Recommend MB?

This forum is mostly for curmudgeons who own older MBs (the ones that are 'durable' but not 'reliable') and look down their noses at those of us who own the newer models (which, they say, are neither 'durable' nor 'reliable'). You would be far better off looking at the MB forum at

if you are interested in a newer car. Stay away from mbworld.org (or whatever it is). Lots of snooty people over there who spend most of their time telling others about their (non-vehicle) possessions.

h

Huh. Compared to all my former roundies, the 114 is quite a modern car.

What exactly do you mean with ES500? E-Class 500? S-Class 500?

Juergen

No such European model.

From the designation _ES500_ it could be an E 500 (sedan), S 500 (sedan) or an E-Class S=station wagon 500 (S211), but as he posted from Florida it can be the first two only.

I hope that, too.

Juergen

I would sincerely recommend that you don't buy a Mercedes. I have had one for two years and despite twenty five visits back to the dealer it still rattles and creaks worse than a twenty five year old Morris Marina. It is out of warranty now, so I took it to a BMW dealer to trade in against a BMW. They refused to take it off my hands as it would be too difficult to resell!

I know anecdotes don't make data, and that some people are happy with their cars. But before you make a decision, try and buy recent consumer surveys such as JD Power or "Which" magaazine. You will see that my experience is not unique - Mercedes has plummeted down the rankings in both surveys and is near the bottom of the lists.

The BMW isn't nearly as well engineered. They're great cars to be sure, but not built the same. Spend some time fixing both and you'll understand.

Get the CLK.

Which model and dealer?

old MBs were well built - the new ones are not.

All models were bad - but especially C Class, M Class and V-Class. Unfortunately neither JDPower nor Which magazine put their reports on the internet - you need to go out and buy them. But if you do a bit of googling on "Mercedes Quality JD Power "Which Magazine" etc you should find references to these reports on other sites. The Which Magazine report only came out a few days ago so not much yet on the internet about it.

Incidentally, all the German makes suffered badly in the Which report, though Mercedes was the worst (below VW, below Opel, and way below BMW).

Jap cars got the best marks for customer satisfaction - particularly Toyota/Lexus and Honda.

How about an Audi A8? I hear it beats the S class hands down for quality. Its a shame that Yanks probably won't get the V8 diesel

My 2003 Acura TL-S is much better than mt 2003 MB C320. If the Benz wasn't a company car, I'd be driving the Acura.

What makes MB buyers out of other car buyers cannot be found in brochures, surveys and consumer magazines. It is the overall experience. Ask to test drive each of them for a long weekend. Run the interstate for hours at 90+, hit the back roads, and a charge through late afternoon Florida downpour. Go out to a nice restaurant and show it off to your neighbors. Then you'll know what to do.

Scott D

Greg, I have had MB's since 93. That includes a 400E, E320 and a E500 and can truly say that I have enjoyed all of them more than any other cars that I have owned except for my Vette roadster. They seem only to be getting better. Regardless of what others say my new E500 is the best of them all. It's extremely fast, gets out of the hole quicker than any MB I have every driven including a Porche tuned special edition 500E in 92. My Vette when new in 89 would run the quarter in 14.3. The new E500 will run it in 14-14.2 depending on what car mag you believe.

I and my wife have also owned numerous BMW's and like them too, but have had significant problems with them. My Dad, brother and sister have owned 8 different MB in the last 15 years and all have been excellent cars. My niece got a BMW 745i on my suggestion after I test drove one. In the last year they have had so many problems with it that her husband wants to get out of the lease early. I felt terrible when she said that I had gotten her to buy a "LEMON". He is going to trade it for a S500. It will be his 4th S.

If you want the best vehicle made, get a MB. You won't go back. Don't believe every thing you read. Most publications are paid by car manufacturers so they aren't unbiased or have a hidden agenda. Try the cars out and see which one you like the best. Talk is cheap.

BTW the CLK seems to be a less rigid chassis and has less room than the E. It looks a little more "sporty" than the 4 door E.

Rob

I think of MB like Jaguars used to be in the 1970s. Nice to look at but hopelessly unreliable. Every time I see one on the road, I don't feel envy I just think "you poor sod, how often have you been back to the dealer with that?"

If you want the best vehicle made, get a MB. You won't go back.

Well I bought a brand new MB and will never buy another one. I consider my purchase of it to be the worst financial mistake of my life.

Which year/model did you buy?

Did you buy it new?

If they could not fix it why did you not sue?

.

C200K sport coupe

Because of the huge cost that would involve. My employer moved me from Germany to France shortly after taking delivery, so I had to take my car with me. MB Deutschland told me I should sue MB France as I now live in France, MB France say it is MB Deutschland's responsibility because I bought the car there. I would probably have to take legal action in both countries. It is just not worth it. It will be cheaper just to sell my car and forget the whole sorry episode - and obviously never buy another MB.

I actually have a letter from Herr Stavenow, from DC Stuttgart, who has written that I do not qualify for an exchange car because I "exported" my car from Germany to France. So the lesson is don't buy an MB if you are likely to move country in EU!

do you keep any of your MB over 8 yrs as a daily vehicle ?