What would be a good cheap merc?

[krissyd]

My main car is a 95 S320 limo. I might need a second car to get to work in because of the overwhelming fuel economy of the S.

I have had my fair share of cheapo cars such as fords and old citroens which just want parts all the time and break down over silly little things like hydraulic leaks, dodgy wiring, crap maintenance etc. generally due to the fact that they were built to a budget in the first place.

What would be a good cheap merc (was thinking 190E) to use as a workhorse that does not drink the third world debt when you go to tesco and back. Reliability is a must.
Would also consider a beemer but i dont really like them - too many boy racers sticking stupid bits of plastic on them and spoiling the image.

By cheap I mean around 500 quid

Any thoughts?

Kris

 

[philharve]

Budget 'Benz!

Hi krissyd

A budget of GBP500.00 won't go far but you are probably looking in the right area with a 190E on your shopping list. Reliability for 500 smackers is a tall order.

I have encountered several geriatric 190Es recently but they have all been well cared for examples and would be well outside your budget.

Hopefully you will receive some good advice from other members who run their older Merc's on a shoestring. I've found weeklys like 'Autotrader' a good source of information when budgets are tight. Good luck with your search ... and welcome!

REGARDS Phil

 

[sooper coop]

If you offset depreciation against fuel economy you'll open a lot more range in your likely choice.

JMO.

 

[LANDR0VER]

Try davidsl500 he knows everything!

 

[stwat]

The latest copy of Mercedes enthusiast has a very good buyers guide for the merc 190.

Tbh mate, i dont think you'd be able to buy any car from any manufacturer for £500 and expect it to be reliable. Cars that cost £500, cost £500 for a reason. ie, they are fooked!!!!!! Take your budget up to around a grand and you will find many a fine 190 to suit your needs.

Just for the record. I got my 1990G 190e 2.0 with full service history with 119,000mls, cosworth kit, for £600 plus a trade in of my knackered volvo 440. But i think i got a bargin, as i havent seen one as cheap since or before, tbh. I was actualy looking to buy a 230e at the time but came across the 190 by chance and bought it straight away the same day. The dealer i bought it off had only just put it on the forecourt 30 mins before i arived. I went back a few weeks later to get some things sorted out and he told me that he had been getting about ten calls a day about the car. He never realised that a 14 year old car would get so much interest and he wished he'd put it up for more money in the first place.. He told me he;d only been trading for 3 months, and it showed... Surfice to say, he had stoped trading three months later!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stu

Stu

 

[davidsl500]

Try davidsl500 he knows everything!

Why the unwarranted attack Landrover?

Anyway,


If you do a search on Autotrader there are a handfull of 190's in the £500-£700 bracket and quite a few non-runners, part ex's to clear (ie dealer wants nothing to do with them !) and one's with short M.O.T's.

Stwat's advice of looking at the buyers guide is a very good idea and if I was looking for a cheapo car I would be asking for a test drive and running it through the local M.O.T While you wait station to see what the score is. Cheaper than an AA Inspection if the budget is tight and if it passes you've got 12 months before worrying about the next one ! The M.O.T of course doesnt check some items that could be expensive - like drivetrain on the way out etc., but its a good start point coupled with the guide and maybe a haggling point on the price from the failure check list if/when it fails.

If you buy another car then dont forget to renegotiate the insurance on your Limo. Your cheapo car becomes your main car for commuting and the limo effectively (at 10 years old) becomes a "classic" or "collectors" car and you can limit the mileage for further savings. Checkout Lancaster insurance - the savings may mean that you might be able to afford a better budget on your commuter car (depending on its insurance cost)

 

[k_devereux]

I found an A reg (84?) 190e in gold with 11 months mot and 3 months tax for £500 in our local paper. It only had 84000 on the clock but a former keeper was on old boy who parked it up for 3-4 years so it could have been genuine. I had a look and drove it and all seemed well. All the electrics worked, it started and stopped in all the right places so I bought it and took it to my local tame mechanic who gave it a service (£180) and said it was a good solid car. I had 6 months trouble free motoring before I sold it and bought an E200 estate. If you look around then there are nice little runners to be had but I expect you would have to look at a hundred turkeys to find the one good one that you would actually buy. I think the 190 and the e200 are cracking cheap cars and wouldnt hesitate to recommend one of these to anybody on a tight budget. get a good one and they run for ever.

 

[Geoff_Slade]

You've already got your Merc so I'd say buy Japanese for your everyday car. They go on forever with minimal servicing, the mechanicals and electrics are bulletproof and the bodies are surprisingly strong. I'm on my 4th Japanese car (plus the W124) and none of them have let me down, they always start first time, everytime. If you need parts then they can be expensive (but perhaps no more so than an MB) on non mechanical bits but it's very rare to need anything. My previous Japanese car was a Sunny; 1988 with 147,000 on the clock, original engine, gearbox, suspension, rear brakes, steering, electrics etc. Used to do an 80 mile round trip every day with no probs, 38 to the gallon and cheap insurance £130 comprehensive through Frizzels. Now on my second Toyota which if anything are even more reliable. As an alternative a Mk2 Golf is strong in all respects (had one of those as well). A bonus with the older Japanese cars and the Golf is that DIY is a doddle they are simple cars built well.

 

[pascal]

Geoff said,

You've already got your Merc so I'd say buy Japanese for your everyday car

I cannot agree. You'll save nothing 'cause you'll never drive it.

I also think a 190 would be a good bet, even a 1.8 (rare) or diesel, if economy is very important.

PASCAL

 

[merc owner]

Mercedes 190 for sale.

Hello, if you look on www.autotrader.co.uk then click on buying, then search for mercedes, and put in FSH in the search box, it will show a white 190, with 60000 miles and full history going for £750.