Should we spend & spend on our old mercs.?

HERBIEMERCMAN

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hi everyone, should we spend and spend on our old mercs. ?

this is the ethos i have adopted, my "panzer" is part of the family, so i have supported it through thick and thin, the financial maths say i am mad, but not for me, she is on all my dvd's, frace, italy, scotland, etc.

for the past 15 yrs, she has never missed a beat, ( bit like the wife), the current equivalents are circa £60,000, i could just about finance one, but how much more would it provide than the car i have.

i bought her in 1997, for £51,000, it's a w210. e-300. elegance.7 seat. est. car. it will hit 140mph and returns 27mpg local and 36 mpg on longer journeys.
it has covered 195,ooo miles and still does not consume any eng. oil.

it's load carrying is better than the current model, it has full blk. leather, computer controlled 3 position drivers seat, heated seats, plug in tow ball, polychromatic mirrors, merc cycle rack, climate control, self lev suspension, 6 air bags,and fantastic sound system. etc.

YES much spent on maintainig the machine but well worth it.

just spent £1,500 on sports exhaust and 18" alloys with kumho tyres, she deserves it.

what do you think ? herbiemercman.
 

dizzy lizzy

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i think most definitely - if we look after them - they will go on and on for years - our W124 is nearly 20 years old now - and still in very good condition- when you think of how much we would get for it if we sell it - it is worth more to us to keep. There's not many cars that look so good after 20 years
 

Donald 300TD

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old cars have soul,the new ones even with all gadgets and gizmos just dont do anything for me,i like a car with personality,and something a it different.Of all the cars i have owned,none can beat my 17 year old W124 for its charisma,fingers crossed and touch wood she has not let me down in any major way yet!

So yes dont let the old mercs die,they deserve every penny spent on them
 

television

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Out of all of the exotic cars that I have had,, my 300TE stays in my mind when I got it at 1 year old
 

littlebrooklyn

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Just reading your post you can tell how much you love that car, so for that reason alone it's worth keeping :D:D:D
 

Silver_Star

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When it comes to cars I guess people fall into 2 clans the ones that think its just a 'lump of metal' that can be replaced and those whose cars actually have centimental or other meaning to them.

If the car is reliable and it gives you pleasure spending on it then I don't see the problem with it. I gues there comes a time with any car when you will have to say goodbye though.
 

Mercedes 190E

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People just can't believe that I only paid £700 for my W124 300TE because its in such good condition. I'm in it for the long term, I think.....:)
 

Alex M Grieve

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People just can't believe that I only paid £700 for my W124 300TE because its in such good condition. I'm in it for the long term, I think.....:)

Probably the greatest cost with any car is depreciation. Well, you are not going to see much of that, are you? ;)
 

kth286

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and of course - better the devil you know !
 

Dosco

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and of course - better the devil you know !

...and how many times have we all thought that the grass is always etc only to find it ain't but it is more expensive and less reliable:rolleyes:
 

Top Cat

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Just reading your post you can tell how much you love that car, so for that reason alone it's worth keeping :D:D:D

Indeed, what matters is what it is worth to the owner, not some arbitrary value in a black book on a dealers shelf. I'm sure Herbie and many many other drivers, of various marques, have had years of faithful and reliable and enjoyable use out of their cars which simply cannot be measured in £££'s alone.

It's called heart and soul, some cars just have it - and I don't necessarily mean a top marque, but any car with memories and experiences for the owner that money just can't buy.
 

The Crooner

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For me its the quality, especially the engineering quality, the thickness of the metal and just how well its put together.

I wonder how many of today's new E Class cars will reach 200000 miles, and 17 years, and still look like new inside, if a bit scabby outside?
 

OlafMaxwell

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I believe a well maintained older car is every bit as good as a new car. You end up knowing the characteristics, the likely failures and potential problems and can sort known failures riskes before they happen. After about 7 years depreciation is minimal, repairs are a bigger feature but even with the poor record MB had its hard to see how repairs could consistently come anywhere near the cost of depreciation. A new car will liley drop £10k in its first year and anything up to £20k in its first three years. Hard to see repairs on the present car running to that. The only real way to unlock the value of most cars is to keep them for 10 years or more. In addition the new W212 is unproven and while it is unilkely to have the problems of the early W211s there are indeed risks. Best value for a long term buy is the fully loaded end of line models that are generally well proven.
 

Silver_Star

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I would steer well clear of the W212, lots of complaints of intector issues on the derv lumps. Nice looking motors though.

I guess the case with most late 90's and early 00's mercs is that the running gear will far out last the bodywork!
 

davidsl500

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Out of all of the exotic cars that I have had,, my 300TE stays in my mind when I got it at 1 year old

Surely, you couldn't drive at 12 months old Malcolm? :)


I do have a soft spot for older vehicles and there is something special about an older mercedes in particular. I would hate to see a car that I had owned previously battered and uncared for by the new owner..
 

television

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Surely, you couldn't drive at 12 months old Malcolm? :)


I do have a soft spot for older vehicles and there is something special about an older mercedes in particular. I would hate to see a car that I had owned previously battered and uncared for by the new owner..

I will be more careful how I phrase things ;):D:D
 
OP
HERBIEMERCMAN

HERBIEMERCMAN

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  • Thread Starter
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thankfully there are enough dedicated owners out there to keep the spare parts organisations moving with us, without this we are doomed.

the other worry is the mis-informed green loby which seems to think scrapping old cars is greener than making new ones, we all know the answer, but the politics support jobs and we can never ignore a sell down the river situation. herbiemercman.
 


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