lamar411

I'd start looking for old GS's to. Didnt they have the V6?

baddis es

iTrader: (3)

we have a 98 ES300, car is a bullet! 148k on the clock and drives as good as day one. i would try to get a 00+ ES if you are considering it though, due to the sludge problems...seafoaming the engine does help, as it's pretty much cleaned the sludge build-up issues that could potentially become a problem (and gave a 1-2mpg increase for us) plus switching to full-synthetic oil every 3k and regular engine treatments does help too.

bets of luck on yur search!

CarGuy89

Picked up a 95 BMW E34 530 a few yrs back and learned stick on it. It was a great car, one of my fav...if not my fav out of all the cars I've had/driven so far. It has the high German build quality, was very reliable, and a blast to drive (felt like a tank and sports sedan at the same time) esp if there was some snow on the ground

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

uh, fail, and fail for his needs. inline 6 and lousy gas mileage. apart from that though, great car.

ArmyofOne

Its pretty sad to say but after some research, the IS and GS got some of the worst gas mileage when compared to ES's and LS's of the same generations.

LS would be ok. I have always wanted one.

But the golf/jetta diesel...if I can find one...gas mileage ftw!

as far as sludge issues, if you take care of them, and you know what to look for, you can save yourself a WHOLE lot of headaches.

lamar411

Arent the TDI's pretty new to be under 5k?

caddyowner

If I remember from your past posts, you would benefit from a vehicle with more interior room. With a $5K budget, one car to consider is a 83-85 Mercedes 300D: 5 cylinder turbo diesel with 30MPG+, roomy interior, easy to repair (even easier when you find a good independent MB mechanic). Take your time and find one with under 200K miles, no rust, and no leaks.

http://www2.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/mash.c...mit=++++go++++

ArmyofOne

Caddyowner:

Times have changed, I have a quad cab Ram, so room is no longer an issue . We have more cargo space and cabin room than we will probably ever need.

However, those old mercedes were tanks if you can find 'em.


and no, Tdi jettas/golfs have been around since the mid/late 90's.

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

What about an E36 or E30?