ksing44

I went to visit a Honda Accord Coupe. The one I found was Polished Metal Metallic with a black leather interior. It was beautiful!!! There is no comparison to our W124 cars!!! These new cars are absolutely awesome!!! Don’t kid yourself into thinking your car is as nice as these new vehicles!!! It costs half what our cars cost when new and the thing has 18” wheels, air bags everywhere, bluetooth so your cell phone is totally handsfree, it is faster than our car, it goes like crazy in the snow, it has a great stereo that connects to your iPod, it gets 30 mpg, it doesn’t need a tune-up for 100K, the interior just looks and feels at least as nice or nicer than my old car, it has Navi, it has rear camera if you want it, ….

It wasn’t hunkered down like the BMW Coupe, but it costs 50% less, it is just as fast or faster, it has front wheel drive, which might not sound as cool, but it will sure go like crazy in the snow. Did I mention that it costs 50% LESS than the BMW!!! I didn’t even mention the C-Class because it sucks to own a Benz!!!

I’m afraid my old car has seen its day. Honestly, I think the new Honda blows me away!!! I suppose my car really was pretty good, considering it does measure up at least close to a car that is 13 years newer, but when you think that the new Honda is half the price of my car when new, you just have realize that times have changed!!!

I am just trying to make it to 2010 without fixing my piece of sh?*. The new cars are just much nicer than our W124 cars, even if they do cost less to own and operate and even if they do get much better mileage and are faster and much safer. My car is cool except it sucks!!!

tbone55

Maybe...but the w124's look way better than the Honda Accord. You can say what you want but at the end of the day it's still a Honda.

ksing44

That is so nice to hear, because so far wife's 2001 Honda has not ever needed a repair. Thank God it isn't "just" an old broken Benz!!!

I'm also not sure the W124 really does look better than the newer cars. There is something cool about the old beast, but I think I was correct in my title (woops, that was a title in a different post) about not kidding yourself about things!!! The W124 looks good for $3K, if you are a very good mechanic!!!

ohlord

to match the options on an old benz a new honda is 30grand,You could buy 3 2000 E320's with low miles and rotate them daily,still have the solid ride,the class and fun of the benz.
have seen so many people jump ship only to come back!Why leave find a low mile newer model and stick around.
compare apples and oranges and check out what the honda is going to be worth in 13 years,if you are lucky and it has not smoked itself away.

Garfunkle_W124

Or, buy a 1999 E55...

neanderthal

how much for that new car? $25K?
how many years will you drive it? 10? 15?


if you've done a lot of the repairs on your car already, then it would be somewhat foolish to "give in" now and trade it, when you might be past all the stuff that needs replacing. suppose you decide to trade it in. i buy it from you and never have any major repairs for the next five years. then you've just cost yourself whatever it cost you to buy your new car in unneeded expenses but you've paid less for fuel. woo hoo. bully for you.

i paid $3800 for my car four years ago. ive spent $2100 on repair expenses (not maintenance. every car needs oil changes and brakes and so on.) in that same 4 year period. ive spent $6K on my car in four years. that works out to $125 a month including the purchase price.

i wasnt happy when i had to pay $1700 to get the head rebuilt. strut mounts and an exhaust leak was the rest. right now i've got to do engine mounts (repairs), plugs, wires, cap, rotor, tires (maintenance.)

which ever way you crunch the numbers keeping your old car is a better financial proposition until you are spending more than $2000 annually on repairs. you could run the gamut and include fuel and maintenance repairs that you wouldn't have with the new car (calculate annual mileage, annual fuel expense, add in maintenance parts and labour for items not needed for first 100000 miles like plugs and wires and so on) but you still pay more. period. $416 per month over five years assuming no repairs.

and then in 5 years time, when your 5 year old accord has been replaced with a newer, faster, better model, then you are driving "that old car." and possibly yearning for the new one since the current one has lost its "shine" on you.

the benz may be an old car, but ages far more gracefully than 99% of cars out there. she treats me as well as i treat her. she costs little for insurance or repair (usually.) for me, she's a keeper.

ZorroAMG

Looks are COMPLETELY subjective....I laugh when I think anyone would prefer an Accorn over the W124....modded it is one of the sickest looking cars.

Congrats on the decision for a new vehicle Ksing, do NOT be a stranger, come see us all daily!

PS...to hopefully persuade you..





REALLY???

