Nuieve

http://spokane.craigslist.org/car/378234979.html

I'm a poor student, normally I'd buy some Accord, Civic or Corolla, but I always dreamt of having a proper Mercedes and I might just afford this one. And they are so gorgeous in white!

I would like to know how dangerous could it be buying this car? Is this model reliable in general, what to look for, is this a right price?

Thanks...

ReZzZ320

the W124s are built like tanks, as long as they have been serviced properly then you should have no problems

Nuieve

Ok, thank you, I'll call the owner now...

Bigpete123

I wouldn't recommend buying that car if you don't have much cash to maintain it. These cars are generally reliable, but they do require about $2-3k per year in maintenance if you take it to a mechanic.

Probably around $1-2k per year if you know cars.

myfirstbenz

I'd say $500 to $2k a year. If you can turn a wrench, you can maintain it, easy squeezy.

shdoug

HOLY CRAP!!! Anyone want to buy a used E-320? If it costs me over $500 a year it's gone! So far in 7 months it has cost me $350 for 2 tires, a motor mount, and an antenna that lasted 2 weeks.

This car has soul, but I'm not willing to trade mine to keep it running...

Bigpete123

I ain't buying a used e320 from you, that's for sure!

shdoug

Don't you mean "If you can turn a wrench with the force of a gorilla on steroids and have a hand made of titanium the size of a 2-year-old's"? Mine was built by mutant German dwarfs. Just try to reach those knock sensors or the driver side motor mount.

shdoug

Yeah, well, we'll just see how my Walmart Goodyears perform this winter! Frugality is my middle name, but I am somewhat of a perfectionist. I can't stand to have anything broken. Right now all it needs is an antenna. I guess I'll have to spend more than $15 next time.

ksing44

Great advice and so true! Of course you can have a good year with minimum costs and it can be much worse if a couple of bigger things bite you in the a**.

I am wondering about spending that 2-3K next year or throwing in the towel on the W124 and maybe getting some car payments on a slightly used 3-Series BMW.

Right now my AC is cool, but there is a leak at the compressor, based on all the dye that is all over it. I also have a leaking head gasket and front timing cover and the wiring harness will have to be replaced if anyone tries to fix the gaskets. I already spent a good bit this year on a new exhaust, front brakes and rotors, and 4 tires, so I am not planning to do much else except maybe the compressor. My transmission had a flair, but I fixed that with a vacuum modulator adjustment. I figure the transmission must be on the way out, since I developed the flair after changing the fluid. I also need to replace the sender unit on the coolant reservoir. I guess that will be cheap, but it is one more thing.

Now if somebody purchased my car, which looks gorgeous, they could really be in for a bad time. The leaking gaskets and the wiring harness might be fine for years to come and so might the transmission. The again, everything could just go to pieces. If it wasn't for the known expensive to repair flaws, head gasket, wiring harness, and maybe the evaporator and the overused vacuum system, the W124 might be a decent bet. With those things added to the other normal expensive repairs on this expensive when new vehicle, I think the costs could become ridiculous and even unbearable. At least I already had 10 years of ownership that was quite enjoyable. For a new owner, I think my car could be a nightmare!

Bigpete123

I bought my w124 right at about the point where your car is now, ksing... In my first year and a half of ownership, I spent roughly $8k on repairs... probably another $3-4k since then... and i still have a F&CKING idle hiccup and severe hesitation... The only thing keeping me from selling it is the fact that I have no car payments right now... and to get something that I like as much as my current car, I would definitely need to take out a loan.

So it's a gamble. who knows if I have more repairs coming up and how much they'll be... but a $500 per month car payment is $6k per year, which includes interest... and is also for a rapidly depreciating car... whereas my car's depreciation curve has almost completely flattened out. So people don't realize that the cost of ownership of a new (or somewhat new) car, if you consider interest and depreciation, is higher than one of these w124's that find themselves in a shop every few months...

Chappy

$2,000-$3,000 per year is correct, if you are not a DIYer. As I'm digging through my 1991 300CE books/records in preparation for sale, I have receipts totalling $26,000 for service/maintenance/repair for the 12 years and 150,000 miles I've owned it. That breaks down to just 17.3 cents per mile.

