Pictures of this car??

__________________
'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

C320 only if you go 203 chassis.
W210 E320 or E430 would do fine.

Given your location, lookout for rust in both chassis. 210 has springperch rust issues.

I was able to find a 2005 E320 CDI in your budget. Last trip I averaged 42.7 MPG. About 30MPG around town with my heavy foot.

Non-MB I'd look at a Toyota Avalon. Great, bullet proof engine, nice spacious interior, and has a substantial driving feel to it like a MB, even with its front wheel drive.

__________________
1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

Old pic from 2 yr ago, but it doesn't look much different now.

Attached Thumbnails

 

That's a good looking car. Any rust on it?

__________________
'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

A couple of years ago I bought a 1999 BMW 528i for about $4,500, which was about $400 more than it was really worth (long story as to why I paid that much). I love that car and plan to keep it a long time. I'm told that it was the best generation of BMW. After 2003 or so, they started getting more complicated, less reliable, and less interesting, IMHO.

So, for your budget, I say you should be looking at a 1997 to 2003 BMW. Keep some money stashed away for repairs because they are not economy cars. The build quality, though is outstanding.

Some - it will need front fender repair if I keep it, and there's a spot on the left/rear fender in back of the wheel. Underside/structural stuff is clean oddly enough.

There is not a single thing on that car that I would consider outstanding, including the build quality. Does look and drive nicely, but you must be lucky as far as repairs go.

__________________
1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

RE: mpg.......

Tyler, I've found that it depends on your commute, as to the mpg these CDIs yield. My '06 E320 CDI is yielding 23/24 mpg surface street driving, under 40 mph / stop and go city traffic. I never use the AC, BTW, since I wear only casual clothing; shorts/T-shirts/sandals. The 41.1 mpg my CDI yielded on the San Antonio to Dallas, TX drive @ 70 mph with the AC on only 50% of the 290 mile drive was a one-time deal. Not to be duplicated unless you're doing ONLY Interstate driving. Unfortunately, I'm not driving the car very much - only 300 miles in the last 2 months - so, I'm not the rank and file daily-driver.

The price you paid for your 05 CDI, I've not seen duplicated in my hobby of price shopping these cars. My source is AutoTrader dot com, so I'd be curious the source where you found your CDI at $8,500?

__________________
'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

What are the annual miles you've put on your example?

__________________
'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

I guess you are either pretty tolerant of faults are pretty lucky. I just used my quota of 2 hours up on Saturday getting the fuel lines fixed. Before that it was the few hours to get the lifters fixed and #3000 to get body work done and the roof and the right rear door still needs to be fixed, Brake job is easily 2 hours and LOF is no less than 1 hour not including the disposal of the oil. That doesn't include the dye and the time with the flashlight and brake cleaner trying to clean off the area to see where it is leaking from. I would WISH that 2 hrs is all I have to spend on the car a month but reality is kickin my wallet's ass.

__________________
01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

About 17,000 miles per year.

For a reliable MB for 5-10k I'd look at 2000-2002 W210 E320's....durable engine/trans, and very nice riding car. Brother bought one (2002) for about 9k in mint condition about 3.5 months ago and has put 5k on it with no issues at all other than a speaker fizzling a bit. Great car, the refinement compared to a W123 is not even in the same universe. Everything works.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Not with the E430, but he'll get close with the E320.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Put $2k down and lease a Honda Civic sedan for $159 a month for the next three years. You will have a new-car warranty to cover your backside in the event of a problem. The alternative is to buy something with your $5 - $10 k that won't be too new, will probably need immediate work, and can expose you to potentially expensive repairs in the event of a breakdown, plus you have to deal with vehicle downtime.

It's coming up on 15 years old and has 187,000 miles, which is not exactly old, but I'd say it qualifies as middle aged. The driver's seat is showing some wear and the cup holder is broken, but other than those things the exterior and interior are immaculate. It seems to be holding up better than either of the old Benzes I've owned. It also seems strong mechanically, though only time will tell about that. The one weak spot, AFAIK, is the transmission which did crap out at about 150,000. I am told that the transmission is a weak spot on that car.So far, so good (except for the transmission). Like I said, time will tell whether it really is as good as I think it is.