Garfunkle_W124

Mark just PWNED another non-believer

neanderthal

hey, that accord has elements of five series in it.

of course it has more elements of hyundai in it too, but thats another story innit?

watut

At the end of the day it's just another econobox

Benz > Honda
RWD > FWD

myfirstbenz

Have fun driving your appliance(cough) I mean Honda.

cap'n jasper

Front wheels are for steering, rear wheels are for driving, anything else is for shopping!

Seriously Ken, the Honda Accord is an okay car but will you turn to have one last glance at it after you park up and walk away?

The headgasket/timing cover leak is one job, the new wiring harness will sort out loads of problems (maybe even the gearbox flair). A good indy will sort it all out for not much $$.

The Honda will probably never go wrong but what you save in parts you loose in depreciation. I couldn't live with the looks and plasticy trim and switches.

Whatever you choose to do, good luck.

Geh

Honda Accord Vs W124 Mercedes?

You've got to be joking me

I mean Seriously if your going to go to honda atleast change to the model that even comes close to feeling like a benz AKA the Legend

Im amazed your wifes honda has lasted so long too btw lmao

I Had a 1991 Honda Legend, Serviced Religiously through the Honda Dealerships I loved Setting Foot into that car until things started to break and for the price you'd expect better so id hate to think what would happen to the accord

Just a few things that broke, Things with Prices are the parts i had fixed

Both Rear Window Motors and Regulators $1600
Cd Stacker $360
Front Engine mounts $965
Diff $2300
Head Gasket
Ariel Motor $540
Sunroof Leaked

I must Admit i loved the car and i Loved the service at the honda dealerships but in the end the car was just a bodged Jap Luxury Sedan

206,000k's on the Speedo
these cost around the same amount of the w124's When they were released and were supposed to be the jap Equivalent to the Merc and Beamer

The honda legends now would be $4000 under what the w124s are still worth over here and that is the top range Honda!

I Mean You can Drive a Car or you Can drive a Benz, And I love my Benz to death, im sorry to here that your not satisfied with your Merc but ANY car is going to cost you money, So just think about it

ksing44

Neanderthal made some good points about the economics of keeping the car I know, but I am just getting a little concerned that my car may let me down with my family in the car and I seem to have accumulated quite a number of rather large expansive repairs at the 100K mile mark. Sometimes I think about doing one or two of the jobs, like the wring harness and head gasket, but then I think about the transmission and the AC and the deteriorating leather and I think why waste my money.

Cap’n jasper is right about how I still turn to get just one last glance at my beautiful W124 after I park and walk away. I really have had a love affair with my car for the past 10 years and I doubt I would feel that way about an Accord. I think I might feel that way about the 2007 BMW coupe, but the price makes me cringe. It isn’t that I can’t afford it I just don’t want to afford it.

ZorroAMG’s car is beautiful and unique, so I do get what he is saying. My car is beautiful and unique too, but I still think it would be kidding myself to think my car is really nicer than many of the newer cars, even an appliance like the Accord. Especially when I sat in the car, the interior seemed very nice. I did not get that bad plastic feeling at all in the coupe with leather. My wife’s 2001 Accord sedan is a bit too plasticy, but the newer ones seem better. I first noticed the improvement in the interiors when I was in a friend’s newer sedan when she gave me a ride while my car was in the shop.

I do go back and forth in my own head on this. There is something appealing to me about driving my old car. I have just always admired older well cared for automobiles. Sometimes though I see old cars and think they may be nice for nostalgic Sunday drives, but they certainly are not good for daily commuting or family vacations. Then when I think about having a car for Sunday drives, I think I would rather have a Porsche 911. The great thing about my W124 was that it did so many things well and did it all in an elegant package. I just think the reality is that now it really doesn’t compare to many of the newer cars. Especially in the Hondas, you seem to get a lot for your money. It is just hard to argue with the quality and reliability of my wife’s car. It is a little plasticy and it isn’t sexy and elegant like my car, but it really is darn nice anyway. It has just been a great value and my car really did cost at least 2x as much to own, which will be much more than 2x if I pay to fix all of the things that are wrong.

I am grateful to everyone for their advice and encouragement. I may make it to 2010, so I will likely be around for a while. I am sure I will need mechanical advice to grind through the next years, so hopefully everyone will be around to help me through. I am going to wash and wax my car today. It is going to be a beautiful fall day in southeast Pennsylvania, so it will be a nice day to ride around in my clean car.

