How much $ would you spend on a daily driver? - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

frankstallone · #1 10-16-2009, 07:22 PM

@Craig

Quote:

I expect to spend about $10-15k on a first car for my kids so they have something reliable enough to last a few years until they can pay cash for a replacement.

X__X I got a $1500 car as my first car, 1992 Mercury Cougar and the transmission died within 2k miles, did you know I was your long lost kid? You never bought me my first car. lol

Quote:

"The point is that few $100 of repairs can easily turn into few $1000 of repairs when you start digging into 25 year old cars. Well, that's the price of driving one of these."

Amen!

@tbomachines - Reallllly? The guy has some awesome cars on there. I really wouldn't have expected that.

@Joseph_Conrad - Good deal =)

@winmutt - Word

@buffa98 - Scott, that sounds about right for a $1k purchase judging by what most people say on these forums.

@ah-kay

Quote:

"I think there is a lot of good cars to be had for < $2K"

W123, W124 cars or just in general?

Quote:

"Are you done now? It has been a while, 10 minutes already"

Ohhhhh ahhh yep, I'm done. hehe

Quote:

"I meant buying cars with good mechanical conditions, reasonally rust free and fixing up the rest. I cannot swap engine or tranny. I have not done it, not yet anyway. I spent less than $12K on all my 5 MBZ, less than the price of a new sedan."

Yeah I have rust on a few areas of my wagon however that is the norm here in the New England area, my next purchase will be something from down south.

@Hatterasguy

Quote:

0% financing is OK, might as well use someone elses money if they are offering it to you for free!

When I can afford it, I'm going to get a Ferrari 575M and drive the living crap out of it. As long as I'm not working I'll drive it rain, snow or sun. Probably even take it fishing and do some light offroading down dirt roads with it.

Cars are ment to be driven. "

NICE!!!!! Hahaha I am all for borrowing other peoples money for 0%! My gf bought a Suzuki SX4 for 0% financing and her family gave in a little to early on price for trade-in/car price. Still a nice car though.

@fruitcakesa

Quote:

The VW is definitly more complex but again, steady routine maintainence keeps the $/mile lower with the high mpg's

Yeah I agree, it almost goes without saying that the regularly scheduled maintenance will help keep cars running longer and more reliably (arguable point I am sure).

Hatterasguy · #2 11-22-2010, 12:25 PM

Depends, looking to buy a mason body dump truck at some point next year, will probably cost $30k-$35k, will pay cash for it. Since they get beat I want new. I much prefer to buy new and keep it for 10-15 years than to buy used and have to deal with 50k miles of abuse the PO put it threw.

My policy of only taking on debt for RE seems to be working fine, I see no reason to change it even for a business vehicle.

#3 11-22-2010, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Depends, looking to buy a mason body dump truck at some point next year, will probably cost $30k-$35k, will pay cash for it. Since they get beat I want new. I much prefer to buy new and keep it for 10-15 years than to buy used and have to deal with 50k miles of abuse the PO put it threw.

My policy of only taking on debt for RE seems to be working fine, I see no reason to change it even for a business vehicle.

I'm not sure that qualifies as a daily driver.

I fully agree with your "no debt" policy, and I would have to think long and hard before borrowing money for RE (I would have to be very sure it was moving in the right direction).

Hatterasguy · #4 11-22-2010, 12:33 PM

When I'm working it will be, semi daily. Since they get 8mpg I won't be running errands in it that's for sure!

My current Silverado I bought cheap for $7,500 and I could still flip it for a profit. Once in awhile you get lucky, I got lucky!

Skippy · #5 10-16-2009, 07:50 PM

Yes I still have the 240D. I just went through my receipts and found that I've put about $1600 into it since then, not counting fuel, insurance, registration, or routine mainenance. The big tickets were when I paid $237 for a new windshield, and the time I had just gotten back from overseas and had no place to work on the car when the starter quit. I had to pay $452 to have a shop change it for me. It didn't help that the car has eaten two $100 batteries in that time (one my fault, the other from sitting while I was gone). Overall I think the car has run about 23 cents for each mile I've driven it, with 3 of that being the original purchase price.

ah-kay · #6 10-16-2009, 07:55 PM

"I think there is a lot of good cars to be had for < $2K"

ALL cars if you look pass the cosmetic and is willing to put some TLC into it. I like cars with bad windows, bad A/C, bad electrics, dents, missing trims, bad paint, crushed fenders, doors etc. As long as the drive train is good and body is straight then I am interested. Most panels can be obtained from a JY and with the same color code if you are lucky. I try to split my w/e on golf and fixing old MBZ. You can make a DD driver out of a sub $2K car easy, it may not win a beauty contest but it will take you from A to B reliably.

Skid Row Joe · #7 10-16-2009, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaiz3n

Question: How much would you spend on a daily driver?
Or, in other words, at what price point / vehicle condition would you go from the thinking of, "This will be my daily driver" or, "This is a weekend cruiser / collection car"?

The last daily driver I bought, cost me $45,500.00 tax, title, lIcense & registration. Considering I've been driving it daily for 10 years - it's been worth every dollar - especially since I'll likely drive it another 5 - 10 years.

I'm currently looking for another antique daily driver late '60s - early '70s Honda two-cylinder motorcycle. I'll pay somewhere under $750.00 for it, but would prefer to spend no more than $500.00 for it, tops.

