If I won $80k in a lottery and needed a car (ha, like that is an issue at the moment) it would be $2500 for a 1982-84 300D. I'll take the rest and keep it for investment.

Is this a rhetorical question, or did Kwame Brown just join the forum?

:)

Ken300D

Let me know if this sounds stupid. 1971 280sl restored with a 5cyl turbo diesel. Oh yeah, and a five speed. Extra sound absorbing material in engine compartment. andy

1972 Porsche 911 T - $15K
1985 MBz 300 SD - $10K
1987 Jag XJ6 VDP - $12K
1982 MBz GW TD - $15K
Weekend in Vegas with remainder.

If $ no object -
1937 Bugatti Model 57C (Compressor)

PS

If I make it back from Vegas with a couple of coins, then maybe a 1989 Saab 900 Turbo SPG to tinker with.

Assuming that all $80 MUST be spent on vehicles:

Ship back to the US (since they are made in Alabama) the diesel M-class, ML270, I think.

With the rest:

A late model E300 TurboDiesel

A ~'71 E-Type OR
A Baby Jag (X-Type) for the wife.

I like Jags...
 

The PO had a Jag and a 190e and one had to go:D

Although I'll have to admit them having twins had something to do with it:rolleyes:

Ken300D is a smart man with his money AND his cars. I don't believe, however, that ALL of the $77,500 would get invested. It would be what was left over after the $2500 123 car AND his new Rim Clamp tire changer.:)

Have a great day,

I have mixed feelings about ford at the momment. I really don't like their cars. Their trucks are absolutely great though. I'd love to have a Diesel F250. But if I was going for a truck I'd get an old military unimog haha. Mercedes seems to be going back to the superior quality that they once had. I still feel they are superior to the Jaguar. I'd go with bill on the ML270CDI! Or I'd get a 190E 2.5-16 and load it up out the wazoo! I dunno, just never been a jag fan, don't appeal to me to say the least. I think the rest of my life I can say I will be buying used mercedes until I can afford a new one! heh heh

$80k?
 

I would buy two or three of the nicest early '80s diesels I could find, and a decent '60s SE convertible (big body, small engine). I should still have half the money left. All new cars are cheap cars, even if they cost a lot of money.

The philosopher/economist Jeremy Bentham had something he called a "calculus of pleasure." I can't think of any new transportation I could walk in and buy from a dealer would provide 16 times the enjoyment my old 240 does.

I agree that Ford has been good for Jaguar. They gave them improved manufacturing processes and quality control. They gave them access to platforms so that Jag could fill out their product line, including the X and S-types.

However, that does not mean I would buy a Jag. They still suffer horrid resale values. I see too much Ford in the styling department, especially with the S-type.

Jaguar makes the best cars in terms of quality that they have ever made. But, I think they are overpriced and underperforming. Service and parts costs? Like Ford? Nope. Higher than MB by a large margin.

And the gaffs too. Like making the X-type AWD to avoid the obvious X-Mondeo comparision. C'mon, we all know why you did it. Quit BS'ing us about safety, since all your other cars are RWD.

With a base 2.5 X-type priced the same as a C240 Elegance, I don't want to risk $50K on the Jag. I'll pick BMW, MB or Lexus, and go with a known quantity. It's too much money for me to take a leap of faith.

Ford and Jaguar, Chrystler and Mercedes... I see a pattern:eek:

Well Daimler has owned benz since the early 1900s. Daimler then bought chrystler. I believe that's how it went.

I drove past a Buick dealer today. On the used lot the had a 2000 Jag, with a window sticker of $26,000. Someone traded their jag for a Buick, I guess. Seems like a hefty price drop.

I was faced with that when I purchased my 95 S-350. We looked at a Jag and even drove one. They ride better than a Mercedes and look a LOT better but the reliability thing is big for me. Mercedes is the best engineered car in the world. I am at 180,000 miles in the S-350 and there is not a rattle or squeak in the car. Tight as Dick's hatband. A Jag with 180,000 miles on it would be falling apart. I know, my brother had one.

I assume this 80k would have to be spent on a *new* car? In that case, I'd have to go with a Benz.

I once worked at a Jaguar dealer (which was also an Audi dealer) and can say that new Jags are completely different cars from what they once were. They are well built, they include some pretty advanced technology, and they perform very well.

With the Jaguar, I think you can get a little more car for your money compared to a Benz. However, the Benz resale is higher. If you are one who considers a car to be an investment, the Benz is the only way to go.

I could care less about resale value because I think that it's foolish to think of a car as an investment, unless it's a '98 Porsche 911 Turbo or the like :)

I choose the Benz because I like their instrument layout and driving position a whole lot more than Jaguar's. The interior of a Jaguar (XJ8, XK8, S-type, and especially X-type) is waaaay too tight, and their use of space is very poor.

You sit more upright in a Benz, and it feels like the "belt line" is lower--something I really like.

-Joe