PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - Does any one still take pride in doing things right?

Steve Gutman · #27 05-19-2005, 02:05 PM

“Cheap Bastard”? What an insult. I resemble that remark. Yes, I am cheap, but I am not a bastard! Maybe I am the one who should buy a used Toyota (or domestic).

All kidding aside, I think Mercedes (and BMW and others) are much more expensive to maintain than a lot of other (domestic) cars. (My friend sold his 4 cylinder Camry with over $200,000 miles and never had other than normal maintenance.) The exchange rate is killing us on the parts side because the Euro is so strong and the Yen isn’t doing too badly either. Also, the better shops are more expensive and I know some that charge more for Mercedes than other cars. One owner said “because of the special tools and training” he charges $90 instead of $60 per hour. Any shop can screw up and I think a dealer is more likely than a high quality independent shop to do so. A run-of –the mill shop is no place to take a Mercedes, or any car you really love. A local shop that did work on my Bonneville did not want to work on my Mercedes.

Old cars can have numerous and expensive problems. If you like to DIY you can save a fortune. If you can’t do your own work and don’t have the money to throw around, maybe you are better off buying a new Toyota than a used Mercedes. Another alternative is to buy one a few years old, and certified if possible. An old used car is a crap shoot, especially if it has a lot of miles. Don’t buy one just to save money. It can wind up costing you more. Often, those of us who are too attached to our cars spend more than salvage (or resale) value to keep their car running right. That is okay but not sound economics. The emotional factor is what gets us to spend the extra money. I have spent as much on parts as I paid for my SL and it still needs a lot. If I had professional service I would have spent another $10,000. Maybe I just bought a bad one. Yeah, I throw parts at the car but often, diagnosis is more than the part. EG: fuel pump relay or fuel injectors. It costs as much to test as to replace (old K-Jetronic). I guess I can afford to do so because I don’t have to justify the labor. But there were precious few parts that didn’t need replacement anyway. Sorry for the rambling…