Yet another "Help choose a car" poll

[sicarius82]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to move onto a different car with rear passenger seating, and need some help choosing between three cars. Only color I'm considering right now is black. The three cars that I'm looking at are listed below. Any and all advice would help out a lot. If there are any other cars that I'm overlooking, please mention them below. My budget is $15,000, the closer to $10,000 the better. Thanks.

1. Mercedes-Benz C36 AMG (W202) 1996-2000

- Love the styling compared to the C32 (W203) 2001+
- V6 powered so kinda sorta more economical than it's bigger brother, C43.
- Hard to find a clean one.





2. Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG (W202) 1997-2000

- Again, love the styling.
- Nice 4.3L V8 power. Fuel economy not much of a concern for me.
- Hard to find a clean one.





3. BMW 540i 6-speed (E39) 2001-2003

- Love the styling compared to the 545/550i (E60) 2004+
- Nice 4.4L V8 power. Fuel economy not much of a concern for me.
- Easier to find than the C36/C43.

[kaede]

E39 M5!!!!! (Since fuel economy is no concern lol) I have one that i drive occasionally and it is probably THE BEST sports saloon you can get for the money.

[Aluminsx]

Along the lines of the 540, why not splurge and get an M5 of the same vintage? I see them pop up now and again.

[Ric]

540.

[Russ]

540.

+1 on the bimmer, the benz really looks its age.

[Hapa88]

I agree with above.. Splurge for the M5!
394hp > 302hp > 276hp

[sicarius82]

Thanks guys for the responses. The reason why i'm staying away from the E39 M5 is because I've heard and read that price of ownership is double or triple that of the non-M3.

[Dhalsim]

I voted for the 540i. I think the Mercedes would have high cost for maintenance....the BMW not far behind but it looks better...........

I saw an MSN article the other day with the 10 cars that cost the most to maintain....none of the models you are asking about were on it but the list was dominated by Mercedes and a couple bimmers.

[Ritesh]

I wouldn't get ANY of those if budget and maintenance costs are a concern!!

Between the 3 choices: 540i with a proper manual all the way!

[Matt_337]

E39 540 for sure out of the 3

[BD]

I vote for E39 M5...lol I like the way it drives... Just afraid of the engine.

[Ultraman]

Have you test drive all 3 cars? I test drove a C43 before and was not very impressed by it. How about an E36 M3?

[TURBO2GO]

Thanks guys for the responses. The reason why i'm staying away from the E39 M5 is because I've heard and read that price of ownership is double or triple that of the non-M3.

That's wrong. What you've read is cost of ownership of the car NEW, not used. That means depreciation is factored in and since M models cost significantly more, they have more depreciation pushing cost of ownership much higher. Used is a different story. Used M models hold their value better, not worse.

And the steering feel on those MB's is utter crap.

[sicarius82]

Have you test drive all 3 cars? I test drove a C43 before and was not very impressed by it. How about an E36 M3?

Yes, I've tested all of the cars. I agree the performance isn't really there for the MB's. I'm more interested in the styling. I like the E36 M3, but if I were in the market, I'd probably go all out and get an E30 M3.

That's wrong. What you've read is cost of ownership of the car NEW, not used. That means depreciation is factored in and since M models cost significantly more, they have more depreciation pushing cost of ownership much higher. Used is a different story. Used M models hold their value better, not worse.

And the steering feel on those MB's is utter crap.

Thanks for the clear up, Dave. I think I may just revisit the E39 M5 option.