Hey everyone,

So I'm facing a bit of a car issue, hoping to get some opinions and advice...

I'm going to be finishing community college within the next year and will be transferring from California to University in Alaska and because I love to drive and love cars I want to take my car up with me, it's a long 4,000 mile drive up north, not to mention the severe conditions the car is going to have to endure, -40oF winters and harsh roads.

I was planning on bringing my 91 300E which has served me extremely well since 2009, but recently she won't pass smog, has been sitting for quite some time and I've had a heated seat install backfire on me, leaving me with a seat that won't move and a cluster that isn't functioning. My plan before this was to slowly fix her up over the next year and a half and when it was time to drive up, she would be good to go, but after this heated seat ordeal I'm come to the realization that maybe she isn't the best candidate to take, she's at 217,000 miles hasn't had the head gasket replaced and is on the original transmission. If one of these gave me issues I probably wouldn't be able to fork up the money to fix it upfront, plus I can't have the head gasket replaced and transmission overhauled as well as numerous other things AND save up for the actual school and living expenses up there so I made the decision that she's going to stay and I'm going to sell her.

It crossed my mind to take our 80 240D that has been a pretty good car, but dismissed it and the 78 Datsun 280Z I have won't pass smog, but runs pretty well but it's small and I don't know how the snow is going to treat it. I came to the idea of maybe just jumping away from Mercedes and my whole mantra that old Mercedes are the only option for a happy life and maybe just get a cheap economy car that is brand new so I don;t have to worry about issues, build credit and then shoot for a BMW X1 in like 3-4 years.

I went and looked at Ford...sigh pains me to say this...Hyundai and Nissan. I just wanted the most inexpensive, stock and basic model of the Accent, Versa and Fiesta. They were all okay, the Fiesta stuck out with me more but the price kept going higher than I wanted and the stealership salesman didn't seem to like my idea of a bone stock car. When I went to Nissan the salesman were like hawks and I literally could not leave, it was a step back from being held against my will, I mean they wanted me in a Versa that day, I kept telling them I wanted to sell my 300E so I could have a down and won't be in the market for another 6 months and just wanted to see the Versa but they were so damn persistant. Finally, I was allowed to leave Lol and it left such a bad taste in my mouth that I thought about our good ol 70 220D and happen to be browsing the internet and came across a video from Mercedes about two guys who bought a 220 in Fairbanks, Alaska and drove it back to Los Angeles, after seeing this I was like "I'll take the 220, she's trustworthy and doesn't need much" and I was dead set on this.

We just got her back from mechanic yesterday, with brand new injectors hoping it would solve out large amounts of smoke problem, it didn't. I noticed the loud engine knock even more now and decided to look it up only to find that it means doom of the engine is in the foreseeable future. I'm not 100% that the engine is going but will be troubleshooting it but if it is, guess that blows that idea right out of the water.

We have these cars but they all don't work, I don't want to stray from Mercedes because I love them, but I would like something reliable up there, I mean don;t get me wrong I'm willing to take the risk with a used Mercedes that I know will be fine for at least the drive up there, but then a 12,000 Versa doesn't sound so bad when I look around to see a two cars that won't pass smog and have some issues and the 240 which I forgot to mention went to the shop when we picked up the 220 because it won't start, ran fine the day before and it would turn over like the battery was low but the battery was fully charged.

We have a 2001 BMW X5 that my mom doesn't drive anymore that she said she wouldn't mind me taking, but it has 174,000 miles and if that gives me problems up there then I know I won;t be able to afford it. Is the Versa (the one I think I would go with because it's cheapest) the best option here? Or is it possible I could find a reliable used Mercedes for 1,700$ maybe $2,000? What do you all think recommend? Really would hate to go to a bone stock Versa but it is new and reliable, it drove okay but the manual transmission was really mousy. At this point, I would do any model Mercedes that is in great shape to go up there, don't want to stray away but at the same time I feel like new is smarter? But then payments every months, plus living up there.. sigh.. what to do, what to do...

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2007 BMW 328XI

The logical answer is to sell off what you can and buy a used Japanese car.

Pontiac Vibe. Toyota Matrix (same car)
Toyota Avalon if you like driving a more substantial vehicle.
Honda Civic or CRV
Prius is darn near invincible.
Mazda Miata, for Alaska, would be nice to have limited slip.
Also consider a nice old Buick Lesabre or Park Avenue, maybe a Ford Police interceptor because of the LSD.

Selling the X5 and 300E (fixed) would cover the cost of any of those cars. If you only sold the 300E for $1000-$2000. Getting a small loan on a used car makes more sense.

Building credit comment is BS. You want to finish school with as little debt as possible. A $1,000 credit card paid on time for a year will build credit just the same.

