Eye of the beholder. If expectations and understanding are used properly. You should have a mentally easier time when buying and owning an older car. Then dealing with it.

At the same time in general if you cannot maintain it yourself it may be very unwise to engage.

We get less members quoting that they are going to give an older car specifically a Mercedes product to their younger offspring. I suspect that is sound thinking simply because it is hard to predict what an older car of this brand will require to keep going. Plus there is every chance they will have to repair it for them on unexpected occasions.


Where putting them into a lower milage Honda or Toyota. Is far more predictable. You will have far less communications with them as well about the car.

The wife started driving later in life. I quickly learnt that the newer cars the better as I felt I had to at least investigate each and every thing she noticed. Reciently she noticed a rattle just after I had done the front brakes. It was metal against metal in the trunk. I just did not install the lug wrench properly. I just feel obligated to verify that there is never a mechanical condition existing. I may have missed after she mentions anything. The radio died last week now as well. The front end was still good so it is the amplifier portion. I told her I will source a replacement from the auto wrecker or ebay.