Question about owning Mercedes Benz?

Hey guys, I have a couple questions on my mind about benz. How many people do you know that drive a benz like S-class, C-class or any other classes. 

2. How good is it in reliability? what kinda stress do you get in benz?

3. Can maintenance cost alot money owning one. 

I ask this these questions: because I'm starting take my interest in Benz. Would it be good choice or no? I'm possibly gonna think about Lexus that's if I can't afford to maintain it. Yes, I have to a job, but my pay isn't that good $9.50 an hour.

don't buy the benz.

there is a big difference between buying an s class or a c class or anything inbetween.
s class can cost you an arm and a leg, possibly a kidney, simply because of so many gadgets and we all know that all those gadgets can crap out at any stage.
but i say one thing...it doesnt matter if its a bmw or a merc, honda, subaru, its still a car and it can fuck out at any time. 
if you buy a car that has been maintained to the top standards it will last and will be more reliable...

if youre not scared of costs, go for it

never had a problem with any benz owned, 280sl, 300ce and s55. just get one that has been well maintained. hold out for it too. just dont jump on it if the price is right. 

Cars devalue, parts and labor dont. spend more on the car, get a better car. There are a lot of these out there. but be patient, its just like any car.

Good cars but like good cars they got there problems. 
Parts can be found in decent to almost high prices, labor is another thing. 
 
s-class and c-class are different cars 
 
other factors you gotta look at are if you can afford the insurance not sure what your age is or how your driving record is.
 
i would say check out mbworld but they are a bunch of dickheads.

the insurance is actually cheap lol. it was cheaper than most cars i have owned. due to the less stolen anti theft keys ect. and tell them you work at a dr clinic and its 10 miles from you lol

[QUOTE=alpha;358746]there is a big difference between buying an s class or a c class or anything inbetween.
s class can cost you an arm and a leg, possibly a kidney, simply because of so many gadgets and we all know that all those gadgets can crap out at any stage.
but i say one thing...it doesnt matter if its a bmw or a merc, honda, subaru, its still a car and it can fuck out at any time. 
if you buy a car that has been maintained to the top standards it will last and will be more reliable...

if youre not scared of costs, go for it[/QUOTE]


I know for one thing I don't buy bmw. However, I been little nervous about if things tend crap out. Plus, I plan to get from dealership.

[QUOTE=MR.J;358750]Good cars but like good cars they got there problems. 
Parts can be found in decent to almost high prices, labor is another thing. 
 
s-class and c-class are different cars 
 
other factors you gotta look at are if you can afford the insurance not sure what your age is or how your driving record is.
 
i would say check out mbworld but they are a bunch of dickheads.[/QUOTE]

if they are dickheads then that's just sad.  Well...I'm probably gonna take the car to dealer if anything happens.  I wonder how much it cost to do labor on a benz dealership. I'll diffidently look into insurance this year no ticket  nothing at all and possibly 2009 i can't remember.

a lot depends on year too...and how well it was maintained from previous owner...go to benzworld or mbforums to get more/better info...

My e has been real good to me. No issues, just stay up on general maintenance like anything else. Synthetic oil only for oil changes, but you don't have to change it every 2,500 miles, so it pretty much evens out. All I've replaced in the 4 years I've had it so far is tranny mounts *no homo* and (2) 02 sensors. So a rough idle and cel which have both combinened been taken care of for under $500 parts/labor. Pretty good for an 11 year old car that's pushing 160k on he odo. I agree with what was mentioned earlier about researching on MBworld and benzWORLD - a lott of god info, diy writeups and info on different chassis. Also, don't pay attention to those up tight geezers there, lol. Also, not all classes/models are the same. Some can be problematic, so research. Get a good iny an you're good. I'd say replacing tires has cost me more than any repairs or maintenance.

With him on this too. Also helps to know a hook up on parts as well.

Co-sign the above posts...worked on and own.

Thanks guys. I guess I'm gonna start doing my part of searching. Also, what car I was typical looking at is S-class S500 or C-class 300, 230.

What year car are you really looking at getting into?

and if i was in your shoes, i would get a v6 or smaller...stay away from v8...and eventhough the v12 is ballah status...lol...9.50 ain't gonna cut it...

you prolly want something with the least amount of options...benz's are sick when they run well...

