Winter Ride
 

I think I have narrowed down my 2nd car selection to the following 3 choices :

1992 BMW 535 103k miles $4000
1992 Land Rover Range Rover 58.4k miles $5000
1998 MB C280 122k miles $6500

I wanted to get input from all you car "experts" on what you think would be the best choice.

Thanks in advance...

NickCats

As much as I like BMW and Land Rover, I would have to go with the C280 MBZ. Older BMW have a TON of problems same with Land Rover. I've seen those C280s go for 300k miles and still run strong if well taken care of.

NickCats-
I have to disagree w/TriGem2k. I own a 92 5 series. This is my winter car. I've had no major problems. Just the usually maintenance work i.e brakes, oil change, etc..
It has 143k miles and going strong...............my choice of course would be the beamer. Beep beep!
Good Luck in your choice.

None. Why in the world would you want any of those? It seems to me that you're looking for Brand Names at a discount rather than a decent car. To each their own I suppose....

Out of your choices, I'd have to go with the MB as it's at least newer and likely to last longer even with the mileage. The LR gets absolutely horrible gas mileage and is pretty much guaranteed to break.

Personally, I'd go with this.... 1976 Jeep CJ-7 ($4000).

I agree with denverpete. MB would win but I wouldn't get either of those three. Instead I'd go for something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/extra-nice-98-maxima-4door-black_W0QQitemZ170019236263QQihZ007QQcategoryZ6400 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Ya a '76 Jeep CJ7 would be wonderful on the highway, whats their max speed 75mph.

Nick,

I have owned several MBs and I've had great luck with them, but they do not go in snow. I'm from the Northeast and have been driving in the white stuff since the day I got my license. In fact, I quite enjoy it. The MB will be an expensive paperweight on snow days. Just my .02.

And exactly HOW fast do you drive in the snow?

I live in Texas, so forgive my ignorance on what a "winter ride" is. But using context clues, I assume it's an old European car that's expensive to maintain.

Seriously, what makes a winter ride? Able to drive well in snow/ice? Ok to beat around and not care about fender benders/dings/etc.? Is RWD better for snow?

I think an Acura Integra would be suitible for Chi-town winters. What about a Nissan Pathfinder? The cool thing about these 2 vehicles is that they can work in the spring, summer, and fall too! Also, parts are cheap, which means repairs are cheap (and a whole lot less frequent too I might add). As you can see, my motive is to save you money and time.

z12358's suggestion of a Maxima was good too.

I had a '98 Maxima that went to 250,00 miles. I wouldn't have sold it if I didn't have to spend a year in Korea.

I drove a 2004 Honda accord all winter long and had no problems at all. I would assume any older accord would work just as well, and everyone knows how Accords stand up over time (34 mpg was a bonus as well).

Thanks for the input, guys ! All valid points to consider...

My search continues :(

If you wanted to go fast, I think he would just hop into his Porsche not his winter car