What Dan and Allen said - I gave up on Diesel cars - they just don't make sense any more. Trucks carrying/pulling a load? Yes. A bunch of short trips, no. After the Diesel Passat, I realized I bought the Diesel on emotions, not logic. That having been said, of the two options you gave, I'd choose well maintained over lower miles, especially given that you drive almost as little as we do. You are very unlikely to wear either of them out.
On Sat, May 20, 2023 at 1:08 PM dan penoff.com via Mercedes < mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > All good points, Allan. > > The days of diesels being more economical when it comes to cars is pretty > much gone. Sure, there are the smaller VWs, for example, like Curt’s that > get really good mileage, but the more modern diesels won’t, and the cost of > diesel fuel isn’t likely to drop below gasoline again, I think. > > If you were doing a “Marshall” and driving the length of PA weekly it > might make sense, but otherwise, it’s nothing more than a personal > preference. There’s no net gain from it, in fact, it might be more costly > for a number of reasons, which was Allan’s point. > > -D > > > On May 20, 2023, at 2:00 PM, Allan Streib via Mercedes < > mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > > > 217k is getting up there not so much for a well-maintained diesel engine > but for the transmission and all the other moving/rotating parts in the > car. Wheel bearings, suspension bushings, fluid pumps, etc. Despite the > best maintenance, stuff wears out eventually. > > > > I'll be honest, neither of these sounds like a great deal to me but > you're well above my budget for what I'd spend on a car so my opinion is > just that, an opinion. > > > > Are you dead-set on a diesel? For an SUV you'll have a lot more options > and lower prices with a gasoline model. If you're driving 6000 miles/yr > that isn't great for a diesel either, unless those miles are a small number > of long trips. > > > > Gas is cheaper than diesel anyway these days and has fewer maintenance > concerns. > > > > > > On Sat, May 20, 2023, at 10:48, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes wrote: > >> *If your mechanic says the high mileage car is crap, why bother?* > >> Au contraire. Mechanic did a PPI and found nothing needs attention. He > >> said that the extensive dealer service records show that the owner > >> maintained everything by the book when driving 217k miles (25 k mpy). > The > >> underlying "issue" is how many well maintained miles can an ML 350 > bluetec > >> last before the engine or transmission fails? > >> > >> On Sat, May 20, 2023 at 11:41 AM dan penoff.com via Mercedes < > >> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > >> > >>> Lower miles is almost always more desirable. Higher miles aren’t bad, > but > >>> far more likley to have a need for major service sooner than later. > That > >>> could easily wipe out any savings you get over the lower mileage car. > >>> > >>> If your mechanic says the high mileage car is crap, why bother? > >>> > >>> -D > >>> > >>>> On May 20, 2023, at 11:09 AM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes < > >>> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> Not my words. Meant as a compliment, I suppose. > >>>> > >>>> Both are 2014. $12.5 vs. $10.5K > >>>> > >>>> The asking price on the 217k ML is non-negotiable. The other has > already > >>>> come down from $16.5K and is not local. > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> On Sat, May 20, 2023 at 11:04 AM Floyd Thursby via Mercedes < > >>>> mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > >>>> > >>>>> What years and prices on each? > >>>>> > >>>>> You will probably have to budget $2-3k/yr for maintenance if you are > >>>>> paying someone to do it. Or if the engine kakks then it will either > be > >>>>> a write-off or will cost A LOT. I'm not sure how "34 service > records" > >>>>> and"perfect cosmetic and mechanical condition" correlates with "it > was > >>>>> driven like sh*t and maintained like sh*t" > >>>>> > >>>>> --FT > >>>>> > >>>>> On 5/20/23 10:41 AM, Andrew Strasfogel via Mercedes wrote: > >>>>>> We are looking at two ML 350 Bluetec SUVs for possible purchase. > One > >>>>> is a > >>>>>> single owner vehicle with 34 service records, no reported accidents, > >>> all > >>>>>> updates, and in perfect cosmetic and mechanical condition but with > >>>>> 217,000 > >>>>>> miles (!). As my mechanic said, "it was driven like sh*t and > >>> maintained > >>>>>> like sh*t." > >>>>>> > >>>>>> The second has 138,000 miles with one minor accident and three > previous > >>>>>> owners. Service history is less robust and there is one outstanding > >>>>> issue > >>>>>> with a "frozen rear ride sensor". It has a few more options than > the > >>>>> other > >>>>>> ML (360 camera, panoramic roof, rear seat entertainment). > >>>>>> > >>>>>> The price difference is $2,000 higher for the ML 350 with 138,000 > >>> miles. > >>>>>> Each vehicle rides about the same with no obvious issues. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> We do not expect to put more than 6000 miles/year on the vehicle we > >>>>>> purchase. > >>>>>> > >>>>>> How do I determine which is the better/less risky choice? > >>>>>> _______________________________________ > >>>>>> http://www.okiebenz.com > >>>>>> > >>>>>> To search list archiveshttp://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >>>>>> > >>>>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >>>>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >>>>>> > >>>>> -- > >>>>> --FT > >>>>> _______________________________________ > >>>>> http://www.okiebenz.com > >>>>> > >>>>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >>>>> > >>>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >>>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> _______________________________________ > >>>> http://www.okiebenz.com > >>>> > >>>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >>>> > >>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >>>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >>>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________ > >>> http://www.okiebenz.com > >>> > >>> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >>> > >>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >>> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >>> > >>> > >> _______________________________________ > >> http://www.okiebenz.com > >> > >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > >> > >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > -- OK Don "Quality of life is inversely proportional to the amount of clothing you are wearing." "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain “Basic research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I am doing.” Werner Von Braun "In science if you know what you are doing you should not be doing it. In engineering if you do not know what you are doing you should not be doing it." -- Richard W. Hamming, The Art of Doing Science and Engineering 2013 F150, 18 mpg 2017 Subaru Legacy, 30 mpg 1957 C182A, 12 mpg - but at 150 mph! _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
