I may give up my 1995 E320 - Page 4 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Rockman59 · #46 03-03-2006, 03:11 PM

Ksing44 said: If a car is so well made with such fine materials and superb engineering, then why does it fall apart at 100K.
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Most MB lovers will tell you that the last great MBs were the 126 series. If you want to drive an older Benz that won't dollar you to death get one of these cars. They look great and they are bulletproof, especially as compared to the newer models. No wiring harness, evaporator, computer, tranny, engine, etc problems to speak of, certainly not at 100K miles. Find a nice 420 or 560 SEL. You will be driving in comfort and style.....and it won't cost you a fortune.

suginami · #47 03-03-2006, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deanyel

The idea that there is a benefit to a 722.6 seems to me a deeply troubled argument.

My neighbor across the street from me is a technician at Penske Mercedes Benz in Covina, CA, and he tells me that the 722.6 with all the upgrades from 2000+ have proven to be extraordinarily reliable.

Hatterasguy · #48 03-03-2006, 03:37 PM

I here you. I am in a similer position actually. Do I hang in their with the W126 that costs a fortune or head to a much newer and more modern MB with probably half the maintaince costs.

I am still undecided at this time...

deanyel · #49 03-03-2006, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suginami

My neighbor across the street from me is a technician at Penske Mercedes Benz in Covina, CA, and he tells me that the 722.6 with all the upgrades from 2000+ have proven to be extraordinarily reliable.

I realize it's all anecdotal but there's been plenty of threads on 2000+ cars here on ShopForum. The problem is not just reliability but the high cost of a rebuild and of proprietary parts.

Rockman59 · #50 03-03-2006, 05:00 PM

Hatterasguy said: I here you. I am in a similer position actually. Do I hang in their with the W126 that costs a fortune or head to a much newer and more modern MB with probably half the maintaince costs.
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If you think a 126 car is expensive to maintain.....then you ain't seen nothing until you get into the later model MBs. Many of my friends have late models that are now out of warranty and every time they have to do a repair it seems that the tab is north of $1500.......computers, evaporators, fuel injection parts, etc.....just incredibly expensive....both parts and labor.

suginami · #51 03-03-2006, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deanyel

I realize it's all anecdotal but there's been plenty of threads on 2000+ cars here on ShopForum. The problem is not just reliability but the high cost of a rebuild and of proprietary parts.

That's true. My mechanic can source all day long rebuilt tranny's for the 722.3 at $1,500 installed.

A rebuilt 722.6 costs $3,500, and that doesn't include installation.

As another interesting aside, my technician neighbor also tells me that when the technicians discuss which MB they'd buy with their own money, they nearly unanimously say they'd own a W210 E320 or E430. He says they rarely have much trouble, FWIW, at least compared to other models that come in for work at the dealer.

Hatterasguy · #52 03-04-2006, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockman59

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If you think a 126 car is expensive to maintain.....then you ain't seen nothing until you get into the later model MBs. Many of my friends have late models that are now out of warranty and every time they have to do a repair it seems that the tab is north of $1500.......computers, evaporators, fuel injection parts, etc.....just incredibly expensive....both parts and labor.

I know late model MB's well. My W126 seems to be costing me about $5k a year over the last two years. My friends E300D cost him, I'm guessing just under $1k a year.

I know the late models well enough to know that I'd be spending less time under the hood and money on parts with say a 2002 E320.

Rockman59 · #53 03-04-2006, 08:22 PM

Hatterasguy said: I know the late models well enough to know that I'd be spending less time under the hood and money on parts with say a 2002 E320.
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I hope you are one of the lucky ones if you go with an out of warranty later model. If you make the swtich, keep us updated on any major repairs and how much they cost. Good luck!

deanyel · #54 03-04-2006, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I know the late models well enough to know that I'd be spending less time under the hood and money on parts with say a 2002 E320.

It shouldn't come as a great shock that a 20 year old car requires more attention than a 4 year old car. The more interesting question is whether a 2002 E-class will be viable transportation for 20 years given its relatively troubled youth.

Hatterasguy · #55 03-04-2006, 11:10 PM

Not my problem, the game plan would be to dump around the ten year mark.

Of course age comes into play, the real queston is do I want a hobby or a car?

stcbenz83 · #56 04-15-2006, 08:33 PM

ive heared 320's have lots of problems, like this one lady, hers was brand new, and it started on fire in the middle of the night in the garage for no reason, plus new mercedes are made by diamler crysler, and if you have ever owned a crysler, dodge, or jeep, you know what im talking about

kbannister · #57 04-15-2006, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken_xman

no more Jeep.

How could you

I don't care what you own, you get miles and age on it and it will require repairs. Got a 2000 F150. 123,000 miles. Needs $1400.00 in front end work and now the airbag light is coming on. Oh yes, it has had PMs every 3 months. Got a '99 Cherokee with 214,000 miles. Put $2700 in it last year. Oh and yes, it has been PMd every three months or 3000 miles since it was new. I realize the MBs cost more for parts and repairs but then again, it's a MB Kinda like selling my custom softail and buying a Honda cause it's cheaper to maintain.....NOT!!

jrmd01 · #58 04-16-2006, 12:20 AM

I keep my repair cost down by doing most of the work myself. I change my own oil and do minor repairs. If there are any major repairs, I take it to an independent mechanic (who used to work for MB).

