Why I've never broken down in a Classic Mercedes (in 15 years)

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Agreed, but usually at a massive cost to the 2nd or 3rd owner ££.
And people wonder why they’re often leased and only kept a few years ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 219
I just spent £800 on a set of tyres to go on my £500 W140 , having also spent a similar amount on brake components to completely rebuild the system and basic service items , so I suppose it is arguably now a £2000 car

I think that , more than most older cars , an older Mercedes-Benz , as long as it is properly maintained , is absolutely fine for everyday use . I would also be comfortable doing the same with either my daughter's Polo or my sister's Golf , of similar ages , which I also look after .

I think the trouble is, very few people have the skills/knowledge/time to do their own maintenance these days.

Outside of owner’s clubs and forums like this, I rarely see a bonnet raised or car jacked up. I’d go as far to say hardly anyone even washes their own car these days. If you’re paying say £50-150 an hour to repair and maintain an older car, it’s just not worth it - not to mention the inconvenience of arranging this all.

I’ve had plenty of hobby cars (and still have a few) but for me the pleasure of those is being able to take my time with them, and not having to worry about getting work finished so I can drive them to work the following day.

For most people it’s not a realistic option :)
 
I have said it on here before. Rudolf Diesel must spin in his watery grave when he sees what 'they' have done to his simple design while chasing some made up environmental targets.

With 20/20 hindsight no passenger car should even have a diesel engine installed in it. All that time, effort and money could have been spent further developing petrol engines for passenger cars, leaving DERV for trucks and buses etc.

I am old enough to have been around when perfectly good cars had hastily modified (sometimes pick up truck) engines slapped into them by the manufacturers so they could make the most out of fleet rental/tax and 'better' fuel cost because diesel was (once) much cheaper than petrol.

Ever driven a first generation Diesel Mondeo/non-turbo Astra ,Peugeot 405, Vauxhaull Omega (2.2 4 cyl , not the nice straight 6 BMW engined one) ? All perfectly adequate 'rep' mobiles in their day spoilt by the horrible adaptation of unsuitable Diesel engines.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 219
I think the trouble is, very few people have the skills/knowledge/time to do their own maintenance these days.

Outside of owner’s clubs and forums like this, I rarely see a bonnet raised or car jacked up. I’d go as far to say hardly anyone even washes their own car these days. If you’re paying say £50-150 an hour to repair and maintain an older car, it’s just not worth it - not to mention the inconvenience of arranging this all.

I’ve had plenty of hobby cars (and still have a few) but for me the pleasure of those is being able to take my time with them, and not having to worry about getting work finished so I can drive them to work the following day.

For most people it’s not a realistic option :)
Spot on . The only people I see down my street ever working on their cars is the bloke with the tatty 1966 Ford Mustang (non V8) , my next door but one neighbour with his Mk111 2.8 Ford Capri and,..er ME! with my 2006 V8 C55 AMG !

Never see the bloke with the Bentley GT getting his hands dirty , despite the thing being parked outside on the front lawn (now gravel ,no garage) . The few other cars along my way are anonymous things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 219
Spot on . The only people I see down my street ever working on their cars is the bloke with the tatty 1966 Ford Mustang (non V8) , my next door but one neighbour with his Mk111 2.8 Ford Capri and,..er ME! with my 2006 V8 C55 AMG !

Never see the bloke with the Bentley GT getting his hands dirty , despite the thing being parked outside on the front lawn (now gravel ,no garage) . The few other cars along my way are anonymous things.
There’s plenty of interesting cars I see around my way, but newer ones of higher value are naturally serviced by dealerships, older ones probably marque specialists/regular local garages and the classics who knows? - but for sure they’re not daily drivers.

I’ve bought several slightly older cars, say circa 10 years old +/- a bit, and looking through the history and the amounts of money people have spent out on repairs and maintenance it’s no wonder they get fed up and buy newer stuff with warranty etc.

I mentioned on a recent thread how one of my W201s (a 1990 190E 2.5-16) which I bought in 2006 IIRC) with under 100k and full MB history had a service visit just before I bought it - amounted to almost £4k. Nothing broken, but all age related and wear/tear stuff - brake pipes, bushes, diff seals, etc and about £2k of that was labour. Can only imagine what it would cost today.

A friend of my wife took their early 00s Yaris in for an MOT and came out with a four figure bill.

It’s surprising how expensive it can be to run even a relatively normal older car if you’re not doing the spannering yourself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 219
Oh a few reliable sources I suppose.


Guess I’ll just have to keep waving to those waiting for recovery on the side of the road by my lonesome.

I cannot be ar$$ed to read the whole article but, what I did scan seems to contradict what you are saying.

Given that there are many more cars on the road newer than yours, it is to be expected to see more of them needing assistance (and not always because of reliability issues) and it is also likely that % wise, more cars of your vintage break down than modern cars.
 
I think the trouble is, very few people have the skills/knowledge/time to do their own maintenance these days.

.............................

