Why Not to buy a Mercedes... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

trueog · #1 03-01-2006, 02:16 AM

Why Not to buy a Mercedes...
I own Three German Car's... A Jetta(made in Mexico - Not really German, only when it comes to buying parts at VW they mention, "The parts a little more since its a german import"), A 94 C220 with almost $15 000 In repair bills to show, and a 99 BMW 5 Series which Seems so far to be Flawless! THe BMW has had its share of breakdowns, but it seems flawless compared to the many nights my mercedes and Jetta have made me lose sleep over...for the past few years.

All of them JUNK! When you buy a mercedes, you buy a car that will last its warrenty life, beyond that, you just want to be a show off and drive a nice car, but you're really a broke joke and just want to impress all the ex girlfriends that dumped you....That's all Mercedes means these days. I laugh whenever I see someone buy a late 90's S class for 30 000 and finance it. Becuase this car was over $100 000 dollars brand new...the guy who buys it financed to show everyone wuz really up scooping up the S Class, you know he's rich now right?....well the moron forgot to think that the car only a few years ago wuz 100 000, and naturally when an older mercedes breaks down, the repair cost for parts and experianced workmanship on a S Class is still like a 100 000 dollar car, their was a reason it was so expensive when it was new. Then after owning it for a year, he gets his first bit of experiance on how much the car is costing him to fix when it breaks down, and Insurance over charging him for driving a high end veichle.

Now this guys got a problem, everyone thinks he's doing great! and he's rich now since he drives a S-Class...Girls that didn't look at him twice let alone once in high school are calling him up.... but deep down inside he's really not happy about how much this car is costing him to drive and keep up. Now's he's faced with problems such as getting rid of the car and it worries him that everyone will think he lied to them about being rich, maybe gotton fired?, or struggling finacially....he might not get laid for a while....

So What ends up happening is, this guy comes on a user forum like this, and wines about....how his mercedes always breaks down and costs him so much to repair, and how his uncle owned one 30 years ago and it never did.....so now he's got a problem with his mercedes and he's really mad. But the truth to the matter is, he's just broke...and is mad that everyone thinks he's a hero with his S Class but he can't afford to repair it and keep it up to date. In the end people like these fianlly do the math get rid of their car, and go lease another Luxory Car so no one finds out about those expensive mercedes night mares.... So what do mercedes owners get? Only a Image...perhaps and ego...

DuckMuck · #2 03-01-2006, 02:50 AM

Gigtime · #3 03-01-2006, 03:53 AM

Or maybe this guy comes on forums like this and writes about his own personal experiences but makes it sound like he's talking about someone else. Maybe he should consider a good therapist.

Hammertime · #4 03-01-2006, 06:26 AM

There is a reason a Mercedes costs what it does...quite simply they are not for everyone. Any vehichle requires maintanence and sure people come here and blow off steam but I bet to say if you took a poll nearly all of the people that have owned one Benz in their lifetime would invest in another. For myself personnally, I come to the site to find out what may ail my vehichle and what type of repair would be needed. Not to do it myself, but so at least I do not walk into a garage and have some mechanic baffle me with techno babble BS and run up my bill because I am mis informed.
I ask this, if a Mercedes was so inferior in quality why would they be used as taxicabs through out Europe. They get pounded everyday with mileage and such and keep on rolling. I think the truest thing I ever heard was from a friend of mine that owns Corvettes, he said to me once and I quote, " if you cannot handle the 1500usd brake jobs and complain about the price of gas then a Corvette is not for you..." Same principal applies here. If you cannot swing the bat don't go to the ballpark.
On the brighter side of things I hear the Hyundai's come with a bumper to bumper 100k warranty...may want to check that out for yourself...

A264172 · #5 03-01-2006, 07:57 AM

Nothing like an nice cup of btter in the morning to start things off.

