Tell me if I am crazy. I am tossing around the idea of selling my only modern car, a 2002 ford focus, and replacing it with another Mercedes. I have found a '79 wagon for $1800 that I will be looking at tomorrow. If it is a rust free example and in as good of shape as it sounds I will probably buy it anyway, but one of the cars will have to go. What do you all think?

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

do you really have to ask?

Suprised the Ford is still running. I had two Fords once. Never again! They lived up to the Fix Or Repair Daily, and the Found On Road Dead. In the case of the latter I was hit with FORD backwards...Driver Returns On Foot...

If the FORD gets better MPG, you may be forced to keep it for economic reasons.

Logic really bites LEMON at times like this.

Good point about the mileage. The ford gets about 33 hwy and as low as 18 city. For the price difference between the MB and the ford I could buy allot of diesel!

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

My very scientific observation has led me to conclude that these old mbs only breakdown if you do not have a spare car.
If you keep the ford, the MB will be the most reliable daily driver. If not, it will tend to get sick very often.

My 78 BMW and 90 MB are what the wife and I use as daily drivers...but I have 'modern' backups

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82 300D....went to MB heaven
90 350 SDL....excercising con rods

My experience with fords has all been bad. Had two explorers, both of which began to catastrophically self-destruct at about 100,000 miles. One had the head gasket go, coolant leaks, steering/suspension problems, electrical problems, etc, and the other had the differential go, the electrics go, the doors screw up, the engine just generally decay, and the paint fade and begin to rust. Clearly planned obsolescence.

The Benz will serve you in better stead in the long-run (provided no rust or other major issues), and your fuel costs will be lower even with the reduced efficiency compared to the focus if you're running WVO.

Furthermore, you can probably save a bundle in maintenance over the Focus doing your own maintenance.

But really, isn't the heart of the issue just that a Benz is a cooler and nicer car than a Ford? No one will ever be impressed by or comment about a Ford Focus, that's for sure.

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"I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brillaint blaze
than it should be stifled by dryrot.
I would rather be a superb meteor,
every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time."

-Jack London 1876-1916

1983 300CDT (running WVO since 12/05)
1981 300SD (parts car)

Based on your existing motor-pool it surprises me that you ask this question. Nothin against Fords, but how'd you end up with an '02 Ford Focus in the first place?

i used to be a diehard ford fan but recently turned away from them. they dont seem to be doing anything right these days. example, my moms 04 escape with a 4banger and manual tranny gave out on her one day. she was driving to work at 6:00am and was coming to a stop, pressed the clutch and brake pedals and the clutch pedal went right to the floor. she ended up being fine but having to stall the car to stop it. and she says the worst part was the 10 mile walk home on the side of the road at 6:30am. it turned out to be a faulty clutch master cylinder but she still hates the car. now there are a few more issues and the warrenty ran out 750 miles ago

although i must say their new mustang has got some cojones. anyways ive pretty much decided that all my "new" cars will probably be pre-owned MB's. i just love em.

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1981 300 SD 213k miles "Stock for now"
1999 Super Duty 7.3L 113k miles
1981 300 SD 180k miles "Heavily modified" SOLD

A few years ago I only had the VW and had to make across the state drives on a regular basis so I put the van in hibernation and got the focus.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

The older Ford Focus had a lot of problems, I'm told, though they are much better now. A Mercedes diesel wagon sounds like a pretty good idea as long as it's not rusty with deferred maintenance issues - at an $1800 price point it's worth checking VERY closely.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Look at your heart - displayed in your signature. Shine up the Ford and sell it while you can still get some good coin for it, as it's depreciating faster than the MB is appreciating.

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'82 300SD - 361K mi - "Blue"

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

listen, look, .........and duck.

We have no "real" cars. Everything we have is in my sig. I cut the cord to the auto-industrial complex in 2003 when we sold the '96 Camaro POS. No regrets.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I have a few "real" cars, one of which happens to be the '95. Cost for a gas one is about $4k, and I'll take the '95 e-class over any Focus.

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- Brian


1989 500SEL Euro
1966 250SE Cabriolet
1958 BMW Isetta 600

Yeah its a good time to hunk the Ford and get top dollar for it being just a few years old. Meanwhile consider the 300TD wagon a smart drivable investment that wont surprise you, prices on em seem to have bottomed out with nowhere else to go but up. Reminds me of 240D 4-spd's awhile ago in decent shape without major problems being common at/less than $1,000. Now their value seems to be doubling at least.

Meanwhile for long term maintenance/ownership of 300TD wagons over hundreds of thousands of miles the worst thing you can say about em is that 300D longblocks from sedans will NOT swap straight across. A question of accomodating the TD hydraulic suspension pump.

I think old car phobia is strictly a state of mind. And aint we all sick and tired of disposable cars being marketed and merchandised by automobile companies? Have owned old Mercs (mostly gassers) with 150k+ miles as daily drivers practically my entire life. Only been stranded once and that was on account of a bad ignition coil in 220Sb. Caint imagine anybody being stranded or surprised in a diesel thats well maintained.