I used to repair my first few cars ('66 Mini 850, '72 Renault R10 and a MGB that I had) because I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it for me (who remembers reseating i/o valves with a stick with a suction cup on the end & grinding paste?). I hate working on cars and doubt that I'd know where to start on these modern cars, but I'm happy to pay someone else to do the work.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 219
Good old Land Rover. Bottom of the list yet again! When will they ever produce a car that's not at the bottom of all these types of lists. Terrible.
I see Tesla not included on the list. Too few of them yet?
But that won’t be the traditional’Land Rovers’ used to cross deserts , muddy fields , etc and described as 88 , 90 , 110 etc .

it will be the new offerings which have diluted the brand .
 
I think the trouble is, very few people have the skills/knowledge/time to do their own maintenance these days.

Outside of owner’s clubs and forums like this, I rarely see a bonnet raised or car jacked up. I’d go as far to say hardly anyone even washes their own car these days. If you’re paying say £50-150 an hour to repair and maintain an older car, it’s just not worth it - not to mention the inconvenience of arranging this all.

I’ve had plenty of hobby cars (and still have a few) but for me the pleasure of those is being able to take my time with them, and not having to worry about getting work finished so I can drive them to work the following day.

For most people it’s not a realistic option :)
The time factor is why I never have just the one car ; if I’m going to start a job that will take more than a day I always want to have another car .

same applies to people who put cars into garages and may be without for a few days
 
But that won’t be the traditional’Land Rovers’ used to cross deserts , muddy fields , etc and described as 88 , 90 , 110 etc .

it will be the new offerings which have diluted the brand .
 
  • Like
Reactions: 219
Spot on . The only people I see down my street ever working on their cars is the bloke with the tatty 1966 Ford Mustang (non V8) , my next door but one neighbour with his Mk111 2.8 Ford Capri and,..er ME! with my 2006 V8 C55 AMG !

Never see the bloke with the Bentley GT getting his hands dirty , despite the thing being parked outside on the front lawn (now gravel ,no garage) . The few other cars along my way are anonymous things.
Quite , but WE will be the ones whose cars will continue to run long after all the anonymous things have been recycled into refrigerators or microwave ovens .
 
There were loads of different systems. Insurance insisted on them (satellite tracking which is why they could be quickly recovered) and they were installed by specialist security companies. Mainly on the more expensive cars. Just one hidden button that worked with the foot brake (foot on brake and press hidden button). The other 3 were on a fob.

Problem was that thieves got wise to them and started shooting the driver of the car at traffic lights etc.

These SA security companies found a market where they can make a lot of money when people being worried and afraid getting robbed or killed.
Is it legal for people in SA to wear a concealed weapon if they have a permit as it is legal in some states in the US.

Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his GF.
Perhaps in most homes in SA people have guns for protection?
 
I used to repair my first few cars ('66 Mini 850, '72 Renault R10 and a MGB that I had) because I couldn't afford to pay someone to do it for me (who remembers reseating i/o valves with a stick with a suction cup on the end & grinding paste?). I hate working on cars and doubt that I'd know where to start on these modern cars, but I'm happy to pay someone else to do the work.

That would be me! In the days before electric drills.

Sunbeam Alpine 1725 in the really old days, up to the Audi 100. Still have the suction cup and grinding paste, along with the valve compressor.
 
I don’t doubt that all of the newer models have off road CAPABILITY: the problem is that unlike Series I II III , and Defender models which were bought by people who actually used them for such purposes , the vast majority of later models are just ‘Chelsea Tractors’ , seldom used for their design purpose , and often fitted with inappropriate wheels and tyres , which remove off road capability, thus diluting the brand .
 
I don’t doubt that all of the newer models have off road CAPABILITY: the problem is that unlike Series I II III , and Defender models which were bought by people who actually used them for such purposes , the vast majority of later models are just ‘Chelsea Tractors’ , seldom used for their design purpose , and often fitted with inappropriate wheels and tyres , which remove off road capability, thus diluting the brand .
So it's the buyers that are wrong. :rolleyes:
 
You often hear people complaining about the relative lack of power of older mechanical injection Mercedes diesels but imho that misses the point. You have to drive one to appreciate it's qualities.

Everyone should have a go in one if you get the chance.

Couldn't agree more. My 65 hp 1976 W115 240D is way more fun to drive than the last 3 series and A class I rented recently. I can't get enough of it now that its been sorted! I would never have imagined saying that a year ago!

Quite , but WE will be the ones whose cars will continue to run long after all the anonymous things have been recycled into refrigerators or microwave ovens .

I can't really blame anyone for not fully understanding what so many of us have learnt, perhaps by fluke in some instances. There's something so incredible about owning something that just won't let you down, will never die, and will outlast you easily if cared for. It has been impossible to say the same about any vehicle made for the past two decades.
 
I can't really blame anyone for not fully understanding what so many of us have learnt, perhaps by fluke in some instances. There's something so incredible about owning something that just won't let you down, will never die, and will outlast you easily if cared for. It has been impossible to say the same about any vehicle made for the past two decades.

Lexus?
 
These SA security companies found a market where they can make a lot of money when people being worried and afraid getting robbed or killed.
Is it legal for people in SA to wear a concealed weapon if they have a permit as it is legal in some states in the US.

Oscar Pistorius shot and killed his GF.
Perhaps in most homes in SA people have guns for protection?

As I mentioned - insurance companies insisted on the tracker pretty much like here where a lot of them want a tracker. fitted. Everybody carried guns including my wife and myself. I'm talking about 22 years ago so not sure what the gun rules are theses days.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom