moneypit thread......

[TX76513]

It never stops it’s an addiction. In the MB line the SD is the current money pit but not by mechanical need, it’s fed by my OCD. It’s been two years since I bought her from a young man that had no clue on how much cash it took to maintain a twenty-year-old car. I remember posting a thread for someone to just take her off my hands for the original $1200 investment. I knew what this car was going to make me do. It wasn’t long there were new flex disk, guide rods, motor mounts, shocks, etc, etc, etc,. Then a radiator, back glass to get rid of the delamination. Then all the interior and body parts that came from forum members all over the country (world). Why not install some Euro’s on the front and paint the bumpers and cladding. The SD is a great car in looks and mechanically she is stout ( pic in my gallery) but I could easily spend $1,000 right now on Fastlane. I keep meticulous records on everything purchased for my cars but I don’t find it entertaining to tally – but I know this car is easily at the $4K mark now. My money pit is not really spending to keep them running it’s that next step into the great black hole of compulsion. The real sad part - in the last 8 months it probably has not been driven 500 miles. It’s covered in a garage it shares with my boat that hasn’t seen water since we left Texas.

[jasonkec01]

Originally Posted by BENZ-LGB

jason, you seem like a nice person, but for God's sake, shop around before you spend your money. A set of tires for a 190E for $700? What is that all about? If you look around (especially at places like Tire Rack) you could get a set of tires for your car for $500 or less. That's just one example.

I admire your dedication to MB and your desire to have your car running in tip top shape. But moeny doesn't grow on trees (at least not for me). A dollar you save is a dollar you earned (thanks Ben Franklin). Be a careful shopper and you will be ahead ont he long run.

I hope that this website will help you to become a choosier consumer. Ask here before you spend your money and I am sure that you will get plenty of good advice.

Good luck my friend.

BTW the 190E is a very nice car. Benz spent a lot of time andmoney inits development. When it came out it was way ahead of other cars. It is a Bruno Sacco design, so you know its style will be timeless.

oh yes,,,believe you me.....700 for tires did not seem to compute very well......but,given the i guess,forced feeling i had{ that is for the fact whilst having the trans gasket replaced the seals elsewher decided to go and then according to the mechanic there were peices of metal floating around inside....shifted good before so far as i could tell though,thus my car immobile without new trans } that was abit overwhelming i figured what the hell ! indeed money for me doesnt grow on trees....it was the fact i have a 30k credit card that had been recently brought back to zero that only made it possible,,,,,but that aint nothin to be proud of either ! fact is whats the overall cost going to be now in the long run after the interest charges.........especially since once i paid them off in full back down from 23k,,,never a late payment even,,,,they raised py rate from 7 to 17%,,,,,wtf ???? yeah. so ive still got to look into that as well.

[Mistress]

18,000, until today I didn't know anyone who could afford to do that. Mine 90' 420 SEl cost 5000.00 and I put 9000.00 restoring her.

[E150GT]

SCREW THAT MAN!!! No way I could dump that much cash money in just a few months unless it was a new Benz. I have been lucky so far, and only had to replace shocks, one fuel line, fuel filter, wires, plugs, and maybe some other small stuff. I still need: new leather, wheels, expansion valve, and a dash cap. Oh and one new drivers side headligh unit. I try to do all my maintenance and shop around for deals.

[jasonkec01]

Originally Posted by Mistress

18,000, until today I didn't know anyone who could afford to do that. Mine 90' 420 SEl cost 5000.00 and I put 9000.00 restoring her.

i would like to point out what i did not before,,,,fortunately MB OF NASHVILLE allows you to buy parts elsewhere and bring them with....the guys at mercedesshop,,phill and roy,have been great and phill has definately exceeded the bounds of normal customer service....very helpful and friendly and above all you could tell both phill and roy care ! the prices i feel have been quite fair and i shudder to think what sort of costs id have incurred from buying as much parts wise from m.b. as opposed to mercedesshop....KUDOS TO PHILL AND ROY !!! THANKS MERCEDESSHOP.COM !

[TX76513]

Originally Posted by jasonkec01

i would like to point out what i did not before,,,,fortunately MB OF NASHVILLE allows you to buy parts elsewhere and bring them with....the guys at mercedesshop,,phill and roy,have been great and phill has definately exceeded the bounds of normal customer service....very helpful and friendly and above all you could tell both phill and roy care ! the prices i feel have been quite fair and i shudder to think what sort of costs id have incurred from buying as much parts wise from m.b. as opposed to mercedesshop....KUDOS TO PHILL AND ROY !!! THANKS MERCEDESSHOP.COM !

That's a pretty smart dealership. Wonder if they are doing that on the sly - would not think MBUSA would approve that - but cool thing to know.

