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Cyrezar posted:I will own a V12 MB one day but I'd pass on that one. I'd buy it, gut it, and turbocharge it.
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Jan 10, 2013 01:01
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CommieGIR posted:I'd buy it, gut it, and turbocharge it. I'd buy it and stuff the engine into a smaller Mercedes.
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Jan 10, 2013 01:12
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cursedshitbox posted:I'd buy it and stuff the engine into a smaller Mercedes. You'd just keep the engine in the living room.
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Jan 10, 2013 01:20
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Already have a rover block there. I keep a detroit under the bed too. 
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Jan 10, 2013 01:32
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Cyrezar posted:I will own a V12 MB one day but I'd pass on that one. I'd buy that. But I'm a fool who likes to wrench. Of course I'd never buy it as reliable transportation.....just as an upscale beater being sold at an upscale beater price. Even someone as dumb as I am knows that car will cost every bit of $10k plus a lot of blood sweat and tears (mostly bloody tears) all in before it's reliable and at at status of "not a beater anymore".
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Jan 10, 2013 03:34
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Motronic posted:Even someone as dumb as I am knows that car will cost every bit of $10k plus a lot of blood sweat and tears (mostly bloody tears) all in before it's reliable and at at status of "not a beater anymore". That seems a little on the cheap side as well. I mean, the chassis itself would be fine. Just all the electronic bits and other poo poo falling to pieces. Either way it would be one bad rear end beater.
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Jan 10, 2013 09:45
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BrokenKnucklez posted:How retarded is this..... It looks like a possible flood car to me.
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Jan 10, 2013 19:50
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About 5-6 years ago, I gave my mom a 1997 SL500. She loves the car to death, but about 3-4 months ago was having a problem with her soft top. The roof wouldn't go down. All of the motors that help raise or lower the soft top had to be replaced, so she took it in to have them replaced. When she got it back almost a month later, she started having tons of problems with it. Her alarm was going off constantly when she tried to drive it, the motors that moved her driver's side seat around blew, her battery was being constantly drained, etc. Now about 2-3 weeks ago, she got her car back from this shop again and she has a whole new mess of problems to deal with. Her antenna won't go up or down, the radio will not accept the code to unlock it, her doors won't lock and her wind shear blocker thing always shows that it needs to be put up, even when the soft top is up. I'm wondering if this could be a wiring problem caused by the shop that has been doing this work or if it could be caused by blown fuses. If anyone has any ideas of what else could be causing it would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to get her car back up and running perfectly again. It's only got 53k miles on it and still runs great engine wise and is a blast to drive.
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Feb 11, 2013 04:07
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Elmnt80 posted:About 5-6 years ago, I gave my mom a 1997 SL500. She loves the car to death, but about 3-4 months ago was having a problem with her soft top. The roof wouldn't go down. All of the motors that help raise or lower the soft top had to be replaced, so she took it in to have them replaced. When she got it back almost a month later, she started having tons of problems with it. Her alarm was going off constantly when she tried to drive it, the motors that moved her driver's side seat around blew, her battery was being constantly drained, etc. Now about 2-3 weeks ago, she got her car back from this shop again and she has a whole new mess of problems to deal with. Her antenna won't go up or down, the radio will not accept the code to unlock it, her doors won't lock and her wind shear blocker thing always shows that it needs to be put up, even when the soft top is up. I'm wondering if this could be a wiring problem caused by the shop that has been doing this work or if it could be caused by blown fuses. If anyone has any ideas of what else could be causing it would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to get her car back up and running perfectly again. It's only got 53k miles on it and still runs great engine wise and is a blast to drive. Well, it sounds like you have the famous biodegradable wiring issue. This is extremely common and has nothing to do with the mileage. It is highly unlikely that the shop did anything wrong, except they probably jiggled some wires that were already about to break. That car is worth about $8,000 in good running condition. Your Mom's is probably worth about $5,000. A new wiring harness should run about $4,500 to $5,000 installed. To be brutally honest, that car will remain a money sink from here until the day it hits the crusher. Even if you fix the harness expect ever knob, handle and switch to break in the next 5 years.
