torn on cars

Bumping up my old thread to update! :D Bought a condo three blocks from the beach mid 2009, then waited until I had enough reserve to buy a car...



I flew January 2010 to pick up my "new" car in Austin, TX, and drove the car 1,400 miles over about 20 hours home. Ended up getting a 1994 MB e500 with about 92k miles on it. More info here: Mercedes-Benz 500E - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Verdict after a month of driving: wonderful car to drive, especially after removing the seats and putting felt between all the plastic pieces that touch metal and leather. It does not make a single sound. Problem is that the car wasn't in as great a condition as I was led to believe, and I didn't really pick up on any of this until I brought the car home.



I'd really love to find a 1994 e60 AMG, but chances of that are slim.



Toyotaguy here did the exterior polishing for me, but because of rain, don't have any pics yet - sorry - though the car does look good if you like the early 90's style e class benzes! I took care of the inside, removed the seats, scrubbed the heack out of it (no cup holders in the car + american driver == spilled mess under the seats).



The paint was also in not-as-good condition (ultimately why I felt like I overpaid a bit) - I was told one part was repainted, but TG and my mechanic found a lot more. I also spotted a couple places of possible clear coat failure.. in retrospect, this is all actually okay because it's too hard to get into the garage in my new place, so I'm parking outside - so ultimately I'm not going bonkers to keep the paint perfect, it is my daily driver!



Next car will either be a 280sl, 190sl, or the new e coupe. :D I want all three :(
 
jedovaty- Glad you found something you like so much, and yeah, those are *very* nice cars :xyxthumbs



Kinda funny about having so-so cosmetics, huh? In some ways that can make it easier to really enjoy just *using* the car.
 
Accumulator, yes, makes it easier to DRIVE the car, but the problem is "pride of ownership" is harder to live through, with both the chips/clearcoat issues present, parts of the leather have been redyed and had at least one tear fixed (which I hadn't seen until well after I bought the car), and the fact that there are drink stains under the seats (I couldn't get them out 100%). So I'll just live with it until I can find my next ride. I tend to value cars with high miles and meticulous care more so than lower mileage garage queens, because I'm one of those kids that'll take the action figure out of the box... :D



Bigpoppa - interesting comment about "sleeper", what do you mean? Which reminds me, why do most people associate MBZ cars as slow? Everything I've known since the 80's has been good if not fast??
 
jedovaty said:
Bigpoppa - interesting comment about "sleeper", what do you mean? Which reminds me, why do most people associate MBZ cars as slow? Everything I've known since the 80's has been good if not fast??
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I'd consider 6 seconds to 60 and 14.1 in the quarter to be pretty fast, quicker than most people would expect for a boxy 4 door sedan. Especially for the early 90's.
 
Congrats on the E500 - it is my most favorite W124. They will be appreciating over time too. Of course my dream of W124 would be a genuine AMG hammer.
 
Mark77 said:
I don't understand the constant complaint about VW reliability here? VWs are considered well built and get good ratings in Europe. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that US VWs are built in Mexico??

Diesel is maybe cheaper to produce than Gasoline(here in Finland diesel is cheaper than gasoline) but it needs about 15% more oil to produce than the same amount of gasoline.
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Older 70s and 80s VWs were much more reliable- maybe because they were made in Germany or USA. Granted it takes a litle work to maintain an older car but my 2002 Glf GTi was a nightmare. Alot of recalls- both window regulators -each window fell into the door during the winter time; ignition coils; Airbag sensors; radio; hazzard light switch; brake switch; etc.



Just little stupid things that annoyed me. It was an inconvenience to always be at VW dealer and they never gave u a loaner car. Maybe that's why Mayer of VW in Larchmont, NY went out of business.
 
I love GM cars- have you thought about a Chevy? I know that aot of people love foreign cars but if u buy a MB or BMW- u pay through the nose for parts and service. Although American cars dont hld their resale value too well- u can get a great new car w/warranty for like $30k or less OR go with a VW Diesel.
 
jedovaty said:
I flew January 2010 to pick up my "new" car in Austin, TX, and drove the car 1,400 miles over about 20 hours home. Ended up getting a 1994 MB e500 with about 92k miles on it.
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Very nice choice, I'd like to see pictures sometime. I'm a huge fan of most MBs made prior to about the mid-1990s. I considered buying a W124 E500 recently but ended up with its competitor, a BMW E34 M5 instead. My dream is to have both someday :)
 
jedovaty, let me say congrats on owning what is imo one of the best built and best looking Mercedes ever built. I've always LOVED this style ever since I was a teenager back in the 80's and saw the AMG Hammer. There are very few cars from the 80's that look great today. There are only two sedans that look as good today as they did then imo. The 1989 Nissan Maxima and the 1987 MB E class. The styling on these cars is timeless. I take that back. The styling beats almost every car on the road today over 20 years on.



A few years ago I just missed out on a 1988 E300 wagon for my wife. It was red and beautiful and even though it was almost 20 years old and had over 120k miles, I knew that with the bulletproof reliability of the old E series MB, I and my wife would've been very happy with it. We lucked out and found a very low miles (56k) '91 black Maxima that has been 100% reliable for 4 years. Still, I often think of that E300 wagon that I almost got.



I'm really interested in how well your new to you car holds up. I still love the styling on this car and one day may very well end up buying one myself. Please pm me anytime with thoughts on the car, no matter how insignificant you might think they are.
 
Saw an xkr on the road the other day, I had to bow my head for a couple seconds, I do miss it. *sniff*



Two months now on this car, and the mbz is fun and everything, but I do miss the sexiness of the jag.



Attached picture. This was a few weeks ago, only now got it off the iphone. TG did the polishing, put wetfire black diamond (??), and it was after a few washes because of the rains.
 

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