the LAST straw
02-01-2019, 05:09 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
the LAST straw
just paid the Corvette tax to replace 1 battery. Cost ; towing , cab fare , parts and labor -- $455.00 . I swore on this forum I would Never purchase another Corvette(have owned 5 starting with 66 427) after I had to replace brake booster #5 in one year. MY cost of ownership of Barrett-Jackson CE LT4 has been an ASTOUNDING $700 per month for 23 months, this cost is documented .soooo........I just purchased a 2005 MB SL500 with 17,400 miles . If any one wants a $ 25k CA car with 99k miles for $10k send me a pm. thanks John
02-01-2019, 05:22 PM
#3
just paid the Corvette tax to replace 1 battery. Cost ; towing , cab fare , parts and labor -- $455.00 . I swore on this forum I would Never purchase another Corvette(have owned 5 starting with 66 427) after I had to replace brake booster #5 in one year. MY cost of ownership of Barrett-Jackson CE LT4 has been an ASTOUNDING $700 per month for 23 months, this cost is documented .soooo........I just purchased a 2005 MB SL500 with 17,400 miles . If any one wants a $ 25k CA car with 99k miles for $10k send me a pm. thanks John
Last edited by JBPC4; 02-01-2019 at 05:24 PM.
02-01-2019, 05:33 PM
#5
just paid the Corvette tax to replace 1 battery. Cost ; towing , cab fare , parts and labor -- $455.00 . I swore on this forum I would Never purchase another Corvette(have owned 5 starting with 66 427) after I had to replace brake booster #5 in one year. MY cost of ownership of Barrett-Jackson CE LT4 has been an ASTOUNDING $700 per month for 23 months, this cost is documented .soooo........I just purchased a 2005 MB SL500 with 17,400 miles . If any one wants a $ 25k CA car with 99k miles for $10k send me a pm. thanks John
How is towing and cab fare part of the Corvette Tax? You would have paid that in any vehicle. And if you can’t do the work of changing a battery, don’t complain about the cost of paying somebody to do it.
Good luck with the German luxo barge. First repair bill of 2k for an oil change and headlight bulb and I’m sure you will be complaining on the MB forums.
02-01-2019, 05:35 PM
#6
And 10k for 100k mike 96, hard pass.
02-01-2019, 06:43 PM
#9
Racer
Thread Starter
thanks for the support gentlemen . I am at the end of an 8 year battle with bone cancer , that's why I CAN'T fix the car my self. I had the ability to change the clutch in the C2 BB in my driveway, using my chest as a transmission jack. .Not any longer . I own oil AND gas wells, paying for repairs is not an issue , just sick of pouring money down the Silver Devil rat hole. have been blessed to own some of the finest performance cars, it's been good run.... peace, john
02-01-2019, 06:52 PM
#10
Racer
Thread Starter
on what ? 25 % of the car has been replace @106.00 per hour.. the list of items Not changed is shorter than the pm and repair work done .no one would want a stunning CE that has had 15k in professional work in 23 months, would they .
02-01-2019, 07:00 PM
#11
Team Owner
I don't know about his class but the W210, W220 and W140 have been very economical to own. Best part? Not having to go to the parts counter and hearing the guy say "Obsolete. What are you looking for again?" as a joke.
02-01-2019, 07:15 PM
#12
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Dec 2005
Location: Where Woke Goes to Die
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Ya know what.... my first instinct was to pile on.... but Im gonna take a different path here. Cancer is a fekked up disease and I wish it on no one. I just lost a wonderful sister in law to it after a valiant fight.
So, I say this.... some have better luck than others on all kinds of cars. Ive owned 8 Vettes and 6 BMW's. NONE of the cars have ever given me more than an inconvenience as far as repairs. I guess Im lucky... whatever... In fact, I have a ZR-1 and a 528 in the garage right now.... both of which are great cars and haven't broken down on me once...
If your choice is a Benzo.... the SL is a wonderful car and way ahead of its time... Good luck to you on the cancer battle and your new ride!
So, I say this.... some have better luck than others on all kinds of cars. Ive owned 8 Vettes and 6 BMW's. NONE of the cars have ever given me more than an inconvenience as far as repairs. I guess Im lucky... whatever... In fact, I have a ZR-1 and a 528 in the garage right now.... both of which are great cars and haven't broken down on me once...
If your choice is a Benzo.... the SL is a wonderful car and way ahead of its time... Good luck to you on the cancer battle and your new ride!
Last edited by 81c3; 02-01-2019 at 07:20 PM.
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dharmadan (02-02-2019)
02-01-2019, 07:32 PM
#13
Racer
Thread Starter
thank you 81c3. the folding hard top sold me, Chevy can't match that....plus the fact the car has lived it's entire life 4 blocks from the house.
