I’m feeling the urge to take a gamble on a hooptie.

Elkins45

Elkins45

Joined
May 7, 2018
Messages
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Location
Northern KY
sandstowingandautosales.com

Used Cars Trucks & SUVs for Sale in Shepherdsville, KY

Used Cars for Sale Shepherdsville KY 40165 S&S Towing And Auto Sales
sandstowingandautosales.com

Dear Lord help me but I’m considering going to check this out. I assume at this price it’s almost certainly a rebuild and there’s like a 90%+ chance it’s garbage, but if the mechanicals are solid I could throw a little body work into it. I’ve probably wasted more money on less useful things over the last couple of years.
 
W210 are more rust prone than the older or newer models for whatever reason.

Area that is damaged looks like it could use some professional help. Rest of the car looks ok, but who knows how the engine and transmission really are.
 
They are solid cars. My daughter is driving a 99 with that engine and transmission With 275k on it. Things that go bad are egr valves and oil cooler seals which are on the top of the engine.
 
Has the OP looked in to collecting stamps? OR-maybe volunteering at a local home less shelter. Instead of wasting time on that piece.....
 
It is entirely possible that they towed this away from an accident, the owner never claimed it or paid the towing bill, so they went through the process to get a title on it based on a $200 towing bill and several months of accumulated storage fees. A local towing company does the same thing.

Actually, it looks like a lot of their inventory happened this way.... either from breakdowns (which they've fixed as cheaply as possible with junkyard parts) or from minor accidents.
 
I say, go for it. I have no problem spending other people’s money. :)

I’d treat it like any pre-loved car. Determine a budget, needs, desires, then determine if it’s worth it to you. $2,500 for a driving car? You could drive it for a year then toss, assuming it needed nothing, and be ahead in life. Drop a couple grand into it and get a few years, in classic BITOG style.

FWIW, even with the dent, it’s arguably better looking than my daily. And that’s not even considering the fact that you can’t see the dent while driving it.
 
I think some of you haven’t kept up with used car prices over the last couple of years. Anything that can roll off the lot under its own power starts at $2k unless you find a dead grandma car cruising the neighborhoods.
 
mrsilv04 said:
It is entirely possible that they towed this away from an accident, the owner never claimed it or paid the towing bill, so they went through the process to get a title on it based on a $200 towing bill and several months of accumulated storage fees. A local towing company does the same thing.

Actually, it looks like a lot of their inventory happened this way.... either from breakdowns (which they've fixed as cheaply as possible with junkyard parts) or from minor accidents.
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I’ve never actually been on their lot but most of the cars on their website have some degree of body damage. I don’t know if they work on them or just sell them as they are dragged off the street.
 
dishdude said:
Those were some dark years for Mercedes...
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V6? I had no idea, no wonder why a friend's gf who had that car at the time had so many issues.

Agreed, right now, due to collectibles, records and cds easily fetch 4X their face value in about 5 years. Why not spend $2k on that instead? It'll be $8k down to road, but taxable when resold...
 
It's from before the 2004-2006 V6 timing chain/soft gear issue so that's not a problem with the mileage. Though a PM replacement might be a good idea.
Major things, other than old plastic pieces being near the end of life and unavailable new are:
Rubber guibos on the driveshafts - easy to replace.
Center support and bearing on rear driveshaft- more complex but not difficult.
Center U-Joint on the rear driveshaft is a difficult replacement as it may not be made to be replaceable. Been an issue to many MB as the miles/age get up there. If you or a local shop can't do it, then a replacement driveshaft is Mercedes' designed answer.
The body is pretty rough on the driver's side. A skip it item for me.
Having owned several MBs past 300k miles, I can say the learning curve is different than Japanese or American cars, but not super hard. I'd pass on this one, but I'm not interested in doing the body work.
It may be OK for you.
Good luck with whatever course you take.
 
As an owner of a W210, the selling price is a little rich considering the custom LR bodywork, unless it has a pristine interior or a very rare sports package suspension. When properly sorted they are amazing road cars.
 
Who doesn’t want a Benz? Before Covid I was eyeing 2013 S63s and specifically only P30 packs. The price in 2023 is same as 2018, with 5 more years of age and use. Now why would I say, “That’s alright mama?”

Anyway guy in my office got a 15 yo car and as many have implied, spent at least 4x his buying price on repairs, before unloading it. Same vintage s class as this car in question. Imho it’s one thing to be a shade tree specializing and another to pick it up in the cheap. There’s a reason it’s cheap.

At the same time maybe spending an amount considered “throw away” is ok for a person who wants to tinker. Me? I sure am not a brake specialist, but when the DSC hydro failed on my 335i, I had no choice but to diy. $4200 at the dealer. So I learned and YouTube helped. But now the car was down the entire time (although it coincided with takata so no prob).

Net net anything is possible just think it through is my .02 🙂
 
John105 said:
Who doesn’t want a Benz? Before Covid I was eyeing 2013 S63s and specifically only P30 packs. The price in 2023 is same as 2018, with 5 more years of age and use. Now why would I say, “That’s alright mama?”

Anyway guy in my office got a 15 yo car and as many have implied, spent at least 4x his buying price on repairs, before unloading it. Same vintage s class as this car in question. Imho it’s one thing to be a shade tree specializing and another to pick it up in the cheap. There’s a reason it’s cheap.

At the same time maybe spending an amount considered “throw away” is ok for a person who wants to tinker. Me? I sure am not a brake specialist, but when the DSC hydro failed on my 335i, I had no choice but to diy. $4200 at the dealer. So I learned and YouTube helped. But now the car was down the entire time (although it coincided with takata so no prob).

Net net anything is possible just think it through is my .02 🙂
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Agree with your words. The very first thing comes to me with a situation like that is this: Guys who run a business like the one selling it always have lots of friends , aquaintances and people he owes or who owe him for automotive or other type favors. They also have families and lots of folks/friends in need of cars in all / any conditions. So they are always on the look out , keeping eyes peeled on everything that passes thru and may be good risk for someone in their circles. So when they offer a deal like that it gives me pause to think? OK, he has given it the look over and probably either he himself or one of his mechanics have decided there is some reason they are passing on it. Passing is what they are doing. For some reason. Grabbing good cars on the fly is just a perk/part of owning a shop like he runs. Yet this one he is moving on to someone else , likely someone he does not know for some reason.
 
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