Best Smoker Barges 1-5 large [Vol 4]
Discussion
GBB said:
On that topic.....
I'm just coming up to 12 months with the 535, a good time to recap what it's cost me.
The Inspection 1 plus MOT today cost me £580 plus VAT, however when I look at objectively that's pretty good I reckon considering it included new lower control arms fitted both sides, removing seized ABS sensor and fitting new one and some other stuff I'd asked to be done (new pollen filter set, tracking, steering wheel alignment) and a few smaller bits such as new bulb holders and stripping and drying the headlights to clear very heavy condensation which were needed prior to the MOT, etc.
So what has it cost me over the year?
I reckon depreciation £500.
Insurance £340
Tax £240
Service & MOT £690
Front Tyres £188
New Key £122
New Battery £100
Auto Box fluid Change £160
Initial fluids change and checkover £160
So a years (well year minus 2 weeks) motoring for £2,500 all in or £208 per month.
I'm scared sI'm just coming up to 12 months with the 535, a good time to recap what it's cost me.
The Inspection 1 plus MOT today cost me £580 plus VAT, however when I look at objectively that's pretty good I reckon considering it included new lower control arms fitted both sides, removing seized ABS sensor and fitting new one and some other stuff I'd asked to be done (new pollen filter set, tracking, steering wheel alignment) and a few smaller bits such as new bulb holders and stripping and drying the headlights to clear very heavy condensation which were needed prior to the MOT, etc.
So what has it cost me over the year?
I reckon depreciation £500.
Insurance £340
Tax £240
Service & MOT £690
Front Tyres £188
New Key £122
New Battery £100
Auto Box fluid Change £160
Initial fluids change and checkover £160
So a years (well year minus 2 weeks) motoring for £2,500 all in or £208 per month.
tless of putting it all down in black and white!GBB said:
jonnydm said:
Bad era Merc, missing a few key images but does seem honest. Either way its an E500 for 3 bags and infinitely preferable to the previous gen one (imo).
http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Didn't rustproofing improve post 2002? I thought that "bad era" was the W210 and the W211 (next gen number I think), was OK?http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
An E500 for £3,500 isn't bad though I suspect from the ad that there is some paint damage (e.g. never been in an accident - but you wouldn't think to look at it)
The chassis on these is actually much better than you'd credit, it's handling is far ahead of the old Merc re-circulation ball effort and they can be reasonably engaging, added to the fact they offer the rare combo of looking near identical to a 2.2CDI while having a proper, modern, grunty V8 up front and I'm sold.
hornetrider said:
I'm scared stless of putting it all down in black and white!
I haven't opened my spreadsheet in a while, but since I've not spent anything for a couple of months, the average is coming down. I am about to abuse it again though, when I get round to ordering the winter tyres.tless of putting it all down in black and white!GBB said:
Didn't rustproofing improve post 2002? I thought that "bad era" was the W210 and the W211 (next gen number I think), was OK?
An E500 for £3,500 isn't bad though I suspect from the ad that there is some paint damage (e.g. never been in an accident - but you wouldn't think to look at it)
They're more rust proof but an early W211 is about the most borktastic car you can buy from the last 10 years. They have a massive list of common and very expenive faults they are prone to - a W210 is actually much better built, aside from the rust.An E500 for £3,500 isn't bad though I suspect from the ad that there is some paint damage (e.g. never been in an accident - but you wouldn't think to look at it)
hornetrider said:
I'm scared stless of putting it all down in black and white!
You've got to compare with the average car. When I added in £2,000 of fuel over 8,000 miles then the running costs still compared favourably to running a brand new car costing upto £14,000 according to the AA (based upon similar mileages).tless of putting it all down in black and white!Plus....no worries about where I park it.....plus V8 Soundtrack.
I reckon cheaper motoring would be hard to find due to low depreciation. Our Honda bought nearly new and run over 14 yrs (I hope!) will still cost £1,000 p.a. in depreciation.
V8Wagon said:
I agree that the E36 has a 'rightness' about the whole shape. Looking at that, do you think it's been lowered? I'm no expert on the E36 and I dare say that part of it's 'rightness' is down to the car having a good stance, but that does look low to me given it's an SE and not a sport. The backbox looks cack too.
Lovely. My wife smoked about in a very similar low mileage example of one of these a few years back, and it was a pleasure. GBB said:
So what has it cost me over the year?
I reckon depreciation £500.
Insurance £340
Tax £240
Service & MOT £690
Front Tyres £188
New Key £122
New Battery £100
Auto Box fluid Change £160
Initial fluids change and checkover £160
So a years (well year minus 2 weeks) motoring for £2,500 all in or £208 per month.
Not too bad I reckon....and a lot less than the AA's estimated £7k p.a. for running a new Focus.
Those sort of numbers match well with my experience in my 2 years with the A8, my major expenses have been alternator, front suspension arms & bushes and normal servicing. i did some preventative stuff like battery connection box rustproofing, aircon service and regas and lately back brakes pads.I reckon depreciation £500.