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Feb 11, 2013 07:03
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Take it to a shop, preferably one that specializes in German cars, get them to look at it, maybe mention the wiring. Get a diagnosis and maybe even a quote. Do not get this information from anywhere else, especially a comedy forum on the internet.
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Feb 11, 2013 08:34
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NOTinuyasha posted:Take it to a shop, preferably one that specializes in German cars, get them to look at it, maybe mention the wiring. Get a diagnosis and maybe even a quote. Do not get this information from anywhere else, especially a comedy forum on the internet. Not sure if this is a troll or serious, but either way, I would just get rid of the car unless your handy with a multi-meter, a soldering iron and ready to scream in frustration. The late 90's were the years of really really awful Mercedes quality. There is a pretty good reason why you don't see to many of these cars running around. I am even daring enough to say that the wiring issues in Mercedes of those years are worse than Land Rovers.
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Feb 11, 2013 16:39
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My girlfriend's parents got some money to replace their abused destroyed 98 Windstar. They bought a 97 ML320 
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Feb 11, 2013 17:31
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Not sure if this is a troll or serious, but either way, I would just get rid of the car unless your handy with a multi-meter, a soldering iron and ready to scream in frustration. Believe me, I'll admit the car is fun to drive, but it just feels so loving heavy. Like heavier then my full sized truck. And I've been wanting an excuse to get rid of it and get something else, but since it used to be my grandfather's, she doesn't want to get rid of it. Plus, she still has the whole "its a Benz, it should have amazing quality!" mindset and nothing I say can really convince her otherwise.
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Feb 11, 2013 21:09
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Elmnt80 posted:nothing I say can really convince her otherwise. The upcoming series of electrical fires might do the trick.
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Feb 11, 2013 21:10
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DJ Commie posted:My girlfriend's parents got some money to replace their abused destroyed 98 Windstar. They bought a 97 ML320 I'm so sorry that you are now single again. Right?
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Feb 11, 2013 21:11
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Motronic posted:The upcoming series of electrical fires might do the trick. God I hope not, the other cars that have burned have been in the driveway or on the road, this one is in the garage.
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Feb 11, 2013 21:28
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DJ Commie posted:My girlfriend's parents got some money to replace their abused destroyed 98 Windstar. They bought a 97 ML320 My boss has $10,000 into his ML430 in the last 3 years. And everything is still broken in it.
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Feb 11, 2013 21:36
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Once again, its a case of "great engine, transmission, and other mechanical" but its a gently caress off amount of stupid annoying poo poo, including random electrical fires. At least get her to carry an extinguisher in her car. All my cars have em now.  Top tip - Give em a shake every so often. Some manufacturers recommend it, some don't. But while you inspect it ever month (your doing this right?) invert it a couple of times. The powder can settle and compact at the bottom.
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Feb 12, 2013 10:52
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Once again, its a case of "great engine, transmission, and other mechanical" but its a gently caress off amount of stupid annoying poo poo, including random electrical fires. The only car I've ever owned where I was uneasy without a fire extinguisher handy was my '88 Conquest. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to carry one around just in case though.
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Feb 13, 2013 00:41
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DJ Commie posted:My girlfriend's parents got some money to replace their abused destroyed 98 Windstar. They bought a 97 ML320 You are so getting roped into fixing that shitbucket. I lucked out with my father in law. He's owned a series of Jaguars, MGs, and Austin-Healeys over the years and he's a big time car guy. They even had a pair of 300sds about 15 years ago, but they got sold off during the divorce. His current project is a 2GR-swapped MR2 Spyder. Holy poo poo that car is fast.
