1998 300e $1600?

[jyl]

Shaun, here is your mbz in an offset barrier collision. 1998 E320. 64 km/h (40 mph).

http://youtu.be/qvJmNbQ2W7c

Looks pretty awesome to me.

[jyl]

In my situation, the safety choice would not be between a 25 y/o MBZ and a new other car, it will be between a 25 y/o MBZ and a 10 y/o Toyota or Golf or similar.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by jyl

Shaun, here is your mbz in an offset barrier collision. 1998 E320. 64 km/h (40 mph).

http://youtu.be/qvJmNbQ2W7c

Looks pretty awesome to me.

That's a 1998, W210 vs W124. Totally different car and almost 10 years newer. There's also no analysis of the crash. Just because the car LOOKS ok doesn't mean the occupants are. It's all about how the forces are transferred to the occupants. Modern cars take more damage in an accident because they absorb the forces so you don't have to. The human body isn't a big fan of rapid deceleration.

[jyl]

Granted, but Shaun's W210 did 60 mph into a pole, so probably good for him that his car wasn't designed to use up all its crumple for a 40 mph hit. If Daimler chose to design the structure for an impact more severe than the NCAP test, that's not a bad thing. And while reducing deceleration is important, avoiding compromise of the passenger compartment is paramount.

I agree that modern cars can be impressive in their occupant protection. A friend recently survived a head on in his 2015 Prius, when a Subaru crossed the centerline on a two lane road. I don't know speed but typical speeds on those roads are 40+. He suffered a badly broken left foot, a broken left collarbone, and facial lacerations (teeth cut lips). Subaru driver was injured and his passenger (wife) died.

[black_falcon]

These old Merc's are rock solid and the epitome of "they don't build'm like they used to".

Is an 80's 300E as safe as a 2015 Honda? Obviously not. Would I rather my teenage daughter be driving a 300E versus a 90's Toyota something for the same cost? Absolutely.

Contrary to what's been said, my experience with the W124 and W210 (that's about 70,000 miles of driving) is they are extremely reliable and very unlikely to leave you stranded. All older cars have idiosyncrasies, and these are no exception, but how often do you see a German car on the side of the road?

[RANDY P]

Headgasket, vacuum leak, CEL.

Rinse, repeat.

PS don't get me wrong, I love the cars, (I have a W123 under my care, and have many miles on a W202 and W116) but I am mechanically inclined and see a car as more than just transportation-

That's the trick to justifying ownership. If you don't feel for the car, buy a Honda.

rjp

[jyl]

Passing on this particular car. Meet the guy, took a quick look, not impressed. I'd rather pay 2-3X for a lower miles creampuff without a list of known problems.

But I'm interested in this model and the next one (W210). Daughter loves the looks, she likes old stuff, if you had her pick her favorite car from a photo book, just on looks, it would probably be a 50's Alfa or similar.

Here are my remaining hangups about the used MBZ thing. (1) cost of repair by a local independent shop, either in Eugene OR where she goes to school or in Tahoe CA where she works summers, versus cost for a used Golf or used Toyota. (2) is it weird for a college kid to drive an old MBZ?. It's not like she goes to USC or UCLA where every kid drives a BMW. At her school, college kids drive what you normally think of as college kid cars.

[speeder]

Sorry I'm late to this one. Those cars, (1st gen w124 w/ M103 engine), are a dime a dozen and absolutely worthless in high-miles, unmaintained condition. You can buy a cream puff for a couple grand and you'd sink that much into this one on known issues, (before really getting into it), so...

I went and looked at one like that once, told the people that I wasn't interested but they would not let me leave w/o buying it. Wound up paying $300 for it and it was actually a pretty good car that I eventually sold cheap to a struggling friend after fixing a bunch of stuff. He drove it for a couple years with me fixing every GD thing that broke on it.

I have a completely different perspective on older Benzes because I know the cars and I'm stupid enough to waste time working on them, for the average person who uses repair shops, they're retarded. Buy a Toyota and call it a day.

[jyl]

Way to bust my bubble, Denis :-)

[RANDY P]

a clean 300CE is on my bucket list.... One day.

[Steve Carlton]

I want one of them 500Es...

[jyl]

Umm, I just realized, a college kid might not like having to buy 91 or 93 gas

[RANDY P]

simple..

[wildthing]

Going off a slightly different tangent, a friend of mine is convinced that a new Leaf would be a good first car for a teenager. Won't get far, won't go fast, cheap to lease.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by jyl

Umm, I just realized, a college kid might not like having to buy 91 or 93 gas

Yep, they'll wind up putting 87 octane in it because, "what's the difference?" and the car will run like dog schit and they'll hate it. I've seen this happen several times. The irony is that there is no savings at all from using cheap gas. The knock sensor in that car will dial the timing back and the power and mpg will go down the toilet.

They are 91 octane cars.

[jyl]

Well here is something interesting.

On Portland OR CL, the typical 2002 ish Golf with >150K miles costs the same as the typical 1998 ish E320 with <150K.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

the E320 cabriolets are nice

1995 Mercedes Benz E320 Cabriolet

[speeder]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

a clean 300CE is on my bucket list.... One day.

People who fix these cars make a hell of a living. I just noticed a w124 coupe hiding behind this w108 at my friend's shop that I stop by frequently:

[jyl]

We had a 78 280CE for years, W123 I think. Was a really nice car.

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by speeder

People who fix these cars make a hell of a living.

Ain't that the truth