Mercedes

[mercifulfuzziness]

Considering getting myself a Mercedes. Time period something around 2018-2023.

For owners, is maintenance on these things really that terrible?

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Considering getting myself a Mercedes. Time period something around 2018-2023.

For owners, is maintenance on these things really that terrible?

Hm, my father in law has one. He is super happy with it and I haven‘t heard him complain about maintenance.

 

[sleewell]

had a C and then an E class.

its just dumb looking back. paying a whole bunch more for everything. unless you get the top end models they really arent that nice. overall just over that sort of thing. it was reliable but so have been my ford and chrysler, just depends on how you take care of stuff.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

had a C and then an E class.

its just dumb looking back. paying a whole bunch more for everything. unless you get the top end models they really arent that nice. overall just over that sort of thing. it was reliable but so have been my ford and chrysler, just depends on how you take care of stuff.

Yeah I am considering E or C. S I find a bit too excessive.

 

[sleewell]

unless you get the higher tier modesl or all the options the base models are not that sweet imo

when i got the C premium gas was only 30 cents more than regular, when i sold my E it was more than double that. not a big deal on the surface but when gas goes to 5 it starts to be like why the fuck am i doing this. insurance is more. repairs are more. oil changes are more. parts are more.

just got a point where a couple of paid off vans plus all that money is way cooler for me at least. im not ever doing car loans again, that shit is dumb af.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

unless you get the higher tier modesl or all the options the base models are not that sweet imo

when i got the C premium gas was only 30 cents more than regular, when i sold my E it was more than double that. not a big deal on the surface but when gas goes to 5 it starts to be like why the fuck am i doing this. insurance is more. repairs are more. oil changes are more. parts are more.

just got a point where a couple of paid off vans plus all that money is way cooler for me at least. im not ever doing car loans again, that shit is dumb af.

Yep same with all the 300-400 PK cars. All nice until you hit the gas station.

Then again, if that’s an issue should you even be buying it? (In general)

 

[Jarick]

Only thing I'd say is make sure you have the money in case it needs repairs. I made the mistake of buying a used BMW 3-series when I got my first real job and that thing was a money pit and set me back financially. Switched to Honda/Toyota and have had one repair across half a dozen cars in 15 years.

Only way I'd get a luxury car now is a lease. Then I'm not on the hook for repairs. But I'm the other direction, two cars will be paid off this year and registration is cheap because they are older.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Only thing I'd say is make sure you have the money in case it needs repairs. I made the mistake of buying a used BMW 3-series when I got my first real job and that thing was a money pit and set me back financially. Switched to Honda/Toyota and have had one repair across half a dozen cars in 15 years.

Only way I'd get a luxury car now is a lease. Then I'm not on the hook for repairs. But I'm the other direction, two cars will be paid off this year and registration is cheap because they are older.

Well this is the question. Are the repairs really that awful?

 

[Jarick]

Well this is the question. Are the repairs really that awful?

Just speaking from my experience...parts were more expensive and there may be fewer shops to do some work. Especially with newer cars, they may have some technology that limits who can do the work.

With my BMW, the transmission died and the dealer quoted me $7500 for a repair. I was able to buy a used transmission from a junker, have it shipped to a local transmission shop, and they swapped it for me for about $3000. This was 20 years ago so you could probably add 50-100% more to that cost.

IMO it will never make financial sense to buy a luxury import car, so you need to have IDGAF money in the first place. In which case you don't care about the repair cost or would just buy a new car with a warranty.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Just speaking from my experience...parts were more expensive and there may be fewer shops to do some work. Especially with newer cars, they may have some technology that limits who can do the work.

With my BMW, the transmission died and the dealer quoted me $7500 for a repair. I was able to buy a used transmission from a junker, have it shipped to a local transmission shop, and they swapped it for me for about $3000. This was 20 years ago so you could probably add 50-100% more to that cost.

IMO it will never make financial sense to buy a luxury import car, so you need to have IDGAF money in the first place. In which case you don't care about the repair cost or would just buy a new car with a warranty.

Import. But I am from Europe and all the factories are really close by :)

I have no idea if that matters! I just love the brand(s) (might also consider Audi A5 or BMW 5 series)

 

[AutomationBias]

Well this is the question. Are the repairs really that awful?

I've had BMWs and Audis for almost 30 years. The most expensive car I've ever owned in terms of repairs and maintenance was a Jeep.

 

[Jarick]

Import. But I am from Europe and all the factories are really close by :)

I have no idea if that matters! I just love the brand(s) (might also consider Audi A5 or BMW 5 series)

Oh if you're from Europe I think that's quite different. May need to do some research on Reddit or something but if the repair rates are more reasonable then it's less risk. I've read though the models are more utilitarian there compared to the US though.

I will say the BMW I had was so awesome to drive and really luxurious when taking away the financial issues. It soured me on wanting an expensive car but if I won the lottery I'd probably get another BMW.

What's funny is when I was younger, I was constantly looking at cars, building dream cars on websites, etc. I haven't looked at car websites in years as it just hasn't occurred to me. Last time I was test driving cars was back in 2019 when my lease was up.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Oh if you're from Europe I think that's quite different. May need to do some research on Reddit or something but if the repair rates are more reasonable then it's less risk. I've read though the models are more utilitarian there compared to the US though.

