E-Class? 5-Series? Good used cars?

[sportyaccordy]

I have about 7K ready... I want to get something automatic that me and my girlfriend can drive. I prob won't put more than 5-7K miles on it in a year. Would either of those cars be decent w/the 6 cylinder motors?? I like the E320 more than the 528i...

[the Teuton]

They're both excellent cars.  They're just expensive to maintain.

[Pommes-T]

Yeah, they are great cars. But are you sure you don't want another accord? 

Our A6 cost 10500? in 2006 and it has served us very, very well since then. No problems at all, it runs great and you always have the feeling of driving an expensive, large high quality car, which it is. Your don't seem to be interested in an A6, but I guess the Benz and the BMW will give you similar feelings.

[dazzleman]

They could be great cars, but they're very expensive to maintain out of warranty.

[sportyaccordy]

They could be great cars, but they're very expensive to maintain out of warranty.

Looking at parts on Ebay, prices of parts aren't out of line with what I pay for stuff on my car now. I think a well kept example will be fine.

[sandertheshark]

E39 fivers are excellent, and mechanically the straight-sixes are just about bulllet-proof.  You could probably find a 10-y-o 528i for $7k.

[Raza]

E39 fivers are excellent, and mechanically the straight-sixes are just about bulllet-proof.  You could probably find a 10-y-o 528i for $7k.

FBC paid about the same for his rarer 540i 6MT. 

[GoCougs]

Oh, good heavens...

[2o6]

Oh, good heavens...

Are you sportyaccordy's dad or something? Leave him alone.......


----------------------------------

I like A6's better, but that's just me.

[the Teuton]

The V8 model is a much more expensive beast.  I'd stick to sixes...or just get a three-year-old Civic and not have the s

[ChrisV]

I prob won't put more than 5-7K miles on it in a year.

This is the important part of the quote. With that kind of mileage annually, they won't be expensive to maintain AT ALL. Serious. I put over 10k annually on the 740 and it's cost me less than a grand in repairs in 2 1/2 years. That's a $500 average per year. And I'm now at almost 170k miles.

The 6 cyl 5 series are pretty bulletproof. The engines and transmissions are good, and they don't have the cooling system issues of the V8 cars (don't really know why, as the radiators aren't THAT different). A couple of the smaller issues that tend to come up in these cars can simply be lived with, as they dont affect drivability or reliability (like missing pixels in the instrument cluster).

Parts prices can be good, or high, depending on where you get them. I use oembimmerparts.com, and occasionally ebay (though stay away from FCP Groton, as they tend to sell repakaged chinese parts that are sub-par quality). Also, a BMWCCA membership can get you up to 20% discounts at many BMW dealers, which can bring down many factory parts to ebay chinese copy prices.

Also, DIY if you can. They are not hard cars to work on at all, and if you can save $100/hr in labor, the savings can add up real fast.

[cawimmer430]

A used W124 E-Class might be an interesting E-Class for you. Reliable and simple to maintain. There is a lot of DIY work that can be done on the W124. This isn't really the case with the W210 and you can forget doing it on the W211.

I know you like the W124 so that's a big plus. I posted a lot of W124 articles and buyers guide in that W123 vs W124 thread so you've got some useful advice there in English. 

[Lebowski]

I have about 7K ready... I want to get something automatic that me and my girlfriend can drive. I prob won't put more than 5-7K miles on it in a year. Would either of those cars be decent w/the 6 cylinder motors?? I like the E320 more than the 528i...

This again? 

Why not just get a cheap, reliable car that's cheap to maintain, leave it stock, and keep it for a long time?

[the Teuton]

This again? 

Why not just get a cheap, reliable car that's cheap to maintain, leave it stock, and keep it for a long time?

Some people just need drama in their lives to keep things interesting.  His drama just happens to lie with cars.

[ChrisV]

Some people just need drama in their lives to keep things interesting.  His drama just happens to lie with cars.

Some people enjoy cars, and don't want a mere appliance.

[the Teuton]

Some people enjoy cars, and don't want a mere appliance.

There are such things as cheap, reliable, fun cars.

I really want a B5 A4, but that's not my priority to spend lots of money on a car at this point.

Be that as it may, if he has the time, money, and energy to work with a car of this class, he should just be aware of the costs involved.  That's all.

[ChrisV]

There are such things as cheap, reliable, fun cars.

Really? Considering how many sub $500 cars I've owned and sub $1000 cars I've built, I would never have known. 

I really want a B5 A4, but that's not my priority to spend lots of money on a car at this point.

That has nothing to do with it. If it became your priority, and you asked about it, would you accept a stock '95 Corolla instead?

Be that as it may, if he has the time, money, and energy to work with a car of this class, he should just be aware of the costs involved.  That's all.

Being aware of the costs has zero to do with telling someone just get a boring cheap appliance and leave it stock. If you're into modding, that's what you do (or at least plan for). I've given a bit of an idea of what it would be like to live with the 5 series. If you're implying I haven't, then I don't know what to say.

[GoCougs]

Some people just need drama in their lives to keep things interesting.  His drama just happens to lie with cars.

And a ~$6k E-class or 3-series will give him loads of drama.

Please, please, please.

