I have a 86 420SEL 93000 I have a shimmy over 60 MPH doesn't go away new tires balanced etc Ideas? Pppkkk6@aol.

I would like to pass on a couple of comments to my fellow MB owners and would be owners.

To Pppkkk6@aol: he has shimmy problems with his '86 420 SEL even after tire balance. He might think about replacing the steering damper; part price will be less than a $100 bill, labor $40. or so. It will correct the little shimmy problem I think.

I have a 91 300 SEL that would start easily in cool weather, but would then immediately start running roughly and would die if the motor was accelerated. The radio was also not working, and the "ABS" light was on. We removed all fuses, cleaned their contact points well and installed all new fuses. The above problems were corrected.

I have owned used Mercedes cars since 1967 when my first was a $300. 1959 220s sedan. I am not a wealthy man, but with a little bit of courage I have been able to enjoy driving and owning the best in automobiles.

I was a small used car dealer for 17 years specializing in Mercedes, Jaguar, and BMW cars. Of these three brands, I always thought the Mercedes were best by a large margin.

Mercedes seats are generally not very comfortable to me and their lack of cup holders are disappointing. I have an S600 sedan now that has no cup holders and it tees me off.

I still love the older Mercedes, especially those cars such as the '91 S class and older models which are not as gimmicky as the current models tend to be.

I have moved about Texas over the years and as soon as I was settled, I would seek out a good, knowledgeable independent mechanic that wasn't afraid to work on a Mercedes. I have had good, reasonable work done in this way for many years. The Mercedes are not hard to work on, but the mechanic should be sharp and have the confidence to try the repairs.

I have also had some of my cars worked on by the Mercedes dealers when a unique problem came up that was likely to be over my independent mechanics head. In nearly all cases I was satisfied by the dealer's work even though I knew the labor charges were going too be higher than I would have liked. In most cases the increased confidence that I had in the repair generally offset the extra cost of repair in my case.

I think it is easy to some repairs on the older cars yourself. I recently had problems with the "soft door closers" on a S420. I went to a MB online forum and read some good articles on the problem, went out and fixed my own car. There are many MB owners out there that are really experts on Mercedes and willing to help out a new MB owner. The internet forums make it possible for an average income owner to own a Mercedes.

Even though I do little of my own repairs these days and send most of my work out to my independent mechanic, I research the price of parts he says he needs by using the internet. In some cases, I advise my mechanic on parts suppliers that provide the parts at a good price; (I rarely buy from the Mercedes dealer). He still marks the part up as normal; this makes him happy and makes me happy as well.

Many parts are to be had from O'Reilly's; I try them first.

I believe many people are intimidated by the thought of owning a Mercedes; the cars are legendary and their reputation for excellence puts them off. They want a Mercedes, but don't know where to start. They worry about parts prices and labor costs. (My mechanic charges me $65.00 per hour on a Mercedes or Chevrolet pickup; so there is less to worry here than some people think). They worry about parts availability because they have always owned domestic brands.

Some people will not buy a MB (even though they can afford the car) because they fear their family, friends, or church members will think they are trying to "put on the dog".

It is my opinion that the older Mercedes are affordable to most people provided extensive homework is done before the purchase is done. Driving the car they want several times will give them a better idea of whether the car is what they want. Mercedes cars don't feel like the American cars in their way of driving, seating, air conditioning and ride. If the buyer has been driving a Lincoln or Buick, he will probably be disappointed with the Mercedes' first impression.

I believe that an older Mercedes purchase should be done only after several drives and a good bit of online research and discussion with other Mercedes owners.

Even though there are many good brands of cars out there these days that give good service, there are some people like me that want some special: a Mercedes. For these people I say go get it: just do your homework well before hand so the experience will be a good and satisfying one.

I've been fortunate to have owned many of these cars and have always felt that the cost of ownership was justified by the pride I took in owning and driving the cars.

Absolutely right on. He described the situation perfectly. Any one who has even a little mechanical ability can drive a wonderful car for minimal expense. I have been driving them for about 15 years. I own 2 S420's, 1 S320, 1 190E, and one 420 SEL.

Out of them all, the 420 SEL is the best one for several reasons. The S models are TOO gimmicky, and there is always something that doesn't work. Awesome cars, but a pain in the butt.

The SEL's are relatively simple, fixable, and dependable. My 1989 model has been re-painted, re-transmissioned, etc. It has 135,000 miles on it. Once you get all the trivial stuff fixed, they go forever.

One of the S420's has 240,000 miles on it, and is beautiful and perfect. Drives like a dream.

The 190E, four cylinder, is a wonderful machine, once you get the repairs done, but a bit too small for me. Great engine. Read the MB history on this car. It is amazing.

Having gotten all these cars repaired and cleaned up, they are all good for hundreds of thousands of miles.

I just averaged 23 mpg from MT to AZ at 79 mph.