einberliner

My current daily driver has been totalled by an SUV driver, I'm looking for a new one, to last me at least the next four years.

Because of my pricerange, size preference, demand for a well-crafted and thought-out interior, etc., I've basically been looking at Mercedes and RWD Volvos. In various classifieds, it seems that early 1990s 190E,, mid-1990s C-Classes, and early 1990s W124 E-Class variants seem to be trading in a similar price range. That leads me to a few questions for the marque experts around here:

1) Why are much newer C-Classes trading at similar prices to older 190E's?

2) Why doesn't the market seem to value 300E's

3) Why aren't the presumably rarer 300E variants (300CE, 300TE) significantly more than the sedans?

I suspect it's simply a case of odd market imbalance, in which case I'll look for a nice twincam 300CE and be done with it. But if there are serious known flaws with the W124 that the 190E doesn't have, maybe I should go in that direction.

And in a related point, what kind of service can I expect from Mercedes dealers or independent shops? I've been spoiled by the outstanding service of my local Infiniti dealer (say what you will about the cars -- I like the new G35 but can't afford it -- the dealer network treats its customers well, detailing the car after each oil change and providing a loaner if the service is schuled to last more than thirty seconds) and an independent local Volvo shop (Doug Hyde) that used to do MB but unfortunately does not anymore. (They also once had a beautiful Citroen SM for sale, which would've been perfect next to my DS-21...)

Thanks,

Jay

leeon

To answer some of your post, the used car market was flooded because of the 0 percent financing and this reduced the value of used cars, I remember 300ce going for 18.000-16.000 and a year later they re selling for 12.000 and 13.000.

I use Independents for service or do it my self, just remember you can get these cars a bargin prices, but your still paying for a $57.000 (300ce) car part so have a liitle reserve cash to fix the little things.

I have em both 300ce and 190e , Just get them checked out first before you buy. they have there problems but they are well built solid cars. with the E and C class they are alittle more modern but were built when mercedes was tring to bring the price of thier cars down so some things are different. good luck with your choice

einberliner

Hmm. I wouldn't have expected that to affect prices of good used cars at all. After all, there aren't any good cars being offered at 0% APR, just GM and Ford dross. (Ford isn't even offering the Volvos or Lincuars at 0%, although GM is including their funny-bodied rebadged Opels, i.e. Saab, in their 0% offer.). The good cars out there today, the M-B's and Nissan/Infinitis and VW/Audis, etc., still have something on both sides of the decimal for their financing rates. And let's face it, the choice between a new Buick Century and a top-fettle M-B 300E is hardly a choice that anyone who cares about cars will make.

Quote:

I have em both 300ce and 190e , Just get them checked out first before you buy. they have there problems but they are well built solid cars. with the E and C class they are alittle more modern but were built when mercedes was tring to bring the price of thier cars down so some things are different. good luck with your choice

Well, I've narrowed it down. I have read elsewhere about the C-Class being the first Benz built down to a price rather than up to a standard, so I don't think that's a good car for me. The 190E's don't seem to have as high safety ratings as the 300E's, and the market doesn't seem to be giving the 300 a premium over the 190. Nor are interesting non-Porsche-made variants of the W124 (the TE estate, CE, and 400E) priced any higher than the saloons in the current market. So it looks like I'm in the market for a 300CE! I've loved twincam sixes since my father owned the last real Jaguar (a 1985 XJ-6 Series-3 Vanden Plas) so I see no reason to go with a 400, and I'm too young for four doors.

PS: In ATL I haven't even seen a 300CE offered for five digit money recently. They seem to be between US$6000 and US$8000.

Limited Edition 190E

Here are three statments that I have heard time and time again:

"The cheapest Mercedes is the most expensive Mercedes."

"Buy the newest Mercedes you can afford, regardless of miles."

"Don't buy a Mercedes without a service history."

Hope this helps,

Regards,

Don

tifosiv122

Having owned many earlier E's in my family I can speak from experience.

I noticed that several models did not fair well:

300E 2.6
260E
190E
190E 2.6

Argue all you want, but I see 2x as many 300e's on the road as 190e's. I personally think the build quality of the 190 is lacking compared to the 300. As for the 300 2.6 (and the 260) the engine was way to small for the car.

We still have our 1990 300E, it only has 98,000 and nothing major has gone wrong, but it seems like everyweek something is going wrong. It eats oil, almost as quick as gas.

The 80's quality was much better...early 90's aren't that impressive. If you afford the jump to the newer C's....I suggest you take that route.

Erik

Nektopoli

Try finding a 300CE Cabriolet for less 5 digit money. Also your going to need a warranty one trip to the service center and you might be broke. What years are you looking at.

NP

einberliner

No Cabrios for me. I was basically looking at 3.0L twincam 300CE coupes, which would limit me to 1991s and 1992s.

And the way I see it, getting a good US$8000 car (say, a 300CE) and paying US$4000 in repairs is within the next couple years better than getting a car I don't like as much (say, a Honda Accord) for US$12,000.

And I think I found a good one, a 1991. It checked out at a local MB specialist, and now all that's left is a little bit of financial quibbling.

einberliner

I do wonder, though, why despite the technical advancements (all the airbags, for instance) the new CLK320 sells for a lot less than the 300CE did, even before adjusting for inflation. I can't help but think that the older car is going to be the sounder one a decade hence.

Limited Edition 190E

The CLK does not take the spot of the old 300CE. The not-yet-introduced CLE that is based on the W211 E-Class will take the place of the 300CE and will be priced accordingly.

Regards,

Don