When is enough enough and its time to junk the Car?....

[Carrameow]

Theoretically most of us could keep any car running for 2 million miles, but there comes a time!!! When is enough enough?
My 85 300D is a still a great car but the miscellaneous sounds, leaks, sagging springs and a few electrical faults, and now a ossible vacuum pump caused oil leak are driving me crazy... the car tracks straight, has great brakes, shocks, and AC and the vacuum system works....but yesterday morning i was up at 4 am working on it before work and when i came home at 6 pm, I was fixing something..yes, my neighbor saw me in the morning and night, which prompted him to laugh....
Anaybody gota good guidline on when to call it a day? I am tired of missing time with my family and daughter....yet, i gotta admit, i wont give up easy.........everytime i see a 300d on the road, it turns my head...

[ISmellDiesel]

Dear Bulletin Friend:

you are the owner of an old car. Vacuum pumps can be rebuilt with a relatively inexpensive kit most of the times. Yes, you will have to repair items from time to time and shop around, it pays and you will find the bargain you need if you display patience and persistence.
When you are done, you will have one of the finest cars everybody, including your neighbor and his car payments, will admire.
F

[bill murrow]

I look at it this way....

A new car is say $20 g's plus-

How much fixin' can ya do for that kinda money....

Do you really want payments/higher insurance...

Will you have a car that rides as nice and is as safe...

Will you get the same satisfaction from driving a new car...


My whole life I have lived in old houses, driven old cars/motorcycles, run old tractors and devoted my lifes work to the preservation of antique furniture. Wanted to give up on all of the above from time to time but then things smooth out and, at my age, I guess I won't change

Cheers,

Bill

[Pete Burton]

boy, have I ever been there, thinking what the ---- am I doing with old crap, etc. And this feeling still comes from time to time. I struggle, but I move on. I tell my family WHY I do it (when I think I understand it myself). I tend to work on things later at night, after the kids have gone to bed. Sometimes I need to give it some time - an extra vehicle is a huge asset to get you over those bumps. But in the end, I don't give up. Now, if the car gets badly smashed, throws a rod, develops serious frame rot or gets the whole interior soaked and moldy, well, it's probably time to get another. It's not only normal to seriously question your sanity from time to time, it's healthy. This allows perspective necessary for course corrections, rather than sailing blindly until it's time to abandon ship

[Brian Carlton]

As Pete said, we have all experienced this feeling at one point or another. Ususally, it happens when we are trying to fix the same thing for the fourth time. I have been making good headway with the SDL, however it has a set of the LOUDEST SEATS that anyone could possibly stand. I cannot get rid of the tick, tick, tick, tick, tttttticcckkkk, and it does drive me crazy at times.

But, I do think of all of my successful repairs of late and I just put it in my mind to attempt to fix these seats one more time.

I also spoke to my mechanic down in North Carolina regarding the very high front end on the 126 and he indicated that it was quite normal. He also stated that one of his customers was so unhappy about this look that the customer had the mechanic remove the front springs and cut off 1/2 of a coil to lower the body by about 1 inch or so. The result was perfect and there were no other issues! So, a conversation like this one has reenergized me to look down the road to doing the exact same mod on the SDL.

However, I do feel that there is a limit. If you get to the point where you continually dread the thought of "working on the M/B" and would really rather be doing something else with your time, then it is time to rethink the situation. You must get satisfaction from repairing the vehicle which compensates for the fact that it will leave you with these questions from time to time.

Give yourself two weeks away from the vehicle. Do other things. If, after this time, you want to get back to fixing it, then everything is fine. If you still feel that it is one big PIA, then you might need to consider an alternative.

[odie]

Why don't you ask the owner of a 65 Stang or 57 T-bird or 56 Vette why he doesn't just get rid of his old junker and buy a new one?

There are a lot of cars twice as old as yours out there still on the road in fine condition. It's all a matter of how well the car was cared for. I'ts better to buy a very nice used car for a little more and take care of it than to buy a fixer-upper and try to bring it back.

Is your car dented and rusted out? Totally trashed and nothing more than a "work" car? Then yeah, maybe get another one that's nicer, not neccessarily newer.

My 1982 Benz is in clean condition. It's no show car but it's ain't a beater either. I'm not going to "restore" it, but I will maintain it for years to come.

Eventually the interior will wear out and the body may develop serious rust or some major repair will be needed. At that point is the cost more than the use of the car is worth? I'll probably look for a newer diesel wagon at that point.

[Pete Burton]

I have been making good headway with the SDL, however it has a set of the LOUDEST SEATS that anyone could possibly stand. I cannot get rid of the tick, tick, tick, tick, tttttticcckkkk, and it does drive me crazy at times.

