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Originally Posted by Brian Carlton
This vehicle is a very good example of a machine that had been simply driven for its entire life. No maintenance was ever done to it and no repairs were ever done, other than those repairs that would stop it from moving.
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While I agree with you Brian, stuff like the condenser, water pump, alternator and radiator aren't items that require maintenance as such, so even if the previous owner performed all maintenance as he should have, those items still would have required replacement. Unless not performing your cooling system flushes regularly can deteriorate the water pump, radiator or the condenser.
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Originally Posted by Brian Carlton
...If there was a maintenance history on this vehicle, you could have determined that none of these items were every replaced.
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My 300SD and my Euro 500SEL are sharp contrasts... both cars are of the same age, have the same mileage, but the 300SD's service history shows just about nothing major had been replaced in it. The 500SEL on the other hand, has had so many parts replaced it isn't even funny (it even had a transmission that was slipping in 4th gear and has a headgasket that leaks a little, an indication that it may have been overheated at some point). Of course when you include the parts I have already replaced on my 300SD (master cylinder, alternator, driver's window motor), it then starts to kind of catch up to the 500SEL, though it is still behind it in repairs. So when I look at both of these cars, I really wonder if the general belief is very true. Seeing the service history of the 300SD, I should have anticipated many items would be requiring replacement soon, and seeing the service history of the 500SEL, I should have sort of relaxed, knowing that many items had already been replaced. But my 300SD has already overtaken the 500SEL in mileage and is still behind in repairs. The 500SEL meanwhile, is still demanding even more repairs!! And to think it was the 300SD that was just a city vehicle and never driven on long highway trips!!
I guess all in all, the 300SD was taken care of much better than the 500SEL. The fact that it had the proper M-B coolant when I went to purchase it told me it was going to be a good car.
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Originally Posted by Brian Carlton
In my own situation with the SDL, which I have owned for 10 months, I have not had the level of repairs that you have experienced. I am probably at 40% of your efforts, based upon costs. However, this vehicle has at least 100K fewer miles on the clock and there was some maintenance performed in those miles. It is noted, however, that this SDL had a purchase price nearly three times the cost of the higher mileage vehicle.
In the end, the total invested cost (about $10K) is nearly the same.
But, I will say, that my back is more thankful for the newer vehicle.  |
The initial purchase price on my 300SD was over four times that of the 500SEL. But then it didn't have a small headgasket leak, a slipping transmission and it also didn't look as crappy as the 500SEL did with its torn leather seats and stuff. So far it isn't a money pit and I thank God for that. I guess what you save at the initial purchase, you might end up spending down the line.