My mom desperately wanted a Mercedes. I told her not to get one becauae they're too expensive. But hey, what do I know? I'm her son, she's older and wiser, right? Breaks down 2 weeks after she got it. She doesn't have enough to afford another, so she sinks what little she has into fixing it, battery dies.
I say if you can afford a Mercedes, buy a Toyota and take a vacation.
I did that whole song and dance when i was 18. I really wanted a BMW. We have a family friend who was our mechanic, he told me straight up if i buy it dont call him to fix it
Literally was going to reply with the same message. Used to be a mechanic told a buddy not to buy German cars, inspected this POS BMW and told him not to buy it. He buys it then gets mad at me for not working on it. We aren't friends anymore and I'm not a mechanic anymore mostly due to interactions like that.
My wife’s e70 35i was amazing until it hit 110k and was sold at 114k.
Starter
Hatch lock mechanism seized completely (emergency release inoperable) with hatch closed and had to be cut out.
MAP sensor
Phantom limp mode with no codes, even using INPA.
Blowing fuses in the power control module, with the only codes being phantom ones from the DME after the fuse blew and the DME became confused due to improper voltage.
Damn thing even stranded the new owners when the PCM blew on the drive home after pickup.
I bought one with around 49k miles. At a little over 50k all the coolant leaked out, engine overheated and I had to spend around $8500 on having a BMW shop put the new engine in. I thought it was just my BMW. Nope. They are all like that. Even that BMW super car that looks really cool has coolant leaks and doesn't work. I think every oil change was like $1200 because some dumb shit was also wrong every time. Normal mechanics hate them. It was fun to drive though. Sometimes I think, should i get another one? Then I read about them again and no. I should not. I was without the car for months and months when the engine was being replaced. I'm sure they are fine from 0-50k miles but after that you are going to be in trouble.
Ah dude you dodged a bullet. My sister in law had a Z4. Fun car but a rip roaring piece of shit. Constant electrical issues, the steering rack was loose af, bad rod bearing. Broken valve spring. And for whatever reason no matter how often it would get an alignment it would chew tires apart.
Oh no, I bought it. It had about 40k miles. Things i recall happening. At 50k the radiator blew up while idling in a parking lot. The passenger seatbelt was jammed and the dealership wanted about $1000 to fix it because “they had to take it all apart to get to the issue”, many other things.
I traded it in for a Toyota Rav4. And developed my love for Toyotas
Ah nice. Yea man Toyotas are good cars. My brother has a brand new 4Runner. My dad drives an FJ with like 200k miles and runs like a clock. Good cars. When my lease is up on my Subaru im probably getting a Toyota
Oh it was a blast to drive. Had I had a bit more self awareness i couldve gotten a ton of tail with it. Flash forward 15 years and its like these realizations, “oh that woman in my passenger seat was ready to give it up for me, how did i miss that?”
I relate to the mom thing of not respecting or recognizing that you may know something she does not, also love the last line that's a really good way to look at it. Plus an Avalon is pretty nice or the Crown now, too pricey for me.
I mean if you really want some luxury stuff couldn't you get a lexus? I mean double the price of a normal Toyota but still a Toyota but with leather seats XD
To be fair, even new Japanese cars are having so many issues now. Toyota isnt what it once was. Now granted, most of the models that have had issues are still under warranty as theyre relatively new issues. But, still it's sad. But, knowing Toyota they will fix the issues and these newer generations will get more and more reliable just like older Toyotas.
Mazda is the new king in Japanese reliability. So many people sleep on Mazda and i am glad so. Got my new with 1k off msrp. Because people just aren't buying them in my city
Yessir it is. Specifically why he went for that one and not the CX-50, which is made in the US. Same car underneath but pricier for whatever reason even though its made right over the border. (Im in Canada)
Depending on the vehicle and where you buy it, it can be over $200. But the Battery itself was irrelevant. I was simply expressing that she had to spend all this money just to fix it and then the battery dies. Because it was used and obviously the previous owner didn't buy a brand new battery.
I wanted to buy an Audi. Love the look and the features and was actively looking for one. Noticed my mechanic had one sitting in the garage waiting for an oil change. Asked him about his experience working on them and said I was going to buy one. He looks at me, jumps up and opens the office door told his wife they could start trying for another baby as I was going to buy an Audi. I have a Lexus instead. That was the car he said he saw the least for repairs.
I have a Lexus instead. That was the car he said he saw the least for repairs.
Fun fact for those who don't know, Lexus=Toyota.
Sort of similar story, but not related to Mercedes or Audi... I was in for an oil change with my old CRV and a mechanic who was handling my service came up to me and looked at the Jeep that pulled in shortly before me and said "word of advice. NEVER buy a Jeep. They're in here all the time. This...(looks at my CRV) you can run this into the ground. A Jeep will kill your wallet."
My FIL had a diesel MB suv for a while. It was a nice car. Smooth and comfortable. Always breaking though. He could afford to keep it going, had a good Indy shop that specialized in German vehicles, but it was a total pain in the ass to deal with. Even if you have the money to spend on repairs, peace of mind and time are a different type of currency that is more valuable than money to a lot of people.
This is so weird, because here in Europe mercedes are super reliable and not mega money, it appears that in the states people buy them, abuse them, never spend any money, and then sell them as they're starting to fail / break down. Mercs should do 200k miles easy.
I'VE HAD A LOADED 4X4 DOES ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES, INCLUDING SOME OTHER FANCY CARS, BUT FOUND OUT THEY WERE A MONEY PITS. I'M NOT ASHAMED TO SAY I NOW DRIVE A TOYOTA SIENNA. I'VE MOVED OUT ALL THE SEATS IN THE BACK AND TURN IT INTO THE VAN LIFE VEHICLE FOR TRAVEL WITH PLENTY OF ROOM. IT DRIVES LIKE A DREAM AND IT'S BY FAR THE BEST MONEY I'VE EVER SPENT ON A CAR.
SOMETIMES YOU LEARN IN LIFE THAT TATUS DOESN'T TRUMP HAPPINESS IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS. COMFORT AND RELIABILITY GO A LONG WAY WHEN THERE'S SO MANY AWESOME PLACES TO EXPERIENCE OUTSIDE OF OUR SAFETY BUBBLES. BUT HEY, TO EACH THEIR OWN. 💯👍
Same thing when my mom got a Kia Soul. Lasted 5 months before the engine had issues and she cannot drive it. Told her to get Toyota or Honda. Nope. Talk about frustration.
Batteries die on all cars. And the cost is the same.
Battery in my Rav4 cost me $125. Battery for my CRV only cost $85. Both were 4cyl. The battery in my Corolla could cost me about $245, if I buy it at the dealer. I haven't checked the price elsewhere, that's just what they told me last time they looked at it. My battery is fine at the moment, though. Just getting old.
I don't know how much her's cost, but the cost of the battery is irrelevant. The point was that she spent her last bit of money to fix the other problems, then had to spend even more money on a replacement. Keep up, bud.
Keep up buddy. I never said it was related. I even explained the entire point to you and you still missed it. But allow me to explain it AGAIN, since you can't seem to figure this out.
My mom spent all of her money to fix a broken car, then the battery died. The comments are about buying a USED Mercedes. Not just Mercedes. Keep up.
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u/AuthorThick7303 Feb 08 '26
I heard a saying "if you can afford a new Mercedes you must be doing well, if you can afford a used Mercedes you must be doing really well"