I bought it Starmarked in 1995 with 70,000 miles on it. It just rolled past the 220,000 mile mark...still runs and drives very nice (a/c works too!)

6800 gallons of fuel were burned during my ownership (so far) - 10.2 cents per mile over the 12 year period.

Interestingly, my '95 wagon is $44/year cheaper to insure than my '91 300CE.

ksing44

I know all about that. I don't think my car is really worth anything at all. It looks like million bucks, but it ain’t worth nothin! Well, maybe it is worth a few $K, if you don't know how many things are wrong with it.

It is painful to love a W124. I know and feel some of the same pain.

Yeah, I am just thinking about it. I can just keep driving and try to spend as little as possible and try to just ignore things that don't stop me completely, but that was never really my intention in the past. My original plan was to fix everything as good as new as needed, so that I could drive my car for a very very long time. Now I wonder if that is just stupidity. I think you are right, however, about how much it would cost to get a car that I liked as much as I like my W124. I guess fixing my junker year to year may cost about half as much as driving a newer car. The last straw for me will be if my car ever leaves me stranded. I am already feeling a bit less confident about taking my car on extended trips, although things can even happen to a much newer car. As I said, I am just thinking about it right now. I do believe that the newer cars may be very nice, even compared to my W124.

shdoug

So, is everyone using solid gold oil filters or what? I'm having a hard time figuring out how I could sink $1-2k a year EVERY year into my car, assuming no wiring harness or head gasket issues. Is that figure just to keep it on the road, or to keep it perfect?

Bigpete123

well, for me it's keeping it running like it should... but it's not a matter of keeping it on the road necessarily...

There are things I could still replace, like the armrest that pinches me since the tubing is all cracked... or the A/C components that make it so my A/C doesn't work anymore (quoted like $600 or something a few years back and said screw it, Seattle isn't hot)... or the driver's seat that has decided to tilt to the right so that my back hurts when I drive for more than 30 minutes (not to mention it makes me look ghetto)... or the cruise control that stopped working.

I've left all of those things alone for now because they are not essential... and I'm aware of some DIY steps I can take to try and fix some of them. Here is a list of all of the things I've replaced since I bought my car in February 2004. This is going to hurt really badly.

1. Tranny rebuild: $2,127.04
2. Replaced MAS Control unit (rebuilt): $205
3. Work by ****ty shop who tried to diagnose idle problems and get car through emissions: $1,324.37
4. Steering Damper, shock replacements w/ Bilstein Sports: $977.95
5. Fuel Distributor (rebuilt) and labor: $831.23
6. Head Gasket, O2 sensor, valve job, belt tensioner, Tranny R&R, Motor Mounts, Timing Chain Rails, all labor involved: $4,520.65 (ouch!)
7. BG44K cleaning, new injectors, some breather hose: $384.41
8. Ignition coil, distributor cap (warranty), distributor rotor (warranty) injectors that weren't replaced in #7: $431.94
9. Window regulator, trip odometer fix, replaced a plug: $523.13
10. New rotors and break pads: $424.66

That all totals to $11,750.38 over 42 months of ownership... So my maintenance cost has averaged $3,357.25 per year.

This doesn't count rims, new springs, adjustable camber arms, getting my fenders rolled, euro headlights, euro taillights, euro corner lights, stereo system...

If you guys don't hear from me for a few days, it's probably because I killed myself. lol

Bigpete123

oh and by the way, my car still runs like ****.

ksing44

Count your blessings, or maybe I should say your time will probably come.

For me it has been a little bit of both, but now I am definitely done with perfect. I am just keeping it on the road with help from my Indy and using aftermarket parts if required.