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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!!!

Thanks for the reply, not what I wanted to hear, but at the same time...kinda was Lol

Sigh Japanese haha naw I know Japanese are pretty reliable, yeah something with a LSD would be awesome. When I was in Fairbanks back in September visiting the school I saw a lot of Subaru's out there, I kept thinking to myself it was Subaru capitol of the US there were so many... Are these any good? Or should I stick to Toyota/Honda?

What year range of these cars would you recommend?

I would only be able to sell off the 300E and the 220, the X5 is my mom's and the 240 would want to keep with us, I am asking only $700 for my 300E because it's high mile and the it has some issues.

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2007 BMW 328XI

You don't have time to fix the 300E?

Research local credit unions. Most won't loan unless your income is over $1000 a month without a cosigner. Same goes for those fancy new cars you looked at.

The credit union will pre-approve you for a certain amount, year and mileage range. You can shop with that in mind.

If you like the idea of a retired police interceptor, there are dealers that specialize in them and can help with financing. Make sure they are using a real bank or credit union and the interest rate is not stupid. 5 year old, 100,000 mile well maintained examples will sell for under $5000. Very reliable and super cheap/easy to fix when need be.

Looks like there's plenty listed by dealers on your local craigslist.

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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!!!

For the 300E I have a year and a half to get the head gasket, transmission done, and then little stuff like tires, shocks, flex discs ect... I really don't want to hassle with all the credit bs and stuff and like I said I was really turned off by it at Nissan (doing the opposite of making a potential buyer comfortable pfft)

Maybe I should just get a small loan for a couple thousand and repair the 300E? Honestly that's the car I want to take, I guess I should mention there is outside influence in which it's seen as ill-advised I'd make such a long trek with a car that has 217,000 and that I should go with a new/ish reliable car.

I already bought my $157.00 block heater to install for my 300E too

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2007 BMW 328XI

Moving to alaska?
Why not find something with 4 wheel drive?

There are any number of cheap reliable domestic 4x4s floating around. Wont have such a rust issue where you are either.

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

Wait, this is a year and a half away???

You have nothing but time.

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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!!!

A w124 4-Matic??

4x4 for Alaska would make sense right? But when I was over there, people in small regular cars seemed like they all got around just fine, some say the 4x4 makes people overconfident and they end up on their side in a ditch

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2007 BMW 328XI

Thanks Tyler,

I might just give her another shot

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2007 BMW 328XI

earn $$$, scavenge. barter.sell your body if you have to.

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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!!!

Impreza (or Outback) wagons hold their value well, have permanent symmetrical AWD, is a Japanese car, is fuel efficient, reliable and relatively cheap to maintain. They have sufficient room for hauling anything, have a cult following, tons of accessories if you veer that route. Lots of enthusiast support too.

It seems like letting go of some cars and simplifying your fleet to one (or two) solid, reliable cars that meet the requirements of your new environment, is the way to go.

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http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/7...144c3fc1dc.jpg

CRV with 4WD.

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

It depends on your budget and your time/willingness to wrench before you go. One solution:

One of my college cars was a Lincoln Town Car, same platform as the Police Interceptor. The Mercury Grand Marquis is built on the same platform as well. Cheap to buy, cheap and easy to maintain. A little heavy on fuel but not too bad. Started the same at -14 as at 80 without a block heater. Good up to about 6" of snow with decent all season tires. Alaska gets more snow than that, but if you're in one of the bigger towns they should have excellent snow removal. Pros: Low cost, not much wrenching required if you pick up a good example, can fit five people plus you in a pinch, cavernous trunk. Cons: No 4wd, not a Mercedes.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Easy, dont allow yourself to become overconfident. AK is a huge state full of amazing natural beauty and no doubt you will be driving to see some incredible stuff.

The reason i mention it is medium 4x4s are common and dirt cheap, as well as reliable. Explorers, blazers, jimmys, rangers, s10s ect. That particular size also is relatively common in 5 speed for the 10 plus year old models. Anyone can fix them, parts are everywhere, you dont have to worry about 4 exactly matching tires like subaru, ect. Where you are the rust that kills them isnt as common. Replaced the wifes 300TD with a 99 explorer recently because it was amazingly cheap.

Downside is none of them get much beyond 20mpg with the 4.0 ford or 4.3 chevy. 4cyls in the pickups are better on economy.

Why is the 80 240 unsuitable?

EDIT-
Not sure if you have the same phenomena where you are, but grand cherokees from the 90s are ridiculously inexpensive here for some reason. On average half the price of similar year cherokees. Still with the jeep 4.0 that is every bit as reliable as a benz 617

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

X2 on this idea. Never met anyone who didnt love their crv

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This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.