1990 Mercedes-Benz 300TE

Since I moved very close to work a few months ago, I only drive 1,500 miles a year between home and work. A newer car is nice but expensive for such short distances. So the decision was made to let the 2006 Saab 9-5 go and find a new owner. Well, the Saab is gone and I was looking for a replacement. Used Saabs in good condition are difficult to find in Northern Michigan so I was checking out a few other brands. I have been researching some older European brands like Volvo, Mercedes and BMW for a while and the Mercedes W124 seemed to be a very reliable model with lots of character and a good reputation for quality.

I found a locally advertised 1990 300TE Wagon with 143,500 miles which appeared to be in great condition. Used mostly in summer only, there isn’t any trace of rust at all. Maintenance records were all there and a Saturday morning test ride in Petoskey got me hooked on the car.

It is something very different from a newer Saab. It’s more of a slower, gentle kind of motoring. The interior is in excellent shape and takes you 20 years back in time. But in a good way. Technology advanced greatly in the last 20 years but it is nice to find distributor caps and rotors under the hood again. The 3.0 liter inline 6-cylinder is not very powerful (175hp) but it gets the job done and should easily last another 100-150 thousand miles with the proper maintenance.

I have looked at a few used cars and there is not much you can get for $5,000 these days. Most are older, smelly, higher-miles cars lacking any kind of character and an older car like this was the right choice for me at this time. But who knows how long this one will last. :)

A few more pictures can be found here: Link