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My 2010 c300 car has 205k miles. Rear bumper scratched. Rear corner fender needs repair. Hard to tell in pictures the damage. Needs new front struts and I'm sure other suspension parts. Not sure this is worth holding on to anymore.
Ive had private customers say that to me. Here’s what I tell them and people around me.
The thing you need to think about is not just cost of repairs, it’s wether or not you find yourself constantly repairing your car until the expense starts getting to an average of a new car payment, increased insurance, and other various things. The average monthly car payment is in the realm of 700/mo. Add insurance you’re probably talking 900-1,000/mo. Add your expenses of your repairs and average them to monthly, see what that comes to. I doubt it’s even half that unless you seriously neglected the car. But you have to decide the thresh hold when it reaches the point you need/want a new car. It’s a horrible time to buy a new car, or anything as a matter of fact, prices are usually ridiculous. Don’t worry about your cars value, you lose either way on your return value. Unless you got money to burn, I’d advise keeping the car. Your typical person is already having a hard time around the world. Now’s not the time to waste money you can’t afford to spend. There’s better use for it then a new or newish car. But it your decision at the end of the day, I don’t know your situation. this is just my opinion.
W204 C200, BMW E30 M3, 1980Gt Mini, Toyota Corona, KTM 200 EXC.
I brought my white 2008 C200K in 2016 and have been over the years very pleased, it is just superb family car to drive every day and drive away long distance for holidays days. I do all the mechanical repairs and servicing myself and have been active in replacing items before they wear fully out or fail except the starter motor & motor inside of the ESL which did completely fail and I replaced the items.
I added to our cars a 2012 C63 which has done 28,000km and it is beside my M3.
My opinion is I just really like the external design of the 204 and dislike the 205 especially the rear window having round corners and the shape of the boot /rear end.
Ive had private customers say that to me. Here’s what I tell them and people around me.
The thing you need to think about is not just cost of repairs, it’s wether or not you find yourself constantly repairing your car until the expense starts getting to an average of a new car payment, increased insurance, and other various things. The average monthly car payment is in the realm of 700/mo. Add insurance you’re probably talking 900-1,000/mo. Add your expenses of your repairs and average them to monthly, see what that comes to. I doubt it’s even half that unless you seriously neglected the car. But you have to decide the thresh hold when it reaches the point you need/want a new car. It’s a horrible time to buy a new car, or anything as a matter of fact, prices are usually ridiculous. Don’t worry about your cars value, you lose either way on your return value. Unless you got money to burn, I’d advise keeping the car. Your typical person is already having a hard time around the world. Now’s not the time to waste money you can’t afford to spend. There’s better use for it then a new or newish car. But it your decision at the end of the day, I don’t know your situation. this is just my opinion.
great advice. Thank you. For the most part my car is trouble free. Putting myself in new debt definitely has me against buying another car. I do worry something will fail / break sooner than later and having a baby on the way is making it a tougher decision to keep my car.
great advice. Thank you. For the most part my car is trouble free. Putting myself in new debt definitely has me against buying another car. I do worry something will fail / break sooner than later and having a baby on the way is making it a tougher decision to keep my car.
Congratulations!! perfectly relatable. It seems you might be wanting a bigger car. I don’t know how many cars you have but this is a thought you might explore. If you and your partner have one car each, keep the one you expect to be more reliable and sell the other. As far as a new replacement car, I’d use it as the primary family car. If I was in this position, I would look for a mint, low mileage, well maintained ML class or GLK class. A garage queen. If you can find one, chances are you can get it for a relatively low price compared to other brands. You will also know important things to look for when buying it. At the same time, they should be comparative to your c300’s reliability, proper maintenance provided. you will also be more familiar with how to repair it and keep low maintenance costs(if you do your own work, which I recommend). This is provided you are satisfied with the value your c300 has given you. Your insurance cost should be similar to your existing, and since these vehicles don’t cost an arm and a leg chances are decent you can do cash, perhaps with a small loan if you are short. I’n my opinion, that gives me a solid car, that I know will last, and serve me well. At the same time, I’ll know my insurance probably won’t change much, and I know that my car payments will be low if I can’t pay up front. And, on top of that, I know the car really isn’t going to lose more value then it already has. Minimal loss of investment, low upfront cost, reliable vehicle, and I would also say-affordable. To me that’s a win-win. If you have leftover money that would have been used buying a car. I would then create an investment account for my child and put that money into that, then every week I put a set amount into the investment account no matter what, no excuses, no matter how broke i might be at the time if that happens. By the time you’re child is now 18, you should have a healthy sum to get them moving in the direction they want. I’m actually doing this part, I have a 9&7 yr old. That money that would have been spent on a depreciating expense has now helped you secure the start of their financial future.
