Should we spend & spend on our old mercs.?

[twistedsanity]

we have recently paid £12,500 for the merc estate we have always wanted, no finance, brought and paid for outright and next to our home probably the largest single purchase we will ever make (unless we win the lottery, which would be a miracle as we never buy tickets) our aim is to still be driving it in 10 years time

 

[Alex M Grieve]

we have recently paid £12,500 for the merc estate we have always wanted, no finance, brought and paid for outright and next to our home probably the largest single purchase we will ever make (unless we win the lottery, which would be a miracle as we never buy tickets) our aim is to still be driving it in 10 years time

Are you backing yourself for another 10 years, or the car?

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

i am fit and strong, and very gratefull for it. i try to climb a munrow (scots mountains over 3,000 feet) every month or more. BUT i realise anything can happen at any time.

my cars are spot on and i want to look down from wherever we go to see my family appreciating them, let's face it , the merc really does make it's mark, including the models which the value analysis engineers took to the limit. herbiemercman.

 

[Juddian]

Of course we should keep our older cars going within reason.

I still get pleasure from the fact my car is in better condition than many 3 year old examples i see, it's also individual in this sea of bland euroboxes...white goods with as much character as a washing machine.

If a car is good to me i do become attached...cars do have a soul, well at least proper ones do..we decided to sell our low mileage, pampered and totally reliable 124 Diesel a few years ago and i decided to give fleabay a shot.
What a shower of plonkers some people are, after agreeing to purchase the buyer never showed up which annoyed me at first but after my wife (crazy but shrewd as hell) explained just what sort of person the non showing buyer would have been i realised that it was for the best after all..he wouldn't have treated the car properly because he wasn't an honourable man therefore not worthy of such a fine car...sounds daft i know but that's how she feels and she was right.
My indy bought it instead for a regular customer (and for the same price) and the car gets looked after as well as by us, so all ended well, a good man got a good car.

My 124 coupe still drives as well as when it was made, it growls when i floor it and it can still show most cars a clean exhaust and it glides serenly when i want to poodle along.
I had all dampers replaced last year, all discs pads are recent it drives beautifully, it gets overserviced and spoiled, it doesn't have the extra's like climate/aircon or cruise and i'm glad about that, too much to go wrong there.

Its likely to blow its CHG in the next few years, unless circumstances change drastically i shall get that done and other things as they crop up and in due course will decide whether to invest in full body moulding strip/paint refurb and wing replacements etc, it'll be even more individual by then so i'll be even more likely to continue spending.

If it upsets the misguided greenies in the process so much the better.

It's good to be different.

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

hi juddian, if you do not overheat it or boot it from cold, then the cylinder head gasket will remain, as merc intended it to. i have a 195,000 mile CHG. herbiemercman.

 

[Juddian]

hi juddian, if you do not overheat it or boot it from cold, then the cylinder head gasket will remain, as merc intended it to. i have a 195,000 mile CHG. herbiemercman.

Ah HerbieM if only i had your faith...unfortunately (or not as it's otherwise a lovely smooth engine) i have the 3.2 Petrol straight six, it only done about 77/78K now but as it's 13 years old it's likely to spring a leak sometime around the 100k mark, but as you say i may well be lucky.

Not to worry it'll be a good chance to get a cyl head overhaul at the same time if it goes.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

Ah HerbieM if only i had your faith...unfortunately (or not as it's otherwise a lovely smooth engine) i have the 3.2 Petrol straight six, it only done about 77/78K now but as it's 13 years old it's likely to spring a leak sometime around the 100k mark, but as you say i may well be lucky.

Not to worry it'll be a good chance to get a cyl head overhaul at the same time if it goes.

Think positive, if it does go, it will be a "once and for all" fix.

 

[grober]

Ah HerbieM if only i had your faith...unfortunately (or not as it's otherwise a lovely smooth engine) i have the 3.2 Petrol straight six, it only done about 77/78K now but as it's 13 years old it's likely to spring a leak sometime around the 100k mark, but as you say i may well be lucky.

Not to worry it'll be a good chance to get a cyl head overhaul at the same time if it goes.

I reckon a lot of CHG failures are due to the antifreeze not being renewed at the appropriate intervals or using the wrong type of AF. It's ironic that CHG failure may well be precipitated by renewing the antifreeze if previous changes have been ignored.

 

[Juddian]

I reckon a lot of CHG failures are due to the antifreeze not being renewed at the appropriate intervals or using the wrong type of AF. It's ironic that CHG failure may well be precipitated by renewing the antifreeze if previous changes have been ignored.

Well there's hope after all then, as my cars get serviced too much if that's possible.

I'm not going to lose any sleep over any possible failure, it's a known probability on the motor which is a good thing as you keep you eyes open for it and get it repaired asap.

Feel a bit of a wuss, there was a time i'd have whipped the head off and sorted the job out on a Sunday afternoon...i just can't face jobs like that any more, not sure me back would stand it anyway (he excused himself sharpishly..