I can really sum this up by. Do your home work! Get service records. You buy it from some one, get a prepay inspection from a merc dealer. If the person says no, walk away. A dealer will give service records of car if you have vin. Just tell them take the personal info off. The s55 was a one owner had all warranty issues taken care of all tsb and punctual maint. But I have yet to see a s55 of it's caliber used. It's mint and that is hard to find but worth the price. 5 years ownership from father till I bought it from him. It's a 2001 with 65k on the clock

[QUOTE=waijai;358890]What year car are you really looking at getting into?[/QUOTE]

Will, s55 probably 05-06 with v6 or v8. As for C-class it doesn't matter 05-08

[QUOTE=VIP-UCF;358909]and if i was in your shoes, i would get a v6 or smaller...stay away from v8...and eventhough the v12 is ballah status...lol...9.50 ain't gonna cut it...

you prolly want something with the least amount of options...benz's are sick when they run well...[/QUOTE]

Yeah V6 or V8 nothing to serious. 9.50 + plus tips will maybe lol. 




[QUOTE=Kouki Monster;358953]I can really sum this up by. Do your home work! Get service records. You buy it from some one, get a prepay inspection from a merc dealer. If the person says no, walk away. A dealer will give service records of car if you have vin. Just tell them take the personal info off. The s55 was a one owner had all warranty issues taken care of all tsb and punctual maint. But I have yet to see a s55 of it's caliber used. It's mint and that is hard to find but worth the price. 5 years ownership from father till I bought it from him. It's a 2001 with 65k on the clock[/QUOTE]


Yessir, I will do  my homework.  hmmm payment won't be easy, but I think I'll enjoy any car with nice interior.

Okay, I researched and oh my god I'm gonna have pass up benz and come back later for it. On the other hand since lexus is so good on theirs cars, I been thinking about one already can't decide IS250 or LS430.

get the LS. still expensive to maintain, but it's a much better looking car than the IS by far, imo.

[QUOTE=brainneeded;359456]get the LS. still expensive to maintain, but it's a much better looking car than the IS by far, imo.[/QUOTE]

already thanks brain. I don't mind plan to keep it forever until something happens to it.

resale will be higher on a ls...

and you won't look like a little asian girl with an is250.

im really confused by you, tbh.  youre asking, should i get a c class or an s class.  should i get an is or a ls.  thats like asking should i buy a gshock or a rolex?  you should not buy a car as recent as a 2008 s class making 9.50/hr

i'm making more than 3x that much and i'm scared of picking up something big and german (no homo) -- my old man's 2007 audi a8 is in the shop today. guess how much a 55k mi service is? $1100. guess how much to fix all the other broken shit on the car (some bushings in the front upper control arms, new rear pads and rotors)? $1500. $2600 for a service and two relatively minor things. holy shit. at least my old man got a honda civic loaner (seriously, wtf. this was an $80k car new -- an a4 would be nice)

[QUOTE=BAHC;359762]im really confused by you, tbh.  youre asking, should i get a c class or an s class.  should i get an is or a ls.  thats like asking should i buy a gshock or a rolex?  you should not buy a car as recent as a 2008 s class making 9.50/hr[/QUOTE]

I see thanks Bahc. Yes, I was asking if I should get this etc...but I decide not to go benz route. 

[QUOTE=cheez80;359770]i'm making more than 3x that much and i'm scared of picking up something big and german (no homo) -- my old man's 2007 audi a8 is in the shop today. guess how much a 55k mi service is? $1100. guess how much to fix all the other broken shit on the car (some bushings in the front upper control arms, new rear pads and rotors)? $1500. $2600 for a service and two relatively minor things. holy shit. at least my old man got a honda civic loaner (seriously, wtf. this was an $80k car new -- an a4 would be nice)[/QUOTE]

^ damnnn A4 ehh I don't know.

Don't buy a thing invest. Wait, buy something you want not what you can afford

:D it does look better lol if your wanting the big 4door deff look into lexus or inifinty. the ls line is a highly praised line of car one reason why i went ls,many will go to 300k miles like nothing, and lexus reliability is up their, as said still a lexus could be costly to maintain but if possible you can use toyota parts, my o2 just went replaced with toyota o2 sensor.


