1998 300e $1600?

[dafischer]

Shaun, you need to find yourself an S60R, manual trans. Lot's o'fun, and a great DD.

[varmint]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

Get a Volvo instead.

i have a V70 XC lined up for the kid when she comes of age.


because no teenager in the history of the world has ever said "we're going on a beer run. let's take the volvo wagon".

[Nostril Cheese]

Mom drove a 240 wagon for years. That car was classy.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by dafischer

Shaun, you need to find yourself an S60R, manual trans. Lot's o'fun, and a great DD.

They've got quite a following, I'll say that Dave. If I couldn't get the "shift flare" to clear up (at 90% OK now), I was going to reflash the ECU, put in a 5 speed, chip it, lower it and put on some Pegasus wheels, but I've got too many projects as is. It's a very nice little car, my only complaint so far is the ride is very rough, too rough, have to investigate after I put new seals in the Tundra rack gushing out Dexron V. Too many projects.

You have an S60R then?

[sc_rufctr]

There's lots of these old MBs around. I'd look for a better one.
You could fix the one posted easy enough by why bother? Find one that an older gent owned and cherished.

This is from the other end of the market. A Sydney car with two owners but they're not giving it away either.



This one belonged to a Lady Doctor. She drove it into her 90s. I'm actually considering it for myself.

[sc_rufctr]

Sorry Gents. There's nothing cooler than and old MB IMO.

[djantlive]

Too old and not good looking. Only thing good is price.

[WPOZZZ]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Sorry Gents. There's nothing cooler than and old MB IMO.

For us old farts, yes. For a teenager, no, unless they have a very old soul.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

For us old farts, yes. For a teenager, no, unless they have a very old soul.

Johns son is the epitome of old soul from what I've heard

[onewhippedpuppy]

Funny how every teenager car thread goes like this, a bunch of us trying to talk someone into a car for their teen that is about the most terrible choice possible. How comfortable are you with the concept of your daughter being stranded? Maybe middle of nowhere, late at night? Because we are talking about a 26 year old German car. For us its no problem, most of us enjoy tinkering, it's part of the experience. But for a young girl who I assume has no mechanical interest or inclination? No freaking way. Who fixes the car when it breaks? What if she's out of town? What if she's out of town and there's not a shop willing to even work on a Mercedes, which is common in more rural areas? Are you willing to pay $200/hr at the local MB dealership when she breaks down and that's the closest shop to have it towed to?

I am not an advocate of buying young kids new cars, my kids will not get a brand new car for their first. But they will get some variety of reliable transportation that I am reasonably certain will get them to their destination. A $5k Honda Civic would be better in every possible way than that MB. This is coming from someone that loves the W124 and would happily drive one. Don't try to project your "inner car guy" onto people that only care about cars as appliances.

[jyl]

I'm getting colder on this car. Still going to drive it this weekend. But some CL browsing shows mid 1990s MBZ with 60% of this mileage and (allegedly) no problems for just 2X the money.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Funny ... appliances.

A well cared for E320 is more reliable than a Honda, just as easy or easier to work on and about 10X (no hyperbole) safer than any given Honda or Toyota.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

A well cared for E320 is more reliable than a Honda, just as easy or easier to work on and about 10X (no hyperbole) safer than any given Honda or Toyota.

LOL. I've owned several nice MB products that required more maintenance in one year than a Honda will require in a lifetime. Sorry, but you can drive the average Japanese car several hundred thousand miles with oil changes and not much else.

As for safety, I'm sorry but you are wrong. A car designed decades ago without airbags or any other modern crash safety devices is not safer. I'm sure you'll cite the strength of the unibody structure because they are so well made, which only means that the impact is transferred to the occupants. So much has been learned about crash safety in the last few decades, the progress is exponential. Here is a 5th Gear crash test between a "safe" Volvo 940 and a modern city car.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Then you bought the wrong cars Matt.

You are wrong on the safety side. Sorry. E320s have air bags. And are built infinitely better, stronger, everything than a 2005 Civic.

