1990 VOLVO 240 to 190 E...to 123 diesel...to 1987 124 diesel...then the 107 1980 450 SL........rest.....1997 Audi A6 avant...now 167K and with minor-slight rod knock...could be something else!

I parted with my 87..603...rot in the rear spring perch....The replacement was the 97 Audi......now 6 years ago....Good car but the engine ticks louder, more like a lower Knock! Volvos always go 300k if the 80's bodies hold up...90's volvos corrected the rot!.....Mercedes never tried to correct ROT issues...Unfortunatily, the BEST built cars in the WORLD...in particular, the W124, today rot away and with little to non with resale value!....A SHAME on MB....be it greedy....they bulit the best but for short term...why?

Huh?

Would suggest you start buying Asian-manufacturer based cars.....

Audi does NOT issue high mileage badges.

But, BOTH Volvo and Mercedes Benz does; I got one for my 1991 Volvo 740 and for BOTH my 1991 560SEC and my 1995 E420.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Just because they issue grille badges, doesn't mean just a lot - when your Mercedes-Benz, bought new is starting to rust out in under 5-years.

I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, Jim, but ALL three of our bought new Mercedes-Benz automobiles started rusting out @ year #4 of ownership in Omaha, Nebraska. If not for their rust, I'd still own my Father's bought new, 1977 240D to this day......a shame we had to send it to the crusher in 1999, after 22 years and nearly 400K miles.....ALL because of rust.

As far as I'm concerned, they can keep their grille badges. Although my Father was into them - I don't buy their cars to see how many grille badges I can accumulate in the first place.

Although the thrust of the OP's post has a point, RE: RUST.....does not mean ANY other brand is immune to it, nor endures it better than MB!

Since I moved to Dallas, Texas, and started garaging my Mercedes-Benz', I don't have issues with sun OR rust damage. Wherever the OP lives, must be a rust-belt place. Not even Mercedes-Benz can solve inundation by chemicals/saline.

The last w124 was built about 18 years ago, so I'm willing to give Mercedes a bit of a pass if some of the older versions are a bit rusty by now. I understand that car manufacturers were producing vehicles well into the first decade of the 21st century. I would look for a car built during that era...if I were you.

Environment vs heredity.

Mercedes Benz & Volvo > the rest.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I'm a fan of body on frame ford, they're very utilitarian. Lots of road noise, no power, rough solid rear axle....but they rarely have catastrophic breakdowns. What's that phrase-"A truck will run right for a short time but run wrong forever?"

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$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

Mercedes target market is to people that rotate new cars fairly frequently. As long as rust is not an issue in their ownership or lease period they will probably get another one.

No reason for mercedes to spend the money on more modern approaches to rust reduction like some manufacturers do. As long as their high end image remains.

Not a spec of rust on my midwest '98 A4

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MBlovr
'59 180 Dad's original
'59 180 Dad's 2nd one
'67 250SE Dad's last one
'59 220 SE My first one
'62 220SE Coupe second one
'89 190E 2.6 5spd third one
'06 E350 4matic (sold)
'10 E350 4matic

That's the rub right there.

For about the last 15-20 years their "brand equity" is being truly squandered.

The large three pointed grille star, once worn only by top of the line S class coupes and the venerable SL roadsters, is now seen on utility vans and the "new" CLA, a dreadful little shoebox touted on the airwaves as YOU TOO CAN DRIVE A BRAND NEW Mercedes for under $399 A MONTH - (AND THAT IS LEASING, NOT BUYING). The chosen market evidently is school loans/retail credit card debt-laden 20 somethings that will likely dump them unceremoniously at lease's end (or before).


Any ads for Mercedes Benz autos of the 1970s, and 1980s NEVER referred to price. Buying one was much like buying a bespoke Savile Row suit; it was the best, everybody knew it, and it cost a fortune, but it was worth it, if you could afford it.

Those days with Mercedes Benz are long gone now; Even Hyundai, with cars like its Genesis, are now nipping at the heels of this market segment.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)