Someone talk me out of buying this

"rotundapig" (rotundapig)
01/18/2015 at 16:37 • Filed to: None

Thanks to Tavarish and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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I'm now hypnotized by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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I've heard the horror stories of how much maintenance costs can be, but after doing a bit of research, and finding people who have claimed to have spent up to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , it looks like many of those stories are either tall tales, or the owners where real idiots when it comes to cars. Some of the prices for those parts just don't make sense, such as nearly $2k for tires. And everythingn has the stench of dealership inflation.

I know in my brain that this is somehow a bad idea, but I'm also doing a fair job of justifying the purchase, since I have the cash and I do a lot of highway driving up and down I-25. Plus, how can 500HP of B-pillarless turbo V12 be bad?

DISCUSSION (28)

7:07 > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 16:45

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood..."

Alex B > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 17:19

Do it! I would love to read about this.

boxrocket > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 17:23

Don't get one without a comprehensive warranty. Doug DeMuro seems to like CarMax's, though I'm not sure they sell what you want.

rotundapig > boxrocket
01/18/2015 at 17:33

one with a warranty like that wouldn't be in budget, and I never let anyone else work on my car. The only exception is alignments and sometimes I do those myself with string.

Clown Shoe Pilot > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 17:35

If you've got a huge pile of money to blow on repairs and maintenance, go for it. Seriously, there is nothing that will make you poor faster than a German car.

This car was $120K+ when it was new. The repair parts have NOT dropped in price by 90%. They still cost what you'd expect repair parts for a 120K car to cost.

The reason this car is for sale is NOT because the guy's only got a 2 car garage. It's got tens of thousands of dollars worth of deferred maintenance that it needs and he's ditching it while he can still sell it as a runner.

Vicente Esteve > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 17:35

No way those repairs climbed up to 60K.

It has to be a joke, or the guy is so rich he doesn't care. And loves that car.

Clown Shoe Pilot > Vicente Esteve
01/18/2015 at 17:38

Look at the ad copy. This isn't a rich guy selling his beloved Merc. At BEST it's flipper.

Slave2anMG > Clown Shoe Pilot
01/18/2015 at 17:39

DING DING DING...we have a winner!

Clown Shoe Pilot > Slave2anMG
01/18/2015 at 17:40

I own an M car. I know of what I speak :)

TheElephant > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 17:42

You can always buy an aftermarket warranty. There are some seriously reputable companies out there that would underwrite a policy on something like this.

Vicente Esteve > Clown Shoe Pilot
01/18/2015 at 17:45

I was referring to the guy in the forum.

rotundapig > Clown Shoe Pilot
01/18/2015 at 17:48

I've been shopping around for these for a while and it looks like parts are 50-75% cheaper than brand new factory parts when you get reman parts, and they are available now, since the car's a bit older. Plus I wouldn't be paying for labor. I've had about a dozen 10-30 year old German cars, just Audi, BMW & VW, not Mercedes and they've all been mostly reasonable to maintain.

Timing belt on my A4 is a great example. Everyone fears it and says it takes $1500 for a shop to do, but I got the kit from ECS for about $300 and had it done one Saturday at a reasonable pace.

Have you had any bad experiences with Mercedes or other German luxo-barges?

Clown Shoe Pilot > Vicente Esteve
01/18/2015 at 17:48

Ah. I read some of that too. Those guys seemed a little less illiterate. However, I still thing part of their problem is that at least one of them put in new "break fluid."

EVERYBODY knows that if you put in new break fluid, a whole bunch of shit breaks. That's what break fluid does, and that's why I never put new in my car.

Now... brake fluid? I change that on the regular. I use Motul RBF660 and it's not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than fixing a bunch of stuff that craps out when you put new break fluid in.

rotundapig > Clown Shoe Pilot
01/18/2015 at 17:51

yeah. I'm a little worried about it being a tard selling the car. I recognize the cars in the background as being a local Mercedes shop with a good reputation. I only hope it's the shop owner selling, not someone who just got a quote for service

rotundapig > TheElephant
01/18/2015 at 17:53

I've never had a car with a warranty and rarely had a decent experience with someone else working on my car. I think I would want to go in with the expectation that I'm going to take care of anything that breaks myself.