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Feb 13, 2013 01:37
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Speaking of nightmare SUVs, a client of mine just told me they were selling their ML430 unadvertised (they just got a new ML). MY2000, 130k miles. I haven't looked at it but they maintain their vehicles well so I presume it has no existing issues. They're asking 4k OBO, I'm wondering if I should/could offer 3500 and flip it. Good idea/bad idea?bandman posted:
That sounds awesome. My new father in law is a mechanical engineer who could build an engine if he wanted to but drives a 4 cyl Outback at 75% of the speed limit at all times. My dad is more into cleaning cars than driving them and has a Buy Amurrican Corvette fetish. I am the only car person in my extended family and it is lonesome. blk fucked around with this message at 02:54 on Feb 14, 2013 |
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Feb 14, 2013 02:49
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blk posted:Speaking of nightmare SUVs, a client of mine just told me they were selling their ML430 unadvertised (they just got a new ML). MY2000, 130k miles. I haven't looked at it but they maintain their vehicles well so I presume it has no existing issues. They're asking 4k OBO, I'm wondering if I should/could offer 3500 and flip it. Good idea/bad idea? The ML of that time is inherently an existing issue.
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Feb 14, 2013 03:23
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Wiring loom fires, random electrical poo poo exploding, poor Mercedes quality. The first gen ML is just a horrible car. The next gen they got their poo poo together and started producing decent vehicles. The 90's and early 2000's were pretty awful years. Explains why there are vastly more BMW's from that era on the road than Mercedes.
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Feb 14, 2013 11:19
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I wouldn't be keeping it, but I am worried about something happening in the brief period I'd have it. I'm also not sure how easy it'd be to find a buyer - even if they were ignorant about dark age Mercedes quality and didn't question why the car has depreciated 90%, it could be tough to sell an SUV with a 14/17 EPA rating.
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Feb 14, 2013 17:35
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I recently cracked my W202's oil pan, and after sending it to get soldered and replaced the motor mounts, the car hasn't been the same. It vibrates way too much at idle (more than it did before) and before the car had a little stirring winding sound when I turned it off, which I suspect is the flywheel or the clutch, and now it just vibrates hard until it's completely off. It also jerks when releasing the clutch from first gear while cold (accelerating), so I suspect it might be time for a replacement. I have a Jeep Wrangler which I'm not afraid of wrenching on since everything is so accessible and also the fact that it's a simpler and carbureted makes it more...accessible. So I guess the question is, what is a good manual to get started from, and where can I get the torque specs as I guess that's what causing the vibrations? Thank you!
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Feb 18, 2013 17:04
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So, 2005 E500 with roughly 150k on the clock for under $8k. Worst idea, or worst-est idea? I took it for a spin today, seems to run fine. No real hesitation or strangeness. It's throwing a brake error that the dealer has ordered the part for under the 10yr brake wtty. I couldn't notice any issue with the brakes while test driving it. I've never driven a Benz before... is the steering typically kinda... squishy at low speeds? It also appears to have had regular service per the carfax. They don't say what service of course, aside from a blower motor here and very recent brake caliper overhaul. I'm planning on just calling up the places listed in the history and trying to get as much info as possible. I did enjoy it though. It felt like riding in a very expensive and gadgety future. So, run away screaming? My alternatives at this point are mid 2000s Volvo XC70s, which are all far away. This one is in my back yard, so to speak.
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Mar 27, 2013 04:21
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Weird question but what is it about Mercedes vs. BMWs that there is a relatively fast moving BMW thread on these forums and the Mercedes thread goes over a month without a reply? Is it just that the demographics of this forum are biased towards BMW? I own 3 BMWs and I would like to own a Mercedes someday as well but it worries me that there's not a lot of enthusiasm for that brand here.
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Mar 27, 2013 06:36
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FIRST TIME posted:Weird question but what is it about Mercedes vs. BMWs that there is a relatively fast moving BMW thread on these forums and the Mercedes thread goes over a month without a reply? Is it just that the demographics of this forum are biased towards BMW? You can get a 90's BMW for cheap and be somewhat confident it's not gonna be a huge pile of poo poo and despair. Can't do that with Mercedes, because they are all garbage from like 1992 to 2002. BMWs are more well-supported by the aftermarket and are sportier overall too, so it all adds up. I went from a 2004 M3 to a 2005 E55, don't regret it at all. Until I look at my gas bill.
