Hi
i'm new here.
BASICALLY I WANT TO KNOW IF THE UPKEEP OF THIS CAR IS EXPENSIVE OR IS IT THE SAME AS PRACTICALLY ANY OTHER CAR....read on please

my husband is (was going to???) buy me a 1992 400 e mercedes (4.2L if that makes a dfference)
the car failed the emissions test and now the mechanic is saying it will cost $75 per catalytic converter (there's 2) plus another $550 (!!!) for the muffler...does that sound about right?

is this indicative of what's to come with this car? am i going to always have huge car charges like this or is the car so good that usually u fix things once and they last a long time ?

is it old enough (1992) that parts wont be so expensive? or is it too old and parts will be hard to find and hence, expensive?


as u can tell i know absolutely nothing about cars so came here for help

I need to know soon because the guy will want to pass the car on to the next guy if we dont pay the first payment soon.

thanks in advance.

300e six cylinder will be less to maintain over the years...

if he can't do a lot of DIY....move on to something else.....

just one small example...... car isn't charging.... take it to dealer... dealer says 450 for alternator plus 150 to install.

DIY finds out that the problem can be solved with a voltage regulator--- goes to wholesale parts place.... gets the part for 30 dollars.... takes the two screws out the back...puts it in.... 10 minutes later everything is ok..

a less radical example.... oil change time... quickie places deemed dangerous...go to dealer... dealer charges 75 dollars..

DIY...gets oil on sale and filter from wholesaler....does it for 12 dollars in a lot less time it takes to drive to the dealer...

just my .02. Save your marriage.

__________________
1989 300ce 129k
( facelifted front,updated tail lights, lowered suspension,bilstein sports, lorinser front spoiler, MOMO steering wheel, remus exhaust,stainless steel brake lines). (Gone)

1997 s320 154k (what a ride). Sold with 179k miles. Replaced with Hyundai Equus

1994 e320 Cabriolet 108k



1972 280se 4.5 153k Owned for 12 yrs, sorry I sold it


[/SIGPIC]

I think you have that backwards... 2 mufflers 1 cat (cat costs more) though your car may have 2 cats Im not really sure... sounds like non MB spec parts prices or a real good deal price-wise for those parts.
What kind of maintainance records are avaliable?
What has already been done to the car can give you a good idea about what will need to do to it in the future.
The V8 engin you have in that car is a good one... but will cost more to maintain than a 6 or a 4 would as with any car.

Basicly if the car has never been maintained it will hit you again and again for hundreds and or thousands... If problems were addressed as they came up... $ outlays could be less frequent... But any car as it ages will require some maintainance.

Once you fix something on an MB (and fix it hright) it does tend to last a long time... But if it ends up all breaking at once it can be expensive...
If your main concern is the cost to maintain... you should probably consider a 4 cylinder Toyota, Honda...
And if the car has no records... think at least twice about it.
Good luck.

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-Marty

1986 300E 220,000 miles+ transmission impossible
(Now waiting under a bridge in order to become one)

Reading your M103 duty cycle:
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showpost.php?p=831799&postcount=13
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showpost.php?p=831807&postcount=14

well i do know the mechanic put in a new engine, so that's been taken care of..

i'll ask for service records then and see what they say (and then come here for interpretation )

the cost of maintenance is not the *biggest* concern but i still dont want to be in the shop all the time kwim?

btw, DIY does stand for do-it-yourself right?
i would *love* to do that stuff and am really good at following instructions..that said i have zero car experience..could someone like me really fix minor car issues? are there manuals or books out that could help?
thanks

Boy,,, this is a tough one. You seem to want the Benz, but the skills to keep it running may be a bit lacking. I have a 93 400E and love it but it has taken some care by myself and if I would have had to pay someone else to rectify all the problems, I probably would have bailed out long ago. If you do have the necessary skills and tools, this forum is invaluable in the care and feeding of the Benz. It is hard to tell you yes or no in going ahead as I have no way of knowing how dedicated you may be in resolving problems. The 400 is an awsome machine, but it is a machine and needs some tender loving care from time to time.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

I know that labor on replacing items on a V8 (400E) has to be more $$ because of the lack of room in the engine compartment, but I'm not convinced they are that much more expensive than a 300E.

Why?

It seems all six cylinder W124's (300E's / E320's) have trouble with headgaskets failing, a big ticket item to replace ($1,200 - $1,800).

The V8's never have head gasket problems.

Last, there is almost no mileage penalty with the V8. The difference in mpg in only 1 - 2 mpg in both city / highway fuel economy compared the to the sixes.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

keep looking - that car is not old enough to need an engine unless it was badly mistreated. You CAN diy (do it yourself) with instructions from this site and the manuals that are available for this car. Make hubby purchase the tools and equipment to allow you to do the work. My suggestion would be to find a all records, mint condition W124 with the 103 (single overhead cam) engine. They are easy to start with.

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Jim

Look at it this way, are you willing to spend say $2k, $3k, $4k, a year to pay someone to keep a MB going? I have not found MB's to be cheap to own, actually other then maybe VW and Saab no German or European cars seem to be cheap to keep running.

A $1k reapar on a Honda, or Saturn is a big deal.
A $1k repair on a MB, is well not un common.

Also if the engine has been replaced I would pass their is no reason it should have been. M119's last an extremly long time.

V8 powerd W124's are extremly nice cars, they are pretty fast to.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The question lacks perspective. You are looking at a 13 year old car. How many other 13 year old cars catch your fancy? My guess is you want a $60,000 car but want to pay $10,000 for it. Remember that perspective angle.

About that motor, I think the going rate on a new 119 motor is close to $20,000 (probably more). Do you suppose it got a new motor? Not likely. More likely it has had significant work done to the original one and someone has big dreams. The other posibility is that it got a new other motor from some other 13 year old car. If that makes you feel better about the motor we are back to perspective again.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician