Tell me about my decision

[chemical_dreams]

I know my opinion of my decision and the pros and cons of it but would like to know what other car people think about it.

I recently bought a 1994 C280 Mercedes instead of a Suburban or a Cadillac since it was a) a 6 cylinder and b) non domestic.

I have heard some horror stories as well as some owners of this car in the 300,000 mile club whereas mine has just under 160k on it.

Since I am already stuck with it, I guess telling me to get somethign else is kind of out of the question so anything else...shoot away!!

Thanks,
Graig

[BOTLFEDLT1]

Im not sure I understand your rationale for choosing a c280 over the other choices given your criteria. Totally an apples to oranges comparison.

Mercedes, especially of the vintage, are not the most reliable cars beyond the warranty expiry. Most cars today are designed with a service life of 160k miles / 10 years. Im not suggesting there arent people who have cars that last much longer if they are meticulous about maintenance, but this is the design intent. Since you cant really know how well they took car of the car, you are rolling the dice when dealing with high mileage and that age.

One thing that is for certain is that mercedes parts/service is not cheap. Personally, thats not a risk/reward scenario that I would have taken on.

Originally Posted by chemical_dreams

I know my opinion of my decision and the pros and cons of it but would like to know what other car people think about it.

I recently bought a 1994 C280 Mercedes instead of a Suburban or a Cadillac since it was a) a 6 cylinder and b) non domestic.

I have heard some horror stories as well as some owners of this car in the 300,000 mile club whereas mine has just under 160k on it.

Since I am already stuck with it, I guess telling me to get somethign else is kind of out of the question so anything else...shoot away!!

Thanks,
Graig

[Soup]

Like botlefed said, the fact that the mercedes isn't domestic means that parts are expensive, and labor will probably be more for it if you take it to someone who know mercedes well enough to get you to 300k. You probably are getting better mileage though and I'd bet that it's much better handling than a fwd caddy or a suburban.

[Headracer]

Well, you got yourself a tank, that's for sure... Those early to mid 90's mercs are built like tanks. I've lived in Kenya and South Africa for a few years, and most of the old mercs that die in Europe and the US get sent there where they're resurrected into a new life. They lose most of the electrical system and all the fancy bits, but the engine itself seems to be pretty tough. You wouldn't believe what some of these cars get put through.