[Hatterasguy]

Originally Posted by jasonkec01

well,,,,huh,,,,i don' know ya know......i feel the pain no doubt.M.b. of nashville is doing it.{parts priced x"s 3} as well im anxious to see the details too. im just hoping most of all when i drive away ill feel like i spent it for good reason....the $700.00 tires {the ones THEY SAY are for that car}alone i hope will make a diff......ill try to actually scan and post the bill just for fun... the cis-e was bad because the guy who had it before me somehow broke the adjustment screw tower off and J.B. welded it back on and then not even perpendicular,so,it could obviously not be adjusted and that offset various other things.that i actually got lucky on and bought from a 93 lease vehicle with 300k on it,but the cis-e that was on it had been replaced within like 10k of the ???????{insert reason you may think why} going and it died.so, IT is used but after i wiped it off it looked brand new and M.B. said it was in perfect order.so if theres one part that i got lucky with its that..the trans,,thats obvious on all levels,,,but,$5,000???? WHOA !! its become moreso i got into the position id already spent too much and though to spend a little more would make what was already spent more justifiable......i think that was about 8,000 ago my hopes are that ive gotten myself on a level that i have a good car.theres plenty of kia"s i couldve gotten for much less.......hard to admit it but i think im more o.k. with the choice i made if kia or moneypit mercedes were my only options.the part that kills me now is that it very well could use new exhaust,,wheels,,,,windshield,,minor body work and paint,,,plus a thing or two that escapes me at present,,,,theres another 10k,,,,,aint gonna do it though !!! not till it needs it,,the scratches on the passenger side from a mailbox clipping really hurt,,,it looks like a really hot chick who got punched,,it just aint right !! but,for all my crying i still love it !,,,, B.T.W. my service/repair C.D. is on its way !,,,,COULD YOU IMAGINE THE CRAIGSLIST ADD I WOULD POST WERE IT FOR SALE !!! THATS RICH

Sounds like the dealer is rapping you bad. You should have gotten a brand new crate engine and crate trans for less then $18k! Heck you can buy a 3 year old C class for $18K!

[Hatterasguy]

Originally Posted by jasonkec01

oh yes,,,believe you me.....700 for tires did not seem to compute very well......but,given the i guess,forced feeling i had{ that is for the fact whilst having the trans gasket replaced the seals elsewher decided to go and then according to the mechanic there were peices of metal floating around inside....shifted good before so far as i could tell though,thus my car immobile without new trans } that was abit overwhelming i figured what the hell ! indeed money for me doesnt grow on trees....it was the fact i have a 30k credit card that had been recently brought back to zero that only made it possible,,,,,but that aint nothin to be proud of either ! fact is whats the overall cost going to be now in the long run after the interest charges.........especially since once i paid them off in full back down from 23k,,,never a late payment even,,,,they raised py rate from 7 to 17%,,,,,wtf ???? yeah. so ive still got to look into that as well.

Oh dear God! You paid for it with a credit card at a 17% interest rate!!! No offense and I am only saying this because I think you are a good guy, but that wasn't a good idea! By the time you get done paying for this it would have just been cheaper to buy a new C class.

I have a lot of money into my car, but its all cash, and it took me a few years. I budget X amount per year($3k), once its spent I stop fixing stuff.

[davidmash]

Well, I don't know the exact cost (im guessing a little north of $10k) bit here is a partial list of repairs over the past 5 years.

rebuilt Trans $4k
a/c manifold/dryer/r134 conversion $2,100
condenser
rear shocks and accumulaters
rebuild steering box $800
fuel pump $200
fuel relay $150
rear suspension links (did that my self save for one link I could not get out)
cruise control brain and actuater


That's all I can recall for now.

There are times when I just wish I did not have the car due to the cost but wen I think of what I would have to replace it with there is nothing I can afford that I would like. I saw this car first in Car and Driver in 1985, thought, "well there is another exotic I wll never own" and go figure 15 years later, I have one in my garage. I guess I look at it as an extention of who I am in a way. I get looks from young kids in their ricers who don't know what it is but they know its nice. Kind of a neat feeling to get noticed in a 20 year old car.

I'll keep fixing her till I run out of money or it just ain't fixable any more. I shudder what I will do when that happens.

[jasonkec01]

Originally Posted by TX76513

That's a pretty smart dealership. Wonder if they are doing that on the sly - would not think MBUSA would approve that - but cool thing to know.

aaaannnnnndd how !!! yes,,im super glad that i at least got to bring some things myself ! in a moment of disgust i vented not only my frustration with theyre price gouging on parts{in another post}but also a frustration on the principality of servitude whence one so elects to do so,,{i.e. work in a service oriented field}there is an unwritten/unspoken assumption that a man is as good as his word and that you would think anyone who would work at such a fine company {in all seriousness} as an m.b. certified establishment would give good and proper word,,,,however.{the rest of this part tells itself}.but once we got past that the service tech has been good. at least,good enough to get the car in the bay and have it worked on,,,,not withstanding repairs im suspicious of that were even necessary...but,im no mechanic{obviously} nor do i haphazardly go pointing fingers..yet,there was a weirdness in the voice of the service tech when i asked could i get the parts back they removed {just wanted to hear what the reaction would be. he probably just thought i was a weirdo}....anyhoo,for all intensive purposes,,18,000would be evrything invested so far literally since purchase which includes 1300 asking price and 300 for tax/tag,2,750 from mercedesshop in parts,,so really in the end the mercedes dealer charges will float more around 13,500...as i said in the begin,that is the rough final tally,the official bill has yet to arrive but i am going to try and scan/post it for fun !

