My daughter found a restored 1984 Mercedes wagon turbo diesel w/133K miles. The owner claims to have $13,000 invested and is asking &9,800. She loves the car and wants us to buy it for her a graduation present. I have always liked these MB TDs, however, this seems a little pricey & I worry about finding repair parts, especially as a daily driver. Any advice?
That’s old for a daily driver. Expect maintenance and repair prices to be on par with a new one. If there is more than one car she can use, then it might be OK. Just expect it to need work more often than anything else you own. If you are she can do most of the work, then it might be worth it.
$13,000 “invested” ??? Invested in WHAT?? Cars are seldom if ever “investments”…
I was just watching Monty Python & the Holy Grail again yesterday.
I love those scenes where King Arthur yells “Run away!! Run away!!.”
Unless you’re mechanic or have one in the family this is most likely to be a large headache. Parts availability will likely be the least of it.
- '84 is an old car, no matter how good it was as a new car.
- A MB is not a car any mechanic can work on.
- Parts for any MB can be expensive, and/or hard to find.
If your daughter is either a MB mechanic, plans to marry an MB mechanic, or knows a good MB mechanic this might be a good idea. If no MB mechanic is available, RUN away from this idea.
I have over $30,000 “invested” in my 02 Honda. Does that fact matter? NO.
They’re probably asking way too much. Look around on the internet for a similar vehicle.
You can probably find replacement parts on the internet, they’re a lot cheaper than the Mercedes dealer. I do this for my 89 Mercedes.
If she is willing to foot the bill for everything else(fuel, insurance, maintenance, parts, labor, etc.), go ahead and get it for her. She’ll discover how expensive her dream car really is
Count me with “cig”. If you buy a car through inexperienced eyes, it will cost you. Your daughter does not have a clue what it takes to keep an older MB road worthy. Heaven forbid she every has a collision with a small modern compact and the other driver fairs better, which will more than likey happen with these older cars.
Throw the Holy hand gernade and Run Away! Run Away!
Unless she has a ton of money available for maintenance and repairs, look elsewhere.
Thx to all for comments. You reinforced my reluctance to make the purchase, especially as an only car.