want a new CAR - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JiveTurkey · #16 01-25-2012, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorainfurniture

Im not insulting anybody. I love my benz as much as the next guy. Some people do not have the space to have 3 cars as back ups.

I do have the mechanical skill to keep my benz running. Unfortunately, when the car is down, one needs to have a reliable piece of transportation to get to work.

Have you ever figured how much it costs to insure, plate, maintain, and clean 3+ vehicles? I did, and now I have one benz to play with, and the fiesta to get me to work so I can pay for the parts for my benz.

You don't do something you're passionate about for financial reasons, you do it because it's your calling. If you look at it with a "cost is no object" approach you're able to rationalize your actions. These cars are more than mere toys for people who like to tinker, they're rolling history, automotive art in some cases. Can the same be said for today's corporate plastic disposable commuter bubbles? In thirty years will someone lovingly select the perfect injection molded plastic dash pieces for a Camry? Probably not.

Look at it this way. Why drink beer / liqour / wine / soda / coffee when you can drink tap water for next to nothing? Because tap water has no passion, no soul, no traditions. Financially, it makes sense to drink tap water for the rest of your life, but you wouldn't want to do it would you?

lorainfurniture · #17 01-25-2012, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TylerH860

Yup, I wish I had taken the money I paid cash for on the GTI, financed the GTI at the 2.9% they were offering, and put it to use. There's so many good opportunities.

You can buy a house in Cleveland for 20 grand. In fact, that is what I did with my car money.

Skippy · #18 01-25-2012, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorainfurniture

That is ridiculous. Not everybody has 20k+ laying around for a car. Why would you shell out that kind of cash when you can borrow it for 1.8% SIMPLE interest? Some are 0% interest!

There is nothing wrong with borrowing money when you have the means to pay it back.

The only reason to spend TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on a personal use vehicle is because you have the money and want to spend it on that. A person with the most minimal wrenching skills (the lack of which should disqualify one from driving IMO) can get decent transportation that will last many thousands of miles without major maintenance for under $5000.

lorainfurniture · #19 01-25-2012, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiveTurkey

You don't do something you're passionate about for financial reasons, you do it because it's your calling. If you look at it with a "cost is no object" approach you're able to rationalize your actions. These cars are more than mere toys for people who like to tinker, they're rolling history, automotive art in some cases. Can the same be said for today's corporate plastic disposable commuter bubbles? In thirty years will someone lovingly select the perfect injection molded plastic dash pieces for a Camry? Probably not.

Look at it this way. Why drink beer / liqour / wine / soda / coffee when you can drink tap water for next to nothing? Because tap water has no passion, no soul, no traditions. Financially, it makes sense to drink tap water for the rest of your life, but you wouldn't want to do it would you?

I completely agree with you. I love my 300e, and I would not sell it for anything.

I have probably dumped 10 grand in that car over the last 5 years with no regrets. Ill dump another 10k in to it before im done.

You are missing my point. People NEED a reliable means of transportation. A 25 + year old car simply can not provide that.

My econo box will give me ten years and 150+ thousand miles of reliable service before I throw it in the garbage where it will belong.

And I will still have my 300e.

lorainfurniture · #20 01-25-2012, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy

The only reason to spend TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS on a personal use vehicle is because you have the money and want to spend it on that. A person with the most minimal wrenching skills (the lack of which should disqualify one from driving IMO) can get decent transportation that will last many thousands of miles without major maintenance for under $5000.

When you say many thousands, do you mean 10k? 20K? A new car will run with just oil changes for 100k..

Not everybody wants to change their cars out every 6 months.

JiveTurkey · #21 01-25-2012, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorainfurniture

I completely agree with you. I love my 300e, and I would not sell it for anything.

I have probably dumped 10 grand in that car over the last 5 years with no regrets. Ill dump another 10k in to it before im done.

You are missing my point. People NEED a reliable means of transportation. A 25 + year old car simply can not provide that.

My econo box will give me ten years and 150+ thousand miles of reliable service before I throw it in the garbage where it will belong.

And I will still have my 300e.

Any old Mercedes with proper repairs and maintenance can be a reliable daily driver. Why? Because everything that can ever go wrong with them has already happened,cand been documented. How do you know the new engine on a new car isn't going to turn out like the Cadillac V-8-6-4s? Just because something is new does not make it any more reliable.

I find newer vehicles to be made of lower quality materials, on a rushed compromise of a design schedule. The older Mercedes were built to last many lifetimes, and tragically the same cannot be said of their newer brethren. When you say you "dumped ten grand" into your car are you referring to work done by mechanics? I like to do my own work so that I know it was done to a high standard. Do you think the grease jockey at the Ford dealership is going to check twice to make sure you have the exact amount of engine oil needed following a fluid change? Or that the filter is torqued on exactly to spec? People who take cars to mechanics are the same ones who keep the full service car wash industry alive. There is no excuse for not fixing it yourself if you have the time and knowledge. If not, well.... Then you're stimulating the economy.

lorainfurniture · #22 01-25-2012, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JiveTurkey

Any old Mercedes with proper repairs and maintenance can be a reliable daily driver. Why? Because everything that can ever go wrong with them has already happened,cand been documented. How do you know the new engine on a new car isn't going to turn out like the Cadillac V-8-6-4s? Just because something is new does not make it any more reliable.

