This Mercedes SL320 Had to be Towed to my Shop for an OIL CHANGE?!

Whenever you sell a vehicle out of frustration, you're truly trading one set of problems for another.

And it's not the first time these cars have caught fire due to old fuel lines. Definitely not a right place to save money

I have a 1989 560SL and have had the same fuel leak problem. I think the use of ethanol fuel is what causes that O ring at the crimp to shrink. When those cars were new we didn't have 10% ethanol in the fuel.

Coming from someone who used to own a few German cars and one German ex-wife, I can confirm simplicity and common sense is a foreign concept to all of them

I used to have a 1995 SL500. It was a beautiful, well-maintained car and I intended to keep it, but someone came along and offered me a great price if I would sell it. I had it for six years and sold it for $2000 more than I paid for it. I really miss that car!!

I don't understand what he's talking about. Here in Germany, everybody buys a Mercedes-Benz, even with over 100,000 miles. Even our taxis are E-Class models with 400,000 miles. Older models like the W124 or Mercedes diesels are very reliable. Our E-Class 220 CDI from 2009 has 200,000 miles without any issues. I don't know what Americans are doing to these cars to have so many problems with them.

I have a 2003 W211 that is always needing something, has broken down twice this year, crank sensor and tensioner pulley. It is a spare car and more of a toy now. I need for it to convince me it will not sit on the side of the road again. Just repaired my 90 year old parents 1997 W202, specialty German car shop had them spend...... $14,000+ on it and it still wasn't fixed, parents almost got rid of it. I diagnosed and replaced the MAF, Front HEGO sensor and the main culprit, a broken Resonator valve. Discontinued by Mercedes, found one on EBay. They are back in love with the car again and will never give another dime to that repair shop.

Of course you can have an older German car as a daily. Mine is a 1998 Mercedes CLK320, which has not the best reputation. But: It is all a question of maintenance. Change the oil and filters when the car tells you, have a look at the spark plugs (not too often, changing interval of the plugs at the M112 engine is 120Tkm) and fix it when there is a leak. I got mine very cheap in a reasonable condition and since then I let my shop do all the necessary work (buying oil and filters and brake parts on my own). We made some prophylactic work (crankshaft balancer, serpentine belt, air mass and crankshaft sensor - not too expensive at all). In 10 years I had no breakdown. It is just running well. And of course this car is no way comparable to a 1998 American car.

Hello Wizard! I like your videos and respect your professional attitude and knowledge. Not only German cars, but all European cars, and Japanese, French, South-Korean, etc... have planned maintenance schedules where you have to change described parts, fluids. I assume same processes are valid for US cars too. German engineers are quite keen about their engineering and manufacturing skills, the quality and experience their cars present, Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, etc... For that 'German car experience' the owners have to provide the car with the planned maintenance, then the car will serve them for a long time. I had several German cars in the last 28 years of my life (when I owned cars and used them) and saw mileage between 300-600.000 miles, without serious issues, just by maintaining properly my(our) cars. Of course not as luxury cars as this Mercedes, but I had Audi A6 level cars.... Proper maintenance (and the lack of ignorance) is key to almost all mechanical equipment, especially for a complicated one as a road vehicle.

My dad owned one in silver colour comes with hardtop and softtop. I drove it and it is an amazing car to be honest, it is better than today's Mercedes.

We own a 1984 MB 300 SDL having acquired it in 2005 with 95,000 miles. It is a daily driver and currently has 180,000 miles. Other than a fresh paint job and recovering the driver's seat it has been a relatively trouble free car. It just runs and with it fresh paint looks as good as it did back in the 80s. Mercedes built great cars up to the early 90s. Then the bean counters took over and the quality dropped significantly. My point is, your point is well taken, but I feel needs clarification as to what era of cars we are talking about.

4 years ago I bought a MB GL450 for $13,000 that had 97,000 miles on it. The car fax shows 2 previous owners and surprisingly both owners serviced the vehicle correctly. It currently has 117,000 miles. Other than routine maintenance I had the oil cooler seal repaired due to it starting to leak, accessory belt and the main battery replaced. 9 months ago I also bought a 2011 MB E350 sedan for $10,000 with 138,000 miles. It currently has 141,000 miles. It was serviced correctly as well. MB is my favorite auto manufacturer but I am aware of the issues with owning higher mileage German vehicles. I know that getting them serviced at the MB dealer and using OEM parts is expensive but I have been rewarded with 2 vehicles where the way they both run and drive hasn’t diminished due to their age.

Hi wizard I have a bunch of old ones 79 300 CD, 80 300 SD, 84 300 SL 91 300 sel 95 e320, 99 s420, But I also have a 2015 n 23 Vw that are my primary ones, I love the old ones, I drive em to work or the store, on and off few days a week or few times a month. shuffle em around. For the most part no major issues. While I agree that it shouldn’t be a primary car, at same time it could be. Just need to have a good shop or guy on stand by. Preventive maintenance is key too in my opinion on some things

Fix things when they are small is for any car. Had a 2000 Neon that I traded in because of rust not mechanical. Ran perfectly and never left me stranded other than a weak battery. Saw some tranny fluid on garage floor but I didn't let it go. Needed a new gasket but it was about time to change fluid anyways and never observed tranny fluid in garage again. Saw some coolant on the floor, the hose started cracking. Only paid for hoses, fluid and same thing. Both cases small fixes that could have cooked an engine if I let them go.

Just to let Mrs. Wizz know: The R129 only has two power windows, not four. The two similarily designed switches in the center console are for the heated seats :)

Well done Wizard. I drive an 83 BMW 320iS. Not my daily and I fix everything as it comes up. A pleasure to own if you have the funds.

Not sure I agree - I drove my 993 Twin Turbo as my primary car for many years. I also drove my BMW 740il to 155K miles and aside from a front suspension issue, that was very expensive, it never let me down. I just got sick of the size of the 740il and traded it for an AMG C43. I think it depends on how well the car is maintained. My mother had a 2001 VW Passat that she just traded in last year (well over the 100K mile mark).

I have a 1983 MB 300 TDT, 5 cylinder diesel, with 384,000 miles. Driven it for decades with no major issues and wouldn’t hesitate to take it cross country. I wish I could buy a new one exactly like it.

normaly im with you wizzard,even with the top of the r129!but the rest over german cars is not complete right!the difference between the german and american people is,we germans take care of our cars,the americans ride it to death and do nearly nothing until its broke! i had a W126,no rust,nothing drips,same with the E38 BMW 740i,not one drip under the car,no rust,nothing wrong with over 160000miles (330000km),greetings from germany

I've got 40,000 miles on my tires, but they are 11 years old. The car is garage kept, so there is no cracking from UV degradation. I just had to replace the battery, a month ago, after the same 11 years. When I had the battery replaced, the dealer said that my belts and hoses looked like new, even after 11 years.