[ChrisV]

Q: "Hi, I'm really in the mood for a great steak. Where in the local area would I get the best one?"

A1: "there are a couple great steakhouses here to choose from."

A2: "I prefer _____ becasue it's not a chain."

A3: "_______ uses the best spices, but it'll cost a bit more."

A4: "Steak's bad for you! Eat a tofu sandwich instead, you idiot."



All responses may be true. One, however is still a stupid response to the actual question.

[nickdrinkwater]

And a ~$6k E-class or 3-series will give him loads of drama.

Please, please, please.

Didn't CarSpin used to be the "enthusiasts' hideout"?  What happened??!

[sportyaccordy]

And a ~$6k E-class or 3-series will give him loads of drama.

Please, please, please.

How would you know?

I will be happy if the car doesn't need an engine swap in the time I have it. Short of a wheel falling off, any other maintenance is within my abilities... I'm not scared.

The extent of the driving I do is one or two local trips a week to run errands, which prob. doesn't amount to more than 20 miles of driving, and one or two trips out to my parents... 40 miles round trip. So at most, 200 miles a month. If a car can't do that, I don't see why it would command $6000+ regularly even with pretty high miles....which is why I made the thread

If it is really that much of a problem for you I have no problem talking about it over PM. But to make a show of it all is tired.

Anyways I'd rather do something a little high maintenance that's 10000x nicer to drive than a Corolla. It's not like it's a Hyundai Excel. If they're that bad then yea I will prob just get an ES300 or G20...

[the Teuton]

Then by all means get a 5er or E.  They're just a little expensive when they're not covered under warranty.

[NomisR]

Really? Considering how many sub $500 cars I've owned and sub $1000 cars I've built, I would never have known. 

That has nothing to do with it. If it became your priority, and you asked about it, would you accept a stock '95 Corolla instead?

Being aware of the costs has zero to do with telling someone just get a boring cheap appliance and leave it stock. If you're into modding, that's what you do (or at least plan for). I've given a bit of an idea of what it would be like to live with the 5 series. If you're implying I haven't, then I don't know what to say.

The problem is, he lives in NYC with street parking making maintenance a lot more difficult to do.  I'm sure he can and will manage but a lot of us probably don't see the point of him doing so, just like a lot of people doesn't think Nick should get one POS car after another. 

But whatever floats his boat.. I'd get a 6 banger 5 series like everyone says.

[sportyaccordy]

Then by all means get a 5er or E.  They're just a little expensive when they're not covered under warranty.

As long as they don't blow up or catch fire I'm good

[Raza]

And a ~$6k E-class or 3-series will give him loads of drama.

Please, please, please.

My brother's car isn't worth much more than 7K.  And it's...

Well...

There's a reason no one in our family is really considering buying Mercedes again.

[Raza]

As long as they don't blow up or catch fire I'm good

My brother's car spent about a month last summer sitting in our driveway because we couldn't get it to run, or we didn't trust it to stay running.

[sportyaccordy]

My brother's car spent about a month last summer sitting in our driveway because we couldn't get it to run, or we didn't trust it to stay running.

I remember those threads... see these are the responses I was looking for. What was the matter with it?

And no cars are invincible. Honda had a truckload of tranny problems, and my mom's RX300 fell victim to the almost guaranteed 95K mile transmission failure. What was the deal with it? With that info I have something to look into to see whether or not the car's even worth looking at.

[Raza]

I remember those threads... see these are the responses I was looking for. What was the matter with it?

And no cars are invincible. Honda had a truckload of tranny problems, and my mom's RX300 fell victim to the almost guaranteed 95K mile transmission failure. What was the deal with it? With that info I have something to look into to see whether or not the car's even worth looking at.

My brother's car had something to do with the spark plug and the fuel lines (I think).  Since it wasn't my car, I wasn't paying that much attention.  I do remember driving the car in 100 degree weather, and stopping at a light.  When the light went green, I hit the gas, and...nothing.  The car just died.  Black cars heat up really quickly when you have no A/C. 

And, on top of that, the trim didn't hold up very well.  When I owned the car, I drove it hard, but my brother's ownership was probably more problematic; he's a typical luxury car owner who doesn't know what to do until the car tells him. 

Oh, and another thing.  If you ever get a flat, check your toolkit.  There are different lugs for the spare than for the regular wheel.  Use of the regular lugs will probably cost you $1900. 

And there's a rust spot.

Here's the...impassioned thread where I bitched about the car:

http://www.carspin.net/forums/index.php?topic=17665.0

[sportyaccordy]

I would really love to know what went wrong with it exactly...

This is kind of a turn off too:

http://www.mercedes-benz-usa.com/e_class.php

[Submariner]

I would really love to know what went wrong with it exactly...

This is kind of a turn off too:

http://www.mercedes-benz-usa.com/e_class.php

You're going to see lists like that for any car...and remember, stories are often exaggerated.

The W210 (Raza's model) was hit or miss.  The W211 improved dramatically on electrical and mechanical problems suffered by its predecessor.  However, as has been said before, routine maintenance on these cars can get very pricey.  Further more, you're not going to be able to find an E-class for 7k (the W211) unless it's been in an accident, or has very high miles.