imagineaudio

Im going to weigh in here. I'm new to mercedes and picked up a 90 300e a couple of weeks ago real cheap. In the last 6 years I have had:

93 Toyota Celica... Blew the engine @ 140,000 mi. ($2500 to replace motor) Replaced radiator, oil pump, water pump, and clutch. none of those repairs, aside from the radiator, where cheap.
95 Honda Del Sol... Bought w/ 100,000 mi sold w/ 125,000 (for more than I paid for it) Had to do the timing belt @ $500 and replaced the radiator for $100.

This is where it gets interesting. In the last 12 months I've bought 3 cars, all around the same mileage, an 89 Accord w/ 220,000 miles, a 93 Isuzu Rodeo w/ 194,000 miles, and the 90 300e with around 180,000 miles.

The Accord burned through 2-3 quarts of oil every few days. It was leaking from everywhere. The breaks barley worked and the whole car felt like it was going to just come apart. Hoses bursted at will and belts broke like crazy. When It was started in the morning it would let loose a cloud of smoke so thick you couldn't even attempt to back out until it cleared.

The Rodeo runs pretty good, except you can't downshift w/ out grinding the transmission, and the clutch is going out. The guy I bought it from had all the records from 100,000 miles through 165,000 miles. Almost $6000 worth of repairs, over half of that in the last 30,000 miles. I have receipts for 3 clutch jobs, suspension, power steering gear and pump, fuel pump, and a bunch of other ****.

Now the benz... haven't had it long enough, but I can tell you compared to the other 2 cars i've had this year w/ similar mileage, it just feels worlds different. Burns no oil, leaks no coolant, most everything works and feels solid. Good oil pressure, doesn't over heat. And I know for a fact that it has never needed a repair that kept it off the road. It certainly hasn't seen the inside of a repair shop in years...

Wolf190

Good story imagineaudio. I can't stress enough the quality of mercedes exceeds that of *****ty japanese cars. As for the people who will probably follow up with stories of their mercedes going bad, sometimes you just get unlucky - like me getting a $124 ticket last night for 10 day old tabs, but are you going to blame that on the car too? Maybe if my car wasn't so nice I wouldn't get pulled over huh?

ZorroAMG

Pay to play, people.

Want to lead in style and technology? Buy an MB.

Want to follow with bland facsimiles and slightly more reliability? Buy a Lexus. Be prepared to yawn everytime you look at your grandpa mobile.

END OF STORY

Chappy

I paid $72,000 including gas guzzler and sales tax for my CLK55. There, I'm bragging. Oh, and it's paid for.

Braggadizzi Benzaholic signing off....

shdoug

Well said. My car is as boring as can be. I keep looking for the Black and Decker logo on it somewhere. Or Hamilton Beach. But I love that it's under warranty and will need nothing major out of pocket for a long, long time. If I keep it that long. It's hard to get excited about a used Lexus, but even a crappy Benz has personality. Even if it barely runs. Why is that?

myfirstbenz

Now that is different. That thing is a beast and on an entirely different level. When I said that people are bragging about how much they spend, I was making reference to people who talk about thousands spent on a car and that it still doesn't work. That is being taken advantage of, not serviced. You spend money wisely on your cars, I know this.

childofjuly

heres how i see it really.. regardless what you're driving.. a MBZ, lexus/toyota, barbie hotwheels, or some nikes.. as long as you think/feel you have got out what you've put in.. thats whats important.. and some of us just expect more than others so everyones opion is just essentially their own.. some of us want our cars to last 500,000 miles but some just care about getting seen in a tri star car, and not worry about how much the up keep is.. and for eveyone here saying that Jap or lexus are just stealing other car company's ideas and improve them is a freaking tard! If thats the case why dont mercedes take back what lexus has "took" from them to imporve and perfect it? it just dont make sense! and everyone needs to realize that no car is a safe car! you are only as safe as the person driving! remember princess Dianna's w140! anyways, I think lexus makes a good car, but nothing can replace my benz!

Chappy

I misread your earlier post. My apologies, kombi-brother.