[QUOTE=brainneeded;359456]get the LS. still expensive to maintain, but it's a much better looking [B][B][B][/B][/B][/B]c[B][B][/B][/B]ar than the IS by far, imo.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Kouki Monster;359847]Don't buy a thing invest. Wait, buy something you want not what you can afford[/QUOTE]

seconded

[QUOTE=Kouki Monster;359847]Don't buy a thing invest. Wait, buy something you want not what you can afford[/QUOTE]

Kouki Monster thank you man.

[QUOTE=BLKVIP;359859]:D it does look better lol if your wanting the big 4door deff look into lexus or inifinty. the ls line is a highly praised line of car one reason why i went ls,many will go to 300k miles like nothing, and lexus reliability is up their, as said still a lexus could be costly to maintain but if possible you can use toyota parts, my o2 just went replaced with toyota o2 sensor.[/QUOTE]

BLK vip- I ain't worried hahah LS it is.

If you can't afford to drop $1,000 at any given time on a repair it is not the car for you.  Maintenance is absolutely critical.  You NEED to change the oil every 3k.  If you don't know how to work on cars you are going to pay a LOT.  If something goes wrong you NEED to fix it or 9 times out of 10 something else is going to go wrong.  For example:

My transmission mount went out.  $120 labor and part.  I waited too long, my engine mounts collapsed, suddenly it was a $500 repair (and thats getting hooked up on parts and labor).  Waited too long cause I was out of a job, the harmonic balancer pulley bushing went out.  So it ended up being a $600 repair.  That's on the low end of repair costs.  I got no heat ($200+ fix) on top of everything else.

I've had 5 lexus's and a infiniti.  All I ever had to do was change the oil and put gas in them.  Then I moved to Mercedes and it was almost constant issues.  However, the driving experience is worth the maintenance and I don't see myself going back to Lexus/Infiniti any time soon.

A guy once told me: "if you can buy it twice you can afford it once"

If you are that worried about maintenance, and you plan to buy from a dealer, look into getting a warranty. Would go for any make/model car. If you plan to finance, they can add it into your loan. When I had my F50 (2002 Infiniti Q45), I think I paid $2K for a 2 year warranty on a certified dealer car, and it had over $10K in dealer repairs performed over those 2 years. Good thing I had the warranty! The only thing is, if you plan to modify the car, you might void the warranty. So make sure you read the fine print and ask the right questions!!! My old F50 was in the shop so often, it actually prevented me from modding the car (out of fear voiding the warranty), and pushed me to sell it when the warranty was up. Just plain lame. But everyone has a different experience....

[QUOTE=CrazyHawaiian;360922]If you are that worried about maintenance, and you plan to buy from a dealer, look into getting a warranty. Would go for any make/model car. If you plan to finance, they can add it into your loan. When I had my F50 (2002 Infiniti Q45), I think I paid $2K for a 2 year warranty on a certified dealer car, and it had over $10K in dealer repairs performed over those 2 years. Good thing I had the warranty! The only thing is, if you plan to modify the car, you might void the warranty. So make sure you read the fine print and ask the right questions!!! My old F50 was in the shop so often, it actually prevented me from modding the car (out of fear voiding the warranty), and pushed me to sell it when the warranty was up. Just plain lame. But everyone has a different experience....[/QUOTE]

Question it wouldn't hurt to ask the dealers if they carry warranty right? (their non-Mercedes benz dealership).


[QUOTE=Kouki Monster;360914]A guy once told me: "if you can buy it twice you can afford it once"[/QUOTE]

hmmm...yeah sounds like peer pressure lol. im j/k =)


[QUOTE=Green Poupon;360908]If you can't afford to drop $1,000 at any given time on a repair it is not the car for you.  Maintenance is absolutely critical.  You NEED to change the oil every 3k.  If you don't know how to work on cars you are going to pay a LOT.  If something goes wrong you NEED to fix it or 9 times out of 10 something else is going to go wrong.  For example:

My transmission mount went out.  $120 labor and part.  I waited too long, my engine mounts collapsed, suddenly it was a $500 repair (and thats getting hooked up on parts and labor).  Waited too long cause I was out of a job, the harmonic balancer pulley bushing went out.  So it ended up being a $600 repair.  That's on the low end of repair costs.  I got no heat ($200+ fix) on top of everything else.

