Wait till the newer cars are as old as the older ones. In another word, wait till your 2001 SLK230 is in year 2026 (if it is still on the road).

Just do not think you can compare the maint cost of a 6 years old car with a 25 year old car.

Ok maybe i didnt ask the Question correctly. Let me Try agian... Nevermind that the Older cars are Older ofcourse they are. Each car is going to get old. Of course newer cars are not going to need much mantianence as the older cars. But what i am trying to say is the new cars are going to get as old as the older cars we have now.. i am saying each MB when they are 20-30-40 years old. From whatever year they were built. To they stay sturdy and reliable as when these newer cars get to the age our older cars are at now. If this makes anysense.... So when these newer cars get to be 20-25 years old. would you want a 20-25 year old 89mb or a 25 year old 2006-7-8 MB.

The jury is still out on that one. As you say, how will today's vehicles hold up when they are the age of your '89 perhaps?

All I know is reliability is subjective...after all, unless you own the vehicle since inception and are fastiduous with maintenance, you never really know what the standard is for reliability.

For most of us that own older MBs, we picked them up after a decade or so of service, perhaps one or more previous owners, and questionable service records.

That said, there was probably some cost involved to get the vehicle up to par with driveability and safety (knowing well that it won't be 100%...there is always some quirky gremlin that can never be solved).

Once past the initial dumping of money and parts, age and entropy dictate everything else. With hundreds of parts that are close to or past their useable lifecycles, there's a lot that can (and will) go wrong. This is a reality for pretty much any product.

I will add however, that the aged versions that MB has produced are technologically primitive compared to the current crop, and thus, parts are far cheaper to replace and diagnosis is less of a hassle.

I can only imagine what it would be like owning my W164 a couple of decades from now, and having to troubleshoot with a proprietary scanner and a laptop, only to discover that some $2300 part needs replacing.

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2009 ML350 (106K) - Family vehicle
2001 CLK430 Cabriolet (80K) - Wife's car
2005 BMW 645CI (138K) - My daily driver
2016 Mustang (32K) - Daughter's car

All the computer parts that can fail when 20+ years old will likely be VERY expensive at that point....as the stuff will be so ancient technologically. On the old MB's...no computers...just a bunch of relatively simple parts that are easy to replace. I've ridden in new MB's and will gladly admit they are nice and would love to own one (c220cdi wagon w/6 speed stick preferably)...but I also love my older W126.

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I think you will start to see the cars past 1990 ish time frame will be less likely to make it past 25 years mostly because of there complexity and lack of parts support. Just think about it you need a new computer for you DAS equipt 1996 SL600 in the year 2021. Go to yopur local dealer part has been discontinued. You can buy one but you cant start the car with it because its coded to some other car.

Aftermarket injection systems are going to become a big seller when OE injection parts become obsolete.

On the other hand corrosion protection has become better in most cases so the usual age killer will allow these cars to live on longer.

John Roncallo

Currently you can go to a Mercedes parts counter and get anything as small as an ashtray or trim item on any post WWII Mercedes. It might cost a small fortune and have to be sent in from Germany but how much is that worth knowing you can get anything for your car? American and Japanese makers are the ones that turn their backs on their cars when they are a facelift or two old.

Parts support is one of the reason's many owners like us keep these cars around for so long. Its easy to drive a 25 year old car when you can do small repairs and keep it in good cosmetic condition. When your japanese car's seats are threadbare and you have lost a knob off of the A/C its junkyard time or just put up with it time.

I have not been so fortunate. I cannot get the plastic under the pading for the convertable top cover for an 88 560SL. I cannot get the three chrome pieces just above the tail lights and licence plate. And a sun visor cost $500.00.

John Roncallo

The 123 and 126 cars were built by engineers who designed a fine motorcar, then let the sylists wrap a body around their creations - then they figured out what they had to sell it for - these cars are the last of the chrome and steel tanks. After that the marketing people apparently got control of MB and said: What can you build that I can sell for $38,500? From a block away you can recognize a 123 or 126 as a Mercedes. From a block away from a new MB, you can't tell whether it's an MB or a ricer. If you could fast-forward one of these late model "marketing marvels" to 25 years old with 250K or 350K miles I think you'd be disappointed.

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Houston, Texas
1984 300CD 235K miles, Elvira, one owner
1987 300TD 180K miles
1974 TR6 78K miles Sarah Jane, one owner
OBK #27

That is VERY well said and I agree with every word of it. The W123, W124 and W126 are the last of the unarguably pure Mercedes.

There is a lot of good left to be found in the W201, W202, W210 and W140 but those cars do show the shift from engineering to other priorities.

Beyond that, except for the safety commitment, each car offered squanders the Mercedes Benz legacy of Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz.

They dare not use the company's old motto, "The Best...or Nothing" any more because it would be an utter lie, all the Mercedes Benz cars are being sold on the basis of their PRICE.

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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)

How many dealerships have you been to? Its just a matter of knowing the "right" part number. Additionally the "classic center's" at many dealerships can track down hard to find parts that the service counter guy's can't. Many times a parts person just cant be bothered to spend hours tracking down trim pieces that don't have a high pricetag.

Yeah, you're probably right loubapache. And, I'll bet my 1971 454 Corvette Roadster will still be on the road in 2026 and my 2001 SLK230 won't. Does that mean GM is better than Mercedes?
What year do you predict that MB will go out of business if they continue producing high maintenance, poor quality, expensive electronic/computerized parts?
We all need a crystal ball.

For those of you that remember shopping at a MB dealership in the '60's and '70's, I think you'd agree that the sales and service philosophy has changed. There wasn't the mass produced feeling that you get today when you go to the sales lot. The service department was small, with German mechanics that really knew their stuff, fewer models to choose from, and cars that were sold to last. Now, a 3 or 4 year lease along with a 4 year warranty sells the car.

Maybe I was just trying to be optimistic in my earlier post about MB quality....and hoping for some good karma.

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1993 190E 2.3
2001 SLK230
1971 LS5 (454) Corvette Convertible