Should I spend any more on my 124 or call it a day

[philiggy]

My 124 needs new wings but I'm unsure if its worth me spending any more on it.

Its a 95 E300 multi valve diesel estate 220k full history etc. I have recently had a new air con unit fitted (£500) new wireless set (£200) and it really needs new wings.
The thing is this will be another £500 and the cars probably only worth £1500.

This would be okay for someone who does the work themselves but I'm thinking it may be time for me to sell it.

What do you guys think

Phil

 

[crammy69]

Its a hard one isnt it!. The thing with most 124's is that they can all (bar perhaps the AMG's / cabriolets) cost more to run than they are worth, so most money spend beyond a certain point has to be because you really like the car.

Also if you sell the car for £1500 what do you have to pay to get a replacement?. Sometimes it doesnt make sense to poor more money into a car, but in the short term may be the better solution. If it works well for you, and you like it, and £500 gets you another years motoing , then why not...

 

[philiggy]

If it works well for you, and you like it, and £500 gets you another years motoing , then why not...

Thats what I keep thinking, but this year it will have been about £1500 with the work I had done for the test


Phil

 

[gt-83]

ive had this thought many times, i keep shelling out on my old 300e and many times ive been told to call it a day,,,,,but i love the old girl and cant bring myself to part with it!!,,,,,,you name it, ive replaced it!!

 

[Dieselman]

How much is the car worth without the new wings and how much with?
If you say £500 now I'll have it.......

What other work is looming and how desperate are you to get into another car and would you just be getting another car that wants the same kind of work in a year, or going significant'y newer thus gaining reliability (maybe) but taking a much bigger depreciation hit.

It sounds like you are just catching up on a few years deterioration but may have done all the big jobs in which case selling isn't the way to go.

A lot of people sell cars just after major work. That's the wrong thing to do as you don't get the cost back.

Make a list of all jobs it may need soon and cost them up but don't expect any replacement to necessarily be better.

 

[philiggy]

ive had this thought many times, i keep shelling out on my old 300e and many times ive been told to call it a day,,,,,but i love the old girl and cant bring myself to part with it!!,,,,,,you name it, ive replaced it!!

I think if I still had my 320 coupe I'd be ok, but its a 7 seater diesel estate

Phil

 

[gt-83]

ah 320 coupe,,,,,,,,now this one i will never sell

 

[Shude]

A lot of people sell cars just after major work. That's the wrong thing to do as you don't get the cost back.

Make a list of all jobs it may need soon and cost them up but don't expect any replacement to necessarily be better.

Another forum member did this with a w124 300ce-24 and it's a shame because there wasn't much left in the engine bay to replace when he'd finished! An absolute bargain for someone else and if I'd known he was selling it I might have made him an offer myself! He ended up TRADING IT IN!

 

[philiggy]

How much is the car worth without the new wings and how much with?
If you say £500 now I'll have it.......

What other work is looming and how desperate are you to get into another car and would you just be getting another car that wants the same kind of work in a year, or going significant'y newer thus gaining reliability (maybe) but taking a much bigger depreciation hit.

It sounds like you are just catching up on a few years deterioration but may have done all the big jobs in which case selling isn't the way to go.

A lot of people sell cars just after major work. That's the wrong thing to do as you don't get the cost back.

Make a list of all jobs it may need soon and cost them up but don't expect any replacement to necessarily be better.

Your right, the time to consider selling was before I had the aircon, radio etc. done, but it just sort of dawned on me how much money I was spending on it

Phil

 

[janner]

You could have lived without aircon and by "wireless set" you mean a stereo, yes? A new £200 stereo is hardly an essential. Even if the original died a replacement needn't have cost £200.
As for the wings it shouldn't cost £500. Ring around the breakers and see if they have any in your colour (saves paining them) and get any indy to fit them. I appreciate that one wing on the multi valve diesels is different but even so, £500?
Are you just looking for an excuse to upgrade? Who are you trying to convince: yourself, us or your wife?