I've had 5 lexus's and a infiniti.  All I ever had to do was change the oil and put gas in them.  Then I moved to Mercedes and it was almost constant issues.  However, the driving experience is worth the maintenance and I don't see myself going back to Lexus/Infiniti any time soon.[/QUOTE]


oh wow!! I can do some DIY stuffs. I guess I'm wait little later for the benz.

a car is a car, some you have to pay attention to detail more.

Awesome example is a ferrari 360. People say its alien and you need to spend thousands on upkeep. This is true if you don't want to learn how to work on something. It all boils down to research. People fear the timing belt issue in them all the time and say its impossible to do cause dealer only, or one would believe it would be. But matter of fact, dealer is just filled with people just like you and I. They learned, just like you and I can. So study twice, do it once. But I like technical things, it keeps my brain going.

I love the fact that when changing the timing belt on a 360 you have to take the valve covers off, remove spark plugs, use a bore gauge to measure the high of each piston, to get Top dead center. Then, take a feeler gauge in between each cam lobe and valve bucket to make sure there is no tension still. Lock cams down, loosen tensioners bolts  (there are 2) tighten them til you can get a pin in the tensioner lock so it keeps it in place and does not pop out when you remove the belts. Take belts off, put new tensioners in, tighten (forget off top of my head how much) pull pin out, pin hole should not close up you should be able to put it back in.. if you cant, you need to tighten more, or less. Unlock cams, rotate crank by hand in a full revolution to make sure everything is proper. check for TDC again when you come back around. going a revolution or two will prime the tensioner oil. Check hole with pin, all is good? button it back up. you just did a 3500 dollar belt job for 400 dollars.

May never need that info.. but shows, source of information and enthusiasts who work on the car you own, will always help provide info on how to do it. Be blessed with the information internet age. Dont let a car determine your ability to work on something.

[QUOTE=isendoh;359793]^ damnnn A4 ehh I don't know.[/QUOTE]

i have a feeling you may have misinterpreted my post haha. what i meant was, an a4 loaner would have been more proper than the honda civic we get.

anyway, i get the "doing your own maintenance" stuff, but manufacturers are making it increasingly difficult to self-service your car. just something to keep in mind

Yeah..well my mind is open. but not clear.

A bit of advice: 
 
Don't finance your car. You make 9.50 an hour. That's 19k per year, IF you work full time (40 hrs a week x52 weeks) 
 
Your car shouldn't cost more than 40% of your total income, ( realistically like 20% of your income) that's including gas/insurance/maintenance. 
 
SO at 19k per year, your car should cost about 10k. 
 
Do you have any savings? If so, try to save more and just buy a GS300 with cash. 
 
If not, finance it, but not more than 10k. By that 10k, I mean like haggle the car to 8k, and the total should come out to about 10k after taxes/fees/interest. 
 
Remember, every 10k financed is $200 in a payment, if you've got a decent interest rate. 
 
I'm guessing your paycheck is like $550 every two weeks, if you are working that FT. If that is the case, make SURE you can get a loan where you can split your payment, or rather pay bi-weekly. Set up your payment to automatically come out of your check, and you'll never have to worry about the payment. Makes things a LOT easier. 
 
Make sure you can afford the insurance too, and that it'll cover the GAP, as you probably will purchase a car that has either a loan amount equal or higher to the value of the car, after the interest has been figured into the loan. 
 
 
Again, if you pay cash for your car, ( you can get a decent GS model for 6-8k if you hunt) and you'll not have to worry about these things. It's always better to pay cash for the car anyways, as these things aren't investments, they are hobbies. You don't want to be burdened by something that can be wrecked/stolen or get repo'd if you were to lose your job, especially when you won't make any money back off the car if you were to sell it/ total it out.

[QUOTE=Caoboy;361549]A bit of advice: 
 
Don't finance your car. You make 9.50 an hour. That's 19k per year, IF you work full time (40 hrs a week x52 weeks) 
 
Your car shouldn't cost more than 40% of your total income, ( realistically like 20% of your income) that's including gas/insurance/maintenance. 
 
SO at 19k per year, your car should cost about 10k. 
 