My last daily driver collector's Honda vintage MC cost me $2,450.00 - sold it a year later for $2,980.00. Which is the icing on the cake - riding it a year or more and making money on the deal.

frankstallone · #8 10-16-2009, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ah-kay

"I think there is a lot of good cars to be had for < $2K"

ALL cars if you look pass the cosmetic and is willing to put some TLC into it. I like cars with bad windows, bad A/C, bad electrics, dents, missing trims, bad paint, crushed fenders, doors etc. As long as the drive train is good and body is straight then I am interested. Most panels can be obtained from a JY and with the same color code if you are lucky. I try to split my w/e on golf and fixing old MBZ. You can make a DD driver out of a sub $2K car easy, it may not win a beauty contest but it will take you from A to B reliably.

All of it, very true

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

The last daily driver I bought, cost me $45,500.00 tax, title, lIcense & registration. Considering I've been driving it daily for 10 years - it's been worth every dollar - especially since I'll likely drive it another 5 - 10 years.

I'm currently looking for another antique daily driver late '60s - early '70s Honda two-cylinder motorcycle. I'll pay somewhere under $750.00 for it, but would prefer to spend no more than $500.00 for it, tops.

My last daily driver collector's Honda vintage MC cost me $2,450.00 - sold it a year later for $2,980.00. Which is the icing on the cake - riding it a year or more and making money on the deal.

Life is good isn't it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

I'm old school - I pay cash for everything - including home and investment real estate.

I am the same way; I'd rather pay in cash but due to the idea that to get 'credit' you have to borrow I tend to buy something on credit, the literally proceed to go home and send the money from my bank account to the card.

Money comes easily and frequently!

joep · #9 11-21-2010, 09:01 PM

I think what someone would spend on a DD is relative to where in the US you live. In NJ, most reputable salvage yards would rather crush an old benz than sell it for less than $500; I've experienced it. These vehicles didn't even run and were not restorable due to extensive corrosion (paint looked fine, but I'd hear "crunch" when pushing on the metal). I've been told that I'm asking too much for my DD ($2,900 for a '80 300D) I'm selling it because I'm short of time, expertise and a reputable mechanic who'll repair the things I have no knowledge about. That's my tw0 cents for what it's worth...

okyoureabeast · #10 11-21-2010, 10:09 PM

Re-reading my message from a little over a year ago

I've dropped nearly $4,000 total since the start of this marriage. Mostly in tools that I didn't have.

The tools I guess are an investment that keep paying for themselves every time I fix something on my own. I just wish I could put my floor jack in my trunk. Then I would be comfortable changing out any part anywhere!

Zacharias · #11 11-22-2010, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankstallone

Question: How much would you spend on a daily driver?

For instance, I bought my 1987 300TD for $2000, but I rebuilt the rear suspension, entire cooling system, and a few other expensive things probably totaling to $4k-$6k worth of parts & labor.
.

I bought my first Benz, a '79 300sd originally from California, for $7700 back in 1998 (at the very top of the market around here at the time) and drove it for 8 years, winter and summer, everywhere. Completely dependable till the chain broke one morning.... Put an engine into it, got bored, sold it to a farmer who pounded it until 2009 by which time he had let it rot out from under him. Sad.

Second SD was a Texas '82 that I was still doing the cosmetics on when a ditzy chick on a mobile driving daddy's Park Ave ran THREE red lights and met me at the FOURTH and pretty much removed my front clip. Would have been in a wheelchair if I had been driving a ricer. I had about $3500 into it, insurance gave me $6850 and I got $1200 for the remains from another SD owner.

Drove a high-miler Volvo 740 Turbo (about $750) for a couple of years, until I spun it out onto the lawn in front of the local police station during a snowstorm. Lawn was soft. Curb was decidedly not, moved rear suspension about 3 inches. Cops doing paperwork at start of shift were unimpressed.

By this time diesel market had spiked waaaay up and not wishing to pay silly eBay prices at the time for a nice-ish car, I bought a very scruffy '82 SD for $550 out in the Cali desert somewhere. Got it here and discovered it probably had 500k more miles than the odo said. Driver's door hinges and locking mechanism had worn out. OUCH. Everthing broke on it in first six months. After putting almost 2k into it I overrevved the engine, 100 pct my fault, and it ran for another six weeks, progressively losing power and belching more oil. Installed a replacement engine that turned out to have a bad IP. Lived with chronic miss at hot idle for a year then gave up and sold it to a pal who works in an import shop.

Took a break with payments (2005 Magnum bought in 2008).Got tired of being mainstream again, mostly with bad seats and my first experience of the notorious Charger/Magnum front-end rebuild (900 large every 2-3 yrs).

September 2010: 1980 TD, cost $1146 in Texas, transport $1300, more than $2k in work (servo, rad, brakes, hoses, front end, small rust in floor) and still not inspected. Subject of my posts on my80 tranny issues.

Just bought an '85 300d off eBay showing 91k miles, original owner for 28 years. Hit on rhs. Paid too much but I wanted it. We'll see....

vstech · #12 11-23-2010, 12:17 AM

most I've spent for my daily driver is on my 87 TD... 2500 plus upgrade repairs... total around 3200.00 including the vacuum pump, the fan clutch and the tensioner kit