Art writes:
Sajeev Answers: The W202 is a lovely automobile from just about every metric. Problem is, this Benz is more of a museum piece and less of a commuter vehicle. You'll need a trusty mechanic to keep the repair costs down, and being a whiz with wrenches is also a good idea. Proactively buying parts on-line is mandatory. Anything over 10 years old is gonna be a problem child, but German problem children are just too much for most people. More importantly, a Lexus GS is only a little nicer on your wallet. With a ton of unique (i.e. not Camry) parts I suspect the repair bills will also be significantly worse on this vehicle. Not that you can't stomach it, and not that I don't recommend it. You need a cheap sedan that's also kinda nice. I get it. But rear-wheel drive motivation given your needs for a cheap second car are…well…loved only by those of a Panther nature. Get the Lexus, but be ready to blow your budget on getting an old luxury car sorted. Or get something far more mundane, like a depreciation friendly Mazda sedan. Or a Mercury Milan sprinkled with Mazda suspension bits. Or a Camry SE. It's the classic "save money for less car" deal. You can't avoid it. Steve Answers: For ten thousand dollars, you could buy a million pennies! And God knows how many drachmas a few years from now. Seriously… I think you need to take some time from 'the accident' and weigh it all in. Very few smart financial decisions are made when you recently get out of a fearful experience. A car accident. Death of a loved one. Ownership of any Mercedes made in the late-90′s. Traumatic experiences of these types will always make you a bit more impulsive than usual. We all need a bit of escapism in our lives. That's true. But not with money damn it! So my advice is to do nothing. Yeah, I could recommend seventeen different versions of modern day Eurotrash vehicles. But there is a small problem with that. The prior owner. A lot of folks who are trying to sell these types of vehicles in my world are either trying to kick the maintenance bucket before it's full. Or just got drenched with a big repair and don't want it to happen yet again. These vehicles can get more expensive than a Marion Barry crackfest. If it were my call, I would just save my money for a while. Sell the Honda once the bloom is off that rose and then get a new(er) vehicle that you truly love. Good luck!
Need help with a car buying conundrum? Email your particulars to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com , and let TTAC's collective wisdom make the decision easier… or possibly much, much harder. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com | |||
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Friday, February 24, 2012
New or Used: for Ten Thousand Dollars, You could buy a Million Pennies!
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