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USED European Luxury Cars (pre 1990)

1109 messages,  Last post on May 02, 2007 at 6:18 AM

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What is this discussion about? BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi

Messages Page 111 of 111

#1100 of 1109 . by fintail

Dec 28, 2006 (10:41 am)

Rather than spend 5K on a dodgy W126 sedan, spend a little more and get a lot more

#1101 of 1109 Re: . [fintail] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Dec 28, 2006 (10:47 am)

Replying to: fintail (Dec 28, 2006 10:41 am)
Looks to be in good shape. Price is too high by about $1,500 though. Two tons of solid German freight train...the car gets up and goes pretty good, though (under 8 seconds 0-60) and if you don't put your foot too deep into the Boschware, you'll average 15 mpg. Certainly more fun than a big SUV.
 
Don't know about the "collector" part. Pricing in the marketplace suggests it's really just a nice old used car.

#1102 of 1109 Re: . [Mr_Shiftright] by fintail

Dec 28, 2006 (10:55 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 28, 2006 10:47 am)
Yeah, they aren't exactly appreciating. Some British magazines have called them a future collectible, but I suspect people were saying the same things about the SLC 10 years ago.
 
Lots of content for $7500 though.

#1103 of 1109 Re: . [fintail] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Dec 28, 2006 (11:18 am)

Replying to: fintail (Dec 28, 2006 10:55 am)
They'll probably bottom out like the SLC at around $5,000 and stay there forever.

#1104 of 1109 Re: . [Mr_Shiftright] by fintail

Dec 28, 2006 (11:35 am)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 28, 2006 11:18 am)
Sounds about right. Seems to be about where most nice examples of larger old MBs go.

#1105 of 1109 Re: . [fintail] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Dec 28, 2006 (11:40 am)

Replying to: fintail (Dec 28, 2006 11:35 am)
The downside of that is that these cars fall into the hands of owners who can afford to buy them but not maintain them...and so, they are driven into the dirt.

#1106 of 1109 Re: . [Mr_Shiftright] by fintail

Dec 28, 2006 (2:07 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Dec 28, 2006 11:40 am)
Yep, and it's rare to find an enthusiast for non-sporty old MBs who will care for them. I think it's been that way for decades...one reason why a nice W111 coupe is easier to find than a nice fintail.
 
I just thought of this...W126 - nice one 5K. W116 - nice one 5K. W108 - nice one 5K. W111 fintail - nice one 5K. And a good ponton isn't much more.

#1108 of 1109 Re: Looking for BMW Parts? Mercedes? Porsche? Jaguar? Imports? [joyrider147] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Mar 04, 2007 (8:27 pm)

Not surprised that they have a lot of those BMW models. Those are not really the "hot" models, so many of those old parts will rot on the cars I fear, although some folks will selectively pick stuff off 528s as they share parts with the i models. If they were 528i, 325s, Ms, 2002s and 635CSi, they wouldn't even be there anymore. And nobody wants junk 914s or 924s (the 914 aftermarket parts market is excellent---outstanding actually)...and definitely nobody wants old Jaguar XJ6s unless there is some cherry chrome on there.
 
Actually a very solid 914 tub would be desirable, as these cars can be build into great AutoX cars.

#1109 of 1109 Cost of Parts by hpmctorque

May 02, 2007 (6:18 am)

I know that Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche parts tend to be very expensive, but I don't know exactly why this is, or whether there's a valid justification for it. Do these manufacturers tend to price their new cars aggressively, relative to their cost to manufacture, and then try to recoup profits through replacement parts, kind of like Gilette does with razor blades and Kodak does with film? Do they simply charge what the traffic will bear, thereby taking advantage of the fact that owners of these cars are willing to pay considerably more for parts than owners of Chevys, Fords, Hondas, Nissans and Toyotas? Do German car parts tend to cost more to manufacture, due to their design?
 
To expand the question to include parts and labor, why is the term "money pit", or variations of that term, associated more with German cars(and Swedish and British, for that matter) than with domestic and Asian brands? I know that mechanics who work on European cars frequently charge a higher hourly rate (which may be why they're more often referred to as technicians), but that doesn't entirely explain the higher labor charges. For example, I've been told that oil changes on Porsches cost about $250, because the engine has to be dropped.
 
Have Lexus, Infinity, and maybe Cadillac adopted the German/European pricing model, thereby leaving reliability as the primary cost-to-maintain differentiater between luxury models?
 
I can only guess about what the answers to these questions are, but maybe some of you have better insight on this matter than I do. One thing beyond question is that the high cost of parts, especially, is a deterent to owning an old German luxury car.

Messages Page 111 of 111

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