1989 230ce possible purchase

Hello all, I've been keeping my eye out for a decent MB for a decent price. I found a 1989 230ce coupe. his car has a 4cyl(2.3L??) with a manual 5spd tranny. It currently has about 170K KM on it. I don't know much about MB but it seems nice. The body is a 9.9 .There's not even 1 door ding on it. The interior is fine except expected wear on the drivers seat. It has all new brakes. On a test drive it started,ran, shifted and braked fine.It did not overheat but the throttle was sticky and didn't always return.Although the clutch engaged quite early there was no slippage.The front windshield wiper is slow and strugging but is functioning.It does need at least a new muffler if not a whole system. The engine is clean. The power antenna is aftermarket and not MB but it works along with an aftermarket radio which I'd like to replace with a stock unit.

I like the car and I don't mind doing most of the work myself, which is why I prefer a manual.It's a fairly heavy car and it is noticeable on hills but I guess if the revs were up it'd be fine.I have some pics and I'd like to hear any comments about this car.Also, it was a German import.

Thanks !:bigthumb:

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Run fast, run far. And keep running.

Older Mercedes cars are often pretty cheap to buy, and initially look like good deals. But often MB parts are available only through the dealers at astronomical prices. Servicing is expensive. And you may find significant detail differences between this German model and the Canadian-spec cars, making some parts even more difficult/expensive to get.

I do not mean to be harsh about MB's. For some people, their benefits is worth the cost. But judging from your signature, you, like me, buy older cars at the lower end of the price spectrum, and rely on cheaper parts and service to fix them up. That's fine, but it means that this MB is probably not a good fit for you.

BTW, the front end of that car is sitting a bit low, indicating problems right off the bat.

I apologize for not replying sooner. Your comments make a lot of sense. I do think the real issue is the german import factor. I also think that parts may be hard or impossible to get; even the simple stuff. What made me decide NOT to buy it is our gas prices took a $0.05/L jump a couple weeks ago. We are now being extorted to $1.22/L!!! The car was nice & interesting but I must admit I seem to be hooked on the Geos and Suzukis. For the time being our current cars are just fine. I'll wait until we get back from Mexico in Apr and see what's available.

Thanks for taking the time to reply and provide me with a reality check!