I wonder how I was able to drive my mercedes benz without trouble for a combined 300000 kms without drama. Both cars were totalled out by natural disaster only. Just did the usual maintenance only - like replacing coolant/oil/gear lube and replacing weak stuff like the aging radiator and A/C on the W210 - the W124 was bought as a stalled car and took me about a week to get it to "zabardast" spec. Later in their life I replaced all the suspension rubber components and new shocks/springs all around on both cars to get back that "suspended by elastic" feel they are famous for.
The ones I see in despair are "ye marsadeez hai - mazboot gaddi sirf haail chenj hota hai iss ka"
Run away from those as literally not giving a damn to maintenance of any machine will result in failure. Even suzuki FX.
I drive a 2012 BMW X5 (N55 engine) now - its sweet, a bit handful to work on as its literally built like an onion (layer on layer) but works and drives better than my buddy's toyota highlander - the only thing I threw away because I hate it was the run-flat tires that BMW sold it with. Its 7 yrs old now, wear items like tension rod bushings, oil filter stand gasket etc have been replaced along with lubricants/coolants and some greases.
I also drive an old ass camry solara 2002 - I paid "zero" for it but had to spend close to 1000 to repair it. Its been a while now and it also has been as reliable as my other cars but it does take some cost to keep it rolling like it should. e.g. I dont install chinese crap in the chassis parts like ball joints/cv joints etc. Always new japanese or american, I also refresh some parts like the door latch etc with fresh grease every 2 years and clean all drainage points and repair unwrapped wiring etc.
Do not buy these old cars if you are wallet holder project manager - the showrooms selling new cars are your best choice.
