zach1328

Yesterday I dropped of the 300E for an oil change, tire rotation, and alignment...and, well basically I got a call today.
They can't re-align it because the axles and all this other stuff is rusted out, total cost to fix it is slightly over $1500.

My Dad gave me several options, and i don't know what to do:

1) He'll pay the $1500 to get it fixed up, but recently the transmission has been slipping some going into the gears, so im worried it may have a tranny problem too. Basically I don't want him to pay $1500 now and 2 months down the road the tranny goes. Cause that would be like $4000 in repairs for a car thats worth like $3500, if that.

2) I can have his 2005 Lariat Triton 5.4l and he'll get a new car. I hate his truck, its aweful to drive, so ive kind of already ruled out this option.

3) He will buy me a new car. The only reasonably priced cars I want are a 2005 M3 and a 500e. Problem is, if i want a 500e, it would make more sense to save the money and just get the 300e fixed.
And the problem with the M3 is, i think i would have a really hard time moving a way from my W124.

So, guys, what do i do? I called the shop and they're going to check the tranny to see if everything checks out.
If the transmission is fine then I'll probably just get it fixed, is this the right decision? I LOVE my W124, but its old and costly to maintain.

Basically, what it comes down to is I either get it fixed or i get an m3, or maybe another car i like. I would no doubt take a 500e, but i think the point of me getting a new car would be to get one that will be slightly cheaper to maintain.

Help PLEASE!!

Much Appreciated,
Zach

WDB124066

Sell and get a mint W124 - easy!

RHW

Tis better to have loved and lost a 124 than to have married one and spent your next 3 years of disposable income on it.

Take the Triton. Don't look back. Dad will want you outta the Triton sooner or later, and then you'll be in better position to beg your kid-butt into a better ride.

zach1328

Haha if I take his lariat triton, hes getting a 2011 camaro ss Hennessey HPE700, like 650 RWHP i don't think he'll be begging for his truck back.

I just decided to get it fixed because the shop called back and said the reason the tranny was slipping was because its over 1 quart low on transmission fluid.
Not my fault, the shop is supposed to check and change that on their own....

I love my car and I just did a quick check and there isn't anything I like more than my car for a reasonable price. Ill just drive the 300e into the ground, then one day upgrade to a 500e.

I'm excited to pick it up on tuesday though, they're re-doing a decent amount of the front end so no doubt it should handle and steer better. Also the tranny will be back into great running conditions.

RBYCC

Obvious that you don't grasp the concept that the responsibility of checking such basic things as vital fluid levels is yours and yours alone....

If it's a quart low then you're solely to blame for not regularly checking...

zach1328

Well I asked the shop to check it like 2 months ago because the tranny was slipping, and they told me it wasn't due for a fluid change until 130k miles.
I was at 114K at the time, so they said its definately not the tranny fluid and theres not really a point in checking it.

Anyways, I'm really excited to get it back from the shop, can't wait.
I hope it was the right decision.....!

I turned down a 2004 BMW M3 just to keep this 300e running.
My friends think im an idiot for doing so, but i love my car so there is no clear reason to get an M3. I just didn't want to get an M3 and look back on my decision and wish i kept the 300e.

bsmuwk

I'm just going to refrain from making a fool of myself.

zach1328

Dude I'm 16 years old i don't think im ready to be in the drivers seat of a car that does 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. The 6 spd manual would be pretty fun though, and the like 8,000+ redline but whatever.

I'd rather not risk it, i know i love my 300e, but i don't know if i would love an m3.
Anyways, I think I can go without that cheap plasticky BMW interior.
And without those BMW seats from 2004 that are in worse condition than my 1993 300e's seats.

I'll just wait till one day I can upgrade to my 500e and swap in a 6 speed manual tranny.

Chappy

Option 3.

Have pops buy you a 500E.

RBYCC

Thank God for young kids like Zach...

His inability to do what every car owner should do to monitor and maintain a vehicle surely benefits owners who care for their 124's.

The 124 was a high production vehicle, but the "Zach's" of the world are performing a great service of "culling the herd" by allowing their cars to turn into junk....

Imagine going to your mechanic and him not taking notice of enough major rust in the suspension to preclude an alignment...

