Originally Posted by trueog

Mercedes has been a nightmare for me...poor build quality, lots of breakdowns..I have $15 000 in receipts for the last 5 years alone! I can afford the repairs, no gripe in that....So would I buy another Mercedes? no way..... I'd rather own a Lexus and never have to worry about my wife calling to tell me she's on the side of the freeway and she's scarred cuz its dark...no thanks. Happened to me twice already...that's why I bought her the jetta, which so far is worse then the C....

Originally Posted by manny

Ahhhh, Vancouver, BC = pot-smoking capital of Canada.
Also the first city in Canada where they hand out free needles, to anyone that wants to " shoot up ".
Enough said. :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by DuckMuck

Thank you for pointing out the problems with our city.

Originally Posted by Ralph69220d

I have a 69 220D with all the age associated problems you'd expect from a 37 year old automobile. I like troubleshooting problems, often with help from members of this forum when I am unsure or at a loss. At present, money for parts is a hardship, but this will turn around. So, I bought this 220D, which would not even start when I bought it. When I got her running, on my first test drive I discovered that the driveshaft center support bearing had failed at some time in the past when the car ran and beat hell out of the splines on the transmission output shaft. Then it was rebuild the entire shift system in the 4-speed (it shifts like a new car now). Next it's replace every rubber bushing (except the motor mounts which I already replaced) in the undercarriage. Why do I do this? Well, I get enjoyment and satisfaction into turning a piece of salvage scrap into an automobile that performs somewhat like it did in 1969. Money? Yes, it costs money, but mostly my own labor. Secondly, my wife has a $400 plus car payment on her 94 jeep gran cherokee. I can buy a lot of parts for $5k per year, not to mention requiring full collision coverage, whereas I have my 220D, BMW 735i and 1970 Dodge one-ton on liability only. A couple more years on my wife's car and it is going to start costing major money on things I am not able to fix, such as replacing the steering knuckles, all associated auto transmission and electronic problems. Though between money and satisfaction and a deep appreciation for the engineering of a German car, the satisfaction and deep appreciation win out by a long shot. Without having ever met any Forum member's who've been around a good long time more than me, I can say this with certainty. They have courage and are not quitter's. I am sure this translates into the rest of their live's too. If you're kind of stuck half way inbetween, then buy an 80's 300D or TD, which are simpler and require little cash outlay to purchase. Then fix it at your leisure, learn, overcome frustration and be proud of yourself.

Originally Posted by jlomon

I'm going to offer you some serious advice, as opposed to just poking fun at you. I read the other thread you started, about the stalling and no-start condition with the car. I'm not a tech, so I'm not going to diagnose your mechanical problems. I will recommend that you buy yourself a code scanner. If your mechanic charged you $200 to just scan for codes, you were ripped off. If he spent time on the car actually going through diagnostic procedures, that is a different story. But just pulling codes takes less than a few minutes. I just bought a great one on sale at Canadian Tire this week for $250. I'm sure you can check your own CT to see if they have it on sale.

Your car is OBDII compliant. That means you have a 16 pin port under your dashboard, about where your right knee will be when you sit in the car. It is covered by a small flap on a hinge. You connect a code scanner there, and pull the codes. These are universal codes and can be scanned by any OBDII scanner. You can also use that scanner on any car made in 1996 or after.

With the exception of the AMM and the wiring harness, everything else you listed on that thread was a regular maintenance item. You'd have to replace all of those things on any car, and parts for a Lexus will be in the same ballpark. You need to find a good indy mechanic, someone you can trust and talk to, and develop a relationship with them. I found one in Toronto by using this forum as a resource. There is a specific forum dedicated to recommending local mechanic. Use it and find someone good. Let them know how you heard about them so they know that word-of-mouth advertising works. You'll be surprised how much easier this is if you have someone who will try to solve your problems instead of just throwing parts at your car.

Originally Posted by benzsu

Thanks JLOMON

This is the best dam advice anyone can get, I totally agree. It is very important to A. get the code scanner ( don't have one YET) B. develope a good (relationship) with a local mechanic. Most honest mechanic with yrs of experience will know the problems if you describe the symptoms, at least mine did. I don't even care if his hourly rate is the same as the dealers. Only problem is a good mechanic is hard to find just like a true friend that's honest are hard to find (not that I have this problem). So "trueOG" go find a good mechanic that knows what he/she is talking about. hey guys "trueOG" can have his side of the story too, :( I been in other forums where people disagree and chew each other out, Let not be part of that. Lets show "trueOG" that he has a right to be a "gangsta":cool: (is that how it's spelled) and a Mercedes owner too. JUst kidding :P

Originally Posted by Gigtime

$15k in 5 years. So it's cost you $250 per month to drive a Mercedes for 5 years. That's actually not bad especially since you had no up-front investment. Given that you got this car when you were a junior in high-school, is it safe to guess that you drove it fairly aggressively? Or maybe still do? That probably contributed to that $15k you've spent.

Also, I see you put new rims and tires on the car. Are you including that in the $15k? If so, you shouldn't. That's not a repair. Ditto to any of that $15k that went towards things like euro headlights, new stereo, etc.

I realize that the cost is more than financial. There's the time spent either fixing the car or taking it into the shop and your concerns about whethere it's going to hold up on a long trip. But I don't think this will be that different driving a Lexus.

Bill

Originally Posted by Gold420

Remember the old quote "There aint nothin more expensive then a cheap Mercedes-Benz" I can't speak for the newer models, but the w126 w124 were well made and engineered. If you maintained them properly they were bullet proof! Remember if you want to drive a $90K car be prepared to spend time and money on maintenance. For most of the mutlple benz owners they are more than just a car to us! Does it cost? Yes, but I prefer to spend it that way instead of the stuff your sellin :eek:

Originally Posted by manny

Ahhhh, Vancouver, BC = pot-smoking capital of Canada.
Also the first city in Canada where they hand out free needles, to anyone that wants to " shoot up ".
Enough said. :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by DuckMuck

Thank you for pointing out the problems with our city. Our city has many problems and we are trying to improve it...but your problem is with trueog's comment and not Vancouver...one sarcastic comment by blackmercedes I'll take it as a joke...another one just to add fuel to the fire isn't exactly demonstrating any more maturity as the original poster...we already get enough anti-Canadian comments/jokes on these American forums...do you exactly want to make this into an internal Canadian vs. Canadian bashing contest and let the Americans sit on the sidelines and watch?

Furthermore, on another one of his posts, he states that he lives next to the US/Canadian border and can see the border crossing...well, this DEFINITELY is NOT Vancouver, so what the hell does ALL this have to do with Vancouver City? He lives around 30 minutes outside the southern perimeter of Vancouver City...sheesh...give Vancouver a break...