 

[philiggy]

ah 320 coupe,,,,,,,,now this one i will never sell

Dont remind me

 

[philiggy]

You could have lived without aircon and by "wireless set" you mean a stereo, yes? A new £200 stereo is hardly an essential. Even if the original died a replacement needn't have cost £200.
As for the wings it shouldn't cost £500. Ring around the breakers and see if they have any in your colour (saves paining them) and get any indy to fit them. I appreciate that one wing on the multi valve diesels is different but even so, £500?
Are you just looking for an excuse to upgrade? Who are you trying to convince: yourself, us or your wife?

I'm not saying any of it is essential and I could have had the air con blocked up and not had a pioneer stereo, but I like my cars to be right,

I've run 124 for 15 years and sadly decent second hand wings are few and far between, multi valves even rarer, I've been round lots of places for quotes, getting wings fitted and sprayed metallic aint cheap.

unless some one on here knows anywhere

Phil

 

[jadefox]

Well, the way I would look at it is this; what kind of other car could you afford if you sold this one?

IF you could only afford say one for £5K for instance, then surely it'll be better keeping this one, doing the work on a car you already know and one which you are comfortable with - because if you DO buy a new one, you don't know it's history and you could end up buying a dog - AND there is still going to be depreciation every year.

Basically, is the money you are spending on your car each year roughly the same as the depreciation you'd get with a newer one?

However, if you can afford to go more expensive then get rid of this one and go for a newer one with less problems.

 

[Dieselman]

if you DO buy a new one, you don't know it's history and you could end up buying a dog -

I think Phil could tell if it was a dog. There's always a givaway...the legs, feet and waggy tail for starters....

 

[jaymanek]

like has been said above, these cars always come down to personal requirements... sell it and what would you replace it with? how much could that cost you in maintenance and depreciation.

These are the reasons i still use my W123 everyday and continue to throw money at it (despite having many other cars in stock i could use):

1) Its been in the family since i was 2 years old - sentimental
2) It costs me nothing in depreciation
3) I love the simpleness of it, I know if it ever lets me down i will need nothing more than a swiss army knife to get me going.
4) It just keeps going and going and doesnt cost me much... only cosmetics really.
5) Its unique
6) Im not vain and im perfectly happy to be seen in a 28 year old yellow "banana boat" as its known.

So it all comes down to personal choices based upon needs and desires..

If the W124 still has life in it then its all good, go for it, but if you think there is more to go wrong then sell it and buy a replacement..

 

[neilrr]

Good, rustfree MB wings from a scrapyard are between £20 & £40 (ish) each & take less than 2 hours each to replace. It's just bolted on.

Scan the usual spots everyday & you'll eventually find wings in your coulour & for well under £100 & a morning's work problem solved.

 

[DITTRICH]

People think new cars are cheap to run but that's because depreciation hits you only at sale time. On the other hand an old car with no depreciation will hit you in the wallet at regular intervals and its often the labour charge rather than the parts themselves. Swings and roundabouts if you ask me.
Les

 

[andy_k]

talk to local body shops, there's seldom any real need to replace the whole wing. A careful cut with a new section welded/glued in, a skim of filler and a decent blended paint job would be an invisible repair which would last at least the next 5 years.

Cost, a bit more than buying a couple of wings from a scrappy but you wouldn't have to wait around sourcing parts - I reckon it would be less than £200 if you were paying cash

 

[Ade B]

Having just spent more money on my 18 year old car, the enjoyment of owning it has returned as it is once again a rather nice old car rather than a shed on wheels.

I've contemplated getting shot of it a couple of times recently, but I figured even though I'll never get my money back, ultimately throwing a chunk of cash at it every year is still cheaper than chopping it in for a 'sensible' car.

If you really thought about the economics of running an old MB, you wouldn't.

Ade (with the benefit of hindsight )

 

[Dieselman]

Learn to do some DIY. Running an older car can become cheap as chips then and you have a nicer car for it.

There's no reason why an older car has to feel like one.

e.g. Your latest problem would've cost...err...£0..