<p>I have a limited buget for a car for our 2 kids. This car is for sale, $6K, 150K miles, excellent condition with 6 month warranty. I am looking for something that last 3 years worth of short driving – 10 minutes to and from HS. Do you think it’s a good buy?</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about that car specifically, but if money is an issue, you can easily get something that will last that long in the 2-3 thousand dollar range. Maybe check craigslist.</p>
<p>The price looks OK, but be aware that any major repair bill after your 6 months warranty may end up costing more than the price of that car. I’ve had a MBZ before and couldn’t wait to get rid of it because of high maintenance bills. For about the same price, I would look into Honda, Toyota or Lexus.</p>
<p>I would be concerned about the ongoing repair/ maintenance costs of a mercedes.</p>
<p>I have that exact car, but I bought it four years ago (used, from someone I trust) and it now has only 71,000 miles. I’d go for something with less mileage. That’s the thing that really determines how long it’s going to last.</p>
<p>I had one once and had all sorts of minor problems with it. Broken window motors, mass flow sensor, alternator, multiple bulbs going out etc. I think the engine and transmission are pretty well made but have little confidence in anything electrical with Mercedes.</p>
<p>The “warranty” indicates to me that you are buying it from a dealership. This car was driven close to 15K miles per year - that’s a pretty high number. I just checked - there are ca. 1,200 listings of cars under $5K in the Seattle Times alone. I’ll keep looking if I were in your shoes. If I were buying something for my kids, I’d stay away from German cars because of their high repair costs.</p>
<p>This needs to get moved to the Cafe.</p>
<p>I think you could do a lot better than that. The red flags are the extra high mileage and the fact that it’s a Mercedes where even the smallest repairs will be expensive.</p>
<p>Do a quick search on Autotrader.com for a car between $5K and $6K and under 75K miles and you’ll probably find plenty of them in your area. American or Asian cars will likely less expensive to repair if something does go wrong.</p>
<p>msjcal, both my rear window motors died as well. Something like $800 each to repair them.</p>
<p>DH has that exact car. It’s nice looking,an has been fairly reliable. OTOH, when something needs to be fixed, it’s very expensive.
Also, the “mercedes” factor comes into play for a kid’s car. Will it tell co-workers or friends something about the family that isn’t true? We offered it for the summer to one of our D’s who muttered something about being mugged or made fun of (depending on the destination) and feeling better on her bike.</p>
<p>I know this model well. Even though the engine is well made, if you live somewhere where it snows, this car is not that good because it has rear wheel drive, and tends to slip, especially if it is hilly. In someplace where it never snows, it won’t make a difference. The repairs can run into $$$. For this type of price, if you are looking for extreme crash protection, you can get a used Volvo (I like those made in Sweden), which will have front wheel drive, and volvos last a very long time.</p>
<p>Also the insurance on a Mercedes with teenage drivers will prob. be a good deal higher
than a Honda or something comparable. We liked our Volvo but thought the maintenance costs on it were high plus our boys thought it was an “old people” car.</p>
<p>Ford Focus is often mentioned as a good car for young people. Also look at Honda and Kia.</p>
<p>I know you are asking about the E320 - and I recommend staying away from it. It has great acceleration, but is expensive to repair. </p>
<p>And then there is the “oh you’re rich” reaction from other students even if it was old. I still remember the girl at my high school who drove a diesel Mercedes back in the days when they were more rare. Everybody and I mean, everybody, including the faculty and administration thought her family had to be wealthy.</p>
<p>Yes, it would def. be a “look at me” car in the h.s. lot. Thieves would naturally target a luxury car over a more pedestrian model. It is not uncommon for student’s cars to be broken into while parked in the student parking lot at our h.s. It happens at least a few times a year.</p>
<p>We recently helped a young woman we know with a similar price point. She wanted a Suburu but found she couldn’t find one at that price without almost 200,000 miles. Same for most Hondas. She ended up with a Mazda Tribute for 4500 with 130,000 miles. Some of the big cost items had already been done. In her search we found that certain brands and models were less expensive. Look at Hyundai, Mazda and some Fords. If your kids will drive a manual tranmission you will find more affordable options. Our mechanic said to stay away from older Kias. Other cars she considered in the 6000 range. Ford Explorer if you don’t mind the gas mileage, Mazda 626 (she found several with lower miles for the price), older Volvos. The Tribute came through a mechanic. It is the same as a Ford Escape. The Escaes of the same year and mileage were more. I also have friends who have found some good prices on older Acuras and Infinitis. But I would check out what you pay for tires on the luxury models.
Also Consumer Reports recently put of their car issue. It has reviews and reliablity ratings of new and used cars. It would be worth picking up. I saw it recently still on the newstand.</p>