Main expenses were the brakes, emissions snafu, and just miscellaneous stuff here and there. A little "deferred maintenance" from previous owner when I got it with about 140K miles, then did OK for about 30000 miles before this disastrous run.

Picked it up today, good news was it started, bad news is I rolled the window down and the motor is broken and it won't go back up. I'm sure that's many hundreds of dollars, but I am thinking about pushing the car off a cliff in the middle of nowhere to put it out of its misery.

Anyway, it's only money. It's a big setback, and I resent Mercedes for not making a quality product, but at least I know never to touch them again.

Highlight of the day was another guy who had a 1999 E320 (a year newer than mine) that was incredibly in even worse shape. We bonded over what a bad product we own!

That cost $6500 ?

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

iuecon99, MB changed their philosophy with the 210 vehicles. Instead of allowing the engineers to design the vehicle to MB's high standard and setting a price to give them a profit, MB allowed the accountants to set the price and the engineers had to design a vehicle that could be built for that price. Consequently the design quality suffered and owners have flawed vehicles with the associated high repair costs. MB did that to be price-competitive with US automobile manufacturers, and the trend has continued since then.

If you have ever owned a 124 vehicle, say a 1995 E320, you will note the higher quality leather, more durable paint, thicker metal panels, recirculating ball steering vs. rack & pinion steering, higher quality brake calipers with a wear sensor on each brake pad, generally higher quality materials and a more solid feel. DIY'ers buy the older cars because they are built to last when maintained properly, and generally accommodate DIY work.

As for your broken window, it will likely cost you several hundred dollars to repair if you are not a DIY'er who will take the time to buy parts at a salvage yard or online. If MB vehicles were as inexpensive to purchase and maintain as a Honda or Toyota everyone would own one.

MB vehicles generally have superior safety systems to other car manufacturers. If you are ever in a serious auto accident a MB automobile is worth every penny if you walk away unscathed. I was rear-ended in my first 1998 E320 by a car going 50 mph with no attempt to brake. Got pushed into the pick-up truck stopped in front of me so my car was damaged heavily front and rear. The only sensation I had was falling back into a pillow ... seat belt cinched tight via the explosive device ... passenger compartment intact and driver's door opened as if nothing happened. I bought that 1998 E320 after seeing Princess Diana's bodyguard survive the high speed crash in Paris, where the S500 was wrapped around a concrete column, because he was the only person wearing a seat belt. I would think twice before abandoning the MB brand.

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Fred Hoelzle

I would paint with such a wide brush for the W124 - yes they are built a bit different but are way more expensive to diagnose if you need to dig deeper into a problem and specially for a non DIY type person like the poster.

The W124 has very primitive diagnostics and require many man hours, unlike the W210 which has the nice 38 pin port and can spit out a datalog for you.


You certainly are spot on for the safety cell features - these cars are very nicely built in that aspect (I consider it most important)

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Agreed...unless he's unaware of other work that looks like a rip off.

Half the MB expenses are easily DIY and it saves you ending up getting utterly ripped off. If I had a dealer do the work I've done on my 300TE I probably would have spent $25k in the last 10 years. I still justify that what car can I buy new that will cost less than $1300/yr? Can't buy a Camry for that...monthly payments would be $3k/yr alone.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

add the fact that the camry seats would be like a torture chamber post compared to the nice items in the W124.

I love the W124 seats - they are incredibly comfy - even for a tall guy like me.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

I may have bought my last new, or used MB, the 2006 E320 CDI that I bought used 3.5 years ago, now with 69K miles on it.

I was raised in a family where my parents bought and drove new MB diesel cars starting in 1969. That's what got me started on buying and driving a used, 8 year old 1983 MB diesel with 93K on it in 1991.

My next MB diesel car was a new 1999 E300TD sedan. Spent $42,500 plus sales tax on that car. Never again. Too much money for too little return. Drove it 100K in it's 1st 4-years of ownership. Nothing but a problem basically for years - one thing or another. Gifted it to a Brother 3.5 years ago. It had 132K on it. I repeatedly warned my Brother that it would cost $1K to $3K a year to keep it on-the-road, if he was going to drive it a lot. He keeps it as his garage queen. Seems to have ongoing issues, even when not driving it but a thousand miles a year.

