[s-cars] 300E Beater

[Kent McLean]

Forwarded from the V8 list (Roger is the one I knew who likes the 240D/300D):

-- Kent

Roger Woodbury wrote:
> Brian is pretty much on the money here.  I am really not much of a 300E fan,
> and I think the earlier cars...the W-124 body...are no longer really
> appropriate to give to a younger beginning driver.  
> 
> But I think I would opt for the smaller bodied car...the 190D or 190E.
> These cars are really cheap, and off the same reliability as the bigger 300E
> and will deliver better fuel mileage.  I like the diesels because a four
> cylinder 190E has enough poke for normal traffic but will simply not go much
> faster than seventy.  Pretty hard for a young person to get in too deep with
> one, yet the cars are "modern" enough to not pose a traffic clogging issue.
> 
> Either one of these cars will require 4 studded snowtires for winter.  As
> Brian suggests, the later the better, and the better service history, the
> better.
> 
> Incidentally, right now there is a 190E with eighty some thousand miles on
> eBay with a Buy it Now price under four grand.  This car is on Long Island,
> New York and if it is in fact what it says it is, and what the pictures make
> it appear to be, then it is the ONE to buy.  There is also an earlier 190D
> (2.2 litre four cylinder) car in Illinois on eBay that is going through the
> auction process beginning at $7500:  the deal on that one is that it
> supposedly has not had winter service and has only 20,000 miles.  Doubtful,
> but possible, and if so, will go for the upper teens, I would guess.
> 
> I am not on the S-car list, Kent.  Perhaps you would forward this for what
> it is worth.  I had two of the small body 190's, both diesels, and would
> love to have another as a summer car....but then, the V8 is a great summer
> car, too......
> 
> Sigh:  too many nice old cars, too little time.....