Heart-NII

Hello everyone! I'm new to MBWorld

I'm planning on purchasing either one of these cars in a month or so, planning to buy a used model, about 1 or 2 years old. I know this is MB world and it should be bias towards MB but I'd like to hear your opinions as I'm going to post the same thing over at E90Post.

The models I'm interested in are:

C350 4MATIC
E350 4MATIC
E90 328Xi
E90 335i or 335Xi
<Insert any other suggestions here>

Which one would you choose and why? As I am on a limited budget, so I don't have unlimited funds I included 4MATIC and Xi on the list because I think it would be better suited for me in Vancouver, Canada(even though we don't get really harsh winters, it's just nice to have)

How are the reliability of C350/E350 4MATIC cars? I've been told MB's are really bad with maintenance after the alloted 4 year warranty compared to other luxury manufacturers(IE: Lexus/BMW) as I'd really hate to pay for repairs on the 5th year and onwards since MB parts are qiuite expensive. I included the 328Xi because it's a NA engine and not a Twin-turbo 335i/xi, so the NA should definitely be a lot more reliable then the TT.

I'm planning on keeping the car for 9-10 years, so I definitely won't want something that'll keep taking cash outta my wallet for repairs

ginkgo

c350 4matic i believe doesn't exist in the US so you wouldn't get much answers about that here, also what kind of driver are you? are you a spirited driver or a normal driver that just wants to go from point a to b?

also I see you don't get much snow or harsh weather down there like you said, would you really want awd? looks like you want to save some money, getting rwd would save you gas and the purchase price. I have a rwd, it snows here and there in NY, and i've had no problems with healthy tires. rwd cars that are made these days are good enough to drive on snow conditions as long as its not like severe..

If you want power hands down, go with 335i.
If you want Luxury, go with E350.
about the repairs, i believe its all about how the driver drives his car. If you take care of the car meaning having all the services done on time, not driving recklessly enough to cause damage on the transmission you should have the car a long time. also you might need a little bit of luck too i guess. Also i heard that BMW causes more problems than the Mercedes, so its really up to you. But when i see other cars in NY, i see a lot of old Mercedes driving by and very few old BMW's. Hope i helped and good luck

ginkgo

also i forgot to mention..
Welcome to MBWorld

C300Sport

Welcome to the forum.

The E Class is easily a step up in size and likely price from the C Class and 3 Series. If your funds are limited and you don't really need the extra size, I wouldn't go that direction...unless you can find a steal of a deal, but that holds true for any car I guess.

The C Class and 3 Series are pretty evenly matched but like Ginkgo says, the 335 is a power house comared to C300/C350. Obviously most on this forum would say go with the C Class, but for several solid reasons such as better NVH characteristics, better ride while not giving up the sporting feel, slightly bigger interior, etc.

I think the repair costs for BMW and MB would be pretty comparable after the warranty runs out so not sure if one holds an advatage over the other in that respect. So far though, the W204 has proven to be more reliable than the E90.

Heart-NII

So many views but not that many replies

LILBENZ230

I wouldn't personally bother with the 328 anything. I hate it. If you are shopping new, the 335i is no longer a twin-turbo car. The N55 engine is a twin-scroll, single turbo engine and the reliability should be just fine. I've got 22500 miles on a 135i with the older TT N54 and it has never had a problem at all.

The W204 doesn't do anything for me. I cast my vote for the 335i. You won't regret it!

Glyn M Ruck

South African experience shows that the Benz cars running cost is vastly lower than BMW as mileage climbs. BMW's are great cars but don't make old bones well & can be as expensive as hell to keep running.

I'm not going to try & persuade you in the direction of one brand if you have no intention of keepng the car very long. If you are going to keep it & do high mileage then the Benz wins hands down.

SA's harsh conditions are a good indicator of endurance which is why so many auto makers do their endurance testing here & in Namibia. BMW's, especially the performance models have proven fragile here. This hurts their resale. You can't give away a high miler.

huir

what is the package with the C350?

SCguy08

I'd find a C350 with P2 (My obvious choice) However, if your looking at an 07-09 335i...I'd agree with LILBEnz. Its a great car. I would also agree that I'd overlook a 328 anything if at all possible. I will say, and it's obviously personal preference....if you line up the 204' C350 with a 335i sedan...Mercedes has BMW beat on aesthetics....as well as interior. Nav on a 335 is a MUST I think. The void left on the dash on a car without NAV just looks so awkward to me. Just my 2cents.

