Thinking about selling off my diesels - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

braverichard · #31 12-01-2005, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

I got a Carfax just now on the 124 and I'm probably not going to sleep tonight. The PO was a dishonest @#$@ SOB. I got screwed. The report showed it had over 195K on it back in 2001 and it was sold to me last August showing just under 150K. No wonder it has the problems it does. I would guess it has at least 250K now. I'm going to go after the SOB who sold me the car!

You were screwed indeed, but I don't think it'd be worth the efforts to go after the PO at this point. You may or may not gain from it, so it is best to count your losses and just move on. Simple and straight forward.

Hatterasguy · #32 12-01-2005, 11:56 AM

This is a very good thread, with some excellent points.

Rich I hear you, I am in the process of getting $4k together to cherry out the body on my SDL. The thought has crossed my mind to sell it, add the $4k to the selling price and get a W140/W210. But I like the car to much and really don't feel like sorting another MB out at this time. In 3-4 years I will most likely get something much newer, I just don't want to sell the SDL.

I figured out that I could have bought a stripped yet new Camry by the time the SDL is up to the condition I want it in. I could have driven said Camry for 10 years almost never poping the hood and still get $5k for it. But what would be the fun in that? Thats what these cars are about enjoyment, and if you don't enjoy them anymore its time to move on. Life is to short to feel like you are wasting your weekends.

michakaveli · #33 12-01-2005, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

This is a very good thread, with some excellent points.

Rich I hear you, I am in the process of getting $4k together to cherry out the body on my SDL. The thought has crossed my mind to sell it, add the $4k to the selling price and get a W140/W210. But I like the car to much and really don't feel like sorting another MB out at this time. In 3-4 years I will most likely get something much newer, I just don't want to sell the SDL.

I figured out that I could have bought a stripped yet new Camry by the time the SDL is up to the condition I want it in. I could have driven said Camry for 10 years almost never poping the hood and still get $5k for it. But what would be the fun in that? Thats what these cars are about enjoyment, and if you don't enjoy them anymore its time to move on. Life is to short to feel like you are wasting your weekends.

Amen

Angel · #34 12-01-2005, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

I'd let you or anyone else have the '87 but I'm sure my wife wouldn't like that idea.

So how much do you want for the '87 ?
=) =) =)

-John

lietuviai · #35 12-01-2005, 09:25 PM

I talked to someone I know at a lawyers office and he gave me some ideas.

#36 12-01-2005, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

I talked to someone I know at a lawyers office and he gave me some ideas.

What is happening with your 87? Like what are the problems?

Just curious...and it gives you a chance to vent a little

I am reading down this list and seeing all this money people have put into "replacing" parts and it sorta rubs me the wrong way to see lists containing "replace transmission", etc. and it makes me wonder.

I realize eveyone has their limits on what they can do on their cars with given space, time, and tools but personally when something breaks I fix it. I have put 30k on my 300SD, had it for a year, and have spent under 1k including the price of the car and it has no rust, good paint, and is a very reliable ride.

The trick? I do ALL the work myself and would rather spend time fixing something broken than just flat out replacing it. I know a lot of people don't have the time but if weekends are getting ate up too much and you have no free time, then yes its probably time to get easier cars.
I guess it just gets old seeing people love working on their cars but draw the line so short and then complain about it. If the line is going to be drawn so short, just get different cars and do the oil changes yourself and wait for the 2002 throaway car to be trash in 3 years. It is sad not having the car that you like to drive but if you cannot afford the money or time to maintain it, then I guess its not gonna work.

I don't think you should have to work on your cars to the degree that you are and it is VERY unfortuante that the previous owners screwed you on the deal. I think if they had not you would be with a better car (or no breaking hooptie) and probably not so stressed.

My thoughts...perhaps sell one and see where that takes you.

Remember...the little more you spend on a fuel bill for a diesel car compared to a monthly car payment PLUS fuel must be considered. Many people forget this...

I might be interested in your 87 since I am so close but thats topic for another conversation

Keep us updated...

