1997 STS should I keep

[woody]

Hello Forum Members,

I almost hate to post this. I have had my 97 since it had 35,000 miles on it. She now has 166,000 and overall it's been a great car....But i was presented with a deal on a 2003 Mercedes C320 coupe (Don't hate me) The car is showroom condition. 54,000 miles on the car and the engine was hydrolocked so the gentleman replaced it for 20K with a AMG 3.2 at the dealer and has the reciept. The car has been stored and has never seen winter. The new engine has 8,400 miles on it. All kind of upgrades and I know the man. He has 2 Cadillac's and 3 Mercedes and wants to part with this one. He's only asking $13000, I am sure it's a great buy but i know nothing about it except what I have investigated online. Any comments or feedback would be great. Oh and today I replaced my water pump.

Thanks,

Woody

[rockfangd]

do what I do keep both lol

please send me pics of the 97 sts. I like to see pics

[Cadillac Jim]

I don't know much about Mercedes AMG engines. My thinking is that you are looking at the long haul here, and are starting with an eight-year-old car that has been driven less than 7,000 miles per year, with a new engine in a year or two ago paid for out of warranty. But, the numbers don't add up. He replaced the engine at 20,000 miles and it has 8,400 miles on it, but the car has 54,000 miles on it, not 28,400 miles. And, it probably has summer tires on it and really can't be driven in ice or snow without a second set of wheels and tires.

The Kelly Blue Book price for this car, private party, is just under $13K for Excellent condition. He is asking a premium for the AMG engine.

First, I would go back to the man and get mileage numbers for the car and the engine replacement that add up. For example, did the car actually have 46,000 miles on it? How did the old engine get hydrolocked???? Second, I would want to understand why this guy wants to sell this car at this time.

The only AMG 3.2 that I see for 2003 is the C32 AMG Sport Sedan. Try to find out what the differences between the C320 Sport Coupe and the C32 AMG Sport Sedan are (transmission, brakes, suspension, wheels, tires) and see how much of the AMG packages besides the engine has been transplanted. If it's just the engine, the car really needs a lot more investment, but, you say that there are lots of upgrades.

Apparently this guy has money to throw at cars, or finds money to throw at cars, as evidenced by buying a new AMG engine for a six-year-old car. You are the kind of guy who replaces his own water pump. My guess is that the Mercedes is going to have expensive problems every several months; I base this on the fact that you don't see AMG badges on old cars out there, and in fact you don't see many old Mercedes cars on the road at all.

My thoughts, in summary, are that old Mercedes cars aren't the low-maintenance machines with readily available spare parts that you are accustomed to with the Cadillac, and that this guy is asking way too much money; I would imagine that he wants to sell the car to an individual to recoup some of the money spent on upgrades. This is a kid's car now, and a dangerous one unless it has the AMG or equivalent upgrades to the brakes and suspension, and possibly the steering, some of which may not be available from the dealer for the two-door, and as such is worth far less than Blue Book pricing.

Your car is worth about $4K now. Rockfangd has an excellent suggestion, simply keeping both cars. The money you get for your 1997 STS won't compensate you for the predicament you may find yourself in if the old Mercedes C320 coupe blows a tranny or has an expensive repair to that AMG motor. Try to imagine replacing the water pump on the AMG engine, for instance, or which FSM you would use if you bought an SLS with an STS engine in it and it needed to be diagnosed and repaired. I think this overpriced C320 project car needs a backup as a daily driver.

[BodybyFisher]

I would go to the Mercedes forum and see how helpful it will be in helping you repair it. See if you can get service manuals. See what kind repairs and problems these cars have over time, but that might not be possible. On many makes of cars, especially foreign cars, owners get their cars repaired, and little if no DIY work is done on them.

Its interesting that the engine was replaced from hydrolock, I know someone that also had their Mercedes engine replaced due to hydrolock, supposedly the intake snorkle sits low and going through standing water is dangerous

Good Luck with whatever you do, and make sure you verify everything, including DTC codes, engine numbers, fuel economy and functionality in all driving situations (high speed driving, stop and go and let it get hot, listen for moaning, groaning, vibrations, shifting, overheating, etc)

[rockfangd]

Your car is worth about $4K now. Rockfangd has an excellent suggestion, simply keeping both cars. The money you get for your 1997 STS won't compensate you for the predicament you may find yourself in if the old Mercedes C320 coupe blows a tranny or has an expensive repair to that AMG motor. Try to imagine replacing the water pump on the AMG engine, for instance, or which FSM you would use if you bought an SLS with an STS engine in it and it needed to be diagnosed and repaired. I think this overpriced C320 project car needs a backup as a daily driver.