LILBENZ230

I don't see it on the exterior. I think a MSport equipped 335i sedan looks exponentially better than a C350 Sport. The interior.. hrm, it's a much closer race there. I like the Benz interior overall but I hate the fold-away COMAND screen. The car looks awkward with COMAND and even more so without - the cover looks Ford-Fusion-cheap. The BMW has two different dash designs altogether and both look fine to me, though my preference is to have one with iDrive.

The main pull for the 335i is the sweet engine, though. The fact that the car is otherwise high quality, attractive, and athletic-on-another-level is all icing on the cake. Anecdotal as it may be, I have a friend with an 01 330i sedan @ 200k miles without any issues. I don't trust BMW reliability more than Mercedes, but I also don't trust them less. My experience with both has been extremely positive and I am happy to report that on all accounts.

Heart-NII

Interesting! wouldn't a 335d be a good choice if I can find one? Less issues with the 'd as opposed to the 335i and xi?

S4RIN

Seeing as you live in Vancouver, Canada and the winter is a pain, I'd go with something that is 4Matic or xDrive. You still need to put winter tires on!

E350 4Matic is a large car. If you are only driving yourself 85% of the time, then this is not a good option, especially since you said funds are limited. However, the interior is much better than the C, and the ride is more forgiving/comfortable.

C350 4Matic is a great choice and they are cheaper in price then the 335's. It's a nice balanced car between the E350 and 335.

The BMW 335xi is more powerful/sporty if that is what you are looking for.

Samieee

I can't comment on reliability of the C since I just got it. But I came from an 08 535xi and it had quite a few problems. The DRL rings kept going out. The fuel pressure system got screwed up. There were loose parts here and there. Everything was under warranty but still a pain to use up the time to get them fixed. It drove very well but the problems were extremely annoying. My dad's 325 doesn't have any issues so I guess it was just my car. BMW definitely handles better while Mercedes is a lot more comfortable to ride. And the great thing about the 335 is you can turn up the turbo with a chip and add lots of hp.

What about Audi? Those DRLs are sweet

Heart-NII

I've came to a conclusion that the E-Class would be a bit "over-kill" for my needs, so I'm guessing it boils down to C300/C350 4MATIC(or non 4MATIC) vs. the 328i/335i with/without x-drive.

The thing I don't like about the E90 style is that it's going to go into a totally new refresh in 1.5years, so after a year or so, I'd be driving a older model as opposed to the C-Class, which is in it's 3rd year and I still have about 4-5 years of driving a "new" car (please correct me if I'm wrong on this)

As for Audi's, they're nice but they seem to be more problematic then the C-class or 3er. If I was going for Audi's, I'd think about the new S4 but I'd still prefer a MB or BMW over Audi.

C300Kid

They're refreshing the C-Class next fall so if you don't want a dated car wait a bit.

Heart-NII

^ OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

I thought it's a 7-year cycle?!! Or so the last 2 models have been...

C300Kid

An entirely new C-Class is coming out in 2014 I believe..but the 2012 model is getting a pretty major overhaul. Facelift, new interior, new coupe model, likely new engines, etc.

Heart-NII

That sucks That was the tipping point from buying a C-class over the 3er since the 3er will be outdated within 2yrs with a totally new F30

C300Kid

Well the current C-Class won't be QUITE as outdated as the 3-Series lol. The C is just getting the mid-cycle refresh while the 3-Series is going to be completely new.

GHAZAN

335 no question

C300Kid

335 is lame....S4 no question.

Rapsteady1

OP,

My nephew has the 335 and when I drive it, I personally HATE that car. Call me biased or whatever since we are on a MB forum, but real talk, when I drive his car, it really makes me miss my car and appreciate it even more. I'm no car expert by any means, but coming from an everyday driver, I feel as if the bmw is built for the younger demographic as opposed to the MB's which I feel are more geared toward the older guys (like myself lol-- even though the MBs also have a sporty look).

whatever your decision is, pick well!

S4RIN

Found out that for USA/Canada,

Mercedes C-Class 204 will get a refresh in 2012 (will debut in late summer/early fall of 2011). The 205 C Class will be available in 2014 and will debut in mid 2013.

The BMW 3 Series will have a new generation 2012 (will debut in summer/early fall 2011).

Audi A4/S4 will have a mild refresh in 2013.

451/443=EW

I work for MB in Vancouver, PM me if your still looking for a car. I have a C350 4Matic and pics of it in the snow. I also have a very good contact at BMW if needed. I know this thread is a bit older. But I just came across it in a search.

tanktube67

Stay away from the 335i and the 335xi to many problems with that engine.