I find newer vehicles to be made of lower quality materials, on a rushed compromise of a design schedule. The older Mercedes were built to last many lifetimes, and tragically the same cannot be said of their newer brethren.

You can not possibly change EVERY part on your benz with a new one. Even if you did, by the time you finished, the first part you replaced will have gone bad again. I am replacing my front end components on my 300e for the second time now.

Newer cars are lower quality. No argument there. My fiesta is mostly plastic and glue, but at the end of the day, it will still last ten years and 150 thousand miles.

Skippy · #23 01-25-2012, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorainfurniture

When you say many thousands, do you mean 10k? 20K? A new car will run with just oil changes for 100k..

Not everybody wants to change their cars out every 6 months.

A five thousand dollar example of the Ford Panther platform should be good for at least another hundred thousand miles before the transmission goes. A five thousand dollar Honda or Toyota will be closer to used up, but will get better fuel economy in the fifty thousand or so miles it should have left in it before something both expensive and important breaks.

If you're willing to change cars every few months, the kind you can get for under $500 start making a lot of sense. However, I bought my 240D for $480 and drove it for three years before I cannibalized it to put the transmission in my 300D. In that time the most expensive job was a windshield replacement (paid someone else to do it) and the toughest was replacing a slave cylinder, which wasn't really that hard. That car's last hurrah was being driven by me from Carson City to Atlanta and back. The only hitch was stabbing a cheap Autozoo starter in it halfway through the trip.

Zacharias · #24 01-25-2012, 11:35 PM

Guys, let's be fair. This stuff not only depends on each individual's approach to maintenance -- some people are proactive, others wait for the squeal/crunch/no-start/whatever before they get to it.

It also has to take into account that some used Benzes are better buys from the start than others. Ask me about my TD. I mean, go ahead. I wish I had left it in effing Oklahoma where it came from. But it seemed like a good idea at the time.... It's a parts vacuum par excellence.

Also, where you live has a great bearing. Wrenching in the southwest 12 months a year is much more rewarding than it is here.

Having several old cars sitting around does add up. But so does the cost of borrowing on a used car, and the cost of depreciation on a new car.

How in the hell did we get to this discussion, from the original question, anyway?

Skippy · #25 01-25-2012, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lorainfurniture

Newer cars are lower quality. No argument there. My fiesta is mostly plastic and glue, but at the end of the day, it will still last ten years and 150 thousand miles.

Oddly enough, I've been giving rides to a co-worker whose 1990 Ford Festiva is finally giving him problems. The odometer broke 5 years ago with 254,000 miles, and he estimates it's up to 350,000 by now. It's on the original engine and transmission. Even a POS will last a long time if you maintain it.

Skippy · #26 01-25-2012, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zacharias

Guys, let's be fair. This stuff not only depends on each individual's approach to maintenance -- some people are proactive, others wait for the squeal/crunch/no-start/whatever before they get to it.

Speaking of which, I was going to take my motorcycle for a short ride after work this evening, right up until I realized the headlight is out. Oops

Quote:

It also has to take into account that some used Benzes are better buys from the start than others. Ask me about my TD. I mean, go ahead. I wish I had left it in effing Oklahoma where it came from. But it seemed like a good idea at the time.... It's a parts vacuum par excellence.

Sounds like my 250. I would have been better off if I'd spent the same money buying a pile of rust. Win some, lose some.

Quote:

Also, where you live has a great bearing. Wrenching in the southwest 12 months a year is much more rewarding than it is here.

You have a point there. Some folks are fortunate enough to have garages they can work in. I'm not one of those people.

Quote:

Having several old cars sitting around does add up. But so does the cost of borrowing on a used car, and the cost of depreciation on a new car.

Appropriate Bob Dylan Quote: "I would not feel so all alone, everybody must get stoned."

Quote:

How in the hell did we get to this discussion, from the original question, anyway?

OP said he was tired of dealing with his somewhat rough 240D and wants something different.

lorainfurniture · #27 01-25-2012, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skippy

A five thousand dollar example of the Ford Panther platform should be good for at least another hundred thousand miles before the transmission goes. A five thousand dollar Honda or Toyota will be closer to used up, but will get better fuel economy in the fifty thousand or so miles it should have left in it before something both expensive and important breaks.

.

A 5k car that will give 100 thousand reliable miles.. I will admit that some people do get lucky. I am not one of those people.

Skippy · #28 01-25-2012, 11:45 PM

The thing about those is that they depreciate much faster than they actually wear out. They've been known to go over 300,000 miles in taxi service on the original engine (and usually second transmission), but you can buy one from an estate sale or get a good used cop car (be careful with that one) for five grand or less. Sometimes much less. I bought a 15 year old Town Car for $1600 in 2001 and proceeded to put 60,000 miles on it over five years with very few problems. It still ran and drove (and had ice cold AC) when I got tired of it and sold it for five hundred bucks. I saw it still driving around over a year later.