Brian, you really need to turn up the volume on the radio, or use the sunroof more often. Seriously now, the white noise from the sunroof is a real blessing. You asked me this summer if i had any noise coming from my seats and I said no, I didn't think so. Well, I listened carefully for it, and oh yeah, do I ever. Then I turned the radio back on and all the seats stopped making noise. They sat back and listened to the tunes with me!

[stayalert]

I hear ya on the spending time with the kid(s) Mine are 5 & & and I'm just starting to induce an interest in hand tools (sockets, wrenches, etc) They recently learned to ride bikes W/O training wheels and adjusting the seats up and down a million times has proven an amusing way to help them garner an interest in doing things themselves and with tools...If they're younger, simple woodworking for me proved a fun thing. Build some simple birhouses and have them help with assembling the parts..If they're older? I dunno, I'm not there yet...But damn time passes quickly.

I don't even own a MB but I have an affection for diesels and automobiles so it seems to me like a 300D would be a good fit. I've got an '01 VW TDI. The TDI is fun to drive but rather more sophisticated (read - electrikery/sensors on sensors) than I care to admit...I loath using a computer in my garage. But with the TDI its a neccessity.
Rob M Concord, MA

Balance is a personal thing....

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by Pete Burton

Brian, you really need to turn up the volume on the radio, or use the sunroof more often. Seriously now, the white noise from the sunroof is a real blessing. You asked me this summer if i had any noise coming from my seats and I said no, I didn't think so. Well, I listened carefully for it, and oh yeah, do I ever. Then I turned the radio back on and all the seats stopped making noise. They sat back and listened to the tunes with me!

I have to get the volume up to rock concert levels to avoid hearing the rear seat. It is one GD PIA.

[Hatterasguy]

Two forum members get fed up in the same day! See were also a good support group!

[tomm9298]

We will be imposing a "counseling fee" though.

[bill murrow]

[QUOTE=odie] I'ts better to buy a very nice used car for a little more and take care of it than to buy a fixer-upper and try to bring it back.

Words of wisdom there. I have experience-over and over

This applies to pretty much everything-houses, cars, boats etc. etc.

Cheers,

Bill

I have owned or own 4 MBs: 1966 230sl, 1985 300TD, 1992 300D 2.5 turbo, and 2002 C32 AMG. The new one, the AMG, is an amazing car, my wife loves it. MB has come a long way with improvements with each decade. The new car has voice recognition, hands free phone, navigation, the most amazing window wipers that control themselves, same with the headlights, etc. But when you lift the hood, nothin looks familiar.

Where is the engine? Must be that big thing in the center...is it hot...no not really. Hmmm maybe not. How does that panel come off?

Right now the car is under warrantee, and every time I take it in I get a laundry list of things that they replaced. I bet that car has 300 sensors on it. We are going to sell it. I can't image the maintenance on that car once the warrantee runs out. It will be huge. It's almost like MB is building into their cars an obsolescence, to force new car owner keep being new car owners, and get more and more in debt.

We enjoy our diesels. Yes they aren't the fastest, coolest cars on our block. But I bet they are the smartest. They are easy to work on, easy to trouble shot, and very very reliable. My daughter is too young to help me work on the cars, she would probably choke on a socket or something, but I know she will enjoy learning about then when the time comes.

I make a choice when to work on my diesel and when not to. I had an axel fail two weeks ago on the 85. I could have fixed, but it would have taken me an entire weekend to get it done. The indy I go to could fix it in three hours or 180 dollars. I had him fix it and it was the right choice for my family and my sanity. However I plan to fix the AC evaporator in my car. It's a big project that I am planning in the spring time. But my wife knows about it, and there is a good cost benefit to do it yourself. The labor on this one is 1000.00. And it is long work but not hard work. This is the type of work I enjoy to do on the car.

My wife and I keep track of the money we save. By not have a car payment, high car insurance, using diesels instead of gassers, and we reward ourselves by doing so. We go on vacation often with this savings.

When I spend money say 600 dollars on 1500 car, I don't think of it as money down the drain. I think of it has the cost to get around. My new MB depreciates 6k a year, period, now that is money down the drain. If I spend 600 dollars on the new one, will it stop the depreciation, no. Will I be able to recoup that money when I sell it, no.

Lastly I enjoy my mind set in a diesel MB. I know I'm not going to be able to speed like I can in the new, so I leave early. I take it slowly. I drive conservatively, and not aggressively. I really think my blood pressure is lower in a diesel. I drive safer.

I thought I would share, because my family is moving more to the older cars instead on the newer ones, because we enjoy the lifestyle.

[Carrameow]

and my enthuiasm is back...too bad my OCD (Obssessive Compulsive DIESEL) was focused on Diesel, and not stocks or real estate......born into (small) debt and will leave in (small) debt---How much is 21G in terms of a monthly payment?

[Carrameow]

(!!!Sigh!!) My deisel purge is here............