C180 or E200 or bmw

dunks · 13-01-2012 2:55pm #1

Hi, 1st time I have written, and I am after some advice please, I am after a good 'cheap' car

not a lot of money but want to look good

I have seen a number of Mercedes C180 or E200 on carsireland.ie for around €2,000 for a '00' or '01' reg - also a number of 3 series BMW's of same year

do not want more than a 2 litre car

any advice would be much appreciated

The Tyre Dude · 13-01-2012 3:00pm

Just keep in mind that any of those cars of that age are a bit of a minefield could easily cost you the same again in repairs in year one alone. If that doesn't phase you then FSH and a mechanic to look it over prior is good advice, more to follow.

bazz26 · 13-01-2012 4:08pm

Rust would probably be the biggest problem on a Merc of that vintage. Electrics could be iffy too so make sure everything works.

Also the E39 BMW 5 Series is within your budget, the 520i was a 2.0 litre upto 2000 afaik. The E39 would be my choice out of that lot.

For example:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2882924

comanche_cor · 13-01-2012 5:01pm

The Tyre Dude wrote: »

Just keep in mind that any of those cars of that age are a bit of a minefield could easily cost you the same again in repairs in year one alone. If that doesn't phase you then FSH and a mechanic to look it over prior is good advice, more to follow.

An abused one can be a minefield. A well kept one should be fine ...

sidewaysdrivin · 13-01-2012 5:25pm

buying petrol 2.0L or smaller my advice is go buy something japaneese, honda toyota nissan, even kia (well the newer ones anyways)... germany never made them right, always issues later in life, they were more concerned about building the monster petrols (3.0L & up, M3 M5 ect that sort of idea) and the diesels aswell

if you want diesel, the merc isnt as good as its made out to be, and the e46 320d in 01 had turbo issues, if the turbo hasnt been replaced bear in mind it probably will need replacing at some stage, other than that they are a great car & would reccomend it highly

my guidelines are
small petrols - jap
diesels : german
high output (250+hp) petrols - depends, mixture of jap & german depending on application

dunks · 14-01-2012 1:17pm

Thanks for all the feedback, it is much appreciated

mechcar · 15-01-2012 6:26pm

My dad bought a 00 merc 3 months ago for €1200 on donedeal, great engine needed €300 work only problem is rust on boot lock. Rust is the main issue so if you get one with good bodywork you will have a really good car. Very comfortable and a lot of space

C180 or E200 or bmw

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