I also ignore the "small" things wrong with my car because I can live with it broken. For example:
1. Broken odometer - not important to me
2. Antennae not going up or down - not a problem, I still get reception. Besides there's always the IPOD and CDs.
3. Sun roof is a little slow and sticky - I just keep it closed
4. Leather seats are begining to rip - I'm using seat covers
5. A/C don't work - I'd like to get this fixed, but since I live in Hawaii the weather allows me to ignore this problem (as long as my power windows are working)
6. [edited] just remembered the auto cruise also don't work - not a problem. Hawaii's highways are not long enough to need auto cruise.

I've owned both a Honda and a Mercedes. The Honda was definitely more reliable. The car was 2 years old when I bought it for $5,500, and I owned it for 8yrs (and still would have it had I not gotten into an accident). I only had 2 major repairs: timing belt & yearly replacement of the clutch plate. My yearly repair bills averged about $500/yr.

My mercedes was 15 years old when I bought it for $3,500, and I have owned it for the past 5 years. The Mercedes is not as reliable and cost a bit more per year for repairs but considering it's 20 years old it the repairs needed are expected. This car is far more quiet and feels "tighter" than my Honda. In my 5 years of ownership, it needed 3 major repairs: ABS, rebuilt transmission, & valve seals. The thing that bugs me with the car is the yearly idling issues. My yearly repair bills averge about $1,000 - 1,500/yr. But as long as my annual repair bills are not averaging more than $2,500/yr (as fellow member "neanderthal" stated) I'll keep the car. As fellow member "400E" stated, I am prepared to let my car go through its "rocky adolescence" but I will only deal with that for 1 year (maybe 2).

rchase · #59 04-16-2006, 04:49 AM

Absolutely pass that junker on to some "sucker" that can be stuck with all the maint costs. That way your free to buy a new one and pay for all the depreciation, Ad Valorem taxes, insurance and interest costs on your new car. Not to mention the hosing that most owners take by "trading in" cars to new car dealers. Did you know that most dealers make most of their money on their used car side? They convince the "new car" owner that their old car is a junkpile and sell it for top dollar on the used lot and sometimes double and tripple their "investment" depending on the way the deal was structured.

While some people are not smart enough to see it everyone pays for their cars one way or another. The new car buyers while tricking themselves into thinking warranty covered cars cost less to operate don't see the depreciation, taxes and insurance costs that their cars cost them. Buyers of older cars pay their costs in service items that the cheapskate original owners desperately jumped from car to car to avoid.

I just bought a pristine S320 with 99k miles on it from a BMW dealer here in town. The BMW guy told me they bought a new 7 because the Starmark Warranty on their Mercedes was about to expire. Their fear of spending money on their car got me a great deal.

So head on down to your local new car dealer and get you a new one!!!! Someone like me will gladly fix that oil leak (or the dealer will do it before the car is even put on the lot) and the car will motor on for years and years of happy service.

Cars are machines and machines break. They are not any less quality because they break if they were designed to do such. Japanese cars are lower quality in their materials and workmanship and are designed for owners who don't have the disposable income to do regular vehicle service. High end cars are designed for regular service. What your describing is regular service as rubber does degrade over time.

yosshimura · #60 04-16-2006, 09:26 AM

I had a similar thread recently. It seems the Germans suck at anything electrical...... In my case , its not "always", but every once in a while its a "little' thing here or there....

I got the electric fans I have to change now - I guess OK for the mileage, 119K...
The check engine light is on - that one scares me....is it something simple or is some disaster going on inside the engine?
The front left brake caliper is making a scraping noise when you brake.
The sunroof opens/closes fine, but sometimes gets stuck when you want to tilt it open.
When you start driving in this hot weather, the a/c doesn't kick in cool mode for a few blocks (embarrasing if I am taking someone out on a business lunch!!)
Just noticed the leather on the drive seat ripped on the edge . Guess from sliding in and out.... so much for my love and high praise of the MB's leather..

I was going to have the mechanic do the fans, but after he was going to charge me 2 hrs labor, about $180, i figured I'd do it myself... so paid about $220 for both fans, and shaved $180 from labor.

I entertained getting a new car last week, but figured, $300 / mth pmt for a simple car would still be worse off than spending $300-$400 (seems any time I take the car to get fixed its $400 - indie, great indie though) every few months on repairing something. To attack the high costs a little bit I am starting to do my own work as needed (ex saving $160 on the fan issue)...

If you can afford the payments, you are definitely better off leasing a new car w/covered maintainance and trading in every 36-39 months... but in my case $400+ for a car right now isn't happening...

Oh, and while I was in the entertaining stage of selling a few wks ago, my freind's Honda accord with 150K (i have 119K) had a problem with the cooling fans and overheating..... so I figured "change fans on a mb or on a honda"... stick with the MB,