thinking of buying an old Merc

T

thedutchman

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sooo... i got a first option to buy a, well, 1988 merc 500 se. 195k on the clock, its in a very good state and well, what can i say, every little button works, the sun roof, the electric seats, everything!! any views ???
 
oh bugger, the maintenance costs, well... i do have a mechanic and panel beater as a good friend, who will gladly help me with every thing...the car has been more of a holiday car for that man, he retired now and doesnt need the car because he has several other cars too... its red now, but i'm already considering having it sprayed into Tenorite grey.
 
when those cars came out in the 70's, my dad bought the 280se and he still talks about it today, as the best car he has ever ownd. I might just turn into his personal chaffeur :D
 
I'm not even kidding about the fuel thing. During my campus days, one of my buddies had a 230E (or 200E, I can't quite remember) and he used to average around 4-5 km/l (or about 20-25 l/100km). Sometimes you could actually see the needle dropping! However the car was mechanically sound and had an awesome ride, and admittedly he used it mainly for driving around town and to campus and back.
 
Ah, the 230E, a thing of legend.

Like Nokia; it's a Merc, it bounces. Awesome cars, dependable to the doors of hell itself and very stylish. A 500se for 25k is nice. And as for all the buttons working, that is a true fking miracle. Unless you're very clued up with buying "semi-classic" (second hand, but not OLD) cars, get a carphile buddy or a specialised mechanic to have a look at the thing for you. 200 000km is a lot and its tricky to say what's broken and what will be broken after another 1000km.
 
Truly a thing of beauty... from the halcyon days of Stuttgart-Untertürkheim :)

I will risk belaboring the point of fuel consumption, be warned: these cars can guzzle fuel so badly that it reaches the point of becoming restrictively expensive. Its one thing being heavy on fuel; being so heavy that you avoid using the car is another thing all together.
 
Great cars. Good price. Make sure there are no hydraulic leaks though.
 
well i'm used to a car that uses 13L/100 km, i mean, its a classic car, a lot can go wrong but now i can use my tools and work on it, have fun!! and theres lots of space in the back :D
 
thedutchman said:
well i'm used to a car that uses 13L/100 km, i mean, its a classic car, a lot can go wrong but now i can use my tools and work on it, have fun!! and theres lots of space in the back :D
Click to expand...

...there is a good chance it will be significantly worse than that, don't underestimate the severity of the warnings you have received.
 
SlinkyMike said:
Truly a thing of beauty... from the halcyon days of Stuttgart-Untertürkheim :)

I will risk belaboring the point of fuel consumption, be warned: these cars can guzzle fuel so badly that it reaches the point of becoming restrictively expensive. Its one thing being heavy on fuel; being so heavy that you avoid using the car is another thing all together.
Click to expand...

Very excellent use of the word "halcyon" BTW. :D
 
It's an 80's V8 automatic, hefty fuel bills come standard.

But it's got an awesome ride, and last of the mercs that you can actually some DIY on.
Beware of electrics and maintenance costs.
 
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