This dude danced on the line between genius and insanity and won big

[12,000 RPM]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qLqt59CKFI

I think this might have been the guy with that old 300 SDL manual. His mechanic is a real one

[cawimmer430]

Yeah, this is the same guy who swaped out the 4-speed A/T in the 300SDL Turbodiesel for a manual. His videos are entertaining. Check out his Honda/Acura NSX vs Porsche 911 video; the ending is gold!

He also has a funny video about how the 240D W123 is the ideal car for the Walkind Dead zombie apocalypse, mainly because the survivors can create their own diesel fuel while gasoline "expires" (?) after a few months/years. Makes sense! 


www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHD35pYJNXk

[GoCougs]

Won big? More like poor bastard. $14k invested whereas the KBB value for "very good" is only $10k...

[Laconian]

This guy's great! Wow, ballsy move. I wonder how a W12 Phaeton would've turned out. Probably a flaming pile of money.

[Laconian]

Won big? More like poor bastard. $14k invested whereas the KBB value for "very good" is only $10k...

Yeah, consider what he got for sub-Fiesta money, though.

[12,000 RPM]

Won big? More like poor bastard. $14k invested whereas the KBB value for "very good" is only $10k...

Now that's just flat out wrong.

https://www.kbb.com/mercedes-benz/s-class/2007/s600-sedan-4d/?r=127600181536869700&pricetype=private-party&condition=very-good&persistedcondition=very-good

Not to mention a lot of stuff was just maintenance.

[GoCougs]

Now that's just flat out wrong.

https://www.kbb.com/mercedes-benz/s-class/2007/s600-sedan-4d/?r=127600181536869700&pricetype=private-party&condition=very-good&persistedcondition=very-good

Not to mention a lot of stuff was just maintenance.

The stated 149,000 miles (not KBB's nominal 107,000) = $10,249 for "very good" (at least for my zip code).

[68_427]

Too bad the guy's videos are boring as all hell

[2o6]

Oh come on. He spent $4500, and put in a fuckload of money into a car that he won't be able to get out of.



This isn't winning big.


I see Mercedes and other cars like this on CL for a song. It's always a hard pass.

[MrH]

Yeah, screw that.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/if-were-doing-this-heres-everything-wrong-with-my-1-1784448154

A guy on oppositelock bought something similar. Last year he was at $6000 on maintenance.  Since making that post, he had another $3300 repair this month, and he's fearing he needs a full ABC rebuild, which is like $10k.

[GoCougs]

Yeah, consider what he got for sub-Fiesta money, though.

True, but my point was, the market says he could have picked up the identical car, sans risk, for ~$4k cheaper.

[MrH]

Guy on OppositeLock had enough.  Trading it in on a Lexus LS.  His reason? "Absurd maintenance costs and chronic unreliability."  Sounds about right.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/so-its-come-to-this-1792821239

[cawimmer430]

Is there any V12 car that is cheap to own and maintain?

NO.


I don't get some of these guys who buy a [new/used] flagship V12 luxury car and then expect to pay nothing for maintenance and parts costs. Maybe that is why some of these cars have a poor reputation since some owners cheapen out on basic maintenance and when the problems start piling up it's of course the fault of the vehicle.

The high cost of ownership of such vehicles already starts with the fuel consumption...

Every classic car magazine here will tell you that if you're buying an older V12 BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin etc. you need to make sure to have at least 15,000+ Euros extra in the bank account for maintenance.

[MrH]

It's just bad design.  These things depreciate like no other car because maintenance and repairs are so expensive.  It's tempting because they're kind of cool, but I'll never play in this market.

And it's not just because V12s are inherently awful.  I bet if Toyota made a V12 it'd be fine

[cawimmer430]

It's just bad design.  These things depreciate like no other car because maintenance and repairs are so expensive.  It's tempting because they're kind of cool, but I'll never play in this market.

Yeah, certain components are badly designed and this is why they may go wrong. You'd think that once the design flaw has been corrected (which should happen) this would improve the durability and reliability of the specific components. Mercedes still supplies original spare parts for [pretty much] every vehicle they've ever made, and these improved spare parts should be getting implanted in the car if he takes it to a Mercedes-Benz dealership.

Still, any V12-powered vehicle is going to have relatively high maintenance costs, which should limit their appeal to most prospective buyers looking for some initially "cheap" performance. I mean you see that kind of attitude all over the Internet where "car enthusiasts" want some expensive high performance machine but bitch about maintenance costs...

And it's not just because V12s are inherently awful.  I bet if Toyota made a V12 it'd be fine

To my knowledge the M137 E58 V12 motor in the 1999-2002 '600 models are generally mechanically reliable and durable. This engine was replaced by the M275 V12, which on the Benz World forums is praised as being even more reliable and easier to work on, despite being twin-turbocharged!

A variant of the M275 V12, the M285, was used specifically in the Maybach 57 and 62 cars and there is a man in Luxembourg who has put over a million kilometers on that motor with just basic maintenance.

And there is no data about the reliability of the Toyota Century V12 engine. It would also be a somewhat unfair comparison since these cars are essentially used by Japanese royalty and diplomats, which means a bored chauffeur / maintenance crew will probably maintain the hell out of it at every opportunity. Get what I am saying? I don't doubt it's reliable but not everything Toyota produces is going to automatically be super duper reliable. 

[12,000 RPM]

There's a big difference between scheduled maintenance and unexpected repairs.... you seem to confuse the two Wimmer.

Pop quiz: Maintenance or repair?

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/thanks-for-fucking-me-s600-1792297820

Not to mention there are other components besides the engine. I would say the V12 is probably bulletproof.... it's everything else in these car that goes horribly horribly wrong.

[cawimmer430]

There's a big difference between scheduled maintenance and unexpected repairs.... you seem to confuse the two Wimmer.

No, I understand that. A W220 S600 is a complex car (which high-end luxury car isn't?) and if something needs to be replaced or fixed it is going to be expensive. To my knowledge the biggest weakspots on the W220 are electronics and on some models the complex ABC (Active Body Control) suspensions.

[AutobahnSHO]

LOL When replacing a key which quite working costs $800, you know some silliness is afoot.

(that was in 2005 btw)