[Nate]

I've got slightly more then $600 into my escort, and it's a nice little ****kicker for in town

Bought it for $75...
Control arm for $50
ball joints for $40
junkyard tires for $40
allignment for $40
Clutch $130
Trans (125k miles, body/engine has 190k) $130
Speakers $60
Misc junkyard items (around $50)
Battery $50 or so
And maintiance/tune up (oil/filter, air filter, plugs, wires... bla bla bla)

Should get some new tires ($200 for 60k goodyears), but I'm selling it to my cousin for $600... It's a FANTASTIC intown commuter, 5 speed with the 1.9 mazduhh engine. EXTREAM gas milage (35+ with me being hard on it, driving mostly between work/school/home)


The poor fools before me put brakes and an alternator/belt on it, to the tune of $300 (morons)
I've saved mucho$$$ on gas, so, I'm gonna be sad to see it go. I'm sure I'll find another cheap car, but I like escorts

~Nate

[jasonkec01]

got another call yesterday. said i have to have a new fuel distributor,injectors and a/c compressor........$3,500 more.............................anyone looking to buy a $20,ooo 190e ?this is me =.......................i dont really understand where the inspection previous came into play. i asked them to do diagnostics and/or find out whats wrong with it .....i THOUGHT i would first get that summation and be able to delegate from there what/which direction i should go.......guess i couldve asked that long ago HA-HA ! of course nobody would PLAN to do this.theres a 68{420 I THINK?,,HECKFLOSSE} that still runs here on C.L. I WOULD MUCH RATHER HAVE SPENT 20K ON. im in a spot though. how this all began was me being without a car,wife sees a "good deal" and says that for my birthday shell grab it. sounded great. that night on the way home it drove great,,,,but slowly over the course of 2-3 weeks,all sorts of weirdness took place.broke down a time or two.a/c didnt work,wife has seizures so we have to have a/c...getting it titled almost had to involve a lawyer because the guy i bought it from screwed up the title then come to find out it wasnt his to sell,it was his mothers.so i had to pull teeth and drive four hours and 300 miles to get her just to sign an affidavitt...... ive never been one to treat any car without appreciation,so im confident i drove it properly or at least respectfully.since i live in the country,its hard to get out to look for/bid on contracts without a car.by the time things began to get time sensitive{i.e. bored as hell sittin around an bills gotta get paid,good thing i dont drink!} i was already $5,000 into it and that was before any real repairs had been done.took it to M.B. as a last resort thinking that to be the fastest most effective way to deal with it. theyve had it for 2 weeks now and will have it for the better part at least for this coming week.ive decided to rent another car.i gotta make some money and sittin here aint gonna do it .. so i rented a ford focus.oh,ive got full coverage insur. from USAA with rental reimbursement,,,,yet,that only covers it if youre in a wreck.... HA-HA go figure !

[Hatterasguy]

Well its a 20 year old Mercedes its going to have many issues and need several grand in defered mainaince. Thats pretty much a given and not surprising.

But you really need to work on these old cars yourself to make owning one worth while. At this point I'd stop all work and get the car out of their ASAP. You are already up to $20k which is insane IMHO. You are 60% of the way to a new C class!

The dealer is raping you!

[Whiskeydan]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Well its a 20 year old Mercedes its going to have many issues and need several grand in defered mainaince. Thats pretty much a given and not surprising.

But you really need to work on these old cars yourself to make owning one worth while. At this point I'd stop all work and get the car out of their ASAP. You are already up to $20k which is insane IMHO. You are 60% of the way to a new C class!

The dealer is raping you!

Whats that old saying...

"If you can't shoe your own horse, you shouldn't own a horse."

[BENZ-LGB]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Well its a 20 year old Mercedes its going to have many issues and need several grand in defered mainaince. Thats pretty much a given and not surprising.

But you really need to work on these old cars yourself to make owning one worth while. At this point I'd stop all work and get the car out of their ASAP. You are already up to $20k which is insane IMHO. You are 60% of the way to a new C class!

The dealer is raping you!

The thing is, you don't get a penny out of the money put into an older car.

Jason, be careful how you spend your money. It is hard making money, it is easy to spend it, it is even harder to save it.