I should have also said that although I looked at the Accord coupe and I love the 2007 BMW coupe, I am really trying to make it in my car until the VW diesel Rabbits show up in the US again. I like the idea of 50 mpg and I like the idea of burning WVO, so hopefully I will like the diesels when they arrive. I wish they would make a GTI diesel. I would like all the handling stuff and the nicer interior, but with a slower economical diesel motor.

carlson03

but you have to remember this, and its one reason why I have been so happy with Mercedes...there isn't anything else like German engineering. My brother 92 300SE does so many cool things that no other cars can still do, let alone it being that old. Sure the new Accords don't look that bad, but I don't think that you can compare it to a Mercedes.

shdoug

Have you seen the NEW 2008 COUPE? It does NOT look like a Honda. It's a very sexy car. Honda has finally stepped up their game. But what am I saying? This is a Benz site...

shdoug

But what bank will finance them, and at what interest rate? Can I get a warranty with them? Do you suppose the indie will give me a loaner when the spring perches rot out?

Just to keep a little balance going, this is a fun topic!

shdoug

You've got the sedan there shown, check out the Coupe...Now that's sick, for a new car!
I don't think anyone will deny that your car is one of the best looking W124s around, but how much money/time did it take to get it there? Probably a lot more than a new Accord. Working a job 8+ hours a day, it would take some people 20 years or more to achieve what you have with your car.

shdoug

It snows where I live. Last winter it was a bit embarrassing to have to hook up a tow cable to my W124 just to pull it into my subdivision with the X3. In the Midwest,

FWD > RWD

...unless you work from home and can afford to stay there for 24-48 hours after a blizzard.

ohlord

you should not need bank finance,pay cash.Spring perches,inspect and buy the right one and you have no worries about spring perches.Warranty same thing,inspect properly,buy the right car and you will need nothing more than regular upkeep which is true of any car.
I like the line above about the honda,at the end of the day are you going to turn around an even look at it.
We men are shallow creatures,and I admit the benz brings my heart joy at the fine lines and fun driving.Honda NOT

besides how could I stick my MGB or MG midget in the back of a honda?

shdoug

^ Who has $10,000 sitting around in a Mason jar? If I received that amount of money in a windfall it would be invested, not readily accessible. If I were wealthy enough to not have to invest my money I sure wouldn't be driving an old E-Class. Maybe a Lotus?

With interest rates at all-time lows and our economy on the edge of a depression (recession, same thing) I don't think it makes sense to pay cash for anything but a cappuccino or a Coke.

Besides, I'm married. Hence, no cash!

JDW124

To the OP, I know what you mean. Pretty much the same thing happened with my W124. Got a new '08 Mustang and I even look forward to waking up in the morning to go to work just to drive it. All in all the W124 IS a nice car and modded or kept up it CAN be a beautiful car. But it's not for everyone, just cause it's an "amazing most reliable car on the planet" means I HAVE to own one and drive it? And to whoever says "well get a newer one with less miles" what if I don't want a MB?

I remember getting my 300e, I was so happy and loved driving it around anywhere aswell, but times have changed and I can't afford "pop-up" repairs anymore. Hey, I'll probably get tired of the Mustang in a few years too, who knows?

Anyways, just get what YOU like and what YOU want, whatever YOU will feel comfortable driving and fits to YOUR tastes. The new Accord is a nice car, very well redesigned for the 08 year. Beautiful indeed and it would be nice to have that bluetooth feature :P. Anyways hope you get it soon and have fun! :P

ZorroAMG

To each their own but last year I rented a new mustang and it, well, lacked. Period. I won't drive domestic anymore.....

Holson

I have not seen/driven the new Accord Coupe yet but I guess I'll check it out. I'm pretty set on the new BMW 3-series coupe - probably either the 335i or M3 - as my next car.

I still love the W124's charm and I'd love to have an E500/500E someday but not now, maybe when $30,000 can be spent easily on a toy

Cheers,

myfirstbenz

My buddy's mom got a new Stang GT when they came out the other year, and he was so excited, but damn is that thing cheap feeling. Domestics are lame.

A friend of mine has a new silverado, nice truck, the dash has very euro design cues a-la audi/benz. But with only 10k miles, the B-pillar plastic is already falling apart, and the door panels are very cheap feeling. Jesus, why can't they wake up and design a car worth a damn.