Quote:
Originally Posted by rchase
If you really think about it though Mercedes makes the cheapest car to own. Take for example my 300SD. It was probably around 26K new? Its now 24 years old and until just a few months ago was my everyday driver (it may regain that distinction once the new factor wears off on the 140). Over a period of 24 years that original purchase cost is just a little over $1000 a year. If you compare a $24K throw away car you would pay roughly $4800 a year in purchase costs. Since the car only lasts 10 years you have to throw it away and buy another one going through more than $50K worth of hardware in the process. Of course this calculation does not include maint costs or inflation. Not to mention that my 300SD still has value and can still be sold after 24 years. The 10 year old car in the junkyard is not really very saleable other than parts. Many owners jump from car to car in this period and loose value the whole way and lump sum the whole loss into their new loans increasing the real cost even more.
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Spot on.
A friend once asked me why I still drove such an old car - this being my 1989 300E. I basically recounted the same scenario you outlined. He drives a new car, leased. So you pay a few grand down, then $400 a month and then after 5 years, the car is gone. Whereas mine was 18 years old when I sold it a few weeks ago and I got $3K for it - this with a mileage of 333,000 Kms. All original engine and tranny - still working perfectly. I paid about $13K for the car 8 years ago. So - factoring the recent sale price in, I paid a little over $10K net for the car, which amounts to $1,125 a year over 8 years. Add about a thousand a year average for maintenance costs over 8 years, and I'm still FAR ahead of a lease, which will cost you $4-5K minimum for a decent and comparable car, and at the end of the lease you have? Nothing.
I'm loving the E430 and we'll see how she does. I'm not expecting it to be as cheap or last as long as my 300E, but if I get 5 years out of her, I'll be a happy camper.
lol - just noticed the thread date. Ah well, it was a good thread, could deserve another read.