this is purely just my thoughts, I’m not telling you to do any of this. I’m just for some reason wanting you the best though I don’t know you.
11 years into parenthood and it's now just getting harder to justify not being in an SUV.
In other words you may not "need" a bigger vehicle just yet. They do take time to grow and start kicking the back seat
The W204 is big enough for a growing family. Put a thule container on top it will be better cargo wise than any mid-size SUV. a Fully paid, well maintained W204 + a $1000 MB roof rack + thule is waaaay cheaper than a +$40k el cheapo SUV.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Originally Posted by shotgun_banjo
The W204 is big enough for a growing family. Put a thule container on top it will be better cargo wise than any mid-size SUV. a Fully paid, well maintained W204 + a $1000 MB roof rack + thule is waaaay cheaper than a +$40k el cheapo SUV.
2 kids with lots of gear is more than enough on a W204 with a thule. I have a GLE that is wider but with 2 kids and all the kid's gear the W204 with the thule is far more usable. You will be able to put long stuff on the Thule while you have a 2-3 passengers riding with you were as in a SUV you won't be able to do it. Do not under estimate what a thule box can do. Imagine a having a 453L (thule) + 475L (w204) cargo capacity that you can literally use on a sport sedan while you can carry 4-5 people. No mid-size SUV can match that.
2015 SL400 (M276 Turbo), 2014 C350 Sport (M276 NA), 2004 SL500 (M113), 2004 Audi TT225 (BEA)
Originally Posted by shotgun_banjo
2 kids with lots of gear is more than enough on a W204 with a thule. I have a GLE that is wider but with 2 kids and all the kid's gear the W204 with the thule is far more usable. You will be able to put long stuff on the Thule while you have a 2-3 passengers riding with you were as in a SUV you won't be able to do it. Do not under estimate what a thule box can do. Imagine a having a 453L (thule) + 475L (w204) cargo capacity that you can literally use on a sport sedan while you can carry 4-5 people. No mid-size SUV can match that.
No. I meant how many kids can you stuff in the Thule? Not their gear, them. Or are you saying you can stuff 2 kids AND their gear in the Thule?
Summer 2014 I fell off my bike and needed a break from driving a 6-speed manual.............................
A C250 coupe came my way with CPO status and odometer at 23,000.
After 10 years and 20,000 miles only the ESL has failed.
My new wife loves this beautiful (and fuel efficient) 4-cylinder turbo in Iridium Silver.
Our local MB dealerships (there are three locations has recently changed hands. I think they're from another planet.
The W204 is big enough for a growing family. Put a thule container on top it will be better cargo wise than any mid-size SUV. a Fully paid, well maintained W204 + a $1000 MB roof rack + thule is waaaay cheaper than a +$40k el cheapo SUV.
one small issue, it’s hard finding a new OEM rack. Maybe not possible actually, I believe they stoped making them. But Thule does make a system for the w204, I’m entertaining it. Along with a cargo box. But I’m doing ok with my 7&9yr old in the back. You just have to be aware of getting seats that aren’t too bulky. If you get one that’s pretty compact there’s a good amount of leg room still. Even with 2 adults in the front.
02-27-2024, 09:40 AM
