Hello. I've been following the board for the last couple of months and finally decided to register and introduce myself. My name is Nabeel and I'm hoping to buy a used C-Class or E-Class. I'm primarily looking at a '94-'00 C-Class or a W124 (or maybe W210) E-Class. Currently I drive an '85.5 944 and a '96 A6 quattro. My goal is to sell both those cars, and buy one car to replace them with. I'm looking into Mercedes because I've always had great respect for the brand due to its heritage and integrity.

I think I know most of the problem spots for the cars I'm looking at (harmonic balancer for the V6 cars, headgaskets for the inline 6, wiring harnesses for the '94-'95 cars, 722.6 tranny for '97 models, etc.), however I'm sure I'll learn more about these cars as I spend more time on this forum.

Today I got a chance to drive a '98 C280 which one of my co-workers was selling. I really liked the car, but I was a bit hesitant about it because it had 93K miles. I know that Mercedes can last a long time (maybe not the newer ones as much as the cars from the 80's and earlier, but still...), but what maintenance items can be expected to be taken care of as the car approaches 100K miles? My dad's E430 has 'only' 58K miles on it, and has been trouble-free thus far, which instills some confidence, but since '98 was the first year for the V6 (M112?) and second year for the transmission, I'm still a bit wary. I would have to sell both the 944 and A6 before I could think about getting a new car, so there is always that to consider as well. Consolidating 2 cars into one makes sense, since it is far more practical for a college student such as myself to have one car, and thus worry about paying insurance and maintenance for only one instead of two cars.

Oh well, enough about myself. If anyone has any opinions about the cars I'm looking at (W202 C-class and W124 E-class, plus maybe the W210), I'd like to hear them. Also, one particular question I had in mind was in regard to winter traction on these cars. I understand that these cars will never approach the prowess of my Audi quattro in the snow, but are they at least reasonable? Does the traction control help? Would a set of snow tires be in order for the winter months?

Thanks, and i'll be hoping to participate more as I stay here longer.

-nabeel

edit: although I'm looking primarily at the cars listed above, if there are any other Mercedes models that might fit into the $10-15K price range, please let me know. Thanks.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy any M112 V-6 engined car as they were trouble free from the start. Only design problem is the front damper. They list for $50 & take about 2.5 hrs to install.

Make sure that previous owner has serviced the engine & TRANSMISSION. Many of the 1998 & 99 cars burn oil as they WEREN'T serviced properly at first. 10K-12K oil changes on regular oil will damage the engine!

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Snow tires are an excellent idea IMHO.

Winter handling has been extensively discussed - try the wheels and tires forum or just do a search.

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