Guys in my area who have bought them new and run them and put many miles on them may not be as quick to send them to the crusher as you. Up here, the cars cost $120,000+ new. Who expects to buy such a car and run it for a $1000 per year? I state my rule of old car purchase again. Put 10% of the original purchase price aside to properly sort an old car that's in pretty good shape. That's $12,000. After that, I think if you keep ontop of it, you could probably do your own servicing on many items and run one for $2500-3000 per year, on parts? No, not cheap, but if you want cheap, what are you doing in a gas S Class in the first place?
Ed 300E On 12/08/07, Peter Frederick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > That $8500 car will cost that much every year or two to keep on the > road. I don't think you get it -- no engine computer = dead car, and > NONE of them last like they should. I've known people to get two or > three during the extended warranty period -- and they are $4000 EACH. > Ditto for the climate control, no workarounds possible, if it's out you > have no ventilation, and it's the electronics. Window controller box > fails pretty often, another $2500 so you can open a window. > > Only the 350 diesel is usable long term unless you have the cash to > drop $5000 or more per year in repair PARTS -- there are NO used engine > or climate control modules out there. > > Peter > > On Aug 12, 2007, at 1:43 PM, E M wrote: > > > As I said, parts and labour are not cheap however you look at it. > > Mind you, > > take a 240D to a dealer and check the bill you'll get! :-) I had a > > well off > > friend how liked his old 300D. He would often spend more than the > > market > > value on the car for a service! The was to run a old 140 is to do > > what many > > do here, buy several. With cars costing so little, why buy parts? > > Pick one > > up, part it out and stock piles bits you know you'll need. There was > > a lot > > of recycled material that went into the 140. I'm pretty sure parts > > made > > with that junk didn't do much better in other models either. > > > > Ed > > 300E > > > > On 12/08/07, Peter Frederick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> > >> The W140 chassis suffers from wiring pre-degredation, very unreliable > >> computers (ignition, fuel injection, and climate control) and the > >> whacko "conveneince relay" system also famous on the BMW 740il series > >> of similar vintage. > >> > >> These are not whines, they are serious reliability problems. $4000 > >> for > >> an engine computer toasted by a bad wiring harness (another, what, > >> $2500 plus $1500 for installation), a $2500 climate control computer, > >> an engine trashed by a stupidly designed computer maintenance > >> scheduling program, outrageous parts (dual pane argon filled passenger > >> windows, a "feature" shared by Lexus) so a broken window costs $1000 > >> to > >> fix -- doesn't take long to figure out no one is going to spend that > >> kinda money on fixing an $80,000 car, especially when all the > >> electronics fail in a couple of years, average. > >> > >> The basic design is great, the materials (excepting anything > >> electronic) is as good as it gets, but after $10,000 a year in > >> warranty > >> work, the owners dump them the day the warranty is up. Lots of them > >> are in the dump, not worth fixing because the replacement parts are > >> gonna croak in 25,000 miles just like the originals. > >> > >> My mechanic friend won't work on them, too much chance disconnecting > >> the computer cables will fry the computer when you plug it back in due > >> to all the insulation in the harness falling off the wires when you > >> flex them. I'm not kidding, the Indianapolis Benz service center > >> warns > >> you NOT to unplug the computer unless you are replacing the > >> harness..... > >> > >> It was the beginning of the serious slide in quality Benz has > >> undergone > >> since being affiliated with Chrysler. Must have gotten the MoPar > >> people involved in sourcing and specifying parts -- mostly junk. > >> There > >> was also a massive influx of American trained designers into the > >> German > >> auto world (see my comments on the BMW 740il series above. Lots of > >> fancy crap for the American disposable car market, ruined the product. > >> Spring seats rusting off, doors that go "clank" when you close the, > >> "smart" electronics for the stinking window motors for Christ's sake, > >> running off an Ethernet system and all internlinked computers, and so > >> forth. $350 for a window motor and a $2500 tool to program it ........ > >> > >> Disposable cars, once it's out of warrenty, it goes to the discount > >> lot > >> and hence to the dump. Lovely world we live in, eh? > >> > >> Peter > >> > >> On Aug 12, 2007, at 12:36 PM, E M wrote: > >> > >>> Geez, you guys are really down on W140s. I know it has a lot of > >>> systems and > >>> not the most reasonable car to own, but I don't think mercedes ever > >>> intended > >>> it to be an econo box. I think as far as sedans go, it was one of > >>> those > >>> concorde moments. People look at the cost to run and service it and > >>> forget > >>> just what it was at the time. All the little things, like a big > >>> sedan > >>> that > >>> would go like stink and still handle great. The US market wasn't > >>> keen > >>> on > >>> the idea of changing tires so often as they thought they should last > >>> as long > >>> on an S as they do on their Ford, so the tires were "dumbed down" to > >>> last > >>> longer, and then ppl complained about the tire noise. ha ha ha. The > >>> market > >>> just isnt' there for these cars, much like the unappreciated porsche > >>> 928. > >>> But bring me all the $1000 S500s you can find! :-) I think they are > >>> great > >>> cars that are worth preserving and enjoying. > >>> > >>> Ed > >>> 300E > >>> > >>> On 12/08/07, Robert & Tara Ludwick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> I'd say the "decimal two places to the left " estimate is probably > >>>> accurate. There may be that much in metal, but in a recent > >>>> conversation > >>>> with a boneyard owner, it was costing him a combined $20 an hour in > >>>> labour to tear the things apart , so if your time is worth anything > >>>> and > >>>> it would take a single person a lot longer than the 3 guys > >>>> eviscerating > >>>> one at the boneyard with all of their available implements of > >>>> destruction...... > >>>> > >>>> ----------Robert > >>>> > >>>> Mitch Haley wrote: > >>>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>>> Holy cats. A 140, 200K miles AND it's been wet. Move the decimal > >>>> point two > >>>>>> places left. > >>>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> Not quite that far. A 140 is HEAVY. Gotta be at least $300 for > >>>>> scrap > >>>> metal. > >>>>> If you can sell the doors, trunk lid, fenders and hood for $100 > >>>>> each, > >>>> and if > >>>>> the seats are nice enough to sell for $250, the car's easily worth > >>>>> $850. > >>>>> Engine and tranny might even be worth something IF the fluids were > >>>> changed > >>>>> before it was started. > >>>>> Mitch. > >>>>> > >>>>> _______________________________________ > >>>>> http://www.okiebenz.com > >>>>> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > >>>>> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>>> > >>>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >>>>> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________ > >>>> http://www.okiebenz.com > >>>> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > >>>> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>> > >>>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >>>> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >>>> > >>> _______________________________________ > >>> http://www.okiebenz.com > >>> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > >>> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>> > >>> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >>> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >>> > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________ > >> http://www.okiebenz.com > >> For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > >> For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> > >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > >> http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > >> > > _______________________________________ > > http://www.okiebenz.com > > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > > > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ > For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
