Hi
i'm new here.
BASICALLY I WANT TO KNOW IF THE UPKEEP OF THIS CAR IS EXPENSIVE OR IS IT THE SAME AS PRACTICALLY ANY OTHER CAR....read on please

my husband is (was going to???) buy me a 1992 400 e mercedes (4.2L if that makes a dfference)
the car failed the emissions test and now the mechanic is saying it will cost $75 per catalytic converter (there's 2) plus another $550 (!!!) for the muffler...does that sound about right?

is this indicative of what's to come with this car? am i going to always have huge car charges like this or is the car so good that usually u fix things once and they last a long time ?

is it old enough (1992) that parts wont be so expensive? or is it too old and parts will be hard to find and hence, expensive?


as u can tell i know absolutely nothing about cars so came here for help

I need to know soon because the guy will want to pass the car on to the next guy if we dont pay the first payment soon.

thanks in advance.

 

I'm not an expert, but I love my 400e. Yes the parts are more expensive than a japanise car, but you get what you pay for. If you buy a $500 muffler You can expect it to last a long time. This car was in the mid $50,000 range when new in 92, so it's not cheap to tune up, but with regular fluid changes will run for ever, and full tune ups happen much less frequently. Good Luck!

 

You didn't mention a lot of facts about the car and transaction. How many miles on the car? How much are you paying? The $75 per catalytic converter is for aftermarket units, not O.E. $550 for the "muffler" sounds like like more than the single unit, if O.E.

These cars are safe, and a lot of fun to drive, but you either have to be "handy" vis-a-vis auto repairs, or have deep pockets. Your post sounds like you are neither handy, nor devil may care about costs... correct me if I am wrong.

I spent about $4K in the last 18 months of ownership on my '93 400E; the traction control system went out, front control arms needed replacement, etc...

You will find that the most expensive used car you can buy is a "cheap" used Mercedes. If you want thecost of ownership to be like a Toyota, then buy a Toyota, not a Mercedes.

btw... please ease up on the CAPS as they are considered shouting in an on-line forum, and also the "u" for you should really be reserved for text messaging... if "u" know what I mean.

Good luck,

JR