JBR · #6 03-01-2006, 08:21 AM

By no means am I rich and I'am not very interested in "pretend" looking rich.
I bought my wife a 78 t-top vette because she has always wanted one. Then I needed a 75 vert vette for myself, with 2 young kids we needed two vettes.
They look fancy but when someone inplies I'am rich, I simlpy state that his p/u truck is worth twice what these 2 vettes are worth. Now I own a 73 450sl, in pieces soon to be rebuilt, with my hands. Again it is going to look like a million bucks, but in reality, the 2 vettes and the 450sl put togather would barely equal the cost of a new 4x4 full size p/u.
I try to pass the word on to as many people as possible, $5000-$9000 can buy you a very nice old car and with a little tinkering you can look COOL,have alot of FUN and LEARN a whole bunch. Thats why I do it. Cheers

blackmercedes · #7 03-01-2006, 08:40 AM

The first problem is that you're from Vancouver. Everyone in Vancouver is stupid about "car image" and it means they spend way, way, too much money on their cars. Your handle and your diction tip me off that you're very young and I get the sense that you drive a Mercedes and BMW to:

...Girls that didn't look at him twice let alone once in high school are calling him up...

Now, you're right on many accounts. Most Mercedes are not all that reliable, and compared to the Japanese makes, shockingly poor on the reliability front. We've had a string of MB's and we're also on our third Subaru. The Subarus are much more reliable than the MB's and overall build quality is much, much better when it comes to frequency of repairs and cost of repairs.

Did you buy the C220 new? If you bought it in the last 3-4 years, then you should have done your homework. Mercedes' cars were well-known for their lack of reliability and if that was a key point to you, you should have bought something else.

As to an S-Class, well, that's a whole 'nother thing. See, those cars were not designed to be owned by someone that couldn't afford one. They didn't put one moment's thought into cost savings for the end-user during the design phase. Those cars are about the newest technology and the fullest engine bays. They have always been poor used buys and will always be so.

So, while I agree with you on many points, your posting references to impressing girls and ex-girlfriends and constant worrying about image really dilutes the content concerning the build quality of MB products.

lee polowczuk · #8 03-01-2006, 08:50 AM

There's a reason why everyone brags about their 126's and 124's.

Easy to maintain. Case closed. Mercedes electronics and gadgets are the killers in newer models. I suspect this shows in most other brands as well.

blackmercedes · #9 03-01-2006, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lee polowczuk

Mercedes electronics and gadgets are the killers in newer models. I suspect this shows in most other brands as well.

I don't think the Japanese brands are anywhere near the Germans for lacking electronic reliability. I know owners of older Lexus models that have had years and years of trouble free service. They interior is faded and the paint too, but they have not been sunburned by the Check Engine Light, not faced reoccuring problems with gaskets, wiring, HVAC, and so on.

After many years and many MB models, I too have tired of the cars and unless things change radically, the C230 (our most reliable car, ever, including all our Japanese cars) will be our last Mercedes. Mercedes refuses to admit problems exist, ignored the wiring harness issue completely in Canada, ignored harmonic balancers for the longest time, is ingoring the dangerous spring perches in W210 cars, etc.

Sure, every make has it's own problems (Toyota/Lexus had sludge, but so did MB) but it's the sheer number of them. Subaru made a couple years of poor 2.5L engines with head gasket problems. Early on, they made radical changes to try to solve the problem, changing the engine almost completely.

joel · #10 03-01-2006, 10:31 AM

[QUOTE=blackmercedes]The first problem is that you're from Vancouver. Everyone in Vancouver is stupid about "car image" and it means they spend way, way, too much money on their cars.

Excuse me, but where is St. Albert, Alberta? Pls. do not use the same brush for everyone. I live in Vancouver and Surrey, BC., and I ressent your comments, which I am sure are not shared by everyone from St. Albert, Alberta.

joel · #11 03-01-2006, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueog

Why Not to buy a Mercedes...
I own Three German Car's... A Jetta(made in Mexico - Not really German, only when it comes to buying parts at VW they mention, "The parts a little more since its a german import"), A 94 C220 with almost $15 000 In repair bills to show, and a 99 BMW 5 Series which Seems so far to be Flawless! THe BMW has had its share of breakdowns, but it seems flawless compared to the many nights my mercedes and Jetta have made me lose sleep over...for the past few years.