Clown Shoe Pilot > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 17:55

I have not. I've got experience with M cars. My dad and I both have spent decent money maintaining them.

My M Coupe is probably about to cost me a bunch of money. When I fill the tank, I smell fuel. This has happened before. There are some plastic bits that fail after 6-7 years and getting to them is an almighty nightmare. You have to pull the ENTIRE rear of the car off and drop the fuel tank to get to them. It's one of those $300 parts and 12 hours of labor jobs. I got this problem fixed under warranty when I got the car (it was 7 years old) and that was 7 years ago.

I may just short-fill the gas tank for a while and see if I can't find some time to fix it over a long weekend at work or something. This is the kind of job that's made WORLDS easier with a lift. Luckily, we've got one in the maintenance shop and I'm allowed to use it.

Clown Shoe Pilot > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 17:56

The ad was definitely written by a 'tard. Also, California plates. That's a bad sign :)

rotundapig > Clown Shoe Pilot
01/18/2015 at 18:01

I wouldn't be to scared by that, because it just requires a bit of cash and a lot of swearing. It's things like transmission failures, turbos sending compressors through the engine and expensive fancy suspension pumps that I can't even imagine that would keep me up at night.

rotundapig > Clown Shoe Pilot
01/18/2015 at 18:04

yeah these are the little warming signs that I needed pointed out to me by a dispassionate third party. I have been to blinded by V12 turbo. May still test drive, though.

What's the worst that could happen?

JGrabowMSt > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 18:12

Someone else here convinced their friend to get one, so you see threads pop up from time to time.

I couldnt possibly tell you no with an SL600 of my own (though the older R129).

Theyre worth it, good cars, and strong motors. Just certainly no DD unless youre very brave (at least in my opinion).

superdave847 > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 21:24

If you're comfortable doing your own work, I say don't worry about the warranty or even the questionable reliability. It is the cost of paying someone to fix German cars that keeps most away.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > rotundapig
01/18/2015 at 23:36

Go price out ignition coils, 24 spark plugs and boots.

Then ABC struts and pump (hydraulic suspension), don't forget the fluid (CHF-11S).

Then front brake pads and rotors.

How comfortable are you removing the engine to replace the seals on the turbos when they start leaking coolant?

These are all common things, and a lot of things require the use of factory (or similar) scan tool. They're amazing cars when well taken care of. However, unfortunately, they usually aren't taken care of.

rotundapig > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
01/19/2015 at 10:13

you win. Jesus H. Christ, that ignition coil is batshit.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Mercedes_Benz-…

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > rotundapig
01/19/2015 at 10:16

Yeah, I'm sure your bank account is very appreciative. A CL55 or 500 on the other hand would be fine I think, none of the same engine related problems. V12's are just insane.

rotundapig > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
01/19/2015 at 18:49

Got any input on this?

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/4838746185…

Allot of our customers where I work are transmission reman facilities, so I can get a tranny at cost.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > rotundapig
01/19/2015 at 21:45

Those are fun and can be modified to over 400whp. Pretty simple as far as Mercedes is concerned. The issue with the transmissions on those is actually the radiator leaking coolant into the transmission fluid. If it is fixed quickly enough the transmissions are usually fine. But they're very rebuildable either way. Otherwise biggest issues are relatively (for Mercedes) cheap feeling interiors, leaky valve covers, leaky rear mains. The leaks are very easy to take care of. Wider rear tires make a world of difference. That and a tune can make it a mid 12 second car. Other issues include suspension bushings and plug wires, if you really count those issues and not maintenance. Great cars. I've frequently seen these in decent condition sell for around $8,000. So take that into consideration.

functionoverfashion > Vicente Esteve
03/05/2015 at 11:09

Forgive my ignorance, but what is an ABC system and how did this guy claim to spend over $11,000 in 3 years on its various parts?

Also, $8,700 in headlights/taillights.

Vicente Esteve > functionoverfashion
03/05/2015 at 19:12

ABC is the adaptive air suspension and can cost a great amount of money to be fixed.