Adi_V

okay.. you drive an 89 model rust bucket.. your not complaining because you can pick up spare parts at any wrecker.. try owning a 2004model and have just about everything go wrong and at $1500 per part..

i think you just need to shut the **** up and smell your own sh*t.

bjay51d

I just copied and pasted your ad those are your words.You should clear that up on craigslist...good luck on the sale

bjay51d

chappy you went through 27k in tires , oil ,brake pads

Federic0W124

Germancar1

Now this is a funny thread. People with Mercedes' from 2 generations ago complaing and saying they're going to get a new Lexus. Gee let me compare a 15-20 year old car to a brand new one. For those with their heads in the sand Mercedes' quality is on the upswing, this accordnig to those very same sources that said it was terrible just a few years ago. A 1994 anything is going to have some issues, thing is Japanese car lovers cloak it under "maintenance" not "problems". A similar year Lexus LS400 wouldn't be cheap to maintain either. Wanna try replacing the A/C until or gauge cluster in one of those. Of course a brand new Lexus is going to be a "better" car than a 15 year old Benz.

M

Geh

Rofl!!!!!!

Rust Bucket? My Car has NO Rust What so Ever, Maybe the cars your used to driving Probably

Ahh I dont need to go to the wreckers cause my RUST BUCKET is fairing much better then your 2004 Newbie IF I ever need parts which i havent needed to as yet, ill be Buying Parts Directly From Mercedes-Benz of Melbourne, My Dads Friends With the Service Manager Cris Jonsen Give him a Call if you want

If you Wanna come Round and Look For Some Non-Genuine or second hand Parts on my Car Feel free Only Parts You'll find that Are Not Genuine is The Sound-System and The Radiator

And the Radiator, Wiring Harness and a Few Bulbs here and there are the only Things that have cost Extra then normal Car Maintenance

To bad your *****ing About a 2004 Model car that has not even a Quarter of Mercedes-benz TRUE QUALITY Which unfortunately you missed out on....10 Years to late man

Btw $1500 is Probably the Total Cost for all the out of pocket problems I've had with my car, an 89' Model rust bucket...Yet doing so well....go have a cry about buying a Mercedes-benz and not knowing the Consequences of the Model You Buy......Seriously dude if you saved all your money just to buy a Benz, not the smartest idea if you can afford to keep it with the repair bill, even parts worth $1500 stop complaining that there expensive buy a ****ing toyota dont cry to us your not the only one who has to Deal with expensive parts, Even Wrecker parts dont last longer and still tend to end up in the long run, if you cant afford the bills go another brand of car simple

Now this is the W124 Forum, go back to the W203 forum where you belong and keep your trash there with you

Chappy

Are you being silly?

For the record, I accepted a cash deposit on the car Saturday.

shdoug

And a 15 year old Lexus is going to cost less to maintain and repair than a 15 year old W124. This is what is being proposed. Apples to Apples. How many people do you see complaining about all the unexpected repairs on their Lexus? Of course, there are a few that were owned by people who did not take care of them, but the norm is that everything works, and very minimal repairs were ever required. Back on point.

Chappy- I think what BJay is asking is how you could have spent $27,000 in general maintenance. That's a lot of tires and oil. That's great that you have an offer.

Chappy

How difficult is this to understand?

I drove on average 12,500 miles per year.

I had (on average) 30 oil changes. - Average of $60 ea. and that's $1800
I had (on average) 5 15K services and 5 30K services - Average $400 on the 15K and $550 on the 30K and that's $4750
The radiator was flushed an average of 7 times - $1000
The brakes were replaced an average of 5 times (3 front/2rear) - $2000
I put 6 sets of tires on the car - $3500+
I replaced the entire suspension with OE sportline parts - $1500
I had the entire stereo system re-wired and installed a Clarion proaudio with CD changer and MB Quart speakers - $1100
OE Sportline alloy wheels - $1000

....so far, we're at $16,650. We'll call that routine maintenance and just a few upgrades.

Now, there were "repairs". Water pump, air injection pump (x2), ignition coils, batteries (3 or 4 I forget), headlights burn out, wiper inserts - replaced every 6 months, window switches (3 or 4), driver's window lift, driver's side mirror cover, floor mats, dash lights, air conditioner recharged 2 or 3 times, diff fluid changes, new front wheel bearings, 2 or 3 flex discs, ingition tumbler, radiator replaced, alternator brushes, driver's side lock replaced, battery tray fixed, wiring for spark plugs, exhaust hangers, glovebox light and lock fixed, fuel pressure regulator, lots and lots of hoses, belts, headgaskets, fuses, power antenna mast, rearview mirror replaced (the glue was seeping and I thought it unsightly), headlight doors replaced, hood star replaced, alarm computer, engine sensors, yada yada....this is the list off the top of my head.