Do you have any savings? If so, try to save more and just buy a GS300 with cash. 
 
If not, finance it, but not more than 10k. By that 10k, I mean like haggle the car to 8k, and the total should come out to about 10k after taxes/fees/interest. 
 
Remember, every 10k financed is $200 in a payment, if you've got a decent interest rate. 
 
I'm guessing your paycheck is like $550 every two weeks, if you are working that FT. If that is the case, make SURE you can get a loan where you can split your payment, or rather pay bi-weekly. Set up your payment to automatically come out of your check, and you'll never have to worry about the payment. Makes things a LOT easier. 
 
Make sure you can afford the insurance too, and that it'll cover the GAP, as you probably will purchase a car that has either a loan amount equal or higher to the value of the car, after the interest has been figured into the loan. 
 
 
Again, if you pay cash for your car, ( you can get a decent GS model for 6-8k if you hunt) and you'll not have to worry about these things. It's always better to pay cash for the car anyways, as these things aren't investments, they are hobbies. You don't want to be burdened by something that can be wrecked/stolen or get repo'd if you were to lose your job, especially when you won't make any money back off the car if you were to sell it/ total it out.[/QUOTE]

I see thanks caoboy. Plus, If I buy as for lease car I know I would have to put full coverage regardless.

WTF you NEVER want to lease a car! 
 
Dude think about it, you are paying rent on something that loses value, throwing money away, AND you have to turn it back in if you can't pay it off at the end of the lease!

[QUOTE=Caoboy;361549]A bit of advice: 
 
Don't finance your car. You make 9.50 an hour. That's 19k per year, IF you work full time (40 hrs a week x52 weeks) 
 
Your car shouldn't cost more than 40% of your total income, ( realistically like 20% of your income) that's including gas/insurance/maintenance. 
 
SO at 19k per year, your car should cost about 10k. 
 
Do you have any savings? If so, try to save more and just buy a GS300 with cash. 
 
If not, finance it, but not more than 10k. By that 10k, I mean like haggle the car to 8k, and the total should come out to about 10k after taxes/fees/interest. 
 
Remember, every 10k financed is $200 in a payment, if you've got a decent interest rate. 
 
I'm guessing your paycheck is like $550 every two weeks, if you are working that FT. If that is the case, make SURE you can get a loan where you can split your payment, or rather pay bi-weekly. Set up your payment to automatically come out of your check, and you'll never have to worry about the payment. Makes things a LOT easier. 
 
Make sure you can afford the insurance too, and that it'll cover the GAP, as you probably will purchase a car that has either a loan amount equal or higher to the value of the car, after the interest has been figured into the loan. 
 
 
Again, if you pay cash for your car, ( you can get a decent GS model for 6-8k if you hunt) and you'll not have to worry about these things. It's always better to pay cash for the car anyways, as these things aren't investments, they are hobbies. You don't want to be burdened by something that can be wrecked/stolen or get repo'd if you were to lose your job, especially when you won't make any money back off the car if you were to sell it/ total it out.[/QUOTE]
this should be stickied.
[QUOTE=Caoboy;361560]WTF you NEVER want to lease a car! 
 
Dude think about it, you are paying rent on something that loses value, throwing money away, AND you have to turn it back in if you can't pay it off at the end of the lease![/QUOTE]

i would lease a 3 series, lol.

^ I think it's stickied in MSN somewhere. 
 
I didn't follow the advice though, read it too late. Just trying to pass on something that I missed, that would have helped me a long time ago. 
 
Or rather, that fucker who stole a car and totalled mine while I was driving home should have been shot before he got a chance to steal the car, then I'd still have my LS400 with a GTE swap in it. LOL

[QUOTE=Caoboy;361565]^ I think it's stickied in MSN somewhere. 
 
I didn't follow the advice though, read it too late. Just trying to pass on something that I missed, that would have helped me a long time ago. 
 
Or rather, that fucker who stole a car and totalled mine while I was driving home should have been shot before he got a chance to steal the car, then I'd still have my LS400 with a GTE swap in it. LOL[/QUOTE]

wtf who would steal your car? man that isn't right. very nice caoboy! I like your advice you should[SIZE=4][I] be my counselor. lol im j/k
[/I][/SIZE]