I will say the BMW I had was so awesome to drive and really luxurious when taking away the financial issues. It soured me on wanting an expensive car but if I won the lottery I'd probably get another BMW.

What's funny is when I was younger, I was constantly looking at cars, building dream cars on websites, etc. I haven't looked at car websites in years as it just hasn't occurred to me. Last time I was test driving cars was back in 2019 when my lease was up.

I still love cars. Have been driving Volvo for years but now the kids are older we can finally move over to a sedan type.

Nothing wrong with station.

 

[TSJMajesty]

All you're likely to get here are anecdotal answers, which do you no good. If you really want good info to help you make the right choice, go to a dealership of the brand you're considering, and talk to a few mechanics in the back. And if you have a shop that does European-brand repairs, even better. Ask them too. They see a good cross section.

I had a new Lincoln LS way back in 2000 that I had no serious issues with. But that model later became known for electrical problems. But if someone had asked me about that car, I'd have recommended it. Turns out, many years later, 2 different friends of mine had had the same car. And both had electrical problems.

One of the things that make me roll my eyes, is when someone says, "Oh yeah, my car is great. No problems at all." And it has 40K miles on it. Ok, come back to me when it has 140K.

But no matter what you get, I agree you should have several thousand dollars available at all times for repairs. Fuck these "repair warranties" I hear about on the radio.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

All you're likely to get here are anecdotal answers, which do you no good. If you really want good info to help you make the right choice, go to a dealership of the brand you're considering, and talk to a few mechanics in the back. And if you have a shop that does European-brand repairs, even better. Ask them too. They see a good cross section.

I had a new Lincoln LS way back in 2000 that I had no serious issues with. But that model later became known for electrical problems. But if someone had asked me about that car, I'd have recommended it. Turns out, many years later, 2 different friends of mine had had the same car. And both had electrical problems.

One of the things that make me roll my eyes, is when someone says, "Oh yeah, my car is great. No problems at all." And it has 40K miles on it. Ok, come back to me when it has 140K.

But no matter what you get, I agree you should have several thousand dollars available at all times for repairs. Fuck these "repair warranties" I hear about on the radio.

Haha yeah new cars are always fine.

My moms Honda Jazz , now that is a beast when it comes to durability!!

 

[EOengineer]

Are we talking about cars or strippers?

 

[jay mitchell]

In an earlier life, I worked as a mechanic on BMWs and Alfa Romeos. I've always done my own maintenance and repair, up to and including clutch replacement, head gasket replacement, etc. I've acquired the tools and diagnostic instruments necessary to service modern cars, and I can diagnose mechanical, induction, ignition, and electrical issues better and quicker than most of the mechanics I know. I draw the line at automatic transmission overhaul. I tend to keep cars until well past 200k miles. Here are some observations.

The German cars I've owned - BMW, Audi, and VW - have all been reliable in regard to basic mechanical systems (engine, transmission, suspension). OTOH, there are several common "minor" failures among all of them. If you're paying someone else to work on your cars, these "minor" repairs will run into big dollars. Example: the Audi dealer told me that the front brake pads on my 2014 S4 were down to 6mm (the wear limit is 4mm). Their quote for replacement, which included rotors that definitely did not need replacement: $1200! I bought a set of OEM replacement pads (Bosch) for ca. $80 and replaced them myself in less than an hour. There are many other similar examples. If you have a good relationship with an independent shop that has mechanics who are qualified to work on cars like that, you can probably come out a bit better, but it won't ever be cheap. Qualified techs ain't cheap; nor should they be.

 

[jay mitchell]

Also, buying any used car has many pitfalls. If you're not confident in your ability to find deal-breakers in a used car you're checking out, you really need to have a prepurchase inspection done by a qualified mechanic.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

In an earlier life, I worked as a mechanic on BMWs and Alfa Romeos. I've always done my own maintenance and repair, up to and including clutch replacement, head gasket replacement, etc. I've acquired the tools and diagnostic instruments necessary to service modern cars, and I can diagnose mechanical, induction, ignition, and electrical issues better and quicker than most of the mechanics I know. I draw the line at automatic transmission overhaul. I tend to keep cars until well past 200k miles. Here are some observations.

The German cars I've owned - BMW, Audi, and VW - have all been reliable in regard to basic mechanical systems (engine, transmission, suspension). OTOH, there are several common "minor" failures among all of them. If you're paying someone else to work on your cars, these "minor" repairs will run into big dollars. Example: the Audi dealer told me that the front brake pads on my 2014 S4 were down to 6mm (the wear limit is 4mm). Their quote for replacement, which included rotors that definitely did not need replacement: $1200! I bought a set of OEM replacement pads (Bosch) for ca. $80 and replaced them myself in less than an hour. There are many other similar examples. If you have a good relationship with an independent shop that has mechanics who are qualified to work on cars like that, you can probably come out a bit better, but it won't ever be cheap. Qualified techs ain't cheap; nor should they be.

Makes sense!!

Still the heart wants what the heart wants

 

[mrchevy]

My dad has a Mercedes coupe he is selling. If you live in the east coast of Florida area and are interested in a nice car for much cheaper than new luxury prices, you can PM me and I can get you more specifics on it if you're interested.