Thank you.

All I can say is mercades are nice but very expensive to maintain, from special tire size to nearly impossible to find bolts lol.

I have worked on many and my honest opinion is that base models arent easy to find parts for and one that has been modified would seem to be a nightmare when something goes wrong.

And something with the mileage doesnt add up

[woody]

Guys your feedback is great and I thank you. The car as Mike stated went through a huge water puddle and that is how it locked. I will have to get actual milage numbers so they add up. I did find out that enginge is a 3.2 with some AMG parts in it and not a total AMG replacement. I did see online some of the same cars with 100k or more miles selling for around $12000. I believe the car is worth 12K. He does have a set of snow tires also. The maintenance would be an issue but i thought these cars were meant to last. I would keep the car but I just bought my wife a new Camaro RS and she has a 2000 Olds Intriuge as her winter car. I don't have room for 4 cars. Tough decision. I have posted on the Mercedes forum but not many responses yet.

Woody

Rock,

I will dig up some pics and post soon

[BodybyFisher]

The maintenance would be an issue but i thought these cars were meant to last. I have posted on the Mercedes forum but not many responses yet.

The popular impression is that MB is build like a tank and that it either will last forever or not breakdown. Might I remind you that the multi-billion dollar space shuttle is delayed because of mechanical, leaks and electrical issues for months at a time and its doubtful that is hasn't been built to last.

With complicated high performance machinery breakdowns will occur. What I have been told is that these cars are VERY expensive to maintain and repair. I have a good friend who owned Cadillacs and loved them, went to a MB and disliked it, and still to this day is aggravated that he needed to pay $800 for a instrument panel.

It is important to keep in mind that I can buy a light duty, plain vanilla, everyday performance Lexus and it will provide terrific service for what it is, if you want to get from point a to point b, with no excitement or high performance...but if you look at a high performance car, the brakes, suspension, tires, tranny, and engine works harder to deliver you a world class experience and you WILL need to maintain those types of cars more than a simple TIMEX car.

As far as the MB forum, I am not surprised, I have had the same experience on other forums, they are USELESS!!!! Caddyinfo members have a really special place here, I hope they understand that!!

[Cadillac Jim]

Perhaps you will have more luck doing searches on the MB forums. For example, you could do a search on "hydrolock" and "AMD" and examine these results.

[joeb]

the merc will certainly be tighter and more fun to throw around. 13k is cheap compared to the camaro. 1/2 price? try it out. don't like it, sell it? maybe you will like RWD and get an itch for a cts or sts?

[woody]

I am leaning on keeping the Caddy. I only need to run her 2 more years and it's my turn for a new ride. I know every part replaced on it and if I can't do the repair I have a good mechanic that charges next to nothing. I would love a shinny new STS but i might want to jump to the SUV. You guys are great and I can always count on getting a straight answer. I'll save the money from the repairs and put it towards my new one.

Woody

[adallak]

Woody,

Try this site: http://www.benzworld.org/

[Cadillac Jim]

... He does have a set of snow tires also. ...

And, the car has never seen snow!

[BodybyFisher]

I am leaning on keeping the Caddy. I only need to run her 2 more years and it's my turn for a new ride. I know every part replaced on it and if I can't do the repair I have a good mechanic that charges next to nothing. I would love a shinny new STS but i might want to jump to the SUV. You guys are great and I can always count on getting a straight answer. I'll save the money from the repairs and put it towards my new one.

Woody

That forum that adallak posted looks good.

A known quantity is always a better short term risk

[woody]

Thanks i will check it out. Can't hurt to look around. The guy told me he is no hurry and to let him know if and when i am ready. I still want to drive the car. I know this guy really takes care of his S*%#. The car is out of site out of mind. He drives the 130K 5.0 500 something version he shipped over from Germany and his wife is the CFO at Bosch here in Michigan. Maybe I low ball him and see if he bites

Woody