The Journey starts here...

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Roguetrader

New Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2014
Messages
19
Location
Yorkshire UK
Car
A Van!
Hello and a big thank you to all MBC forum contributors for the wealth of knowledge I've already obtained from this site free of charge.
I hope i'm not going to start annoying the big guns with my mundane newbie questions, however its probably inevitable I'll ask a few threadenders along the way.

The reason i've ended up here is my only ride at the moment is my work van which although saves me a few quid not running two vehicles, it does become a bit tiring driving it all the time, not to mention if i want to go somewhere a bit smart.

My original plan was to get a Alfa Romeo 159 or Brera which i think in black look truly stunning.
I checked a few out and firstly i dont fit in the Brera (too tall) and secondly they just felt cheap, i didnt have any confidence in the quality and they left me a bit cold and disappointed.
Also i hate depreciation in anything i buy and Alfas as with all new cars drop pretty fast.

So as of now and the past two months I've got the red mist for a classic 80's Merc.
The deal is done, my destiny is to buy a nice black 560 SEC

The journey begins...
 
Lots of advise on the SEC.
 
I'm jealous of your bravery, please do post some pictures of your beast :thumb:
 
Welcome. How much money do you have to pour down the drain, I mean spend on buying, fixing and fuelling this beast?
 
Welcome. Odd choice of car for a man from Yorkshire - You must be an "incomer" as Yorkshire folk dont usually like parting with their brass.

Good Luck, your going to need it:devil::D:thumb:
 
Thanks guys, I have been reading a lot about SEC's maybe too much. The more i read the more unsure I'am... Not a bad thing as its stopped me jumping in feet first and buying a few piles.
I've been reading a insightful blog by a Finnish guy Juha about living with a SEC, its a worthwhile read if you have seen it already. Living With a 560 SEC

Matts good thanks, but still a biker ;)
 
Welcome. Odd choice of car for a man from Yorkshire - You must be an "incomer" as Yorkshire folk dont usually like parting with their brass.

Good Luck, your going to need it:devil::D:thumb:


I thought trying to avoid depreciation and getting cheap road tax/ insurance would be all the credentials I'd need to prove my Yorkshire genes are pure.

Plus i'll probably only drive it 10-20 mile a week for 6 months a year to keep the fuel costs down...
 
That's a good blog.

They are fabulous cars but a 560 is going to eat fuel like you wouldn't believe. In a way they are pretty good considering but around town or stop start traffic.. Oh dear..

You could still possibly work out the fuel, maintenance and purchase price against the cost of a new car and be doing just fine, depends on your figures though.

There is the rear window rust, front suspension towers can go around the bottom a bit. Usual cosmetics around the arches but those are easy enough to fix. The timing chain and guides are important, as in any car it needs to be done if it hasn't already.

Other than that it's a car that will really make you smile, surprisingly useable, proper epic style.
If you buy a good one it won't let you down, they were built to last, and built to be fixed. It's just the finding a good one, not everyone has maintained them as they were meant to be. Deferred maintenance can be fairly minor or £££, just depends on the previous owners.
 
Forgive me for being blunt, but why would you buy a car to drive 10 miles a week?

These are the equivalent of £200k cars today, they are close to 30 years old. If you can seriously only run it for that amount of miles to avoid spending money on fuel, I would heartily recommend you find a cheaper classic to own.

The greatest myth (and I should know - I have four classics) is that they don't depreciate - they do, each pound you spend on restoration gives you a fraction back, and if you don't spend it, you have a scrap car within a few years.

Sorry to sound preachy, but I bought the myth for a few years and I am now a lot more cynical.
 
Welcome. How much money do you have to pour down the drain, I mean spend on buying, fixing and fuelling this beast?

A maximum of 10 grand if its a special one, though obviously the cheaper the better.
There is one black one in autotrader now, well its been there for months and has been discounted a few times in recent weeks.
I'm thinking of going to have a look in the next week as its getting into a more realistic price range 7.5k, ideally i'd like it with a darker interior, its light blue.
Plus there is a few red flags with it too, if you google its number plate you can find the old advert from when the dealer bought it on car and classic.
 
Forgive me for being blunt, but why would you buy a car to drive 10 miles a week?

These are the equivalent of £200k cars today, they are close to 30 years old. If you can seriously only run it for that amount of miles to avoid spending money on fuel, I would heartily recommend you find a cheaper classic to own.

The greatest myth (and I should know - I have four classics) is that they don't depreciate - they do, each pound you spend on restoration gives you a fraction back, and if you don't spend it, you have a scrap car within a few years.

Sorry to sound preachy, but I bought the myth for a few years and I am now a lot more cynical.

I was just joking and playing on the whole yorkshire tight **** reputation, probably should have added some emotions ;)
Well realistically it wont be used that much maybe 40-50 miles pw average and also i travel a lot so i'll do maybe 4 trips to heathrow every year, it'll be worth it just for that.
Getting off the plane after 12 hours and climbing into a luxury grand coupe is a appealing prospect and will be worth every penny.

I dont think i'll make money out it or have free motoring, i just dont want to spend 10k on a modern jelly mould and still risk whopping bills like i got from my astravan, plus guaranteed rapid depreciation for the little use its probably going to get.
I think with the money the old one will cost it might break about even with the newer used cars will cost me, but at the end i'll still have a classic car if i do it right.
 
Worth every penny for sure. But then I'm biased. Every time I drive mine I feel soo lucky. It's an old banger really but still gorgeous and gives that sense of occasion.
I don't personally buy cars to make money so it works for me. Plus I love to tinker so it suits.

One thing I missed though was your mileage. It might make it grumpy, they do like to open their lungs. The more you use them the better they tend to get. Short journeys and sitting around might not be ideal unless it gets good long road trips to wake it up.
 

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