What's the most you've sunk into your high mileage Benz within six weeks?
 

For purposes of this thread, we will define high mileage as anything over 200k miles. Between head gasket, some misc. stuff, rust repair (all four jack points), and painting roof and trunk, I have dropped about $3500 into my 92 300D in a six week period of time.

What's your story?

Someone will say, "Hey, Shertex, do you realize that, for $3500, you could have purchased a good condition WHOLE CAR?" Yes, I realize that. Sentimental attachment makes people do strange things.....

Woo, can't touch that. I maybe hit $2000 with the TD when it first arrived: windshield, two tires, rear brakes complete incl. calipers, cc servo, radiator, rad hoses, SLS fluid, other small bits.

In a single 6 week period.....about $1600 when we had the trans resealed and timing chain replaced on my SD about 9ish years ago at the dealer.

$498.40 in fuel to travel 5343 miles in 7 weeks.

I am not
 

I am not going to total the parts cost...
Too many people question my sanity concerning Mercedes Benz as is... :rolleyes3

My generic answer to others: Look at what my family drives, and try to buy a "comparable modern" (less than 10 year old) vehicle in todays market. Then we can discuss cost / value / durability / styling / etc.

1985 300SD
1985 Mercedes-Benz 300SD | Hagerty

1982 300D
Price Guide Report

1980 240D
Price Guide Report

1978 280SE
Price Guide Report

1976 300D
Price Guide Report

Yes, I spend money fixing / restoring these cars, but they keep going, and going, and going............
Proverbial Longevity in 4.6 Million Kilometers

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I think I spent about $500 on my old 350k+ 300D then sold it for 700 more than I paid for it.

Other than purchasing it, $35. I haven't had it on the road yet, however :D.

Spent about $850 for a stick conversion kit (5 speed) for the 95 e300 diesel.

Things I have been told by people who drive "sensible" cars:

- "Get a good car for a change" (my personal fave, the last guy who said that drives an Elantra)
- "You are undermining the economy and taking away jobs"
- "Why do you need the headaches?" (Yeah, $400 a month out of my bank account is headache-free for sure)
- "What are you, a snob?"

So you see I must be wrong. It MUST BE way better to go into hock for car payments against something that it you're lucky, may equal the loan balance payout (starting to be an iffy on these 5-8 year car loans) when you're tired of it.

It MUST BE way better to invest good money every month in a depreciating asset.

Of course, around here it isn't only cars. The resale home market is very weak, but the new home sales just keep roaring along. People would rather buy a matchstick house with no yard, cheek to jowl with the neighbours, in an area with no trees, than look at an older home in an established area....

But it's NEW!

When the trans started leaking and my attempt to replace the front pump seal with the car on ramps in an uninsulated garage.... in the winter, failed, I was going to sink $2700 into it by having the Stealership reseal the trans.

Then I went to an old MBZ technician who worked out of his house and he offered to rebuild the trans (not just reseal the front pump) and press in a new front ball joint for $1200.

...and he did it in one day.

My car had between 235,000 and 290,000 on it at the time (broken odometer when I bought it). It's still my daily driver.

Oh, I'm with you.

I work as an Engineer and I work with some ridiculously smart guys. But sometimes the choices they make just don't make a bit of sense to me.

One guy has a wife and two kids. She runs a beauty business on the weekends, kinda like a makeup artist for weddings, etc. She drives long distances to get there.

He has a 20 mile commute, round trip to work every day. And he has a side DJ business.

He owns a crap minivan, another sedan and a 3 year old Chevy Tahoe, which he is still making $400 month payments on.

Decides to get a new car, buys a Scion iQ. Tells us all that he's going to use the iQ for commuting and then keep the Tahoe for the kids on the weekends. Then he ends up trading in the Tahoe for a 6 month old Honda CR-V.

And has the gall to tell us "I've got $100 more a month this way!"

....no..... you've managed not to spend $100 a month that you used to spend... which is still not that much.

We asked him why he didn't just buy and older Honda or even a VW Jetta and commute with that. He told us he can't buy a used car.:eek:

Because of all this new diesel emissions BS I can no longer buy a NEW car ;)

Unless that stuff falls off on a bumpy road, which would be unfortunate.

spent about 2k on rust repair once. Ive also spend a couple times between 2 and 3k on painting cars over the years. None of these were MBs, but they were oldish cars that most wouldn't consider worth it.

The most I spent on an MB was probably 12-1500 bucks for some combined list of repairs at some point.

