I'm looking for a fun daily driver. Yes, an Impala would be more practical, but for the same price, I would rather drive a MB or BMW. I'm looking a MB W204 or BMW E90. I was very close to buying a 2010 E90, but it had the typical BMW valve cover gasket leak. While that's not a huge deal, the car was priced over book and I'd prefer to be able to drive it for at least a few months before working on it. I was sure that I wanted an E90, so I've researched the crap out of it and the typical trouble areas and DYI repairs on YouTube.

I generally work on my cars myself. Which of these two cars is easier to work on? Which has fewer problems (on average)? It seems like the BMW has many issues with seals wearing out, rubber hoses cracking, and plastic engine parts breaking. Has does the W204 compare? My biggest concern is the ease of service. It looked like the BMW repairs were doable for the DYI'er, although some were a major pain.

Any insights you can offer would be great.

Thanks,

 

Are you referring to the 2010 sedan (E90)? Or are you talking about one of the E9x variants 90, 91, 92, 93.
At the lower end it’s close to a wash. The W204 is a bit easier to work on but the E90 feels sportier.

A 15 year old car is going to have some maintenance issues regardless of brand.

As you creep up the digits to the E93, Mercedes literally has nothing to compare. There’s no parallel in W204. The 2010 335i hardtop convertible with N54 twin turbo I6 is an absolute blast to drive. It’s also a maintenance nightmare. The N54 is put in with a shoehorn and lots of lubricant. It’s the reason we don’t have BMWs in the family fleet. But it was also away at college with a grandson, so small problems were magnified.

Many members have had both brands, so wait for other replies.

 

I have no idea about BMW, never owned one or done any research on them at all.

My W204 is the only Mercedes ive owned so far. I bought it because a friends mother had one and I really liked how it looked. I will only buy all wheel drive vehicles with living in new England and not liking driving in snow. Had to be a sport model because i really do not like the look of the luxury at all. At the time i didnt know much about the different engines but now feel i lucked out with having the M272 engine. From reading all the various posts on here it looks like the M272 is easier to work on and less issues than the M271. M272 has no turbo and associated parts to fail.

I try to do all the work on it myself, only had to take it to the dealer once for an exhaust manifold gasket leak that I just couldnt do with the engine mount right in the way. If i didnt work on it myself im sure all the repairs would add up to well over what I paid for the car. Its a 2010 C300 4matic sport with over 160,000 miles and it runs and drives great. Though im always doing something to it for maintenance. Alot of the maintenance seems to be from being a new England car and rust and corrosion, broken spring, rusted brake lines. I have some rear suspension bushings i want to replace and had to buy the special tools to remove/install them. $200 tool to replace a $10 bushing. But I think the tools will retain some value down the road if I want to sell them.

 

We've been with BMW for 20 years, namely the E39, E46 (x2), E90 and F10. Still own an E46 and F10 today. We've been with Mercedes for 17 years with the W204 and W212. I still have the W204 as my commuter.

If ease of service is a top item, I'd skip BMW 100% of the time. For me it's their refusal to address easy items like leaks, and because there is no forethought to removing commonly-serviced items. Both of which are well sorted with Mercedes.

 

I'm with cvx5832. I've had experience with older BMWs, including the E30 (X3), E24, E32, and a 1972 2002. Except for 2002, the Mercedes designs are much better in terms of maintenance. In my experience, both brands leak.

 

I had a 2008 E90 335i. It had one seized turbo (rear) when I bought it cheap. I got a good used one off eBay, one new oil feed line, new O-rings, new gaskets and she was good as new! Was a lot of work to replace but worth it, IMO.

I honestly really want a 2010 E90 335i as this is the last true twin turbo 3.5L from BMW, but as I already have too many toy cars, I just couldn't justify adding yet another garage queen to the stable; I need a daily driver that can get 30ish MPG, and my current 2014 C250 Sport fills the bill perfectly!

But yea, I still dream of maybe getting a 2010 335i...

 

I should add that yea, I did a lot of repairs to it (along with upgrades, such as adding OEM Bluetooth, LCI side mirrors, glove box 12V powerport) with the big one being a coolant leak that required me to remove the front turbo.

Many interior "rubberized" trim pieces needed to be replaced due to peeling/flaking of the rubber skin, with the most difficult one being replacement of the actual driver's side armrest/pull handle. Need to cut the factory mushroomed pins behind to remove it, then insert new handle and heat the pins to flatten them, which secures the armrest to the door panel. I was never fully confident that it would hold as strongly as the factory assembly, but it restored its beauty.

If you haven't gleaned it by now, I do all my own repairs.

But dang, she was fun to drive!

When I sold it, I kept the wheels thinking I will eventually get another, but it's been 15 years and no joy so far. Might be time to finally sell the wheels...

 

Around 2000 I got an ‘93 E36 325i and kept it until 2008. It was fairly reliable but the AC crapped out while crossing the Mojave at 105F. Valve cover leak kept it stinky. What I didn’t appreciate was the interior falling apart. The door armrest covering was coming unglued and going flat which left me no place to put my arm. The leather on the center armrest and seats was drying out and flaking off.

In 2008 I swapped it out for a ‘93 W124 400E. It was much faster and thus more fun to drive. But more importantly, despite being the same age (thus older) the interior was holding up much better. The leather was still awesome and the AC still worked. It was quite noticeably better constructed. It wasn’t falling apart as fast despite being 8 years older. And the valve covers weren’t leaking. It did need motor mounts but I accepted that a result of the extra power.

But my overall impression was that the benz was better built and of superior materials. So in 2012 I got the CLK500 I have now, most reliable car I have ever had. At 20 years old the perforated leather is still tear free. No cracks in the wood. Steering wheel still nice. Other than CPS and a couple batteries, never left me stranded.

