, and other creature comforts.

Spoiled since 35 and loving it.

glmoy,
It sounds like you had some bad experiences with taurus, sable cars. There are a lot of junk ones out there and yes, the engineering is not near that of an MB. My own experience with my Sable is that I bought it with 77k miles on it. It now has 125k and all I have done is brakes (really cheap if done on your own) and a couple minor electrical fixes ($150). The car runs great so far.

Very important if anyone considers one of these is to get the Duratec 24valve engine. The other engine is junk and probably the one that you had trouble with. Anyway, sorry to stray away on boring cars.