It appears like Zach's mechanic takes him as serious as I do...

"Go away boy, you bother me..."

bsmuwk

I'm 18 - Problem?


I was more or less referring to how you're being spoon fed.

Get yourself reading about everything you can about these cars and learn to do some maintenance yourself. Checking the transmission fluid is a 5 minute affair; checking your oil, checking your tire pressure are ALL COMMON SENSE PRACTICES. Relying on good old dad's wallet isn't going to get you anywhere.

Now I know why my father makes me work and work for most of the things I have. See my car? That's all ME buddy. 5 speed swap and all. Try to ween yourself from pop's wallet and make an effort to be more maintenance conscience. You'll figure things out in time.

We're all just trying to help you dude.

That is all. Rant over.

bsmuwk

Speedriven1

Do not do this. That car is pretty solid, but you would be a FOOL to not grab a modern, reliable, cheap to repair truck on your way to college. You'll be able to move apartments, help girls get dressers (or whatever), and camp out in the bed ... plus: girls. They call it a "pick up bed" for a reason.

Put the sport sedan stuff away until you're older - that only gets dudes anyway.

Not that there's anything wrong with that ...

zach1328

I'm not taking a car to college anyways so it won't matter what I have.

I don't rely on my Dad's wallet, the other day i needed a new tire and it was my fault it was worn down, so i paid for it.
When i got home with the new tire, my Dad told me that next time i NEED something for the car to tell him so he can pay for it.
And he forced me to take my $170 back.

I'm his kid, when you have kids you should know they arn't cheap. When they had me they knew they were financially responsible for me until im 18.
It all depends on what your family believes.
Don't have kids and expect them to grow up and have to do everything on their own.

I get good grades, i play sports, i drive my younger brothers places etc. I don't have time to get a job.
My parents pay for necessities for me, most of the things i WANT, I pay for with my own money.

I need a car, it makes my parents lives easier.
My mom doesn't have to drive me to school at 7 in the morning, she doesn't have to pick me up. She doesn't have to drive my brothers to their sports games/practices etc.

A lot of people on here don't understand, they assume I have my car for my own good. I really don't, I use it to help my parents with all sorts of things.

I really don't get some of the people on here....

The thing that bothers me is, when i make a thread on here, everyone worries about how i'm given everything. This isn't a Damn parenting forum, its a car forums.

zach1328

"turing into junk", good joke because it happens to run GREAT. A few repairs here and there, big deal.
The only reason its $1500 is because im sure half of that is for Labor.

It can't turn into junk when all of the old parts are being replaced with newer parts. The more problems my car has, the better it will end up running because they will continue to be repaired.

You may think I am the idiot.
But most people that are smart would think otherwise.
Is it really practical to put $6000+ turbos on a car worth no more than $5000? You never put more money into a car than it is worth; perhaps a lesson you need to learn. Please put some thought into that one before you reply back, because most people would be on my side.

That would be like taking a $500,000 house and then putting $600,000 back into it, not smart.

Shoomakan

Zach, you're wrong. If you have enough money to put into ANYTHING to let you enjoy it more, that's always a great thing. I've dumped close to 2 grand on my W124, and am currently in the process of dumping another 4 into it.

Ed has dumped alot more than 5,000$ on his car, but he's going to end up with something he LOVES. Something he's wanted to do for a long time. Don't you have something like that? It's his Eleanor; you're obviously not as much a car person as the rest of us here.

And please stop acting like you're smarter than anyone. Most of us are older than you are, and remember what it's like being 16.

I don't think it's your fault about the transmission oil. You asked someone who was supposedly in charge of the issue and much more knowledgeable about it than you are who said it was fine. Apparently it wasn't. It would have been nice if you double checked and took care of it, but it really isn't your fault. Not all people enjoy getting down and dirty with the car, no matter how much they love them.

You're obviously not a speed demon for turning down an M3, which is a good thing at your age. I think you should either take the truck or fix your car. And try to get more involved with it.

RBYCC

Correct about that....young, immature know it all type..

Doubtful....this forum indulges your immature babbling...
Note that you got shut down trying to post the same corrugated BS on a forum with some very smart people on it.

Kid...You , your father, and your grandfather can't teach me a thing.
I've been buying, selling collecting and restoring cars for over forty years.
I have no problem paying six figures cash for a car that I want..