 

[Top Cat]

Feel a bit of a wuss, there was a time i'd have whipped the head off and sorted the job out on a Sunday afternoon...i just can't face jobs like that any more, not sure me back would stand it anyway (he excused himself sharpishly..

I have to admit to being that way myself these days, yet there was once a time that i had the bottom end of a car apart simply because the big end was rumbling, and like you I've had heads off, valves lapped, new CHG on in an afternoon just because it felt like the car was running a bit rough, and all for change from £30 for the parts

Backs, knees and fingers are all getting a bit too old and stiff for all this malarky messing about outside in the cold and wet nowadays. One learns to do these jobs on cars whilst still young and money is tight, and learning about the intracate workings of your own car is a bit of an adventure at the time.

 

[Mic]

We are all agreed then....If you look after your car it will look after you....indefinitely if need be.....well almost. Over 20yrs.-30yrs.-40yrs. there will inevitably be the occasional big ticket expenditure for cars in ''daily use'' but compared with the average depreciation over the first 5ys.-6yrs. this will still be relatively cheap and when amortised over time it will be very cheap. There is no doubt that keeping a car in tip top condition, especially if purchased after it is at least four years old, and running it for decades is the most satisfying and cost effective form of motoring. Choose your car carefully and choose a good 'ne.
One issue, however, is safety. When my daughters had their first cars as newly licenced 17yr. olds my wife was very keen that they had cars sufficiently modern to have air bags. Older cars will not have air bags.....it does not bother my wife that we do not have air bags in two of our cars.....but our daughters.....obviously more precious than me!!!!

 

[christopherwk]

I just started looking at this thread (and this forum!), bought my 2003 W211 with 140,000 miles in February. It has now done 178,000 miles, yes there were a few expected repair bills along the way, but I'll know they won't need replacing for some time. I'll look forward to doing the next 178,000 miles!

I'll probably never get rid of it.

 

[Mic]

Part two...there are issues

We are all agreed then....If you look after your car it will look after you....indefinitely if need be.....well almost. Over 20yrs.-30yrs.-40yrs. there will inevitably be the occasional big ticket expenditure for cars in ''daily use'' but compared with the average depreciation over the first 5ys.-6yrs. this will still be relatively cheap and when amortised over time it will be very cheap. There is no doubt that keeping a car in tip top condition, especially if purchased after it is at least four years old, and running it for decades is the most satisfying and cost effective form of motoring. Choose your car carefully and choose a good 'ne.
One issue, however, is safety. When my daughters had their first cars as newly licenced 17yr. olds my wife was very keen that they had cars sufficiently modern to have air bags. Older cars will not have air bags.....it does not bother my wife that we do not have air bags in two of our cars.....but our daughters.....obviously more precious than me!!!!

Spending £2k-£4k on a car which has virtually a nil market value is still worthwhile if you anticipate that it will be a ''one off'' or that it will almost certainly give a further 12mths. usage.

Let me tell you a story....
I have meticulously maintained my 7 series BMW mechanically, body work is good, and I have had some re-upholstery done on the front seats. 250000miles represents a lot of hours in the drivers seat and some stuffing was starting to escape. Anyway the point is that I look after the car which is 21yrs. old and does about 10k miles per year. Worth a lot more than the market book value to me.
Last year some Silly Billy reversed into the side of the car whilst it was parked and unattended. To his credit he sought me out,told me what he had done and obviously could not deny responsibility. His insurers were obviously going to pay and I would have a ''no fault'' incident on my record. No problem.
Enter the loss adjusters who noted the repair costs at £1500 plus courtesy car etc. and as my car was worth, according to the loss adjuster, diddly squat he was going to write it off. I argued that since I was a totally innocent party I was entitled to be to back into the position I was in before the incident regardless of the value of my car. I presented a very full lever arch file of documentation supporting my case for the value of the car and in this instance the loss adjuster relented although he did say that someone would have his dangly bits for breakfast.
I ignored that and sought his advice as to what I could do to protect myself for the future. The answer it would seem is very little.
Unless you have got insurers agreed valuation which is probably only available for limited low mileage vehicles we are all vulnerable if our older ''worthless'' pride and joy is accident damaged.
You may think you are insured but you are probably not adequately insured.

Mic

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

hi mic, you make a good point relating to the insured value of your car.

i have an agreed value on my mk4 supra, as per picture with adrian flux, the value is £5,000 up on book value.

with my merc i am just taking the risk due to minor impacts i can have fixed and anything major like a m/way big shunt, then i will settle for me and mine escaping with minor injuries.

on m/ways in fog or heavy rain, you have to be constantly weighing up where you will put your vehicle if the queue starts, i would even consider the hard shoulder, we still have a percentage of mindless hgv drivers who think they are on rails, these people kill car drivers.

we may see a day where the hgv's have to pull into the inner lane and not exceed 25mph where visibility is poor, penalties would be a life time ban from the hgv world. herbiemercman.

