Quote:
Originally Posted by landev
All,
Thanks for your replys.
Well, the consensus seems to be not to go the new(er) vehicle route. From what I've read (review-wise) on the Bluetecs, they are awsome cars, but Cirrusman brings up a issue that would need to be addressed before I went that route.
As I am a state worker in Idaho, I don't earn enough to be able to afford trips to the dealership. I've worked on all my own cars (cookbook mechanic) since day one and they only get a fondling by professionals when there is a need for an expensive tool that I don't have.
Both of the two trips I've made to Mercedes dealerships were unpleasant. Both trips were for parts, and both times I was treated pretty poorly for having the audacity to not throw money at their service departments. In short, I don't really care to visit a dealership again in this lifetime, so a vehicle tightly tied to the dealerships' repair shop doesn't interest me. More feedback on the "fixable" aspect of these cars by shadetree machanics would be appreciated.
Currently, I get anywhere from 34 to 38 mpg in my '96 (depending on the length of the trip), so the increase in mileage (if ratings are true for the newer vehicles) would be negligable... 'takes that out of the equation.
I did look at resale value on my '96 and that was disappointing, though not totally unexpected. I imagine this is why I no longer buy new cars. This makes the later cars a bit more pricey to get in to and makes me wonder if I should be looking at a broader range of years.
SRJ, drop me a line with some particulars about your '99... I don't know if something like that would appease my "better half", but at this point I'm open to all options. I am the 4th owner of our '96 and, as I spend more time working on it, I feel that most of the problems we've experienced were due to lack of maintenance by previous owners. Perhaps the wife would could be lured by the same car in better shape, I don't know.
Again, thanks for the replies!
-l-
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Many of my sentiments mirror your's.
Many Mercedes-Benz dealer employees have an attitude that they are better than you, since they are affiliated with such an outstanding product, that you should lie down and open your wallet to them. Even though they are the ones waiting on you. Go figure...
I became a Mercedes-Benz diesel owner because of their economy and durability. Period. The other stuff that comes along with the ownership of a Mercedes-Benz is just icing on-the-cake. A LOT of icing in the case of the prestige factor that owning a Mercedes-Benz provides.
However, the root cause of me being a Mercedes-Benz diesel passenger car owner is because of the fact that my Mom and Dad started driving new diesel Mercedes-Benz' starting in 1969. They went on to purchase new ones in 1974 and 1977 as well. The seed was planted in the economy aspect that the Mercedes-Benz diesels deliver. I guess I'm a victim of having wise parents. That said, I made the mistake of buying a new Mercedes-Benz (my sig. car) the last time I bought one. Even though I can afford new, I won't make the mistake of throwing tens of thousands of dollars away needlessly, when a pre-owned 3 year old in-factory-warranty MB diesel with low miles can be had for 50% or less of what the car listed for.
If I were you, landev, since it sounds to me like you are on a budget, I would buy an 05 or 06 E320 CDI with less than 100K miles on it for a price in the high-teens. To me, that's where your value will lie for your next MB diesel car.
To find one on a nation scale; I would use cars.com and autotrader.com websites - setting up each with ALERT mode to e-mail you when new ones meeting your criteria pop-up.
Also, you can set-up an ALERT mode on Carmax.com's website for the same exact set of criteria.
These are (3) likely websites to find the used, late model MB diesel that you seek.