Insurance £340
Tax £240
Service & MOT £690
Front Tyres £188
New Key £122
New Battery £100
Auto Box fluid Change £160
Initial fluids change and checkover £160
So a years (well year minus 2 weeks) motoring for £2,500 all in or £208 per month.
Not too bad I reckon....and a lot less than the AA's estimated £7k p.a. for running a new Focus.
The Petrol cost over the 15000 miles thus far I have not calculated as yet, but suspect it is in the region of £3700.
My depreciation has been the cost of a service, although insurance is £400 a year, which is pricier than I would ideally like but not extortionate.
All in all, for the quality of the vehicle, the v8 sound track and the comfort, the running costs have been quite reasonable.
Edited by Traveller on Wednesday 17th October 10:33
confused_buyer said:
GBB said:
Didn't rustproofing improve post 2002? I thought that "bad era" was the W210 and the W211 (next gen number I think), was OK?
An E500 for £3,500 isn't bad though I suspect from the ad that there is some paint damage (e.g. never been in an accident - but you wouldn't think to look at it)
They're more rust proof but an early W211 is about the most borktastic car you can buy from the last 10 years. They have a massive list of common and very expenive faults they are prone to - a W210 is actually much better built, aside from the rust.An E500 for £3,500 isn't bad though I suspect from the ad that there is some paint damage (e.g. never been in an accident - but you wouldn't think to look at it)
The W210 is a pretty solid car other than the rust. It all seems to be tried and tested Merc mechanically.
I think the w210 rust can be over hyped, mny e430 has cost me the below I reckon on a quick tot up.
Purchase £1300
Winter rims and tyres £300
Indicator Stalk £50
No serivce needed yet, 12k done so far and 4k left till one due. Ok so the tailgate lock is funny and a fog lamp now missing but it starts every time, returns around 23-25 mpg and wafts very well after stepping out of the micra commuting car.
Purchase £1300
Winter rims and tyres £300
Indicator Stalk £50
No serivce needed yet, 12k done so far and 4k left till one due. Ok so the tailgate lock is funny and a fog lamp now missing but it starts every time, returns around 23-25 mpg and wafts very well after stepping out of the micra commuting car.
SuperHangOn said:
Isn't it mainly with those bloody common-rail diesels though? And the dodgy valeo rad.
Nope. There is a whole range of issues. A friend of mine was MBUSA dealer service liason manager at the time (i.e. he went around helping out dealers who were stumped with customer's cars) and the W211 was known within Mercedes to be an absolute disaster and the worst car they'd ever made.Early ones should have had some issues sorted when they were still under warranty (and Mercedes are still, usually, replacing failed SBC units free of charge or for minimal cost) but they are still a nightmare which is why they are usually cheap. As soon as you fix one thing, another seems to crop up 500 miles later.
Deep down there was a decent car trying to get out, they just decided to finish developing it during the first few years of sales and let customers do the shakedown. Latter W211 are quite decent cars - late 2004 on and the facelift ones seem a lot better.
The diesel, btw, are no more inherently problematic than most similar ones and probably less so than BMW's.
confused_buyer said:
Nope. There is a whole range of issues. A friend of mine was MBUSA dealer service liason manager at the time (i.e. he went around helping out dealers who were stumped with customer's cars) and the W211 was known within Mercedes to be an absolute disaster and the worst car they'd ever made.
Early ones should have had some issues sorted when they were still under warranty (and Mercedes are still, usually, replacing failed SBC units free of charge or for minimal cost) but they are still a nightmare which is why they are usually cheap. As soon as you fix one thing, another seems to crop up 500 miles later.
It is such a shame as I think its a beautiful looking car inside and out but the ruinius bork and terrible build quality makes it a complete non starter. Had one as a minicab the other day - looked lovely outside, looked lovely inside, but every surface you touched creaked and rattled. Such a shame. Only had 70k on it as well.Early ones should have had some issues sorted when they were still under warranty (and Mercedes are still, usually, replacing failed SBC units free of charge or for minimal cost) but they are still a nightmare which is why they are usually cheap. As soon as you fix one thing, another seems to crop up 500 miles later.
confused_buyer said:
jonnydm said:
Filled with foam iirc? We had one which died of gearbox failure after 8 years / 65k.
If it was the 4-speed Ford unit CD4E you did well to get 65k out of it!
Fox- said:
It is such a shame as I think its a beautiful looking car inside and out but the ruinius bork and terrible build quality makes it a complete non starter. Had one as a minicab the other day - looked lovely outside, looked lovely inside, but every surface you touched creaked and rattled. Such a shame. Only had 70k on it as well.
Yes, they do that. Seats creak, dash creaks, door trims creak....it is like nothing actually has anything behind it. On top of that when sitting in traffic you get the constant on/off drone of the SBC pump. They actually drive OK and ride/handle nicely although the front ball joints seem to go about every 40k miles so many of them knock on rough surfaces.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff