What about an old Merc, AE? From before the period when they went shit ie the 1990s. I bet you could get a rock solid 300E or TE wagon for around a grand, and if you drove it into your house by accident, I guarantee the building would come off worst! I old Merc saloons; *cliche alert!* they look like they were hewn out of granite...

EDIT: Maybe you could go a bit older than the Omega and buy a Senator. The police LOVED this car, talk to any traffic officer who still serves now and who used one back in the day and they will say it was their best ever pursuit car. The police

 

The problem buying anything over 10 years old is not just the mechanicals - old Mercs are incredibly well screwed together and likely to run for 250k miles without complaint - but rubber perishes, and all older cars suffer from worn bushes at some point - and a car with sloppy suspension/steering will fail it's MOT.

If you spent

 

Depreciation on luxury/big cars is frightening enough, but the prices of Safranes/XMs/605s/Omegas/Scorpios (ie anything NOT made by the Germans) is abysmal, isn't it? Six year old Omegas for under a grand.

I take your point on bushes Mark, but I'm sure you'd find a fairly decent old Merc somewhere with perishables that have been replaced by a fastidious old bloke owner... I'm only harping on about this, mind, because I like them so much!

 

What about a Legend? http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/cars_...exact=1&photo=1

 

Ian
buy 1ks worth of premium bonds - then in December, buy a Zonda and an Enzo - Its what I`m doing.

 

Oh I agree completely - but then those Mercs tend to go for more than a grand.

QED

With something like that, I'd be tempted to spend a bit more and buy something half-decent.

Another gotcha is cambelt - find out what the limit is for cambelt changes (many cars seem to be 80k or so, hence the number for sale at around that mark), and make sure it's been done (not so important with chain driven cams) because if it hasn't it'll cost you

 

You want a depreciation disaster:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/us..._disasters.html

 

Wow, that S-Type is dreadful! I bet the owner is crying into his shagpile...

Those depreciation disasters are funny as well, although it now gets my 'left-field' juices flowing... I could pick up a 166 3.2 V6 for peanuts... imagine the glory of that thing... if it works!

Madness! But I suppose depreciation is the friend of the beater buyer.

 

[QUOTE=MarkB,Oct 25 2006, 12:54 PM] Oh I agree completely - but then those Mercs tend to go for more than a grand.

QED

With something like that, I'd be tempted to spend a bit more and buy something half-decent.

Another gotcha is cambelt - find out what the limit is for cambelt changes (many cars seem to be 80k or so, hence the number for sale at around that mark), and make sure it's been done (not so important with chain driven cams) because if it hasn't it'll cost you

 

Thanks for the links guys, plenty to look at, which I will on Friday, got to run now for an early start tomorrow