Unless you're planning on keeping and driving the car for at least another year - then actually keep it and drive it another year (many do not).......I have no problem doing what you did. I recall doing nearly the dollar numbers +/- you cite several times over the years. There's nothing more valuable to a cheapskate than a good cheap car (like a used MB diesel) when it has been determined that you choose to keep it on-the-road.

Let the high-rollers lease new MBs in order to 'look rich,' parting with untold thousands every few months to impress ppl that they think care about them. I'd much rather buy and maintain a used MB diesel - bar none. In fact, that's what I am back to doing after buying a new MB diesel years ago.

So, yes, I think you're doing the right thing to spend the big bucks on repairing/maintaining a good used MB diesel - one that you've determined you see fit to renew mechanically.

$4500+ rebuilding engine. Ceramic coating. New turbo trans rebuild... the list goes on and on and on and on...etc.

dang, bro.

$1600 for new shocks, motor/trans mounts, motor/trans/diff fluids, etc.

not having to get all greazzy & cuss a lot for once = priceless :)

I have spent big $$ on our 85 300D several times.

In 2001, spent $7000 on a replacement rebuilt engine.

About 4 years later, spent $3k on a new paint job

Last fall and still continuing after winter break, have spent close to $3k on hidden rust repairs.

But the car is one we have had since 1990 and is hard to part with!

On the other hand, we have a 2006 smart ForTwo CDI. Low mileage. In the last 6 weeks we have spent $3100 (it would have been more if MB had not helped out) and it still needs new front springs and brakes (which I will do myself). This is a car I do not love, and I think I have convinced the wife, it has to go soon!

Looking at GLK diesel as main LD car. Over C$50k so even with 0.9% financing, $900/month payments! That could pay for a lot of repairs for our old cars!

Just spent ~$260 for a compressor/dryer for the 310k mile E300.
Just spent ~$1500 for the 198k mile '05 E320 wagon that I picked up for $4k. I have finally rolled it into the shop and will be swapping the engine out over the next couple weeks.

Someone had dropped a case of toilet tissue on G. Bush Taxway I hit one of them doing 75 MPG & even with the splash shield it dented the left sideframe around radiator & cause a leak. New BEHR around $300+transmission fluid+coolant =$450.Car has 270k+ miles.

So far sounds like I'm in good company! :D

As long as tranny stays healthy I think I'm in good shape. Chain, etc. looked good when head gasket was replaced. Injectors are original....maybe that's next.

Sorry for $900 a month I want to see either a nice backyard or a wharf when I look out the back door....

Well, do i get to play the game ;) ... I've spent about $29,000 since last July, but then again, I was doing a restoration...

It IS hard to stomach! However, we do get a view of ocean and a pier thrown in when we use the car to get us away for a couple of months from our winter view of a frozen lake!

It is hard to know what to buy. We need space to carry stuff on long trips and want something that is covered by warranty because modern cars just cost too much to repair. MB does have good warranty and it can be extended out to 7 years. We want a 10+ yr car.

Our '98 E320 still runs well, but mileage is getting up there. Ideally, I would buy a 1989 or thereabout 300SDL with under 50k miles. That would probably still be about $200/month if spread over 5 years ;)

How about a 2006-2010 Toyota Sienna? Quiet, powerful, economical (well, kinda... I can get 30 MPG out of conservative highway driving, but it goes down fast), roomy, very comfortable, very smooth engine and transmission, and much cheaper than an M-B (our 2008 cost $20,000 used with 30,000 miles in 2009). We now have 97,000 miles on it and have done exactly zero repairs. I would recommend it to anyone looking for what you described above.

I say 2006-2010 because the engine in those cars (3.6 L V6) is nicer than the earlier one used 2004-2005 (3.3 L V6), although the 3.3 is by no means bad or anything.

I bought a new Sienna in 1998 for $28K as a kid hauler and still have it today with 266K. The reliability of this car has been nothing short of amazing. The kids are now grown, but its fully depreciated and still runs great so I've removed the 4 rear seats and use it as a truck and occasional work commuter when I'm not driving the MB. Replaced the timing belt at each 100K and the spark plugs at 170K. The ONLY other repairs have been a $25 oxygen sensor, $12 thermostat, and two door handles. Pretty amazing for 15 years!

That's amazing. So no struts/shocks? Engine mounts? I thought we were doing well with our 02 Odyssey, but you're doing even better!

At that mileage we were on transmission number 3 on our 96 dodge caravan.