New Car???

Welcome. What is your daily drive like? What is the distance, topography, etc?

 

Sounds perfect for the Prius.

What are your needs, in terms of amount of room, # passengers, options, towing, etc.

 

Understand that I really like my Prius, but here are some red flags that may indicate a Prius is not right for you.

http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/94450-considering-prius.html#post1334003

 

I have a 45 mile commute each way, flat, against traffic, usually at 70+ MPH (except this morning due to an accident on I-96).

My opinion:

Leaf: Too much range fear, especially in the winter.

Volt: No range issues, but hey, it's a GM car in it's first year of production. Do you really want to take that risk, especially since the powertrain is all new? Personally, I'd wait until the second year of the second generation Volt before serious consideration. Oh, and how about a reasonable price?

Prius: The winner.

83-85 MB 300D: I seriously considered buying one of these a few years ago as a daily driver. This range of years was part of the golden era of MBs and the 83-85 300D had OK power with the turbo. I found an independent MB mechanic who has had a shop for 40+ years and asked him a bunch of questions. Every time I found a possible car, I could ask him about it and he would know the service history and whether it was worth serious consideration. These guys often know individual cars better then their own kids. With reasonable driving habits, you should be able to get MPGs in the 30s, but with (now) more expensive diesel. The cars were made to be repairable in 3rd world conditions and the mechanic said he would have been out of business decades ago if folks knew how easy they were to work on. That said, the vacuum controls for the windows and door locks are a PITA and engine valves need adjusting every 10K miles. The seats will need to be rebuilt, the dash and wood crack, and they tend to develop external water leaks. The engines can easily go 500-700K miles if cared for, but the trannys can be more problematic. Many have been hacked apart to be biodiesel cars and midwest winters eat the bodywork something awful. The best place to buy is the south, FL, TX, AZ, from retirees. I wouldn't rely on a 300D for my daily driver, but a good project car that can double as a daily driver. Here's a good site for info: PeachParts Mercedes ShopForum - Powered by vBulletin

Good luck in your search.