02-01-2019, 08:03 PM
#14
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Feb 2011
Location: Chatham NY
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St. Jude Donor '13, '15-'16,'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
Sorry to hear about your health issues and hope you have won that battle. Since your first post was vague I was curious if it was restoration or actual repairs that's all.
02-01-2019, 09:02 PM
#15
Le Mans Master
As the cars age we continue to see odd issues rear their ugly head. This is inevitable with any car you will buy to be honest. I'm sorry that you're seeing some of these issues with compiling health issues. If we were closer, I would happily lend you a hand at no charge. A favor from one Corvette owner to another. People helping people. That's the way it should be. If I were in a better financial position I would happily make you an offer on the car. I wish you the best John. If I can be of any help with the Corvette, please feel free to send me a message.
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dharmadan (02-02-2019)
02-01-2019, 09:56 PM
#16
Safety Car
Member Since: Mar 2005
Location: Fredonia WI
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2023 C4 of the Year Finalist- Modified
Finalist 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
2018 C4 of Year Finalist
John, I completely understand ... there comes a point when you need to cut it loose. And, the SL is a nice replacement. Good luck fighting the cancer.
02-01-2019, 10:22 PM
#17
Racer
Thread Starter
Thanks for the kind responses. An example of money spent, changed out the opti and electric water pump as a PM, this was want and not a need after $900 nightmare with MSD box. This example alone was $1,800 . a lot of the money spent was elective PM. 5 booster failures left a $2,500 hole in my pocket was NOT elective . I would rather spend $1,000 on PM in a shop rather than $100 on the side of the road. I pay to play. this second C4 has been more expensive than a 34ft Cigarette boat , go figure...... will try to get one of my kids to post pics in for sale shortly. 2 days ago stopped by a Chevy dealer and 3 mechanics came out of the shop to ogle the CE, it's that kind of beautiful, but I can't stand the sight of it now. SAD but the car has to go .
02-02-2019, 12:18 AM
#18
Lots and lots of people don’t work on their own cars for any number of reasons, whether it be health, ability, or just personal choice. I’m sorry about your health issues, but you really can’t keep throwing that around as a reason to flush money down the toilet. And, if it’s just that you are lucky enough to have a lot of money to spend and therefore don’t bother to shop around, then that’s your choice but don’t choose to spend money like that and then bitch about it. I’ve read all of your posts about this car, and none of the money you spend ever makes sense and it is waaay out of the realm of normal even for people who don’t do their own work. The SL500 is an absolutely beautiful car and will be a dream when everything is working. But that particular generation of SL’s have horrendous reliability records. They were way ahead of their time with technology and electronics, and they have many systems that are prone to failure and costly to fix. With the way you approach repairs, there is no doubt you will sink a small fortune into it. Or, maybe you will be lucky this time and get a good roll of the dice on the SL after the horrendous luck with the 96. Let’s hope for that. They really are beautiful cars and the current market price makes them very tempting. I’ve looked at them, but haven’t been willing to risk it yet.
02-02-2019, 01:21 AM
#19
Team Owner
Lots and lots of people don’t work on their own cars for any number of reasons, whether it be health, ability, or just personal choice. I’m sorry about your health issues, but you really can’t keep throwing that around as a reason to flush money down the toilet. And, if it’s just that you are lucky enough to have a lot of money to spend and therefore don’t bother to shop around, then that’s your choice but don’t choose to spend money like that and then bitch about it. I’ve read all of your posts about this car, and none of the money you spend ever makes sense and it is waaay out of the realm of normal even for people who don’t do their own work. The SL500 is an absolutely beautiful car and will be a dream when everything is working. But that particular generation of SL’s have horrendous reliability records. They were way ahead of their time with technology and electronics, and they have many systems that are prone to failure and costly to fix. With the way you approach repairs, there is no doubt you will sink a small fortune into it. Or, maybe you will be lucky this time and get a good roll of the dice on the SL after the horrendous luck with the 96. Let’s hope for that. They really are beautiful cars and the current market price makes them very tempting. I’ve looked at them, but haven’t been willing to risk it yet.
So if he gets a poorly maintained car, all bets are off. If the ABC fluid is black, good luck. I would take the car for a PDI before laying down any cash.
02-02-2019, 02:14 AM
#20
Racer
Thread Starter
CBPC4, can't argue with what you state. I do what I do ,knowing that the end is in sight for me shortly. Aklim, the SL has 17,400 miles and Every single function works .the car looks like it came off the showroom today. the folding top is a work of art, silver with cream leather ,I plan to go out in style as every good gear head should.