All of them JUNK! When you buy a mercedes, you buy a car that will last its warrenty life, beyond that, you just want to be a show off and drive a nice car, but you're really a broke joke and just want to impress all the ex girlfriends that dumped you....That's all Mercedes means these days. I laugh whenever I see someone buy a late 90's S class for 30 000 and finance it. Becuase this car was over $100 000 dollars brand new...the guy who buys it financed to show everyone wuz really up scooping up the S Class, you know he's rich now right?....well the moron forgot to think that the car only a few years ago wuz 100 000, and naturally when an older mercedes breaks down, the repair cost for parts and experianced workmanship on a S Class is still like a 100 000 dollar car, their was a reason it was so expensive when it was new. Then after owning it for a year, he gets his first bit of experiance on how much the car is costing him to fix when it breaks down, and Insurance over charging him for driving a high end veichle.

Now this guys got a problem, everyone thinks he's doing great! and he's rich now since he drives a S-Class...Girls that didn't look at him twice let alone once in high school are calling him up.... but deep down inside he's really not happy about how much this car is costing him to drive and keep up. Now's he's faced with problems such as getting rid of the car and it worries him that everyone will think he lied to them about being rich, maybe gotton fired?, or struggling finacially....he might not get laid for a while....

So What ends up happening is, this guy comes on a user forum like this, and wines about....how his mercedes always breaks down and costs him so much to repair, and how his uncle owned one 30 years ago and it never did.....so now he's got a problem with his mercedes and he's really mad. But the truth to the matter is, he's just broke...and is mad that everyone thinks he's a hero with his S Class but he can't afford to repair it and keep it up to date. In the end people like these fianlly do the math get rid of their car, and go lease another Luxory Car so no one finds out about those expensive mercedes night mares.... So what do mercedes owners get? Only a Image...perhaps and ego...

I know of a good psychiatrist, if you don't know one

raymr · #12 03-01-2006, 10:51 AM

Buying a new Mercedes is an investment in yourself. It's part of the "Me, Inc." package that you present to your clients, associates, etc. It's the automotive equivalent of a fine suit: not the most practical, but it makes you look and feel great!

blackmercedes · #13 03-01-2006, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joel

Excuse me, but where is St. Albert, Alberta? Pls. do not use the same brush for everyone. I live in Vancouver and Surrey, BC., and I ressent your comments, which I am sure are not shared by everyone from St. Albert, Alberta.

Well, if you can't take a little sarcasm, then that's your problem. If you don't know where St. Albert, Alberta is, then get a map. It's in Canada, to get you started.

And there is some truth to what I say. I've spent my fair share of time in Vancouver and then is a much greater display of wealth in terms of automobiles than there is in many other parts of the nation.

However, read the original post and look at the username and check out the guy's e-mail. He's "all over" this "gansta" garbage which automatically indicates to me that he's all about image and not substance. That's one reason I did the Vancouver barb.

Chill.

jlomon · #14 03-01-2006, 11:19 AM

I'm wondering if he ran into an old girlfriend and the car didn't change anything for him. Maybe that's where this super-sized dose of bitter came from?

You're right about high maintenance costs and less than stellar reliability. If you don't like it, then sell the car and buy something that makes you happy. Problem solved.

Why are we in the tech help section with this?

DuckMuck · #15 03-01-2006, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joel

Excuse me, but where is St. Albert, Alberta? Pls. do not use the same brush for everyone. I live in Vancouver and Surrey, BC., and I ressent your comments, which I am sure are not shared by everyone from St. Albert, Alberta.

Well, you have to admit there is some truth to what he is saying...I wouldn't exactly go so far as to say "everyone," but a large percentage of people in Vancouver are very "image conscious" especially when it comes to housing, cars, clothing, etc. in Vancouver...Vancouver has become a very affluent city in the past few years and "image" is just part of the game played by the wealthy, and maybe the "not-so-wealthy" in order to fit in...this isn't exactly a bad thing I guess...

St. Albert is a town/suburb outside of Edmonton, about 20 minutes from Edmonton's city core I believe...