I mean, I understand German cars depreciate... but...
- Thread starter Yaj Yak
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i need to start a blog that's called "moronic cheapass buys S550 with single car garage"
maybe i could write off all the repairs, parts, and time i'd put into it... maybe the car too.
The thing is, you're talking about a car that SHOULD be $50k+ but it's not, it's $26k because of it's terrible reputation for being unreliable and expensive to fix. Now people that can't afford a car like that, can now afford it because it's cheap. These are people that should have bought a Malibu, because they can afford to maintain that car. But they saw a benz instead. So go ahead and start your blog, because there's a lot of moronic cheapass people that didn't realize what they were getting into, since their pockets aren't deep enough to just drop it off at the dealer and say "do whatever, I don't give a fuck what it costs" like the person that originally bought it likely had the money to do. Back when the car wasn't even an option to the "moronic cheapss" person that ended up with it second hand.
One general rule I've observed countless times in used cars:
Steer Clear of 'first year' models. This car being called a "Launch Edition" makes me assume it is the VERY first of the first... For a manufacturer that is known to be costly to repair.
Also, "Welcome to German Car Ownership" Is an expensive lesson.
Secondhand owners do quite often, hence the large online community for every MB and BMW Chassis outside of warranty. I'm not saying "most" do, but, anyone willing to buy that car should go into it knowing they'll be doing repairs themselves or paying for work when needed.
Maybe your buddy should've bought a Camry or some other boring econobox with zero tech in it if he didn't want to do anything else besides change the oil. I don't see how owning one of these cars is any different than most enthusiasts who are DIY savvy and supplement the cost of their hobby by doing the labor themselves. Ask ANY of the BMW people you track with who don't have a new car or big budget. They're turning wrenches just the same as anyone else.
I wouldn't touch a Mercedes out of warranty with a 10 foot pole. I had a Mercedes E class and my parents have owned German cars for years. It's not the "wear and tear" items, it's all the electrical stuff that WILL break. Price out an instrument cluster in that S500. I bet it's a couple of grand.
There's a reason not everybody can drive a used S-class. Same thing goes for a used diesel truck or just about any vehicle that's semi-modern and out of factor warranty. They lease Civics for a reason, if your buddy doesn't want to put work into a used german performance car and finds it beneath him to turn a wrench doing a fairly straightforward job, then he can suck it up and pay for the repairs like anyone else will.
FWIW, a 2007 Honda Civic would cost about $416 plus tax to have a shop do a blower motor with part cost and $75/hr labor rate. That MB is really breaking the purse strings at $600
FWIW, a 2007 Honda Civic would cost about $416 plus tax to have a shop do a blower motor with part cost and $75/hr labor rate. That MB is really breaking the purse strings at $600
The majority of people that own any German luxury cars don't turn their own wrenches. Enthusiasts are a small minority of owners. The rest of them take them to the dealership, where it is a lot more expensive to repair than your run of the mill Camry.
And I bet a lot of the guys tracking their BMW's don't turn wrenches too. A lot of those guys "arrive and drive". They have a shop like Fall Line prep their cars.
Finally you and I can agree on something.
I don't know one person that owns a nice Merc (not some shit from the 90's) that works on their own car. Apparently Frank knows a lot of them.
There's a good amount in this area alone on the Euro boards. I've owned five BMW's, four of which were 2000+ and was able to tackle electrical, suspension and engine repairs without issue using write-ups from forums.
We're barking up different trees. You're saying they're expensive to have someone else repair. Sure they are. I'm saying that for the most part they are no harder to repair than any modern car and can be done so with a budget in mind by an enthusiast who can follow DIY instructions.
We're barking up different trees. You're saying they're expensive to have someone else repair. Sure they are. I'm saying that for the most part they are no harder to repair than any modern car and can be done so with a budget in mind by an enthusiast who can follow DIY instructions.
Frank, how many people driving cars like the one KJ posted in the first post can actually comprehend any kind of DIY instructions? I know what you're saying, but what you're saying is like MAYBE 10% of all Merc owners and that's throwing you a big ass bone.
With that said, they're not cheap to get serviced, and to be honest, most shops won't even touch them. My friend called 6 shops to get his Audi fixed, luckily Jeff was the only one that actually said he'd do it and do it for a pretty damn good price.
With that said, they're not cheap to get serviced, and to be honest, most shops won't even touch them. My friend called 6 shops to get his Audi fixed, luckily Jeff was the only one that actually said he'd do it and do it for a pretty damn good price.
07 09 W221 Mercedes Benz S550 Odometer Speedometer Gauge Cluster 106K Miles 2 | eBay
07 09 W221 Mercedes S550 Instrument Gauge Cluster Speedometer 120K Miles | eBay
There's tons sub $300. That's what a cluster costs on a 2006 Tahoe that also regularly goes out...
Again, I'm glad that people have this mentality, it makes these cars available cheap to people who have the know how to keep them on the road.
My whole argument wasn't that "everyone" is working on their own cars. If they were cheap to fix, the purchase price would be higher because as many people wouldn't be scared away. My whole stance from the beginning was that someone that can do the work themselves will get into a nice car for cheap because of their ability to do the repairs. A lot of people that buy these cars secondhand are the "ballers" that couldn't afford a new one, have zero clue how to fix them and can't afford to pay, so they drive around in a car with a Christmas tree on the dash just ignoring issues instead of addressing them. That's why these cars fall into such disrepair. I see it all the time on Craigslist. I also see equal year and mileage cars being sold on CL and forums that are in perfect working order with a relatively short parts list of work that has been done to keep the car in top shape.
I didn't say everyone, nor did I say a majority of owners. Relatively speaking, however, there is a large amount of enthusiasts who do work on them, making it easy for others to do the same. They're not for everyone, that's for sure, but, seeing how much work you did on that Bonneville you had for a winter car [MENTION=517]10sec[/MENTION], you have more than enough mechanical aptitude to tackle just about anything a MB could throw at you, and with budget conscious shopping, you could get the parts without breaking the bank. This is obviously through the eyes of an enthusiast. This is a car club, not consumer reports. I'm not speaking for the general public, I typically relate things to "us" as a community looking at something like that.
You're using USED parts.
Mercedes-Benz S550 (2007-2008). #2215405048: Inst cluster. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.
Again, most of the people that own these are not DIY er's. They have other people fix them. My dad's friend's S550 was out of warranty and the cluster went out. It was about $2,500 through the dealer.
this thread can be summed up like this.........
AMERICANS ARE FUCKING LAZY!
dont buy a nice low mileage benz because it might have something like a blower motor go out thats $600 dollars.
which brings me back to rule #1
THY SHALL FIX OWN SHIT!
most lazy ass americans would rather drive that camery with a warranty for the same price......
i find it pretty hilarious.
Id rock the fuck out of that benz.
AMERICANS ARE FUCKING LAZY!
dont buy a nice low mileage benz because it might have something like a blower motor go out thats $600 dollars.
which brings me back to rule #1
THY SHALL FIX OWN SHIT!
most lazy ass americans would rather drive that camery with a warranty for the same price...... i find it pretty hilarious.
Id rock the fuck out of that benz.
Not ALL of these cars will break. You may get lucky and get one that motors happily on for a lot of miles.
IF they do break and you can fix them yourself, you increase the odds that you will be able to make most repairs without breaking the bank.
IF something expensive breaks it may be time to dump the car at a loss.
Depends on how much risk you are willing to take.
IF they do break and you can fix them yourself, you increase the odds that you will be able to make most repairs without breaking the bank.
IF something expensive breaks it may be time to dump the car at a loss.
Depends on how much risk you are willing to take.
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