3 ms·
Yes, the maintenance is mostly preventative, with the goal of the car being in functionally new condition. Putting the second 100,000 miles on a well-maintained
by sonofhans 5y ago
Yes, the maintenance is mostly preventative, with the goal of the car being in functionally new condition. Putting the second 100,000 miles on a well-maintained, reliably luxury car is the best deal going, I think, aside from not driving at all.
E.g, in 2011 paid $16,000 for a 2003 E320 wagon in perfect condition. It was $70,000 brand new, so the original depreciation is eye-watering. Since then I’ve probably put $2,000/year * 10 years into it, so less than half the depreciation. It’s still functionally new, with a fair share of small aesthetic issues.
I once bought a car with negative value, in that I spent more on deferred maintenance in the first month than I paid for it. That was a magnificent vehicle, though, once I fixed it up; identical to this — https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-mercedes-benz-300sdl-14/ https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-mercedes-benz-300sdl-...
- chihuahua 5y agoI'd love to do this with a W126 (1979-1991 S-Class) because I think they're the most beautiful Mercedes. Very few electronics compared to modern cars, so I assume it would be possible to keep it running and in good condition. But in reality, I don't have the energy for dealing with this sort of thing. In fact, sometimes I have a bad dream that I bought some high-maintenance older car and am stuck with it.
- sonofhans 5y agoOh, I agree with you about the W126. I sold ours to a friend, replacing it with the W210. The most compelling difference was safety — the W210 wagon has 11 airbags, while the W126 has only 1. Other than that, though, damn, it’s a magnificent-looking vehicle, and was a real joy to drive.