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Mar 27, 2013 06:56
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FIRST TIME posted:Weird question but what is it about Mercedes vs. BMWs that there is a relatively fast moving BMW thread on these forums and the Mercedes thread goes over a month without a reply? Is it just that the demographics of this forum are biased towards BMW? BMWs are in general more "drivers' cars" (sport / track oriented) where MB's are typically more "be driven" cars (execs, chauffeurs) and the brands have always been marketed as such, although it seems MB has been trying to change that somewhat in the last ~10 years or so. Any general non-brand specific enthusiast board is going to have far more BMW people on it for this reason. Although the AMG cars are pretty amazing, the astronomical cost of parts and high percentage of automatics, plus the fact that MB tries their hardest to very actively discourage the DIYer from working on them (the modern ones at least) keeps many enthusiasts away. Seriously, parts prices for modern MBs are just  Most BMW stuff (even for quasi-rare cars) is like Chevy truck parts in comparison. I briefly looked at '90s 500SLs before buying my BMW. After reading online a bit, I quickly said "gently caress that".To be fair, if you stripped all of the 3-series chat from the BMW thread (E30, E36, E46 specifically), it would poke along at about the same pace as the MB thread 
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Mar 27, 2013 06:57
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I went from an E39 528i touring that I loved, and an E46 325i sedan I hated, to W123 diesel Mercedes. I enjoy driving as much, if not more, simply because the edge is relatively slow (~80mph) compared to the fun I had driving the BMWs (100+mph); captain slow reviewed a sluggish hatchback and provided a more eloquent description of this concept. Also, gently caress computers in cars. So what if my vacuum locks don't work after being left to sit for an hour, at least a computer that costs thousands to replace is not involved with the basic function of the engine. 
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Mar 27, 2013 07:23
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Another thing is that for many of us who have a Mercedes (not that I've been part of that group very long, mind you), it's not the primary car. It's a special use vehicle, the Sunday driver, the car for date night, the car for long road trips, etc. It might be a daily driver, too, if that's you're thing. But there's usually something else in the garage that's sporty. I've got racing cars to keep me busy, for instance, and something I've noticed amongst people who keep very high end newer Mercedes cars also seem to have a thing for Porsches (something I'd like to get into myself). BMWs, on the other hand, and especially here, seem to do double or triple duty as the daily car/sport car/special use car, so consequently they get more attention paid to them by people who are only really concentrating on one vehicle. So to sum up, I don't need to post about my Mercedes all of the time because it is a generally reliable car that I'm not flogging about on racetracks and then having to commute to work in Sunday to Monday - I have dedicated racing cars for that. 
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Mar 27, 2013 17:53
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So, the new CLA 45 AMG was officially revealed today. Frankly, it is pretty bad rear end. 360 HP out of a 2.0? Impressive. Honestly, it is the only new Mercedes in the last 10 years that even crossed my mind as a possible purchase (or rather lease, no one should buy an AMG). Still, the SHO is basically the same concept and numbers for $10K less.
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Mar 27, 2013 20:00
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I want just the regular A45 AMG, which they aren't bringing to the US. A ridiculously hot, somewhat practical hatch would be great.
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Mar 27, 2013 20:03
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Another thing is that for many of us who have a Mercedes (not that I've been part of that group very long, mind you), it's not the primary car. It's a special use vehicle, the Sunday driver, the car for date night, the car for long road trips, etc. It might be a daily driver, too, if that's you're thing. But there's usually something else in the garage that's sporty. I've got racing cars to keep me busy, for instance, and something I've noticed amongst people who keep very high end newer Mercedes cars also seem to have a thing for Porsches (something I'd like to get into myself). BMWs, on the other hand, and especially here, seem to do double or triple duty as the daily car/sport car/special use car, so consequently they get more attention paid to them by people who are only really concentrating on one vehicle. I've got a Mercedes as a primary car. Of course the W123 240d is basically a tractor with turn signals. Not much goes wrong with them, and when it does it's usually the same old story - plugged fuel filters. Anyway, not many folks here want to talk about W123. Seems most W123 owners lean kinda hippie and aren't interested in cars outside of their utilitarian value and AI is basically the opposite of that. Also, the W123 is kinda the opposite of AI. They're all pretty slow, the diesels are even worse and they're not exactly an engaging driving experience. Now my W114-chassis 250c is certainly more lively, but it may also be the only W114 on the forum.