[QUOTE=Skid Row Joe;3668896
My next MB diesel car was a new 1999 E300TD sedan. Spent $42,500 plus sales tax on that car. Never again. Too much money for too little return. Drove it 100K in it's 1st 4-years of ownership. Nothing but a problem basically for years - one thing or another. Gifted it to a Brother 3.5 years ago. It had 132K on it. I repeatedly warned my Brother that it would cost $1K to $3K a year to keep it on-the-road, if he was going to drive it a lot. He keeps it as his garage queen. Seems to have ongoing issues, even when not driving it but a thousand miles a year.[/QUOTE]

I hear ya. I bought my 99 E320 wagon for just over $50K. Fortunately, my wife talked me into paying up for the extended warranty. Fool that I was, I didn't really think I needed a warranty at all on a new Mercedes. I called a friend who had the same car to share a little gloating. He said that his car spontaneously caught fire in the driveway, and he was overjoyed when the dealer offered him his full purchase price back. I had the car for 10 years, but maybe had six years of actual use. A good part of the time, it rode on a flatbed. A good part of the time, I just let it sit outside because I preferred whatever other POS was rusting in my driveway, and because I didn't deem it worthy of a place in the garage. A good part of the time, it was at the dealer, getting some major component repaired under the extended warranty. The agony ended when my wife accidentally drove off the road and impaled it on a tree. Insurance company gave me full book, and I was done. One thing I agree with is that if you want to buy a car for the purpose of crashing into a tree, W210 is the one.

Mxfrank,

That's funnier than h*ll driving it into a tree! You made out great getting out of your '99 E320 wagon!

I guess I've learned not to value anywhere near new the out of pocket cost of a Mercedes-Benz. There's enough financial heartache keeping a 10 year old MB diesel on the road that you bought for a fraction of what it cost the new sucker buyer. Christ, you have to either be a big earner, or a millionaire keeping one on the road. But that's another discussion. I'm certain that my Dad would be disappointed in the reliability and value aspects of the post 1980s MB diesels. He remarked.in the mid 1980s that the alternative car preference of an MB diesel car owner was a Honda Accord. I'm seeing his wisdom after the W210 I wasted so much money on. I'm seriously considering getting out of MBs altogether these days. A nice Honda or Subaru as my daily driver, and a new or nearly new Corvette C7, as my discretionary car is the direction I'm inclined to go these days. I bought my 1st new 1977 C3 L82 Corvette, 40 years ago this month. (December 1976)

I replaced the 210 with an Outback. The Outback is boring as hell, lacking in character, reeks cheap, but it thrives on deep snow and has been trouble free. My '87 Mercedes is still my longest lasting favorite, but with over 400K on the clock, it's only a matter of time.

That's good information for me, MXFrank. I haven't been in a new Outback.

The Subaru Outback 4 cyl base model, is what a colleague of mine now drives. He trades every 2 years into a new Outback each time with 30K miles. They're gold on the used market, from what I understand.

I'm not in snow Country, so, the Honda Accord sedan base 4 cyl. would be perfect for me.

I really wish I'd of either kept the 83 300SD I sold in '99 with 305K miles on it, or, found a low-miles one in the subsequent years. I have gotten along with only having 1 car for the past 38 years, because cars are costly to just keep up, insure and license.

These days, I'm kind of wanting an exciting extra car. The new C7 has captivated my attention. A 2015/16/17 Corvette fits the bill.

Sounds about right. I am now averaging $2200 a year for the 3.5 years I have had it. Just trying to squeeze out another few thousand miles before completely junking it. And I only drive at the most 1000 miles a month. Simply a poorly made auto. And it isn't just mine as I found out from talking to people at the car place recently. Not good cars. Cars shouldn't be affordable only if you can fix everything, they should be made so that they don't completely fall apart like the late 90s E320 series. Ridiculous.

When I was in my 20s my mother had an aluminum roasting pan she'd bought when I was a little kid. After about 20 years, the aluminum had begun pitting in the bottom. She was angry and wanted to take it back to the store where she bought it. This thread reminds me of that. Who in all seriousness has a tantrum over a 19 year old car needing repairs and maintenance and wants to hold the original manufacturer responsible? Your expectations for a car are absurd. I suspect anything with moving parts wouldn't suit you. Uber and Zipcar are made for you. Please do yourself and us a favor and use them and spare us the ongoing outrage.