Hello everyone,
I've been a long time member of another car fourm, NASIOC. And have long been into Imprezas. But as of recently, a girl that just got her permit decided to make assumptions on the road and totaled my baby, my 2.5RS Impreza. It was sporty, sleek, and stood out of a crowd like a swore thumb, you just can't miss a car that looks like that with gold wheels...
This has left me needing a new car, and after looking at another Impreza, and similar cars. I just wasn't drawn back to them like I assumed I would be.

This has left me searching autotrader.com and finding out that I could actually afford a 98-00 C or E class Mercedes, which I was really surprised by, I always assumed I couldn't but I figured why not look for the fun or it and my god, I can afford one of these.

Here are my questions that I had.
I'm 19, think these two series are something I would be interested in?
What are the theft rates on these cars?
I'm into modifying cars, I'm not crazy into it but I do like to add a touch of class and like to make it my own, are either of these series have a decent aftermarket?
Where can I look into aftermarket parts for these series?
Which series and a specific number do you recommend? (I'm looking for 99+ under 85k miles and under 12k prefered)
How are these cars on gas?

Thank you for your time guys, hope these questions aren't too hard to answer!

 

Why not be a kid for a while and let the E Class wait until you start greying a bit?

If you are concerned about the price of gas I would steer away from a pre owned Mercedes Benz.

-Eric

 

Im 16 and owna mercedez c230, people always are amazed to see me hop into my baby, mostly becuase people asume that its a mercedes n thus unafordable, i have to say i cannot be any happier with my car, its acceleration is much to be desired but it handles very well and is a sturdy ride. If you supercharge it, it adds quite a good amount of horsepower, i have seen a few out on the market, but havent bought one for myself. As for the interior, well its a mercedes enough said, they packed EVERY inch of the car with goodies, from auto climate control to sneaky cupholders, and when i say sneaky i mean it, i had to read the manual to find them (i was pretty convinced i had none). Girls are also atracted to them . Good luck with your purchse!

 

i would say if your gonna buy a benz.. dont buy an old one get a new one or close to new one.. older benz would probablyrun intoproblems and costa chunk of yourwallet to fix it..i never trust buying a used car unless it was from the benz dealer ship

 

Iam 16 like TaeKwonBoxer with my 99 c280 and the only nonmatinence problem i have had is the oil pan. it is a fun car, the impreza might but more fun to drive but not as nice. the newer w202 models are the best made ones. the newer ones have better electronics but more problems and i think they are uglier. i have looked up a lot of mods for my carand from the looks of it, it would be awesome to mod. which is something i still haven't started. plus there are great forums for mercedes. ie. mercedesforum.com, club202.com, etc. it might be hard to find one under 85k milesbut you can easily get one under $12000. also these cars are pretty good on gas. the new mercedes still have the same gas milage according to their site. i would buy this car again, but doget it from a dealership or get it inspected before you buy it as you should for all cars.

 

Hey,

I have a c240 and c230 compressor. I really Like the compressor better. Great gas mileage. Find the auto auction, wait out front as the buyers go in and set a deal with one. I just picked up a beautiful C230 diamond blak paint loaded up, 39,000 brand new got it for 22K. Only 14,000 miles on it. It's hot!

Dave

 

hi, i just got my 99 kompressor this week, wasn't pricy, 75k, freaking loving it (so far) i think my is pretty good on gas but I had on interstate 2 times, my 1st week is awesome so far.

 

I've had my 1995 C220 now for 11/2 years and love it. With 22 years of aircraft mechanic experience, I'm very impressed with the build quality. I hear about how pricy these cars are, but mine is fixing to roll over 200K and I haven't found anything to be so outrageaous. YET.
I would recomend looking at the Tech forums for the cars you are interested in, and deciding if you are willing to fix the common problems yourself.
Good luck.
BTW, mine gets 25city and 32 Hwy. Did I mention I love it.

 

I can't comment on the pre-1999 MB's but I have a 2003 C-class and it is very well built. Sometimes a luxury car company will make a low-end model with cheap parts and little attention to build quality, just to "compete" on the lower end of the price spectrum. Not the case here. The car is solid, has good attention to finer details, and is overall a sturdy, durablemachine. There is nothing cheap about it.

I owned a 98' E class when I turned 22 and it was also a solid ride. A good search could produce one in the $15K range.

Happy Hunting!