I would guess the diesels are commanding a much higher price right now..

Scott, there aren't any diesels around to drive. If I have the chance I'll give it a shot. Of course, with the price of diesel, I'm not sure how much I'd save.

I'm curious, how did you find the overall dynamics of the 320 in regards to, say, your old 540 (or an E39 for that matter)? Did it feel lethargic or did it have characteristics that belie it's heft?


From what I've read the 300D gets 30-34 mpg while the 320 gets around 28 (both highway driving). One of the comments I've heard over at Mercedesshop is that it's advisable not to get the diesel if your regularly travelling short distances (my commute is only 12 miles of low speed country roads). That plus the potential glow plug issues have me a leaning towards the gasser. I guess I've got to get out and do some driving.

http://autotrader.autos.msn.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=246498320&dealer_id=57306794&c ar_year=1998&model=E_CLASSCLASS_SERIES&num_records =25&systime=&make2=&start_year=1998&keywordsfyc=&k eywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&cert ified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=us ed&distance=200&marketZipError=false&color3=&ct=u& color2=&search_lang=en&make=MB&color=&keywords_dis play=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&mi n_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage =&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=48381&a dvanced=&end_year=2000&doors=&transmission=&max_pr ice=&cardist=150


http://autotrader.autos.msn.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=244847481&dealer_id=62632621&c ar_year=1999&model=E_CLASSCLASS_SERIES&num_records =25&systime=&make2=&start_year=1998&keywordsfyc=&k eywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&cert ified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=us ed&distance=200&marketZipError=false&color3=&ct=u& color2=&search_lang=en&make=MB&color=&keywords_dis play=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&mi n_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&max_mileage =&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=48381&a dvanced=&end_year=2000&doors=&transmission=&max_pr ice=&cardist=19

Sarc, I'd say that it was obviously not as sporty as the 540, but more comfortable. Smoother ride, lighter steering, the ride was controlled but not as tight as the 540. It wasn't sloppy, but there was a bit of body roll. Automatic transmission, obviously. Basically I can see it being a nice daily driver, but probably not a weekend fun run type car. The engines were both very responsive and smooth, thumbs up for both. The automatic wasn't the best I've driven, but was responsive and quick to downshift. Both the V6 and V8 didn't seem flatfooted, probably my biggest complaint with many automatics.

The best way to summarize it is that the MB puts luxury before sport. It's still sporty, but not to the extent of the BMW. To that end, it has more power stuff, more wood, and was overall more comfortable than my E34. Also seemed to be made with nicer materials, and the build quality was excellent, even on the trashed one. Ultra comfy seats. Overall I liked it, and it's probably more suited to the driving I really do. As much as I wish I went racing on the weekends, I don't.:( With that said, I'd have a hard time turning down a nice E34 540/6.

Transplant a diesel like dd74 has in his ML. If he gets 45mpg (as he claims), you should be good for 55 or so in an E.

I know excatly what you mean--after 5 years in a sparcely equipped, aggresively sprung E30, something like the MB really appeals to me. I certainly don't mind a little luxury, I just don't to feel like I'm tooling around in a Buick Park Avenue or something. Besides, I'll have the 240z for weekend fun.

Plus, factor numero uno, I want a safer form of transport for my little one.

Yeah right. Like that's gonna happen ;)

You have to ask yourself a serious question. If the MBZ you're considering is such a great car why are they selling for less than a ~ Honda? At 100K miles lots of things start wearing out - more so on a heavy sedan.

I don't like generic cars either, I commute in a hairdresser Audi TT, but then I bought it with 30K miles and some financing. Getting former big $$ Euro sedan with high miles and relying on it for DD sounds like a probable disaster.

Folks like Seahawk and myself are emotionally detached from the car and simply validating what you already know but don't want to admit. Sure it would be nice to slip into a MBZ for bottom dollar, drive it without major failure while laughing at the sheeple in their Honda, but the odd's are stacked against you.

Look at you guys, with this crazy nonsense logic.;)

In reality, I don't expect any $6k car to be bulletproof. The 150k 10 year old Honda won't be, nor will any German car. BUT, I wanted reassurance that I wouldn't get Cesiro'd.:D You won't see me posting any threads about Audis, except for the UrS4/S6 models that I lust over. I expect there to be some maintenance and repairs required, I'm cool with that. But I want to make certain that I won't be on the side of the road regularly. Thus far I've gotten better feedback on the W210 than I've ever gotten regarding my Saab, BMW, or Porsche DDs.

Financing isn't an option, because I won't let it be. Put simply, I'll do a little extra work to have a nice driving Mercedes/BMW/whatever vs a ragged out Honda. Someday I won't have to worry about these price limits, but that day is not today.