Well I brought my '99 e320 wagon 10 months ago with near 100k on the clock for a great price of <17k. Lovely car and my family think it's great as they are the ones who get to use it most of the time. Had it checked out by an independant and all was well.
Now at 117k have just had to replace the transmission and all the relevant parts + large service for $6600.
At the same time my brake pad sensor came on so $169 for sorting that.
Whilst it was in asked them to check rattle which apparently is the catalysts which to change they want $2200. Not sure why as a main dealer 'only' wants $575 for each of the converters so $1000 seems alot for installation.
At the same time my a/c has stopped working but I may be able to sort that thanks to help from this site.
Lastly for the moment my rear alignment is out which has worn one of my very new tires to a point where it needs replacing after 6 months.

I still like the car but am not sure I can afford to keep it on the road.

Thanks for the space to rant and if anybody knows why the catalysts are so much to change then please let me know.

$1000 to install cats? no way! You can have that done at any reputable exhaust shop for $200 max!

BTW: There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes.

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1987 mercedes 300E
1995 e320 conversion(hated the 300e grill)
HID/Xenon (D2S)
Keyless Entry
Monochromatic Paint (Custom Blue)
Smoked Tails
Flat Badged (front)
Debadged (rear)
custom "carbon fiber" console
18 inch HP EVO rims
Sold! Now I drive a Monte Carlo SS
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