mattsurf
Senior Member
Like Blobcat, I have kept an extensive log of the costs of my car, I think that it is an interesting contribution to the debate about whether a Mercedes is expensive to run
32,167 miles in a W124 E280 Petrol 7 Seat Estate
My car has just gone over 95,000 miles, I bought it for £5,710 at 63,000 miles. I have owned it for 18 months and it has been the most reliable and cost effective car that I have ever used.
I had the choice of an Audi A6, BMW 5 series or Volvo V70 company car – however I calculated that I could save £2000 - £3000 per year driving my own car.
Servicing and Repairs
n.b. All servicing at WDM independent Mercedes Specialist
2 ‘A’ Services
1 ‘B’ Services (~1,000 miles to next ‘B’ Service)
1 Sets of Front Brake Pads
1 Set of Rear Brake Pads
1 Set of Rear Discs
1 exhaust
1 Radio
1 Tow Bar
Total Cost for Servicing and Repairs £1,166
£0.04 Per Mile for Servicing / Repairs
Tyres
1 Sets of Tyres (Last set fitted 2,000 miles ago)
£209
£0.01 per mile for tyres
Fuel Costs
5815 litres of Petrol £5223
£0.16 Per mile for Fuel
25.1 MPG
Vehicle Excise Duty
(Road Tax) £330
Insurance
Business use Insurance £894
£0.04 Per mile for Road Tax and Insurance
A total cost of £0.2511 per mile
Assuming that the car is now worth £3500
A total including depreciation £0.3298 per mile
Look up the running costs in What Car – there are almost no new cars on the market that will be as cheap to run.
Comparison with a VW Diesel
In order to put this into perspective, my previous car was a VW Passt TDI estate, which I ran for 28,000 miles
The running costs for this were £0.234 per mile. Including depreciation it cost £0.306 per mile
In other words, a boring VW passat Diesel cost just £0.014 per mile less than a Mercedes. When you consider that Fuel has increased significantly over the past 2 years, the actual like for like comparison is that the Mercedes costs £0.001 per mile less than the VW
The VW had no major mechanical issues, however, parts and servicing were MORE EXPENSIVE than the Mercedes!!!
There is just no comparison driving the Mercedes – I will always select a Mercedes as my vehicle of choice
Time for a change
Now it is time for a change – what to get next (can I beat the E280?). So it has to be a Mercedes and has to have 7 seats. I think that it is time to see whether an E320CDI fits the bill (or maybe an E300 Diesel 124 shape)
32,167 miles in a W124 E280 Petrol 7 Seat Estate
My car has just gone over 95,000 miles, I bought it for £5,710 at 63,000 miles. I have owned it for 18 months and it has been the most reliable and cost effective car that I have ever used.
I had the choice of an Audi A6, BMW 5 series or Volvo V70 company car – however I calculated that I could save £2000 - £3000 per year driving my own car.
Servicing and Repairs
n.b. All servicing at WDM independent Mercedes Specialist
2 ‘A’ Services
1 ‘B’ Services (~1,000 miles to next ‘B’ Service)
1 Sets of Front Brake Pads
1 Set of Rear Brake Pads
1 Set of Rear Discs
1 exhaust
1 Radio
1 Tow Bar
Total Cost for Servicing and Repairs £1,166
£0.04 Per Mile for Servicing / Repairs
Tyres
1 Sets of Tyres (Last set fitted 2,000 miles ago)
£209
£0.01 per mile for tyres
Fuel Costs
5815 litres of Petrol £5223
£0.16 Per mile for Fuel
25.1 MPG
Vehicle Excise Duty
(Road Tax) £330
Insurance
Business use Insurance £894
£0.04 Per mile for Road Tax and Insurance
A total cost of £0.2511 per mile
Assuming that the car is now worth £3500
A total including depreciation £0.3298 per mile
Look up the running costs in What Car – there are almost no new cars on the market that will be as cheap to run.
Comparison with a VW Diesel
In order to put this into perspective, my previous car was a VW Passt TDI estate, which I ran for 28,000 miles
The running costs for this were £0.234 per mile. Including depreciation it cost £0.306 per mile
In other words, a boring VW passat Diesel cost just £0.014 per mile less than a Mercedes. When you consider that Fuel has increased significantly over the past 2 years, the actual like for like comparison is that the Mercedes costs £0.001 per mile less than the VW
The VW had no major mechanical issues, however, parts and servicing were MORE EXPENSIVE than the Mercedes!!!
There is just no comparison driving the Mercedes – I will always select a Mercedes as my vehicle of choice
Time for a change
Now it is time for a change – what to get next (can I beat the E280?). So it has to be a Mercedes and has to have 7 seats. I think that it is time to see whether an E320CDI fits the bill (or maybe an E300 Diesel 124 shape)
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