Mercedes E320 cdi (W221) - any views?

[Willem Fick]

Hi guys,

Looking at a 2008 model (automatic)with 75k miles. Any experience/opinions?

[pcardude]

My lady friend has a 99 e320 4WD and I really like it. Pretty nice ride.

[1990C4S]

I think Notfarnow has one...

[speeder]

Originally Posted by pcardude

My lady friend has a 99 e320 4WD and I really like it. Pretty nice ride.

That does not have much in common with the car he's asking about. Different chassis/engine/trans/etc.

[pcardude]

Originally Posted by speeder

That does not have much in common with the car he's asking about. Different chassis/engine/trans/etc.

Yeah, was just giving a bump to the thread.

[Nostril Cheese]

used S Class.. What could possibly go wrong?

[speeder]

The car he's asking about is not an S-class but he did get the chassis number wrong. He meant to type W211.

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by speeder

The car he's asking about is not an S-class but he did get the chassis number wrong. He meant to type W211.

Not like the W211 is much better, lol.

[Willem Fick]

Yep, sorry, meant to type 211 - thanks Speeder.

Reason for looking is that there are a lot of them around with really high mileage, which makes me think the reliability can't be all that bad. A lot of people are scared of taking the plunge, and as demand is therefore low they can be had for very little money second-hand, even with reasonable mileage. Just thought that there must certainly be a good collection of anecdotal evidence (good and bad) here om Pelican!

The problem is that choices are rather limited, so I am really somewhere between an Audi A4 or A6, the BMW 5 series, and the E-class - all of which have their fair share of bad comments when mentioned here! :-)

Nostril, any personal experiences? Really interested to know more!

[Nostril Cheese]

I'd highly reccomend the E39 over a Benz anyday. IMO, the Volvo S40 is a better car overall (I have a C30).

I've worked on a few. I find them to be a utter pain to work on and needlessly complex. Special tools, parts are expensive and MBZ goes out of their way to keep repair info from the independent tech or owner. The engine is good. Diesels are the one thing MBZ does well..

I would imagine parts and service to be difficult in South Africa?

[Willem Fick]

Funny you should mention the Volvo - drove an S40 for the past 7 years. It was hugely reliable and cheap to run, but the cabin is too small for a family, and the boot virtually non-existent. It was finally written off in an accident a few weeks ago, leaving me shopping for a dd again.

Service and parts are not really an issue here, but becoming expensive due to the plummeting value of our currency. I also know my way around cars well enough to do most things, but the point about special tools and availability of repair info is worth considering. Will look into the E39 in the meantime!

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

I'd highly reccomend the E39 over a Benz anyday. IMO, the Volvo S40 is a better car overall (I have a C30).

I've worked on a few. I find them to be a utter pain to work on and needlessly complex. Special tools, parts are expensive and MBZ goes out of their way to keep repair info from the independent tech or owner. The engine is good. Diesels are the one thing MBZ does well..

This could apply to any modern car and especially BMW. You are mixing and comparing modern cars with semi-modern cars, a Volvo S40 or E39 from 15 years ago is not the same generation tech as a 2008 or newer E-class. Which is not a w211, now that I think of it. That would be a 2007<(?)

An older car is easier to work on in your driveway but will likely be a lot more worn-out with miles and age and probably need more maintanence work than a newer car. There are more ways to look at it then just which one is easier to fix under a shade tree with parts from NAPA.

I would also disagree with the statement that diesels are the "one thing MBZ does well". Making the safest cars in the world, (and the newer, the better in this regard), is what many intelligent people would use for a yardstick of what is the best car in the world. Safest car=best car. Nothing else matters in comparison.

[Nostril Cheese]

Disagree all you want. I've worked on them.

MBZ is an well-cultivated image of exclusivity. That doesnt equal quality.

[speeder]

Tell us what you know about their safety engineering vs. other manufacturers and I'll give your opinion some weight. I'm not sure if you're telling us that you've attempted to repair them without the proper training and equipment or what. It sounds like it did not go well.

I have friends who work on them for a living and they have plenty of gripes but they are coming from an informed perspective. All modern European luxury cars are extremely complicated with computer controlled everything. I'm not the least convinced that Mercedes cars are more troublesome than Jags or Audis or BMWs or whatever and the performance and safety engineering is state of the art. That is what buyers value, not how much the mechanics who change parts on them like them.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Nostril Cheese

Disagree all you want. I've worked on them.

MBZ is an well-cultivated image of exclusivity. That doesnt equal quality.

Their "image", as you put it, is actually their reputation for building the best cars in the world for 7 or 8 decades. Longest lasting, best construction and engineering but most importantly, safety engineering. Safest car=best car. End of story.

Do they build 'em like they used to? No. Nobody does. But in many ways, they build them better.

[gacook]

Originally Posted by speeder

Their "image", as you put it, is actually their reputation for building the best cars in the world for 7 or 8 decades. Longest lasting, best construction and engineering but most importantly, safety engineering. Safest car=best car. End of story.

Do they build 'em like they used to? No. Nobody does. But in many ways, they build them better.

Really? From everything I've ever heard, seems the consensus is never buy a Mercedes (or BMW) that's out of warranty. That's their "image" that I know. There's gotta be a reason for that...

[speeder]

Originally Posted by gacook

Really? From everything I've ever heard, seems the consensus is never buy a Mercedes (or BMW) that's out of warranty. That's their "image" that I know. There's gotta be a reason for that...

That's a whole other discussion. If you cannot stomach, (or afford), potentially large repair bills on an out of warranty European luxury car, either buy new only or stick to the Toyota aisle at the used car mart. The truth is that large scale mechanical failures on modern MB cars are extremely rare. Expensive maintanence is common.