This spreadsheet was posted over at BenzWorld.

He drove an early 90s S-class from 211,000 miles to 295,000 miles (still going) starting in August of 2005. So far, his maintenance and repair costs have exceeded $58,000.

He claims that “practically everything” done to the car was DIY rather than paying a mechanic, except for oil changes, which leaves behind mostly parts and fluid costs.

He covered 83,439 miles over 6.5 years at a cost of about 59 cents per mile. Per year, that’s around $7,534 (excluding paint and body work).

He drove about 13,000 miles per year, which is on par with the annual mileage of most Americans (12k-15k).

That means that for every year of average mileage, it cost him $7,640.

That’s high, but consider that it’s an S-class, a top-level executive German sedan that achieved six-figure prices in the 1990s. Consider also that most luxury cars tend to cost $1000-$4000 per year to maintain, then factor in the mileage — this well-aged W140 now has just under 300,000 miles.

For most cars, maintenance costs for the first 100,000 miles are significantly cheaper than the second 100,000, and this S-class is on its third round. By 300,000 miles you’ve likely replaced everything but the doors and engine.

For comparison, my 2001 Cadillac Seville cost 80% less per mile to go from 109,000 to 149,000 miles. At around 180k it likely would have needed a head gasket and maybe some transmission service, but nothing bizarre like an entirely new wire harness — older German cars used soy-based insulation that degraded.

Some parts costs appear to be quite outrageous. It looks like he spent over $2500 for an ABS accumulator on 12/28/2010, a part I paid $80 for on my Saab. Even for the exotic 1995 BMW 8-series, a new German aftermarket accumulator (made by the OEM supplier) is only $400. For a late 90s Range Rover it’s $250 for an OEM part.

GenuineMercedesParts.com lists a W140 ABS accumulator for $1952 with an astronomical MSRP of $2690. Aftermarket units are available for under $500.

Alternatively, instead of driving and restoring his old car, he could have made monthly payments in the amount of $636 on a newer vehicle. In 2005, over 72 months, that would have bought him a new $45,000 luxury vehicle like an E320.

However, it wouldn’t have the six-figure prestige and timelessness of an older W140, nor would it have the comfort, power, and space. For those who keep and preserve their cars forever, Mercedes-Benz continues to stock and supply parts for cars going back decades, though they come at a cost.

For most Americans, $7000 per year is almost a sixth of their personal annual income. For the German auto enthusiast with money to burn, it’s a drop in the bucket for a car that would have cost 2-3 times more to buy new. Unfortunately, some of these old luxury cars depreciate to a point where they end up at buy-here-pay-here lots in low-income neighborhoods. Some poor sucker will choose one over a used Corolla, not knowing what he’s gotten into.

Such is the life cycle of an old Mercedes.

The next time your old Nissan Maxima needs a radiator for an “outrageous” $150, don’t feel so bad.