and a real cheap Mercedes could do the same. We just don’t see cheap Mercedes models here. I have seen some high mileage B-Class models near me. Base models

 

IMHO, none of the Mercedes coupe designs of today can compare to the stunning CLK of the 1990s....or the equally stunning 300 SL of the 1950s.

 

Uhh, no. You also don't really want a cheap merc. There are some pretty "taxi spec" examples rolling around here...

 

I have a 2003 ES300 with over 200k miles, which is a mid 2000s Camry. It’s had thousands of dollars of work done to it and needs thousands more dollars which aren’t worth doing.

 

Simple inexpensive MBs are plenty reliable. It’s the complexity of more sophisticated ones that make them more costly.

 

The more expensive ones are usually just a few more cylinders.

 

Yep. My Mercedes the honeymoon period is over (thank god...piling on miles) but yes it never sits for long without being warmed up and driven. I feel like my acquisition was almost "good" for it as I put a quick 2500 miles on it and drove it hard.

 

LOL, here's an LS400 that went 250k miles with *NO* maintenance except oil changes. Still running, power wheel still working even. Mercedes isn't stupid reliable like this, it's just not.

Literally no maintenance.

 

One, that's a V6 so it's obviously more expensive to maintain and/or repair than a basic 4-cylinder. Two, even though it was based off the Camry, it was still a Lexus which is still more just because of different parts, designs, etc. It wasn't exactly a Camry. Three, those had timing belts whereas a 4-cylinder Camry did not. Four, it was considerably heavier which wears out suspension components faster. Mine didn't have any of that done.

When I got in that accident in March 2019 it had 240k miles. In the 10 years I had it, it had the following done:

3 sets of tires.
1 new battery.
2 transmission fluid changes.
x amount of oil changes (religious at doing it every 5k)

Nothing else comes to mind. I don't even think the spark plugs got done in all that time. That's really as inexpensively as you could get for transportation especially considering the 30+ mpg the car got and the silky smooth ride. My favorite generation Camry of all time, especially the 2005 facelift.

 

I saw that the other day. I couldn't believe it. This coming from a super luxury car like a 90's LS. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

 

Sure and my Audi both also had zero other than oil and brake fluid, any car of this level can do it they just get pricy when something does go wrong.

 

No...they are way more complex than a basic Mercedes.

But it needs thousands and thousands of dollars worth of work. Sure its running, but the timing belt could explode at any moment, its leaking oil, and has all kinds of other issues and deferred maintenance. If you want to keep a car like that running well, its going to cost serious money over time.

You are incorrect. Most mid 2000s Camrys are V6s, and its exactly the same car, 180 lbs heavier, the parts are interchangeable. Its on the original suspension except for lower control arms, the engine hasn't had any problems its other wear stuff that is normal for a car of that age, but its had a lot of needs over the 20 years and 225,000 miles its been on the road...and it has a lot of outstanding needs that could be addressed if one wanted it to be perfect. It leaks oil, it has a main seal leak, it needs struts all around, needs a timing belt, etc.I could spend $4,000 on it today if I wanted to. Its had both front axles and CV boots replaced, multiple engine mounts replaced, multiple alternators, 2 starters...all those replaced parts are identical to the parts in the same year Camry.

 

How did you determine this? Most consumers who want to buy a Camry just want basic transportation and will settle on the 4-cylinder. Yeah, obviously some 6-cylinder models sold but I have a hard time believing most were V6's back then.

Point of the discussion I brought up was that a mid 2000's Camry was very inexpensive to get to around 500k km. That is true and I listed the comprehensive list of what I did to my car. Yeah I failed at getting it to 500k km but being just over 100k off, I have no doubt I could have gotten there without a single repair. Car was still in great shape.

Goes to show you that even though it was based off the Camry, your Lexus was more costly to maintain than my car, which was a 4-cylinder Camry.

 

Because only the basic models were 4cyl, the mid trims which are the most common trims were the same V6. Anyways its a moot point since none of the costs I have put into my old ES have anything to do with the engine being a V6.

And I listed a comprehensive list of what I have done and what needs to be done, I owned the car since new. If your car had 240,000 miles on it and you had never had one repair, it had a whole lot of stuff wrong with it that needed to be done. For one, it should have had two timing belts and water pumps at $1,000 a pop at least. The struts would be shot, suspension bushings and engine mounts would be shot, water pump would be leaking for sure, belts would all be shot, probably had leaking CV boots and a leaking main seal (they all have these issues). 240,000 miles is also not 500,000 kilometers, thats 310,000 miles.

Only if you didn't actually maintain your car. Its the same car.

NO vehicle will survive to that mileage without requiring repairs.

 

No timing belt in mine. My car also didn't have any suspension problems. Went over bumps just fine. I know when a suspension is shot. I drove an older Camry than that one and the suspension in that one was done for. I know the difference. Mine was still in good shape.

Was the car perfect? No. It leaked some oil. Not a lot but a bit. We were discussing how inexpensively a car could get to 500k km, not about it being in showroom condition.