My sister is finally turning 16 in three months and I'd like to help out and get her a car. I'll feel a bit closer to paying back my parents for 7 years of tuition. I couldn't afford to buy a new car better than a Honda Civic (which is a perfectly good car, nothing wrong with it) so I'm thinking about a used Mercedes. My parents will foot the maintenance bills but I still want to buy the most reliable one for my money (about $15,000). Which of these three will provide the best service? The older W140 S-Class (early-mid 90's), the last C-Class series? or the early 90's E-Class 124 cars? What are your stories with these? Which ones should I stay away from like the plague? Thanks a lot for the advice.

Alex

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1983 300D (parked for four years)
2012 VW Sportwagen TDI Manual
2001 Miata SE
1962 Chevrolet Corvair Rampside