Buy me a Mercedes!

BJC

I've had Jap cars since I started driving (Corolla, Colt, Lancer, 323f), relatively fast and very reliable. BUT I've wanted a Merc ever since I was first in one when I was very young.

I'm looking for it as a second car, here is the challenge:

- Not to be over 2.5L unless it's a diesel
- Not to be over €1500
- Not to be so old that constant maintenance is necessary (I'm looking at you, classic Merc owners!)

They're the only restrictions and no location is out of reach!

Spotted this one, thought it wasn't a bad start, not mad on the colour though: http://www.cbg.ie/Car_Detail.aspx?ID=3483021#

colm_mcm

Get something Japanese and big, a cheap Merc will be a bottemless money pit.

Try a Xedos 9 or a Maxima.

Volvoboy

colm_mcm wrote: »

Get something Japanese and big, a cheap Merc will be a bottemless money pit.

Try a Xedos 9 or a Maxima.

+1 On the Maxima can get a good spec 00 onwards for under 4K

emurphy

yeah you could get a merc like that for 1.5k alright but lets be fair your going to have problems. If you have only 1.5k to spend the likelyhood is you wont be able to afford the repairs. Stick to Jap would be my advice.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/626/5-DOOR-N/200946195845373/advert?channel=CARS

1999 euro probably able to haggle down.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Camry/2.2p/200935195019572/advert?channel=CARS

similar story

emurphy

Volvoboy wrote: »

+1 On the Maxima can get a good spec 00 onwards for under 4K

budget 1.5k though

colm_mcm

emurphy wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/626/5-DOOR-N/200946195845373/advert?channel=CARS

1999 euro probably able to haggle down.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Camry/2.2p/200935195019572/advert?channel=CARS

similar story

Jebus, I can't see the appeal of a 626 or a manual cloth Camry.

Here's a lovely Xedos 6 2.0 V6 with leather for £1389, VRT is €600

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/200941343135703/sort/priceasc/make/mazda/model/xedos/page/1/quicksearch/true/radius/1501/postcode/ln12na/dealer/155027/usedcars/advert-type/featured-listing?previous=%2Fsearch%2Fresults%2Fusedcars%2Fpostcode%2Fln12na%2Fradius%2F1501%2Fmake%2Fmazda%2Fmodel%2Fxedos%2Fpage%2F1%2Fquicksearch%2Ftrue%2Fsort%2Fpriceasc&anchor=featuredlisting200941343135703&logcode=flp

johndaman66

OP the merc you pointed out does not appear to be fantastic for the money to me. The NCT is out and there might be considerable work needed to be done to it for test. The information which they give in ad is limited in this regard. Not sure if the following is a manual or indeed if you are only going for a manual but it appears to be a lot of car for the money and it is tested:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1006757



You seem to have your heart set on a Merc but the following looks to be a nice car on paper at least and has a lot of test left on it:

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1054415



I'd be inclined to take a mechanic along to examine either car or indeed in car of the vintage and mileage, in particular the BMW of the two I outlined. Or at least a friend who is sort of half savvy when it comes to cars. I'd love to get as tough as old boots old Merc myself also!

Volvoboy

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200939195311351

FTW.

shawnee

I think you are right to go for it. Those Japanese yokes are all the same, hard to know an almera from a corolla or honda from a mitsubishi. Granted they are reliable but they are plasticy and you don't get the clunk in the doors or the overall quality feel that you get from a Merc.
Buy a nice 200 or a 220 cdi , one with history and you will enjoy the change and the overall build.

bazz26

shawnee wrote: »

I think you are right to go for it. Those Japanese yokes are all the same, hard to know an almera from a corolla or honda from a mitsubishi. Granted they are reliable but they are plasticy and you don't get the clunk in the doors or the overall quality feel that you get from a Merc.
Buy a nice 200 or a 220 cdi , one with history and you will enjoy the change and the overall build.

Mercedes Benz quality has not been great since the early 1990s and is only really starting to recover now with the latest generations of cars again. They went from over engineering their cars to major cost cutting. This includes poor build quality, rust and dodgy electrics so don't be fooled into thinking that it's a Merc so it is automatically better.

On the OP's budget all he/she will buy is someone elses cast off that is in dire need of serious work and money spent on it. Any Merc with money spend and major work done on it will be going for alot more than €1500.

_Kaiser_

Well I know it's a lot more than the OP wants to pay, but for what it's worth I had the use of a 06 E320 CDI/diesel today and it's a VERY nice car.. although I'm assuming the lack of cloth covering on the armrest is a trim level issue (this was an Avantgarde) so my elbow was very sore afterwards!

colm_mcm

Elegance has a nice leather one.

Isn't Avantgarde a good spec?

pcardin

colm_mcm wrote: »

Elegance has a nice leather one.

Isn't Avantgarde a good spec?

Avantgarde is the best spec.

peasant

The man said Mercedes Benz, not rice cooker

Mr Benevolent

peasant wrote: »

The man said Mercedes Benz, not rice cooker

Ah, that's why it's so cheap, it's manual. Ugh. Looks like a good'un though.

CarinaBoy

Manual, cloth, windey windows, fine on a Hyundai. Not so much on a Merc.

Was reading Mercedes Enthusiast there the other week, has a bog spec W124, even a radio was a optional extra on a Merc back in the day!!

pcardin

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1048386

BJC

Definitely prefer a Mercedes, that's always been the goal. Been looking at some old 3 series and 5 series aswell though to compare. Are mid 90's BMW's more reliable than Merc's of the same age?

Seweryn

CarinaBoy wrote: »

Manual, cloth, windey windows, fine on a Hyundai. Not so much on a Merc.

Was reading Mercedes Enthusiast there the other week, has a bog spec W124, even a radio was a optional extra on a Merc back in the day!!

Right... but the W124 had multi-link rear suspension as standard and self leveling suspension in Estate cars. It had one of the lowest coefficient of drag of any vehicle of the time (0.28 for the 200/200D model with 185mm tyres) due to its aerodynamic body, that included plastic molding for the undercarriage to streamline airflow beneath the car, reducing fuel consumption and wind noise. It had a single windscreen wiper that had an eccentric mechanism at its base that extended the wiper's reach to the top corners of the windscreen - this wiper mechanism had the biggest swept windscreen area of any car made.
Apart from the Mercedes 190, the W124 was the first manufactured car in history to see widespread use of light-weight high-strength steels, which today are a standard in car design. From late 1988 on, the W124 was one of the first cars available with a passengers side front-airbag as an option.

The W124 is not a car that you go for the bells and whistles! All about this car is the engineering, design, attention to details, build quality, materials used to make the car, safety and comfort. End then the Diesel engines that are keep on going for a milion km or more without any major trouble.

It does not matter that you have to open the windows manually, as long as the mechanism works exactly as it should...

BJC

Ended up picking up a 93 c180 elegance, 120,000 genuine miles, nct for two years. Really beautiful car and a great driver. Thanks for your help guys.

VolvoMan

BJC wrote: »

Ended up picking up a 93 c180 elegance, 120,000 genuine miles, nct for two years. Really beautiful car and a great driver. Thanks for your help guys.

Must be a very early car if it's '93.

Best of luck with it anyway!

Redvers

Good luck with your new car, I hope you enjoy it.

I got a 1994 E220 W124, 10 years ago. I've done 150k miles with it & no problems at all. Easy to do basic maintenance / service yourself.

One of the few possesions I have never tired of, still love to drive it.