$35k will get you a 2005+ CDI, why not just get a CDI? The W211 is a sweet car.

Or you could spend that on something a little more, entertaining...



Everyone needs to own an F car at least once.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

[quote=Hatterasguy;1674768]$35k will get you a 2005+ CDI, why not just get a CDI? The W211 is a sweet car.

/quote]

I get the feeling that the CDI is a little less DIY-friendly and a lot less cheap to maintain than the older ones. Is this dead wrong? I don't deny the possibility...

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~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

gvran71, you need to get the car that you like. There's some fine advice in this thread, but don't think even for a second about buying a car to satisfy other people's tastes. You'll be the one driving it.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

[QUOTE=bustedbenz;1674790]
No a 20 year old car is always going to need more work and attention. With the CDI you just have to drop it at the dealer once a year for an oil change, and a B or A service every 20k or so. The new MB's are pretty trouble free.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I agree, buy what you want to drive. If I was going to spend $35K on a benz sedan, it would probably be a nice W109, 6.3.

I admit that since we're talking about a $30,000 car, it's irrelevant pretty much.

But as a practical "drive it as cheap as possible for as long as possible, without damaging the car) approach... I'll bet I can fix two or three separate 20-year-old problems for what the dealership will charge me for that "B or A service".

And I agree wholeheartedly, buy what you want to drive. If the 140 appeals to you more than any other car, go ahead and get the rod-bender and enjoy it... just keeping the overall investment in mind. I personally wasn't trying to impose preferences, just offering reliability guesses.

__________________


~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

If you want to drive a car cheap, Mercedes are the wrong cars to look at.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I like to avoid dealers like the plague, especially with a diesel-powered vehicle that most techs aren't familiar with. If a car isn't serviceable at home at least when it comes to the basics, I won't buy it. I believe the CDI's are still mostly home-serviceable, except maybe those electric brakes.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

SBC has been gone since 04 or 05, in the E class. Every currant MB that I have driven has normal MB brakes.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Most used CDI's on the market are '05. I'm glad to hear the electric brakes are gone now. Do you know why MB got rid of it? What does SBC stand for anyway?

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Cheap was the wrong word. Here's what I mean.

To a person like me (in school, relying on parents to support the car which means it needs to cost as little as possible) and then to a person like me in five years (just out of college, trying to earn money, save up for a house, this that and the other... spending extravagantly on a car is NOT an option) - The attraction of the Mercedes wasn't that it was cheap, but that it was reliable. The reason I'm so pro-DIY is that for those who are in situations like mine, if you can get a car that's old enough to fix yourself, cheap enough to fix yourself... then it's an advantage. You can drive more miles for less money.

I'm not in the Mercedes market because I have money to throw away at cars. I'm in the Mercedes market because I wanted to buy (and take care of, expensively if necessary, I don't cheap out on important things) - a car that I could afford to drive, afford to repair, that would last a long time. That equation happened to add up to an old Benz diesel, but could have added to anything else.

My point was, there's a club of us who don't want to cheap out on the vitals, we don't want to buy a "beater" and be done with it... but we do appreciate a car that keeps us out of dealerships and keeps our labor costs down to our own time instead of somebody else's ridiculous hourly rate.

That's the point I'm coming from. Yes, a Mercedes isn't the best "cheap" car. But even if you can afford a dealership... to me, anything you do yourself is money you can put in the bank for when you HAVE to have help later on with something bigger. I can't afford to do things any other way.

__________________


~Michael S.~
Past cars:

1986 300SDL
1987 300SDL
1982 240D
1982 300SD


Current:

1987 300SDL

I don't know why, possible because it was very expensive and complicated for little gain.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I never intended to pay 35K for the car. I was hoping to pay no more than 25K. The thought was thrilling because I imagine there are probably less than a dozen w126 diesels in the world under those miles. Obvioulsy, I can buy a newer CDI, but that is just a boring ride, and is the CDI a bullet proof motor? It's my opinion the W126 was the last great MB design. I am an attorney and to keep up the "rep", want to be in a car that looked good in and out. The SEL still looks modern among the cars of today, with the obvious shortcomings of no ESP, one touch windows, etc.. I will keep looking for one under 100,000 miles and maybe get lucky, like many of you have. Best regards.

I hear what you are saying. Actually, it isn't that expensive to own an old benz diesel, even one with a few issues. My car was $1500 and it needs work here and there, but it is comfortable to drive, relatively fixable for someone with limited DIY experience, and it still should last me another few years without expensive things like engine rebuilding (!) which I am not suited to do personally.

When finding a relatively cheap used car that will drive dependably for several years for the cost of routine maintenance, you don't have that many options, and the car will probably still be worth close to what I bought it for (or more depending on what work I do on it) after driving it another 50k miles!

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I don't agree.

They are so safe, in bad accidents, that they could allow you to literally walk away from a wreck that in most lesser cars, would leave you crippled or hospitalized with serious injuries, or that could kill you.

By that measure, saved medical or funeral costs, they are absurdly cheap compared to any other, lesser car.

If you are looking for a financial justification to buy a Mercedes, this one is inarguable.

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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)