 

[Mic]

hi mic, you make a good point relating to the insured value of your car.

i have an agreed value on my mk4 supra, as per picture with adrian flux, the value is £5,000 up on book value.

with my merc i am just taking the risk due to minor impacts i can have fixed and anything major like a m/way big shunt, then i will settle for me and mine escaping with minor injuries.

on m/ways in fog or heavy rain, you have to be constantly weighing up where you will put your vehicle if the queue starts, i would even consider the hard shoulder, we still have a percentage of mindless hgv drivers who think they are on rails, these people kill car drivers.

we may see a day where the hgv's have to pull into the inner lane and not exceed 25mph where visibility is poor, penalties would be a life time ban from the hgv world. herbiemercman.

Herbiemercman

Have you had to agree a low limited mileage in conjunction with the agreed valuation on your Supra? I was led to believe this would not be possible for ''every day'' transport and even if you are an entirely innocent party the insurance industry does not think you are entitled to be put back to the position you were in before the incident unless your car is worth more than the cost of repairs. Where is the logic and equitability in that?
Fog and m/ways...not a good combination.

Mic

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

hi mic, yes you have to quote a maximum anual mileage and it is checked with your MOT records. you can approach the insurer and increase the mileage at a cost.

there is an age threshold for classic cars as you may be aware, but you can apply for an agreed value on a car of much less years, however only some cars qualify for cult status based on the sought after status evolved from customers.

with the MK4 supra the manual,black examples are increasing in value, the 3 speed autos in red, or silver are just holding their own.

the insurers know what the trends are and once you provide the DVD evidence of the condition of your car, they agree a value. i bought mine new for £30,500 in 1995, the current agreed value is £9,500.

see photo :http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=9441&stc=1&d=1259855937

the inside of the car is like a cockpit on an aircraft, it will do 80mph, 3rd,
120mph, 4th, etc. the max i have had was 152mph. not bad for a 12yr old.

i am a biker, IOM. TT. etc. so the supra fills the gap, i also drive with care and only let her go out in the sticks, beatock in scotland. herbiemercman.

 

[Mic]

hi mic, yes you have to quote a maximum anual mileage and it is checked with your MOT records. you can approach the insurer and increase the mileage at a cost.

there is an age threshold for classic cars as you may be aware, but you can apply for an agreed value on a car of much less years, however only some cars qualify for cult status based on the sought after status evolved from customers.

with the MK4 supra the manual,black examples are increasing in value, the 3 speed autos in red, or silver are just holding their own.

the insurers know what the trends are and once you provide the DVD evidence of the condition of your car, they agree a value. i bought mine new for £30,500 in 1995, the current agreed value is £9,500.

see photo :http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=9441&stc=1&d=1259855937

the inside of the car is like a cockpit on an aircraft, it will do 80mph, 3rd,
120mph, 4th, etc. the max i have had was 152mph. not bad for a 12yr old.

i am a biker, IOM. TT. etc. so the supra fills the gap, i also drive with care and only let her go out in the sticks, beatock in scotland. herbiemercman.

The Supra always was a nice car and your's looks exceptional....fabulous.
The problem still remains for those of us who have a really nice 20yrs. old car, serviced, maintained and repaired regardless of expense (well almost) and use it in all weathers for every day transport over say 10000 miles per year if some ploncker stoves it in and even if you are indisputedly the innocent party you are going to have difficulty getting properly compensated. My point is that the perceived book value and the age of the car should be irrelevant and you should be able to insist on a full repair regardless of cost to put you back into the position you were before said ploncker stoved in your car.
The insurance industry seems to think their peceived book value is pertinent....why? I would do not want a loss adjuster offering me money as a write off, I want my car fixed.
End of rant.

Mic

 

[HERBIEMERCMAN]

hi mic, contact adrian flux and see if you can obtain a deal ? providing you have the evidence of condition and service history, DVD etc, then you are the kind of owner the insurance underwritters are glad to have.

the problem as with all things in life is the fraudsters, they would want to set up the insurer with a wreck with a book value of £500 and then ramp it up to £3,000. then yes, you guessed it, somone steals it and it gets torched.

another way of looking at the whole thing, is to take a hit on any repairs and just hope that you or your loved ones are never injured, some wounds money cannot heal. herbiemercman.

 

[Pontoneer]

Sorry , but I can't bring myself to think of a W124 or anything else that is only 20 odd years of age as 'old' .

Wait until your cars are 50 , 60 , 70 or more before applying that adjective .

 

[st4]

I just started looking at this thread (and this forum!), bought my 2003 W211 with 140,000 miles in February. It has now done 178,000 miles, yes there were a few expected repair bills along the way, but I'll know they won't need replacing for some time. I'll look forward to doing the next 178,000 miles!

I'll probably never get rid of it.

Your car is uncannily tidy for its miles.