Which car to keep? Help me decide!

[nj300se]

OK guys, looking for some advice here and help with making a decision.

I have 2 cars and need to sell one. By "need to sell" I just mean I'm having a hard time justifying having 2 cars. Both cars combined are worth maybe $10G, so even if I sold both I would have to lay out $ to get something new, which I don't want to do.

One is a 2001 Grand Marquis with 35,000 miles, very good condition that I just got a few months ago.

The other car is a 1991 Mercedes 300SE with 64K, garage kept and also in great condition. This runs a straight 6, but gets about the same mileage as the Ford and needs higher octane.

The MB has a better ride and is classier looking, but it is older and has more mileage. It has dual front air-bags and ABS. Strangely, no glove box, but a nice sunroof.

The Mercury is obviously not that unique or cool, has not-so-good handling, but should be easier and cheaper to maintain compared to the MB. Its also fast! This car only has the air bags, no ABS for some reason. I also hate the headrests - there are none in the backseats so I prey I never get rear-ended in this car.

Both are big, rear-driven cars, and whichever one I decide to keep is going to get snow tires in the winter.

So, which would you keep for your daily-driver?

• 91 MB 300SE
  
• 01 Grand Marquis GS

 

[Johnny]

IMHO, keep the Grand Marquis.

Cost less to operate.
Cost less to maintain.
Fewer miles.
Probably cost less to insure.

 

[blackcherry06]

The Mercedes will hold its value much better and it's a far nicer car in every way (except maintenance cost). MB was still assembling their cars with true quality and craftsmanship back then. A timeless beauty...hang on to it.

 

[SD26]

I'm for the GM. Parts are inexpensive with the volume of fleets and police using them over a long period of time. As you say, you've got $10k between them. It's not an IRA, it's a tool. Low maintenance costs, and lower fuel costs, will certainly be valuable today and tomorrow to you.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Both Johnny and blackcherry06 are correct. I'd lean towards Johnny's opinion that you keep the Grand Marquis. Cars are never a good investment so I try to go with the lowest cost option as long as I like the car. However, if you don't like driving the Grand Marquis or feel the handling/braking is unsafe then I'd seriously consider the MM. Tough call. I don't know the actual cost difference of owning the MB over the GrM so I can't make the call. Add up what you think each will cost you over the next 3-5 years (gas, maint., insurance, depreciation, etc.) and see what the difference is.

 

[JTK]

Tough call. I assume they are both paid for and neither is costing you money. If that's the case, I'd keep them both.

Joel

 

[Titan]

GM for cost reasons only. It's not even broken in. If it does break, there's places to fix it on every other street corner, and it's cheap to fix.
MB...it's not an investment, no matter if it is "cooler" or a more comfortable ride. GM's ride much better than many cars, and it seems you don't put that many miles on one. I drive mine over 600 miles on some days...not many cars I can do that and still feel OK. So, if you don't drive many hours at a time, the GM is 'good enough'.

 

[MrCritical]

I'm 50 years old, still wanna be a teenager sometimes but mother nature reminds me I'm not.

Keep the one that's the most fun to drive!

 

[saaber1]

If you are considering selling either car (or to say more accurately you are willing to drive either car), then the aesthetic values of the mercedes must not outweigh other factors. The Mercedes will be much harder to live with long term IMO. The world of broken electrical gizmos/sensors/computers awaits if you keep the Merecedes. The grand Marquis is a more reliable choice IMO.

 

[nj300se]

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions everybody!

It seems the majority thinks I should sell the Benz and keep the GM for many of the reasons I had thought of as well. The MB was a gift, and the GM was very close to one.

The MB has been my "spare" since 05. The original plan in 05 when I got the MB was to hang on to it until my 92 Nissan died at which point I would use the MB as my daily-driver.

Fast-Forward 2008. The Nissan never died, but I had this low-mileage GM available to me that I could not pass up. I sold the Nissan with 215,000 (great car), and so the MB never became the daily-driver as I had planned.

My logical side tells me its stupid to have an "extra" car, cars aren't investments etc - sell one! My other side (whatever that is) tells me the MB is a nice car, it doesn't cost anything (yet) except insurance and registration etc - keep both!

Neither is really a "fun" driver, or even my style, but they each have their own merits, and were very cheap to get. However, it makes no sense to have both at this point.



...or does it?

You guys are great! Thanks for the opinions!

 

[blackcherry06]

Trade them both for something you really like. But I suggest selling the MB outright as you'll get far more money for it than if you trade it in. Some MB purist will see that in the paper and HAVE to have it.

 

[bretfraz]

If you can financially swing the maintenance costs of the Benz, and have a good local mechanic in case something (expensive) goes wrong, I'd say keep it. It's a better car than the GM in every way......

....except operation costs. As others have said, the GM is very cheap to run, parts are plentiful, there is prolly a good bit of work you can do without the need of a specialist and just about any decent mechanic can fix it. In raw cost per mile terms, I'd bet the GM is cheaper across the board.

It all boils down to what's important to you and what you feel you can afford.

 

[Cutehumor]

I would keep the grand marquis, it's newer and with less miles.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
However, it makes no sense to have both at this point.



...or does it?


Drop the insurance (you should still be able to keep comprehensive on it even if you have no liability on it) and mothball it. If something happens to the GM that's beyond your sensible means to cope with, then you trash the MG and put the MB on the road.

You have two paid for vehicles. What would you do productive with the proceeds from the sale of the MB? How much relief would you get from not having to insure and register it?

 

[HM12460]

toss the mb for the first yuppie that will pay your price. the merc is a very good car and reliable, economical. save your money for the important things in life.

 

[Spector]

Well, I don't think either one is worth enough to be a consideration in keeping so I would look at other factors. Age on the MB is way up there, parts harder to obtain, higher cost etc. I vote to keep the Marquis also. However, if you can afford the insurance, tags etc. and maintenance on both then keep both until one of them dies or needs a major repair. As you say, the annual cost of keeping them insured and registered is probably less then $1,000 a year.

 

[RTexasF]

Keep the Mercury, move the Mercedes out.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Don't go off just the theory of one having less miles and automatically assuming it will be the better one...made this mistake myself.

There was a time we had to make the same decision, and automatically chose the car with less miles...ended up being more of a headache maintenance wise then the car we sold to the guy down the street that kept it til it died 12yrs later to our vehicle that only financially lived half that long....got tired of putting money in it.

I say, personally, it's ALWAYS nice to have a 2nd car around, especially one that's costing you very little to keep it. You never know when one car's gonna be too costly to repair, be in the shop, or worse, damaged in some way...then you're up battle creek with no transportation.

Also, it's not always a guarantee that just because certain makes/models are plagued with issues, that your's is going to be too.

 

[CharBaby]

Even if the Marquis is not your kind of vehicle, I would still keep it and sell the Benz.

 

[nj300se]

All good thoughts, and suggestions. As you can see this is something of a hard decision! I CAN swing both, neither car costs much right now (except for gas) - actually the insurance on both is less than than on one new car.

I've had good luck with the MB, I know both car's history, I have 2 exclusive MB indy shops less than 5 miles from home......

I'm thinking the status-quo might not be a bad decision either. Selling either is not going to change my lifestyle or create a major windfall of cash or anything.....

Thanks again. You've given me much to consider.