GuardsRed

My wife's boss - 55 yr old man - wants a new MB and planning to sell to us his 2000 E320 4 matic..if we were interested - His niece sold me my '89 944 and got a MB M320


What are the pro's and cons?

I do not know much about Mercedes cars...

TIA

Sam Lin

Really really nice cars, great drive and IMO, some of the best looking current Benzes - do try and keep it under warranty, repairs can be very costly.

Sam

Chris Martin

I dont think they are the same since the merger. Just my opinion. My buddies ML320 is in the shop more than his driveway. I'm biased though, my folks have had 123 and 126 diesels forever and they never stop.

The warranty advice should be taken seriously.

'88-924S

My uncle has a very expensive S class sedan, he rants and raves about how dissappointed he is with the quality. This uncle is the one who make me fall in love with Porsches when I was a kid. Not to mention this is coming from a guy who's had several Jaguars including a E type.
I have heard several stories lately about poor quality. I hope it's just a transitional thing with MB, because I think they have made some of the most beautiful objects ever. Do your homework and good luck.

Sam Lin

Chris, the ML is a special case, it has numerous electrical issues that are widely known, the tsb list is pretty long as well. I'd NEVER get an ML. I know the ML is one of the few Benzes manufactured in the US, and I personally believe that's one reason the quality is worse. I'm well aware that statement may cause controversy.

Their others, especially their higher-end sedans, are very nice. We've got a '98 S-class, haven't had to make even one unscheduled dealer visit.

Sam

'88-924S

Sam-
I'm glad to hear about your S. Perhaps my uncle's is a special case. I have the utmost respect for MB. The other complaints I've heard are concerning the ML. So no bad mouthing MB, just passing along some hearsay info. Good luck.

sweanders

If he is selling the car to get another MB it's probably a sign of that he is happy with it.

89magic98

I think the factory warranty is 4 years, 50,000 miles.

The equivalent to rennlist for mercedes: http://forums.mbworld.org

You want to look for the "W210" forum.

The 4matic is really nice for the snow... I had thought of getting a 4matic... I got a 2001 E430 instead. No major problems, all minor things covered under warranty.

The 4matic may scare some because of additional maintenance costs... but they see enough of these in the Northeast so that the dealers will be familiar with them from a maintenance standpoint.

Factory brake pads are super soft - I was also unhappy with the 1st set of tires that came with the car.

They can be really nice, refined cars - great highway or around-town cars. The weight of them makes you feel like you're driving a tank.

You didn't mention color, mileage, options, and asking price.

Kevin

Z-man

No controvery, just clarification: the ML is the ONLY Benz built in the US. All drivetrain components are shipped over from Germany.

You really can't compare the ML with the E. The E is a solid, reliable car, the best all-around car in our fleet. (Yes, I work for Benz: USA corporate office).

While the NEW E is incredible, it has had it's share of electrical gremlins as well: seems in order to compete in the luxo market, one needs more electronic gadgets and gizmos. Turns out you can only put so many electircal components in a car before these components start to interfere with each other! (The main problem with the early 'new' E's).

The 2000 E (Which is the previous gen), was not riddled by such electrical problems. While I like the body of the latest E better, the car you are looking very reliable and will give you years of comfort, luxury and enjoyment.

Just my biased $0.42,
-Zoltan.

PS: I just had a 2003 SLK 320 for a couple of days to drive: what a fun, fun car!

Ken D

My daily driver is an E-class Merc. I love it. However, unless you are getting it for an unbelievably good price, I'd pass. They do have quality issues (look up consumer reports used car reports) and I wouldn't buy one without a warranty.

Z-man

Consumer reports isn't the most reliable source for used car ratings, IMHO.
You'll notice they typically have nothing but praise for the Japanese imports, neutral opinions on the domestics, and they slam everything from Germany.
-Z.

GuardsRed

Thanks All,

It is a 2000 Black on Black leather, with about 44k miles, - That's all I know about the MB until he does his research on what he can get for it

johnjcoyle

Here in Belgium and most of Europe they are the standard TAXI.

Nuf said,,, sorry not my favorite, prefered the old model.

John
Belgium.

Ken D

Then look at JD Power's rankings of where Mercedes compares to Lexus in initial and long-term quality.

Consumer Reports has been correct in their assessments of all the other cars we've owned. Opinion aside, they provide information on recalls & common problems associated with the various models. The fact that I own one and drive it every day gives me first-hand experience with the model.

My point being, do your research and know what you are getting into before you commit to spending a sizable sum of cash on a car that's out of warranty.

Z-man

Ken, I totally agree that research must be done on a used car purchase. (It took me FOUR years of research, saving, reading...etc. before I purchased my S2!) And I do admit that the latest crop of Benzes have had some major issues with reliability in the electronics, especially the E-class. HOWEVER, no matter how much they deny it, Consumer Reports et al have a bias: everyone has a bias. The new E class is rated poorly, but when the previous gen E class came out (which is the one they made in 2000), it was rated very well, and there are far less problems with them. But Consumers comes along as says "new E's are bad," and all of a sudden everyone starts to think that "All E's and ALL BENZes are bad." That's too much power for one publication to have, IMHO.

Of course, I am speaking from an extremely biased point of view here.

Guardsred: bottom line: go out and drive the car! Ask for the repair records: see for yourself if this cars for you!

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.
-Z-man.