OT: Merc 300TE for wife?

[wingman]

The enemy beckons... My wife wants a 'people mover' I said no to a Tarago but I will look at a 7 seater MB. Anyone have one? What should I be looking for? All help appreciated. I just wish that BMW made 7 seater touring:( ...

[CharlesAFerg]

They look like crap.
E34 touring?

[Paul in NZ]

my indy (who works on several euro makes) reckons mercs are ^%$#.He was referring to a E320 coupe lookin thing

[wingman]

They look like crap.
E34 touring?

E34 touring doesn't have 7 seats! If it did I would have bought one yesterday. I quite like the look actually but thanks for the opinion.

[wingman]

Thanks for the advice. I know that later mercs suffered from quality control problems. If BMW offered 7 seats I'd be in like Flynn.

[Omega]

OT: Merc 300TE for wife?

Sounds like a fair swap to me...:)

[mattyb]

mate why no Tarago(wombat shape) I had one for two years for work and it was the greatest vehicle other than the e34.

[gale]

The new facelifted X5 has a 3rd row seat option for the US market. Don't know it they offer it elsewhere.

[Ross]

Climate controls are expensive to repair. Oil leaks at front of the motor are common.
I like 'em.

[Dan in NZ]

New X5 has 7 seats...

[winfred]

ungodly expensive ac repairs, K-jetronics weirdness that most people don't know how to work on, the only good thing about it is when it's working good as long as the car is driven it usually stays working, expensive clunky suspension with the addition of hydraulic rears, shitty vacuum system (but aren't they all) they can eat the valve train, but it's replaceable without pulling the head, you can even change the valve stem seals if you know what you are doing

[rob101]

mate why no Tarago(wombat shape) I had one for two years for work and it was the greatest vehicle other than the e34.
Reminds me of the time on the way back from Melbourne with a group from uni one of the maniac blokes got clocked doing 172 kph in a tarago. I was in the other tarago fortunately. they handle alright and are fairly aerodynamic also. And lets face it, its a people mover so basically you want something that works and something that costs you nothing to run. I like merc W124s but a tarago sounds like a better car for the job.:)

[attack eagle]

The enemy beckons... My wife wants a 'people mover' I said no to a Tarago but I will look at a 7 seater MB. Anyone have one? What should I be looking for? All help appreciated. I just wish that BMW made 7 seater touring:( ...

mine is a seven seater... ;) though the rear seat and 3 point belts are only suitable for children.

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/2437000-2437999/2437605_8_full.jpg

[Zeuk in Oz]

Tony, I currently own an ML 270 CDI and would recommend it over any Merc wagon. It uses about 9.5 litres per 100 km in mixed driving and despite average dynamics is a very versatile vehicle. Tows 2850 kg, not too large but large enough to be able to seat adults in the 2 rear seats that face forwards.

These are becoming quite cheap now with the new model out for 12 months or so. Only buy the series 3 or later (Late 2001 on) which had climate control - the earlier ones were very unreliable.

They have all the safety gear - BAS, ESP, window airbag curtain but Maintenance can be expensive unless you shop around & use BMA parts.

I am currently looking after my sister's E240T (2001 model) which is alright but not a patch on the ML, IMHO. The rear seats face backwards and I speak with experience when I say kids don't like sitting in them.

I owned a Volvo 850 AWD 7 seater and a Volvo 940 turbo 7 seater before. Both were OK, but I would chose an ML any day.

My 2002 ML has done 175,000 km with just normal maintenance and I am loathe to sell it as it is such a versatile workhorse.

My 2c.

Bo

[wingman]

Sounds like a fair swap to me...:)

LMFAO!!!! Classic reply you are a legend!