Below is my growing list over just the last four years. Note that I have not yet addressed the leaking head gasket or the wiring harness. It just always seems to be something, now that my car is 12-years-old and has over 100K miles. My wife's 2000 Honda Accord with 100K was just inspected yesterday and needed nothing! Again! Since new, she needed brakes once, tires once, and a new battery as preventative maintenance, but absolutely nothing has ever "broken" on her car. The AC is cold and she has a stainless steel exhaust.
My list for last four years:
This may not be such a terrible list, if I didn't know I also had the head gasket and wiring harness looming. Also now I am worried about the transmission and I figure the evaporator or the pods, or the blower motor will become and issue too. When you add those kinds of things to the "normal" W124 list below, it starts to cause some real pain.
2007 - New exhaust, AC compressor after AC charge and leak test with dye, front brakes and rotors, neutral safety switch, tires
2006 - New Bowden cable, transmission vacuum line, and replace all leaking seals in transmission during drain and flush, new battery - had a shift flair after all this that wasn't there before and nobody had a clue. I finally fixed it myself with vacuum modulator adjustment.
2005 - New water pump, all new hoses, flush cooling system, new serpentine belt, along with brake line flush
2004 - Oxygen sensor, AC expansion valve and AC receiver drier after AC charge and dye test, new hazard switch, tires

shdoug

I LIKE this car, but for the $$$$ I think I could do much better. Honda's are lame, but I've owned a few and there's something about them that I like. The problem is they want so much money for them up front; even an old one.

This thread has been most enlightening, but not uplifting. I have to put 350 miles on it tomorrow, I just hope it survives! If it breaks down in the middle of Nebraska, forget finding parts.

Chappy

Used Lexus?

BTW, a used Lexus isn't necessarily any cheaper to maintain or repair. The 60K service on my wife's RX330 was $700.

Imagine what a used Lexus with 160,000 miles would cost to maintain properly?

ksing44

I think what you wrote is probably true. My wife's Honda cost about half as much as my car when new. Considering that I'm sure there will be repairs in the Honda's future and also considering depreciation, I bet it ends up costing about half as much to have owned the Honda compared to owning my W124. That may just be the price you pay. If you buy a more expensive car, like a Lexus, BMW, or Mercedes, I bet it just costs more to own. I think it is good to keep that in mind when you think about buying and maintaining a car. First consider if you really can afford to own the thing.

I think we may be back to the original question that started this thread. If you are a "poor student", don't buy a car like a w124 that may be quite expensive to maintain. That is unless you are a decent mechanic and enjoy working on the thing as a kind of hobby.

ksing44

I don't think Hondasare lame, but it isn't like driving the W124. You just have to decide if it is worth it to you to drive the W124, or any other more expensive vehicle.

You will probably be fine. These cars are generally known to be able to get you home. It is just that sooner or later you may have to put out some real cash to keep it going.

shdoug

^ Hope I didn't offend you. I shouldn't say Honda's are lame, they are actually very well designed and it's hard to find fault with them. They are just not much fun to drive aggressively. I like the fact that in this car I don't pass others driving the same car- ever.

ksing44

I feel the same way about my car. I think a newer BMW would be really nice and a true pleasure to drive, but there are just so many of them on the roads. I occasionally see another W124, but it usually looks very different than mine. In that regard, the older it gets the better it feels.

shadowgriffen

Honestly, for 45 (ouch) hundred you could have bought a newer one...

Bigpete123

tell me about it man. The thing is this. It was a snowball.

I didn't get all of this maintenance done all at once... at first, I had the mentality that my car will perform properly "if I just do this next repair"...

My mechanic told me the cost for #6 was going to be much lower (in the $3k range) because he was just planning on the head gasket and valve job... When he got everything apart and back together, all of the other things in #6 revealed that they needed replacing as well... which was validated by the fact that another shop who did a quote for all of the necessary repairs listed each of those items... I blew them off because I thought they were full of crap. Turned out that shop was actually right.

So that's how I got stuck with the $4,500... and at that point, my mentality switched from the "if I just do this next repair" thing to "I can't sell it now, I'll take a HUGE loss!".

Plus, I actually really love the car. I love it one moment, hate it the next. But I definitely should've sold it before the head gasket job... then I wouldn't have spent 1/4 of all of that money and could've bought a pretty new one.

You know what they say about hindsight.

EDIT- btw, those repairs aren't listed in order of when I did them.