Add it up....it's really not hard to see where the money was spent over a 12 year period.

shdoug

Thanks! That answers the question. Very difficult to understand before that info.

Chappy

Food for thought: A $400/month car payment would total $57,600 over the same 12 year period.

shdoug

I tried that logic, but after my evap sprung a leak and the transmission started acting up, I realized that my monthly payment was about to go up- way up- and I would still have an old, unreliable car (in my opinion) in need of still more work. Besides, if I paid $400/month for just 5 years on something else, I could have a newer, low mileage car that would last the next 5-10 years with minimal repairs.

Keep in mind I was paying $140/month already for my car. My budget was $200. I planned to spend about $500-$700 per year in maintenance and repairs. I though that was being liberal, but I soon realized that wasn't going to cover it. My family has owned Hondas and Fords for decades and it was rare that they would ever spend more than $300-$400 a year in repairs. And that was on an old Ford. The Hondas were more like $100 per year in repairs in a bad year.

I added up all the repairs my dad did on an '86 Accord in 200,000 miles. It was about $2,500 total. That is everything except tires and batteries. It includes clutch, water pump/t-belt, A/C switch, Radiator, Fuel pump, AC condenser, Brakes and belts. That was his "Lemon".

The car was totalled at 250,000 miles and still had the original suspension including shocks and struts in perfect condition, starter, alternator, engine block and head untouched, transmission untouched except the clutch, never a blown fuse or bad window regulator, door panels never removed, and heater never touched. This is my concept of a car with average reliability. If Honda could do it in 1986, why can't MB in 1995? Germans are smarter than the Japanese, right? The W124 is engineered better, right? I guess I'm destined to have a car under warranty. I'm too old to be crawling around under cars.

Zorro is right; you've got to pay to play.

Wolf190

[QUOTE=shdoug;2585150]And a 15 year old Lexus is going to cost less to maintain and repair than a 15 year old W124. This is what is being proposed. Apples to Apples. How many people do you see complaining about all the unexpected repairs on their Lexus? Of course, there are a few that were owned by people who did not take care of them, but the norm is that everything works, and very minimal repairs were ever required. Back on point. QUOTE]

Apples to Apples? More like apples to prunes(lexus). But in case you didn't notice this is a mercedes forum so.... of course their is nobody complaining about their *****ty wanna-be cars. But if you want to hear about it my moms 2003 honda's paint is chipping off like crazy! My 18 yr old 190e has little or no chipping on the ORIGINAL paint(130,000 miles). The only problems I've had with my car are a burnt out head light, squeaky belt, and the auxilary fans don't work any more. All of which can be easily fixed by yourself if you have half a brain and a toolbox. Parts? $26 belt $5 headlight bulb and a pair of switches to hotwire the fan control into the car.

danholm

I find it interesting that most are talking about cost and reliability here. Heck there are a lot of cars out there that are cheaper and more reliable. Do I want to drive one. Hell no! Let's talk about the quality of the ride, the materials, safety, looks, etc. No one ever said MB's were cheap to own. Chappy got a nice ride for 12 years and he kept the car in top condition. Ecologicaly speaking, keeping a car up rather than trading every couple years is better for the environment as well. Less junk going to the scrap yards.

Besides I find old Lexi to be not very attractive. Maybe it's just me, sorry.

carlson03

sorry guys....I drove my Toyota suv back to college because I hold my breath every time I go to start my 260E

danholm

Sorry, off topic, but I noticed on your signature that your X3 sunroof rattles. So does mine. The dealer can't seem to hear it. PM me if you wish to discuss.

D

Germancar1

The difference is that people tend to call those "repairs" regular "maintenance" on a 15 year old Lexus. I've seen a dozen times. A $1200 gauge cluster pooping out is called anything other than something gone wrong, when it reality any car 15 years old is going to have issues. On average yes a Lexus will have less issues, but to make it out to be a cake walk is just false, because it isn't. I'd rather drive an older Benz for what it is than a glorified Toyota. Anyway the initial rants didn't read like that, comparing a new RX to a 15 year old Benz. I still don't see the point of complaining about a older Benz and saying I'm getting a new Lexus, when if anyone bothered to research a little, they'd see that newer Benz's quality is turning back around.


M