New Or Used? : Excuse Me While I Contradict Myself…
A reader sent me these parameters for picking his next vehicleI’m at a crossroads. I’m looking for a cheap – laughably cheap – like less-than-$3,000 cheap – car for my next daily driver. It’s got to be economical (near 30 mpg hwy) and fun to drive, with decent aftermarket support (so I can throw a couple mods at it – I’m a gearhead). Oh, and since I’m 6’1″ and have a 1-year old daughter, it needs a back seat.We can skip the DSM/Mitsubishi reliability warning.
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Get yourself a Mercedes w201 190 E or D. The secret is to also budget for a Greyhound/Trailways ticket and be willing to go where the best car is. Get something as basic as you can- a nice sunroof goes a long way to make up for non-functioning AC. But, usually if you understand vacuum, you can get it working again. The other great thing about these is 30mpg even with the petrols and enough handling improvements thanks to the Cosworth connection. They are built like little tanks and are the last Mercedes that was built to last 50 years. Get one with 130K miles and you should be able to get that again twice over before having to open up the engine or gearbox. Expect little foibles, but these are easy to do yourself with many handy guides from mercedesource.
Dear mr Lang: Tack, not tact. You take a tack; you have tact. One is a originally sailing term, the other a matter of manners. (Yeah, yeah, I know: I just showed I lack the latter. Sorry, but it's a pet peeve.)