The car that you are referencing is my 300CE which I purchased new in May of 1988 for $53K.
I've installed a period TT kit in 2007 and currently doing a widebody replica/tribute build.
I have much more then $6K in turbos invested...more money then you can imagine..
Why?..Because I can easily afford it and the finished product is a true replica of one of the rarest AMG builds.
What will it be worth when finished..let's try mid five figures as I have standing offers if I want to sell the car upon completion.
Go to a collectrors auction and see how the hammer falls on replica muscle cars and repro rods.
True AMG afficionados and collectors see the value in a build...because they can afford to own.

Au Contraire...depends what the comps are in the neighborhood that you purchase the $500K house in...
Obviously you know less about real estate then you do about cars...

I'm of the era when children as you should be "seen and not heard"
There is validity and logic in that old saw as if you are seen, then you are able to "listen and learn"
This is a skill that you fail to accept let alone master..
Probably your parents fault for considering you a wunder kind instead of teaching you something as basic as checking fluids in your car !!!

You're a young immature kid who through the grace of Google tries to gain knowledge.
But knowledge is wasted if you can't apply it.
Anything else is a kin to working yourself up in a frenzy of mental masturbation to the point that you believe you truly know something !!!

Shoomakan

Come on Ed, take it easy on the guy. Your knowledge and experience is immensely respected and well known to me and many others.

It's not his fault that he wasn't taught, and not all people are as interested. My dad is an ex-rally driver, he encouraged me alot. You come from an age where it was mostly DIY. Todays cars always encourage us to take it to the dealership and trust in their judgement, whether or not it is correct.

Anyways, just my opinion. Good luck to you man, whatever you end up doing.

ksing44

I have to admit I do everything for my son too. I hope he learns something away at college. He leaves home in August.

Shoomakan

They grow so fast, don't they?

I'm only 23, to be honest. My uncle owns a car restoration center where I worked for summers and my dad always pushed me to cars at a young age. We'd be driving along and he'd quiz me on cars on the road, engines, significance, etc...

I can kick his *** now... But man, the things he'd do to his 2002 Turbo...

zach1328

RBYCC, Im sure I can imagine the kind of money you are talking about.
Some kid at my school drives a brand new Sl63 amg, fully loaded..whats the MSRP on that? Over $160,000?
Another kid drives his Dad's murciealago at times.

I don't have anything against you, but for some reason you decided to go off and rant about how im given everything when I'm really not. I live in a neighborhood where its normal to be given a car when you turn 16. I wish you could see my school parking lot; there are atleast 10 brand new BMW's, over 10 Brand new mercedes (Sl63 amg, 2 c63 amg's, cls amg, and plenty of c300's and 350's), range rovers, brand new camaro ss' etc.

I assure you, around here most people probably laugh when a kid rolls up to school in a $3500 car. But I still love it and do my best to take care of it. If you don't respect that, then I'm sorry.
My friends gave me so much Sh** for not taking a BMW m3, but that doesn't matter to me. I still love my car regardless of what everyone else says.

I wake up every morning, hop in my car and drive to school. I usually sit in the car in the parking lot for 10 minutes before school. I look around and feel sorry for the kids that are driving their brand new BMW's and Mercedes. Why? Because I know most of them probably don't love their cars as much as I love mine.

Pay $20,000 and get a new car (probably m3) that i might not like, or pay $1500 to keep the car that I KNOW I love.
RBYCC: This (^) is why I decided to "keep my car running and let it turn into junk." Just as you said, if you've got the money, why not?

WDB124066

Love to see a picture of that lot! Got a camera on your phone by any chance.....

Shoomakan

Zach, tell me about it. When I was going to university, I saw all kinds of crazy cars being driven by fresh outta school graduates. 18 year olds in new GTR's and Porsches and BMWs drove me nuts.

I was driving a 73 Beetle at the time. You can imagine my chagrin. :P

Oh, and my university was so cool we even had valet parking.

bsmuwk

i do believe we've had our quarrels here, but i love you for this.

RBYCC

Thank you young man....

Difference of opinions are beneficial, even informative...providing that the views of both sides are based on some semblance of reality...

Ed A.