On it's best day in optimal conditions, a 2005 Civic has half the safety factor of an E320.

I'm surprised at you here.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I think there are thousands of current and former Mercedes owners that would disagree with you, despite their love of the cars. Sorry but you cannot drive a German car, particularly a 26 year old one, with the expectation that it will not require any TLC. If they were as reliable as you say, they wouldn't be for sale this cheap on a regular basis.

As for safety, it was designed before the age of modern crumple zone engineering. It has two airbags, primitive 26 year old single stage ones at that. Were you aware that airbags are supposed to be replaced every 8-10 years per most manufacturers schedules? Have you ever seen the damage that a "one size fits all" single stage airbag can do on a smaller girl that has to sit close to the steering wheel? Because I have. There are no side impact airbags, no pretensioners, no seat weight sensors to alter the characteristics of airbag deployment.

BTW, did you even watch the video? Many car enthusiasts consider the '80s Volvo bricks to be the pinnacle of safety, yet the Volvo fared worse in an accident with a modern cheap city car. It's not because the city car is a better car, it's because 30 years worth of engineering have come up with some pretty drastic improvements in safety. To be fair, a cheapo Craigslist Honda isn't going to have many modern safety features either, something from the 2000s would be a definite improvement though (and more expensive).

[Yorkie]

I DD a 2007 E550 and that thing is nickel and dimming me to death with collapsed engine mounts (twice) fuel pump, ECU, ball joints, pulleys, camshaft magnets and on and on. I religiously stick to the service schedules. My daughter DDs a 2003 Honda CR-V. In two years of ownership I have changed the oil and pads. Nothing more. Son number 1 should be getting his license in a few months time and I will be placing him behind the wheel of a $5K Japanese appliance. A walk through Consumer Reports will show you how reliable the Jap appliances are verses MBs. That said, I have no plans to trade my 550 for a Jap car anytime soon as the V8 as a very heady brew.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

Then you bought the wrong cars Matt.

You are wrong on the safety side. Sorry. E320s have air bags. And are built infinitely better, stronger, everything than a 2005 Civic.

On it's best day in optimal conditions, a 2005 Civic has half the safety factor of an E320.

I'm surprised at you here.

You're crazy Shaun. a 90's Benz the CEL comes on as often as the E-Brake light.

No sale. No way, no how any benz will go as long as a honda without something minor going wrong.

From a fatal error / stay on the road longest viewpoint, the Benz might win, but for regular upkeep- no contest. Honda.

rjp

[RANDY P]

Oh and get the kid a late 90's tercel or corolla. Dime a dozen, stays running.

He can put fart cans and stickers on it.

rjp

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I've only had 3 Mercedes of this vintage and all were extremely reliable. Easy to work on, parts are inexpensive. All cars require TLC.

Nice 1994-1995 E320s range from $3500 to $15K.

80s Volvo vs. 90s Mercedes. Poor comparison. I don't know anyone who would consider an 80s Volvo the pinnacle of safety. Anyone.

The calipers and rotors on my wagons were bigger than 993TT, hand of God performance. Brakes on a Honda Civic. Paperweights. That's a big part of safety.

Safety is a whole package.

67 mph head into a 2 foot diameter tree.

I would be dead at 50 in a 2005 Civic. Here's another example. I was standing still turning into a store parking lot in an 88 900T. 2004 Mitsubishi Galant hit me at 35. The entire front of the Galant was gone. Totally gone, engine pushed back against the firewall. My car, 10 feet away, you could notice the bumper strip was broken. Bumper was in fact pushed in 3 inches, but the car was drivable. Older Japanese cars aren't safe.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Yorkie

I DD a 2007 E550 and that thing is nickel and dimming me to death with collapsed engine mounts (twice) fuel pump, ECU, ball joints, pulleys, camshaft magnets and on and on. ...

I have no plans to trade my 550 for a Jap car anytime soon as the V8 as a very heady brew.

Exactly why I won't ditch my 540I. I do curse at it regularly tho.

Now, off to replace another broken window regulator. (Seriously- this AM's task right after cleaning the pad)

rjp