[wingman]

Thanks all for your replies. I've only been given a limited budget so Bo, The ML won't fit within this budget. Does yours have the seperate chassis? I'm after car like handling. The 300TEs that I have driven have been quite good in terms of handling and the 300E has been quoted as: "The last of the indestructible Mercs" and "The best 2nd hand car on the market. Period. End of conversation". Obviously they've never driven an E34!!! Thanks Winfred for the tips on the self-levelling rear end and other dramas. It's good to be well-informed.

[winfred]

the older benzes have one of the better hydraulic suspensions, as long as no body ****ed it up, id say they are better them bmw on that respect but i am no fan of the rest of the suspension, way too many links ball joints and bushings in the rear, diff mounts suck hairy balls too

[Elekta]

mine is a seven seater... ;) though the rear seat and 3 point belts are only suitable for children.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV WTF is that? VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/2437000-2437999/2437605_8_full.jpg
Did you make that? Are you ok with kids in that? Even strapped in can they hit the back window with their head? That looks way cool, but scary too.

Please elaborate on how this came about.

thanks,

FWIW, a friend of mine bought a spotless TE merc wagon, and promptly got whacked with $9k worth of repairs with AC, radiator, and rear suspension issues. I think it had the messed up key in the ignition issue too. He fixed it and sold it for $7500....there was definetely a pig pen squiggly line in the bubble over his head on that one.

If you have to go Merc wagon, might as well get the older diesel TD, as that is the more bulletproof of the two. For what it takes to maintain the merc, you could have two used cars....a jap kid carrier of the honda variety and a 911, or alfa spider, or 3 series convertible. I have yet to meet a merc mechanic who didn't think he was worth $90/hr, or that the owner had pocketfuls of caysh

[leicesterboy15]

I like em, I used to have an old 190e with 200,000 miles on the clock and still going strong, nothing went wrong but it drove like a boat. My missus has got a CLK now with 140k on the clock, its still solid and nothing has gone wrong on that either really (touch wood!) but its just a but boring and detached to drive. Its true the quality suffered from around 1995 - 1998 on certain models which had very thin paint and are prone to rust but you should be ok with anything built after that or better still before this time when Mercs were highly over-engineered. Its not going to entertain you like the BMW and you probably won't get as many toys but get a good one and it will serve you well, particularly the W124, just my opinion.

[Tiger]

I actually have both and I definitely like Mercedes better...95 E300D.

[wingman]

Cheers for this reply. I guess I am looking for the positives as I will buy one of these cars it's just a matter of when I can find a good one..

[jgardia]

Or one of those:
http://www.dtm.cl/fotos/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=15837&g2_serialNumber=3

They were selling it a year ago or so in Chile.

[BIGRED]

I don't know if you have looked at the older MB diesels from 81 to 85.

We have one with the 3rd seat option and love it to death. Not a road racer but very classy looking, bullet proof, very affordable to buy and maintain, tank like build quality. Gets upper 20 to low 30's MPG (were also running "new" soybean oil from COSTCO) without any mods (smells great, near zero pollution and less expensive). People look at it and comment all the time. A/C fair. I'll own it till I can't drive or pass it on to one of my kids. Almost everything is metal or steel, very little plastic (my peeve with our BMW) and expect it to last another 50 years plus easy.

Being we have a touring as well....We love it, but differently. It is a fun car to drive, has modern technologies and look sporty. A/C very strong, kids love the rear opening roof. Almost none of them on the road and so it too gets looked at.

We use the MB when we are not rushing and the my children have friends along. Arrive feeling safe and as I shut the door...appreciate that she has gotten us through a lot, in our case shes 27 years old and looks 5.

We use the BMW when we want to drive a more spirited car with more modern features. Arrive with a smile, close the door and go about our business thinking that was fun.


Good luck

[Zeuk in Oz]

Tony, have a look at any Volvo 850 or V 70 7 seaters you find - nicely priced and not too bad a car apart from the FWD. The low boost turbo engine is nice.

Also worth considering a V70 AWD or cross country in 7 seater mode - just avoid the 850 AWD wagon - ask me how I know ! :D