Thread: Service and running costs Merc vs Jag.

Originally Posted by jakewire

Pity really as you can by a decent looking walnut and leather 5litre Merc for mid to late teens
The look good, travel well and by all accounts go like stink
However, if they break regularly and it cost a fortune then just not worth the hassle
Might get lucky might not
Can't afford not.

Look at the positives. You'll look good and feel comfortable while you're waiting for help to arrive.

Originally Posted by jakewire

Pity really as you can by a decent looking walnut and leather 5litre Merc for mid to late teens
The look good, travel well and by all accounts go like stink
However, if they break regularly and it cost a fortune then just not worth the hassle
Might get lucky might not
Can't afford not.

Private or dealer? I've always liked Mercs and the 500's are very cool. Way better looking than a Jag of the same vintage.
If its a dealer you could haggle on a mechanical warranty?
We had the same around buying a Subaru. Very mixed reviews. Its been a great car for us but got a mechanical warranty for reassurance.

Same reason KJ I've just no long ago got another three yr warranty on the truck, first one came by negotiation second in August I bought.

I love European cars, I grew up with them. They were also damned reliable too, the "problem" arose for two reasons. When cars started incorporating more electronics in the early to mid 90s, the Japanese had the drop on everyone else. Germans attempted to play catch up but unfortunately their efforts were combined with their insatiable love for building things complicated - more often than not, needlessly so.

German cars in particular, quite unlike their Japanese counterparts, do not tolerate neglect. In true Teutonic fashion, one needs to replace things according to the schedule, otherwise they fail which then sets off a chain of events leading to even larger repair bills. They are cheap here for a reason, nobody wants to buy them because they are comparatively expensive to maintain - especially when neglected.

In summary, if you can source a car with a good service history, are particular about maintenance and - perhaps most importantly - have a fighting budget, they are enjoyable.

Originally Posted by Ryan

I love European cars, I grew up with them. They were also damned reliable too, the "problem" arose for two reasons. When cars started incorporating more electronics in the early to mid 90s, the Japanese had the drop on everyone else. Germans attempted to play catch up but unfortunately their efforts were combined with their insatiable love for building things complicated - more often than not, needlessly so.

German cars in particular, quite unlike their Japanese counterparts, do not tolerate neglect. In true Teutonic fashion, one needs to replace things according to the schedule, otherwise they fail which then sets of a chain of events leading to even larger repair bills. They are cheap here for a reason, nobody wants to buy them because they are comparatively expensive to maintain - especially when neglected.

In summary, if you can source a car with a good service history, are particular about maintenance and - perhaps most importantly - have a fighting budget, they are enjoyable.

A service history does not help electronic failures tho....workmate finally got his wife's Mini (BMW) back from the authorized service agent on Monday....FOUR MONTHS ! without a car to fix an indicator fault....

I understand, I did explicitly refer to over-complication though. The more things there are to go wrong, the more things will go wrong.

Originally Posted by Ryan

I understand, I did explicitly refer to over-complication though. The more things there are to go wrong, the more things will go wrong.

Yes.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

A service history does not help electronic failures tho....workmate finally got his wife's Mini (BMW) back from the authorized service agent on Monday....FOUR MONTHS ! without a car to fix an indicator fault....

Hahahahaha THIS is the reality of owning a Euro.

service history on euro cars, normally a box full of invoices and its 3 years old, that should be enough to ring alarm bells.

Lexus

Originally Posted by ONYVA

service history on euro cars, normally a box full of invoices and its 3 years old, that should be enough to ring alarm bells.

If it's only 3 years old it should be under warranty for most European marques unless it's reached 100 000km+.

Originally Posted by 300CALMAN

Lexus

Nope. They are just Toyotas with Euro bills. Went to buy in a wing mirror glass last week and it was $850+gst. Laughed and said to the parts monkey "nah bro, not the wing mirror assembly, just the mirror glass itself"..... Turns out the assembly was $3500+gst and that WAS just the mirror we were talking about. This wasn't a flash Lexus either, a gs300 or some shit, 10 years old (a glorified Camry ffs). It's Toyota cosplaying as BMW, cos they can.

Originally Posted by Tommy

It's Toyota cosplaying as BMW, cos they can.

Marketing drives a craze.

I bought a Camry 2.4 for the wife on your Chaps recommendation last year, Damn glad I did by the looks.

Originally Posted by Tommy

Average lifespan of a car in UK is 7 years. These things aren't designed to last more than 10 years.

Not really true @Tommy what is happening in the UK and I suspect the in other countries is that your encounraged to get a loan and buy new every few years. Only need to drive around to one of the housing estates and see all these new cars parked outside (no garages are built to fit cars in the uk well you can park in them Just but ya can’t open the doors.)
You see all these new cars and think how can they afford them there on there bones and can hardly afford a house?
This will cause you the next big financial crash!
The second reason if your car doesn’t last long ten years is because salt is spread on it the roads over winter. You drive up and down your local beach every day for four months for ten years your cars not going to last ten either