I'm looking at two cars that I can get for $3000. One is a 2006 Mercedes-Benz c280 4matic V6 with 110,000 miles on it. And the other is a 1999 Mercury mountaineer 5.0 V8 with 143,000 miles on it. Both claim there's nothing wrong with them. I'm still having my mechanic take a look at one of them before I buy it, but I wanted another opinion on the cars. Which would be better and more reliable?
The Mercedes will put you in the poorhouse.
Yeah I've heard that Mercedes is a pain to maintain. But to be honest, the 1999 mountaineer doesn't exactly seem better either. But I could be wrong.
Not high on either one, but of the 2 I would go with the ford.
I wouldn't be thrilled with either.
Hate to say it, but the MB probably has better resale value.
Maybe drive it around for a bit until you find something better, and then flip it.
Nothing is more expensive than a cheap Mercedes.
This I have heard. Not entirely sure about the mountaineer either though.
Stay away from Mercedes, unless you have another 2 to 4 grand for repairs. These cars have cam seals and manifold issues along with miss fire caused by coils , wires and or plugs. Also transmission pan gasket, oil pan gasket, Valve cover gasket are known to leak. The esp/bas system has had issues and components do fail. Chances are the flex disc, carrier bearings 12 pin adapter and conductor plate will also have to be done. Because the car is older and has lower milage chances are very little has been done. That means everything comes into play and can go bad at anytime. If you know Mercedes well and have the ability. There is a lot more known issues but they aren't as common or it's something very minor. Just to replace the conductor plate cost around 1,000 to 1200 hundred. Even if everything has been replaced with all maintenance done you still have to be careful, sensors can and will fail at anytime. If you do decide to go with the benz have a German car specialist who only does Mercedes look it over completely.
These are all very good points, and I absolutely will take them into consideration. But honestly, even though I most likely won't buy the Benz, the mountaineer doesn't exactly seem much better. But I could be mistaken.
Definitely the Mercury.