P.S. You should just drive your caddy

PagodaLover · #37 12-01-2005, 10:45 PM

Yeah, sell the one that's getting under your skin the most, and work with another one. You might regret selling off all of the clatta-clatta!

lietuviai · #38 12-01-2005, 11:16 PM

Well the 87 will be tied up until the legal issues get sorted out.
The only real problem the 87 has at the moment is the leaky tranny. It's not so serious that it gushes oil. On the contrary is only leaves a few drips that are about an inch and half in diameter after sitting a few days. Most of it accumulates on the rear tranny support and drips from there. Its annoying and its made a mess out of my garage floor despite my best efforts of placing scrap cardboard under it.
It actually runs and drives very nicely. The thing is I no longer know what the actual mileage is. My guess is it probably has around 250K. I don't know if the previous owner did the deed or if someone before him changed out the speedometer cluster and didn't pass on the info of the changeout. The current cluster itself shows now evidence of tampering.
I'm just got more upset after getting the carfax.

Brandon, Can't drive the Caddy anymore. It's found a new home in Holland. I sold it last July.

#39 12-01-2005, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

Well the 87 will be tied up until the legal issues get sorted out.
The only real problem the 87 has at the moment is the leaky tranny.

Front seal?

Not the end of the world...actually not a bad job to replace one if you have the right stuff to get the engine out of the way.

I understand how the problems can stack up....

...since I got my 300SD for 750 if I had an extra 100k on the clock I coudln't care less...after all anything after 100k is so hit or miss that the true wear and tear is told by driving/apperance/how the car handles...not nessisarly by the numbers on the dash.

Sorry you got shorchanged...

#40 12-01-2005, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandon314159

I am reading down this list and seeing all this money people have put into "replacing" parts and it sorta rubs me the wrong way to see lists containing "replace transmission", etc. and it makes me wonder.

The "replace transmission" post was mine. It really did need to be replaced, I had a tranny shop (recommended by my indy) tear it down for a rebuild and it was definitely toast. IMHO, there are some items that can be "fixed" effectively on these cars, but sometimes it makes more sense to simply replace a 20-year old part. For example, there is no way I would "fix" the original starter on my car. The thing is 20 years old and is a PITA to remove. When I take out the old one, a new one is going in. I had my blower motor in and out a couple of times before I decided it was becoming more trouble than it was worth. Same with the climate control unit. It appears (to me) that somewhere around 250-300K miles these cars reach a point where major components begin to fail. In my opinion, fixing each sub-component as it fails will become an endless task. At some point (if you intend to keep the car) you have to spend a little money and replace the stuff that's worn out. I think that's the only way to keep it reliable in the long term. Of course, the downside is that you end up into a 20 year old car for $15-20K. That sounds like a lot until you consider that a new one costs $50K, and I would still rather have the old one. Just my opinion.

lietuviai · #41 12-01-2005, 11:43 PM

Maybe the front seal but most of it seems to be coming from the rear. I just have no want to drop the tranny. I've lost far too many weekends. I have lots of things I put off around mt home that have to be done.

mbzkid · #42 12-02-2005, 01:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwthomas1

mbzkid,
Try doing these on a 123 w/617 turbo and then let me know what you think:
1. Replace the oil cooler lines
2. Replace the motor mounts
3. Replace front swaybar bushings (inner)
4. Remove/reinstall cylinder head
5. Replace rear trailing arm bushings
6. Replace lower timing chain guides
7. Replace ACC vacuum solenoids
8. Replace heater core
etc.
There are more. I have been way deep in a 123 turbo and the tasks above, and others, suck. Sure the car is well made, engineered, etc. however the extra work required to service these and other major components due to obstructed bolts, inaccessible parts, etc. borders on ludicrous. There are many other less well engineered/constructed cars that are far easier to service. Back to the topic, get out of a car you no longer have fun with! RT

Honestly, I wouldn't know. The 240 doesn't have ACC vacuum solenoids, and hasen't had any of those other problems. There's alot more room to work under the hood too. Big jobs are usually only done once, and can be expected to last the life of the car.