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Mar 27, 2013 20:17
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Tai-Pan posted:
Before I bought my 250c, I was seriously eyeballing a 2-year old C63 AMG with 12k miles on it. Came with CPO warranty to 100,000k. Why shouldn't one buy AMG? Is it just maintenance costs or are they unreliable? This may seem obvious but I'm pretty oblivious to new cars anymore, and by "new" I mean anything made this millennium.
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Mar 27, 2013 20:20
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trouser chili posted:I've got a Mercedes as a primary car. Of course the W123 240d is basically a tractor with turn signals. Not much goes wrong with them, and when it does it's usually the same old story - plugged fuel filters. Anyway, not many folks here want to talk about W123. Seems most W123 owners lean kinda hippie and aren't interested in cars outside of their utilitarian value and AI is basically the opposite of that. Also, the W123 is kinda the opposite of AI. They're all pretty slow, the diesels are even worse and they're not exactly an engaging driving experience. Now my W114-chassis 250c is certainly more lively, but it may also be the only W114 on the forum. When I get around to needing another dirt car, a W123 is on the short list (if I don't find a Yugo first, of course). But like you point out, a W123 is a different beast.
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Mar 27, 2013 20:34
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Mr. Wiggles posted:Another thing is that for many of us who have a Mercedes (not that I've been part of that group very long, mind you), it's not the primary car. It's a special use vehicle, the Sunday driver, the car for date night, the car for long road trips, etc. It might be a daily driver, too, if that's you're thing. But there's usually something else in the garage that's sporty. I've got racing cars to keep me busy, for instance, and something I've noticed amongst people who keep very high end newer Mercedes cars also seem to have a thing for Porsches (something I'd like to get into myself). BMWs, on the other hand, and especially here, seem to do double or triple duty as the daily car/sport car/special use car, so consequently they get more attention paid to them by people who are only really concentrating on one vehicle. trouser chili posted:I've got a Mercedes as a primary car. Of course the W123 240d is basically a tractor with turn signals. Not much goes wrong with them, and when it does it's usually the same old story - plugged fuel filters. Anyway, not many folks here want to talk about W123. Seems most W123 owners lean kinda hippie and aren't interested in cars outside of their utilitarian value and AI is basically the opposite of that. Also, the W123 is kinda the opposite of AI. They're all pretty slow, the diesels are even worse and they're not exactly an engaging driving experience. Now my W114-chassis 250c is certainly more lively, but it may also be the only W114 on the forum. EnergizerFellow fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Mar 27, 2013 |
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Mar 27, 2013 20:42
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EnergizerFellow posted:
I'm getting there. I've owned more Mercedes than Internationals at this point.
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Mar 27, 2013 21:19
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EnergizerFellow posted:There's a lot of truth here. So much so that it's a running joke/meme in some automotive forums about how many owners have a Porsche/Lotus/track toy in combination with a Land Rover and/or Mercedes. Amusingly I'm right in-line with this being a multi-time Mercedes and Land Rover owner with an extra sporty car in the garage and passively Lotus shopping as we speak. I have been casually looking at a Mercedes... But I really want to find a 190e, why? Because well, its the Mercedes equivalent of a 3 series. And yes, I am an avid Land Rover fan. And I have been trolling the craigslist for a Porsche 944. If I wasn't moving any time soon, I would definitely be putting a 944, 190e, and some Land Rover thing on my short list of cars to own.
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Mar 27, 2013 21:41
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trouser chili posted:Before I bought my 250c, I was seriously eyeballing a 2-year old C63 AMG with 12k miles on it. Came with CPO warranty to 100,000k. Why shouldn't one buy AMG? Is it just maintenance costs or are they unreliable? This may seem obvious but I'm pretty oblivious to new cars anymore, and by "new" I mean anything made this millennium. If you enjoy getting more than 15 mpg, don't get an AMG. They are pretty solid cars with a propensity to eat through tires like a tornado through a trailer park. I've had mine for a year and a half and 15,000 miles with just regular maintenance and an alternator, which wasn't too bad.
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Mar 27, 2013 23:07
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