[W126 Coupe] Cost of Ownership

[Chris]

Mike Kubr recently said "These cars are an endless money pit, aren't
they(?)" and "I love the car but it's sucking me dry" which raises the
question of cost of ownership.

I just bought my 1988 560SEC in December and I figure that besides the
initial purchase price by the original owner the maintenance cost for the
car was over 1000 dollars per year for the first 13 years. A second owner
spent an additional $1500 on repairs. Nevertheless maintenance fell behind
for a year or two and I'm playing catch up.

I am now working by the following rule of thumb: I need to budget $1500 per
year for maintenance on this car and I will be doing most the work myself.

Does anyone else have a similar rule of thumb regarding keeping these cars?

Thanks,
Chris Schafer
Ohio