Sorry if I came across a little harsh, but I was trying to point out the major difference between a 123 and say an old BMW (pre 1980). All the things that you would never think of fixing or replacing at 100k miles, need to be done. I had to replace my front seats, restuff the rear, replace all the gromets in the doors, and rebuild the all wood console. I wouldn't dream of doing this to the 240 for a long time, assuming it was cared for.

Flasher relay, hazard switch, rebuild washer pump, pull mouse nest out of heater fan, rear wheel cylinders, front calipers, pads.....and I still dont have power steering, A/C, good heat, power windows, 4 doors, or a comftorable car. I moves down the road pretty well though!

Even with all the work I put into the BMW, it just won't last long. When working on a 123, I think "everything I do is worth it, because this car will reward me in the long run." The car is worth the work put into it.

Can't appreciate one without the other. One must deal with other cars, from the same time period to understand. I didn't fully understand the quality and engineering of the 123 until I started working on the bimmer. Just my opinion, though.

braverichard · #43 12-02-2005, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbzkid

Sorry if I came across a little harsh, but I was trying to point out the major difference between a 123 and say an old BMW (pre 1980).

Well comparing a pre-1996 BMW to a Mercedes-Benz is a bad comparison... while Mercedes-Benz and BMW compete for nearly the same customers, I can say that solidly before 1996 the two companies were no equals. Mercedes-Benz was always king of the hill and BMW was still climbing that hill. Mercedes-Benz didn't get its reputation for quality, reliability and super long term durability by building cars that were equal to other cars.

lietuviai · #44 12-02-2005, 11:17 AM

Well where would you draw the line between a car that is well built, hard to work on and expensive to fix versus a car that is not so well built, easy to work on and cheap to fix? I'd go with the latter. I've had many US made cars in the past and those were the cars I would enjoy wrenching on since I could get them back on the road quickly and parts would be cheap and easy to come by. I could do everything with simple hand tools. You'll still see many more US made cars on the road from the 60's and 70's that inports of the same period.
This isn't true anymore now since the cars built in the US are now poorly made, hard to work on and expensive to fix. I saw the start of it in the late 70's early 80's with the subcompacts. They were as bad to work on as any import of the day.
My wife has a '99 Tahoe that's pushing a 100K now which from time to time I need to fix things but it's only because it had a very hard life before we owned it. It's still fairly easy to work on. Many of the hard parts like water pump, power steeing pump, master cylinder, brakes, etc, were designed back in the 70's so the interchangeability goes a long way. I have only needed to replace the power steering pump since I've owned it and I got that for less than $40. The rest of the things were just minor items like window switches which I just took apart and bent and cleaned a few things and they went back together very easily. There were some others but I don't recall at the moment.
I had a 93 Chevy truck up until 5 or 6 months ago and it never let me down from the day I bought it new. All it ever needed were maint. items and brakes. I never had to fix a thing on it and I sold it with over 120K (not sure give or take a few 1K). I regret selling it. I only sold it since it just sat most of the time the last few years and it deserved better. I still dream about the truck. I still have my '77 GMC 4X4 which I've owned for many years. It shows 90K but I suspect it's probably more like 190K. I've never had to do a thing to it but change the oil and filters and put gas in it. I don't use it much either now but I doubt I'd ever sell it. I use it for hauling things up to my house. It's only a half ton but I've hauled up a whole 8' bed full of soil in it and I did it with no trouble. Sure it only gets 12 mpg's at best but I can haul in one trip that would take 2,3 or more trips with anything else. So it's actually economical in that sense. Oh and I can still get out in some of the worst snow that we've had here which was over 1 ft one time. There's no stopping it.

Pete Burton · #45 12-02-2005, 11:39 AM

I agree. My other ride is a 80 Chevy K10 pickup - "Rusty". Worth every penny of the $300 I spent buying it. rebuilt front calipers? -$13. NEW Delco-Remy starter? - $44. Pioneer am/fm/CD&4speakers - $99. Carries 800lb, Fisher plow, 900lb sander & 2100lb sand. Runs fine. Backup for my SD. Peace of mind.