Doubt I’ll ever get a BMW again.

 

Fair point W124s and later Mercs do age better than E36s. BMWs can feel sportier, but Mercedes interiors and durability often hold up longer. Your CLK500’s reliability says it all. Stick with what works.

 

This is fun. I also cross shopped E90/92's with W204's 5 & 1/2 yrs ago before ending up w/ my 2010 C207 E350 (built on the W204 platform.)

If we're talking E9X, then the considerations are : 1.)Which variant = 90, 91, 92, 93?
2.)Which engine = Dependant on Country, but off the top of my head = N51, N52, N54, N55, M57? Others?
3.) iDrive, or single hump? (This can be a significant financial & electrical ownership difference).
4.) xDrive or RWD? I personally will never own xDrive, 4Matic, etc. If I'm paying to own 2 cars at once via maintenance time & costs, I will ACTUALLY own 2 cars & just have proper tires.

N52 & M272 are most comparable. N54 is in a category all it's own. If you haven't already done your N54 homework, keep a stool & pillow nearby for when your jaw inevitably hits the floor. I would love one, but that is NOT a "1 & only car". That is a 2nd car at minimum (imo).

No Benz will ever handle like a BMW. Their chassis tuning is far superior imo. No BMW will ever be as reliable as a Benz (as far as E9X & W204 generations), & "reliable" is used relatively speaking.

You will be dropping front subframes for oil pan gasket leaks on E90's, you will be dropping rear subframes for W204 suspension work &/or replacing the W204's rear subframe altogether, as here Benz has given you a glimpse into how they now do things. Which is being a shadow of what they used to be during the glory days of the Bruno Sacco era.

All these years later, I wish I had gone E90 for a chassis tuning standpoint only, as the C207 is the worst handling car I've ever encountered period. It's pathetic & laughably bad, but otherwise an enjoyable car & relatively easy to maintain when kept up with. It's hard to say which has more big ticket items.....the actual main reason I didn't go E90 was that finding an example that didn't need EVERYTHING before it was driven 5 miles proved impossible in over a yr of searching. I also have had Benz's around me most all my life while my 1st hand BMW is far fewer, so they still seem a bit more exciting & also "less safe". The latter depending on previous ownership, of which the Benz is more likely to be an old person rather than a 5th owner 20 yr old who has ran the car 90% into the ground.

EDIT : At least under the hood, I'd say the Benz layout is a bit more logical & symmetrical. The E90 DIY community is huge though, so either way you will not be in the dark.

 

This is an interesting take. I'd love an E36, but unfortunately I would expect the AC to die when needed the most & the interior to crumble before my eyes. I dream of a W124! A real Benz!!

Is your CLK an A209 or C209? Pano roof? Split folding rears? I'm under the impression my triangle of handling doom are Pano roof + no B pillars + split folding rear seats = a miserable chassis. Wondering how you've gotten on with this? I'm about to change out all arms in the rear & then I will have addressed every suspension component. Some more than once. The interior on the C207 is also in some areas not far off from an E36 it seems. Everything creaks upon touch, feels as thick as a napkin, & every single one has the trim adhesive fail, which seemingly cannot be sorted. I imagine the 209 is better in this regard?

 

Hello,

I've had an e91 328i xdrive (wagon) and e92 manual rwd 328i coupe. Plus 4 other BMWs including e39 wagons and X3s, 1 series etc.

They are so fun and so addictive, but usually by year 2 you realize that long term ownership becomes daunting. My e91 had like 3 valve cover issues in 3 years, multiple wheel bearings, etc. Just constant bull. My e92 was more reliable but still had a number of issues that are consistent with the platform. Crank case valve issues, run flats, blah blah.

As others have said, it depends on your priorities. After like 8 years of BMWs and learning the problems, fixing them, even working for a dealership for a while (lol), I kind of just got tired of the same issues reappearing.

The W204 ive had for 1.5 years has been dead reliable minus some wiring issues with headlights and a CV boot.

I've only had this one mercedes but I do feel slightly more confident for its long term potential in my care. BMWs are just hard to keep long term as your sole car. Sad but true once you're willing to admit it.

I do want another BMW soon, but it's nice to have a car that works more often than not.

Ps. I only ever had Naturally aspirated BMWs, so turbo or not, there are some well known and consistent issues

 

my CLK500 has been crazy reliable. It has had a variety of minor issues, but only a couple that led to a tow truck. It is a coupe and does have fold down rear seats, which do come in handy. The 325is did too IIRC. I am about to break through 54K, haven't had any suspension issues yet.

Should also mention my Dad bought a 733i from Dreyer & Reinbold new in 1980. 4 speed. One thing I recall clearly was the wood trim around the shifter. Curving up and unglued by 1982. And the AC that was never enough for our family of 5 on a road trip. POS Cutlass Supreme ran like a dog but AC always fine. We took the 733 in and complained about the AC. They couldn’t make it work right. It took bumps like a dream, first independent rear suspension we had, but it was already falling apart after 2 years.

 

The reliability, ease of maintenance and fun to drive balance is something I have teetered with since my first car.
BMWs generally seem more fun to drive. My 08 w204 seems easier to work on than e90s but not by much. General maintenance may be easier to access but having an intake manifold and ESL (or emulator) as known 'going to fail and can leave you stranded or limping depending on failure position of failed part' leaves me a bit weary. I bought an obdII reader as soon as I got my 204.I miss the days of E12, 28, 30, 34 and to a degree e39s and the w116 123 124 126 and to a degree 211 L6 diesels.
Life is short. Enjoy our wheels while we have them!