My brother is an idiot. Here's why...

"Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom" (will-alib)
05/10/2016 at 10:48 • Filed to: None

Because he just fronted the $$ for his 19 year old daughter to buy a 2001 CLK 430 cabrio. The details: $3500, 21k miles in exc condition, bought from her boyfriend’s grandma. It was grandpa’s toy, and after he passed last year the car just sat. The car does have an AZ salvage title after boyfriend’s mom went offroading in it up on a median, doing unknown damage to the underbody. Car was totaled by the ins co, but grandpa loved the thing so he got it fixed.

Now my bro is not the most car-savvy individual out there, and was impressed at the chance to get into an MB for short money I think. But as I explained to him last night, the buy-in price may be cheap (salvage title def helped here) and it may be in exc condition with uber low miles, but there's always the chance that the first trip to a dealer for a CEL will result in an outlay of cubic dollars for a fix. My niece is a smart kid, and doing very well as a college sophomore, but this is the wrong car for her, not that she even needed one afaik. The silver lining is if they do need to unload it, they can probably get their money back. I hope.

DISCUSSION (20)

Ash78, voting early and often > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 10:58

RWD. Cabrio. German. V8. Salvage. All key words to avoid in buying a car for a 19-year-old. That’s a pretty Jalop car, IMHO, and I’d rock it for $3500, but you’d want at least $3k in the bank for unexpected repairs in the first year. And I would NEVER drive it the way I treated my college car.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 10:58

That's a lot of car for a little coin. I'd take that risk, especially if someone in the family can do regular maintenance.

yamahog > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 11:00

I sighed aloud just reading the preview text

yamahog > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 11:00

I sighed aloud just reading the preview text

yamahog > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 11:01

I sighed aloud just reading the preview text

E90M3 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 11:03

If they’ve got the money to pay for it then why not? Plus it seems there are a decent amount of independent shops for Mercedes. I wish my parents had bought me a decent car in college, but I guess graduating college with 0 debt is nicer than any car.

Land_Yacht_225 > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 11:19

Not all Mercedes-Benz are unreliable and troubled machines. He didn’t buy her an S-class with more computers than the space shuttle, he didn’t buy her an SL with failure prone roof hydraulics, he didn’t even buy her an E-Class with the shit air suspension.

He bought her a car that uses the C-Class platform and suspension and a very reliable Mercedes V8 engine. The only reason that car could go wrong is because it’s been sitting and the seals, hoses, or belts have dried out. But if it was only sitting for a year, it wouldn’t present a huge concern.

My Mercedes is several orders of magnitude more complex than this one, and it drives around with the CEL on just fine. I’d recommend finding him a good independent mechanic, rather than trying to convince him he should have leased her a Nissan Versa.

AM3R shamefully returns > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 11:35

It’s a CLK, not a S-class or anything like that. It’s really not gonna be that bad. The V8 was used in a wide array of cars so it isn’t like parts will be ridiculous or hard to find. Also going to be much much safer than many cars you'll find in that price range.

Not sure why so many people think teens need total junkers as a first car.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Ash78, voting early and often
05/10/2016 at 11:37

‘zactly. It's a car I might have gambled on, but it's the wrong car for a college kid.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
05/10/2016 at 11:40

So might I, but my brother is not a car guy by any stretch. It's just a potential maintenance nightmare for a college girl.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > E90M3
05/10/2016 at 11:42

Paying short money up front for the car doesn't mean total ownership costs will be low. It's just the wrong car for a college kid.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Land_Yacht_225
05/10/2016 at 11:46

I realize there are different levels of "potential maintenance nightmare" when dealing with older MBs. And hopefully this won't turn out badly, but it was just the wrong car to buy for a college kid. He took the car to an indy mechanic at least, so if it needs anything I'd guess that's where it'll go. The difference with your Versa lease example is a leased car would have a full warranty lowering its operating costs whereas this Benz does not.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > AM3R shamefully returns
05/10/2016 at 11:49

Never said she should be driving a junker, but this is just the wrong car for a college kid imo. I just hope this doesn't turn out to be an expensive mistake. This is a car I might have taken a chance on, but I can do most of the req'd maintenance.

Jonathan Harper > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 12:45

Why are you so against a college kid owning a CLK 430?

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Jonathan Harper
05/10/2016 at 14:13

Because a 15 year old Benz has high potential to be nightmarishly expensive to fix when/if things start breaking. Other than that I don't care.

AM3R shamefully returns > Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom
05/10/2016 at 14:37

Wasn’t specifically talking about you, I’m just tired of always seeing people suggest “cheap car under $2000" when that's such a poorly practical choice. Most cars in that price range won't run, won't be safe, and will soon require expensive maintenance.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > AM3R shamefully returns
05/10/2016 at 14:48

Agreed. A kid's first car has to be reliable and that means spending more up front.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Land_Yacht_225
05/10/2016 at 16:11

False. Every single German car will just deplete your bank account. It’s not possible for them to be reliable. And besides that, there are no upsides to owning a nice car that I can think of.

/sarcasm

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > yamahog
05/10/2016 at 16:13

Ummm

Kinja'd!!!

yamahog > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches
05/10/2016 at 17:20

Yea, that’s what I get for trying to comment with spotty wifi... TRIPLE THE SIGHING! I can’t baleet or edit now either :/