Why are old Mercs so cheap?
Discussion
I've been thinking about getting a big ol' barge for winter and for lugging some bits around. I seem to have a hankering for something like a Mercedes or a Volvo, but only have around a thousand pounds to spend.
I did a search on autotrader for Mercedes vehicles up to £2000 at national level and it has returned over 1000 vehicles!
I know that some old Mercedes cars are blighted with rust, but is this the reason they are going quite cheap now? There are loads of C Classes, older 190's etc, and even E Classes around and under £1000. Am I missing something with these cars?
Thanks.
I did a search on autotrader for Mercedes vehicles up to £2000 at national level and it has returned over 1000 vehicles!
I know that some old Mercedes cars are blighted with rust, but is this the reason they are going quite cheap now? There are loads of C Classes, older 190's etc, and even E Classes around and under £1000. Am I missing something with these cars?
Thanks.
funkyrobot said:
I know that some old Mercedes cars are blighted with rust, but is this the reason they are going quite cheap now? There are loads of C Classes, older 190's etc, and even E Classes around and under £1000. Am I missing something with these cars?
Thanks.
No I don't think you're missing anything, I think the 190s and early Cs have been tarred by the rust-prone W210 E class brush, and they don't deserve to be.Thanks.
I'm not an expert, but I understand that the early 1996/97 W210s are not as bad as the later ones, so there are bargains to be had if you choose carefully and find a car that has been well maintained (and ideally kept by a well to do pensioner in a nice dry garage).
W124/W201 are great. Just bought a W124 and I'm in awe of how strong its built. Very DIY-able and parts appear cheap on GSF/ECP. Not particularly rust prone except front wings and rear arches. If you live in London keep it secure because A LOT get pinched and taken whole or in parts to africa.
Later merc models went downhill & seem to have a serious rust issue, water based paint or something
Later merc models went downhill & seem to have a serious rust issue, water based paint or something
my old mans c-class (my 1996) is still going strong, in fact every mot for the last few years it just keeps passing?? last few jobs of any consequence have been the steering damper & the alarm.
he keeps saying he's going to scrap it but it just keeps soldiering on. he bought it as an ex-demo from cragside newcastle & has had it ever since. it really is a strong old thing, even if it hasn't done that many miles (maybe 80 odd thousand?), pulls our ifor williams tipper trailer with ease, gets as good mpg as the mini cooper & aprt from a few foibles like a sticky aerial, the leccy windows take a loooong time to go back up, the fuel guage doesn't work & the battery will go flat after a few days of inactivety it's a cracker.
as for rust, the wheelarches are rotten, lots of stone chips have expanded into patches but nothing too bad. it doesn't really get treated with too much respect these days mind, can't remember the last time it was washed?!
still, i think i'll use it for a bit when he gets rid, it'll give me a chance to have a daily driver when i sell the van.
he keeps saying he's going to scrap it but it just keeps soldiering on. he bought it as an ex-demo from cragside newcastle & has had it ever since. it really is a strong old thing, even if it hasn't done that many miles (maybe 80 odd thousand?), pulls our ifor williams tipper trailer with ease, gets as good mpg as the mini cooper & aprt from a few foibles like a sticky aerial, the leccy windows take a loooong time to go back up, the fuel guage doesn't work & the battery will go flat after a few days of inactivety it's a cracker.
as for rust, the wheelarches are rotten, lots of stone chips have expanded into patches but nothing too bad. it doesn't really get treated with too much respect these days mind, can't remember the last time it was washed?!
still, i think i'll use it for a bit when he gets rid, it'll give me a chance to have a daily driver when i sell the van.
funkyrobot said:
LuS1fer said:
Look at the XJ3.2 thread - why would you want a Merc?
Thanks. Do you have a link or is it still visble on one of the PH pages?Jags, Beemers and anything else large (Honda Legends?) are also on my list. I just happened to notice so many Mercs.
Looks like the X300 six cylinder is the one to have.
Always wanted my dad to get one of those back in the day, gentlemans express
The Crack Fox said:
There's a fantastic Merc for sale near me, not sure of the exact model but it's an '03 plate silver 2 door coupe, big old thing, think it's a CL350 (ish) looks like this anyway...
Price is £1300 !!! Fear the depreciation on that !
Price is £1300 !!! Fear the depreciation on that !
LuS1fer said:
http://pistonheads.co.uk/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&...
Looks like the X300 six cylinder is the one to have.
Thanks.Looks like the X300 six cylinder is the one to have.
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