stigkl

Hello To Everyone
Im looking to buy a e class coupe in next couple of months, it will be a 2nd hand one a few years old but my question here is which model in each members opinion is better one. Should i get the W204 (2013 model so one last ones) or W212 (2014 model so one of first ones). Im looking to get a E250 model there are several variants what members favourite ones. What i most interested in is what members opinion of handling and driveability between the two.

SDRider

I haven't driven an E250 but I wasn't overly impressed with the E350 coupes or convertibles I drove. I liked the E550 coupe I ended up buying but personally would have held out for one with the Premium 2 package in hindsight as it has the cooled seats and active headlights.


I like the facelift models and would definitely recommend getting a CPO car with low mileage so you have the peace of mind of factory warranty.

advocado

I agree with SDRider. I bought an early 2014 E550 Cab facelift with the premium 2 package. I love this car and plan to keep it a long time. Also, the '14 was the last year Mercedes installed the larger discs on the brakes.Starting in'15 they're downsized. There's a thread about this on the forum. It seems like the '14 facelift was the "sweet spot" for the E550.

PaulE550

First off to OP, I would recommend you only buy your coupe, whatever model you ultimately settle on, from a MB dealer. Stay away from most independents, as there are too many horror stories on this and other forums about these so-called pristine, 2nd hand cars they are selling quickly turning into a money pit. Most independents know very little about MB or any other luxury brand cars. In many cases it appears they buy the cars that MB doesn't want to certify and resell through MB dealerships. In short, some of these independents simply push iron off their lots and then the buyer finds their "bargain" is an expensive mistake.

Second, anything you buy should be MB certified and have some warranty left on it, so you have some degree of assurance that you're buying something that will be a reliable vehicle to own. That would rule out a lot of the pre-facelift cars, as their original warranties are coming to an end, but may be offered with extended warranties.

I cannot comment about the E250 model, as I have never driven one. I did drive a '14 E350 coupe and it wasn't what I was interested in for a number of reasons. The '15 E550 coupe I bought new meets all my requirements and is a blast to drive. My only suggestion to you is to make sure you test drive the car thoroughly to make sure it fits your particular needs and everything on the car works as expected.

Hope this helps.

pca7ggr

Don't discount buying from an independent. While "most independents know very little about Mb", there are some that know quite a bit and do a high volume of business selling very nice lease returned MBs. Why, because most MBs are leased and the dealers don't want that many on their lots - they want to sell new cars.

I bought my E550 coupe from an independent who has a very good working relationship with the local MB dealer. When the car turned out to have a front end alignment issue (common with this generation of E Class), he had me go to the dealer, ask for a particular service rep, the dealer resolved the issue and the independent paid for the repair.

My car still had a few months left on the factory warranty. While the independent offered a very competitive extended warranty, I choose to go with the MB extended warranty so if a warranty issue came up, I could take it to any MB dealer to get addressed.

SDRider

If you do go this route, I would recommend a pre-purchase inspection by a qualified Mercedes mechanic.

stigkl

Thanks to everyone comments, advices so far the E250 coupe is certainly one of lowest engine sizes available, reason for my wanting this model is i am living in Turkey and car prices even on 2nd hand are hefty to say least. A 2013/ 2014 im looking at about 140,000 to 210,000 lira around 30k - 46K sterling depending on which model older or newer one and overall km its driven and so on and E350 adds a fair amount more to price and out of my budget range. E550 cannot even be found here. All responses i agree on, i am looking for a car with around no more than 30 miles on odometer and has a service history buying from MB dealership is near impossible they dont sell 2nd hand cars so it is independents as only source but as a MB owner of 4 other models previously i have a very good independent mechanic who has helped each time to ensure i didnt end up with a dud of car.
I agree to try find a high spec model, so i believe i will end up spending around 40 - 45k and i like look of newer model as well but there is a 2013 model but older version that looks in mint condition with only 6000 on clock dealer says its original and in looking at certain tell tale signs interior, alloys, marks and knicks does seem to be true and its fully loaded but im wondering here hence post whether newer model also improved driving experience markedly. Of course i will take them for test drive but even if i go out for an hour it will not give me that detail then say others who have owned them. Im looking to buy around March so i appreciate if anyone else has a comment they wish to add and do some more investigation myself.

SDRider

There isn't a whole lot of difference between a 2013 and a 2014 other than cosmetic. They are both excellent cars.

By the way, E550 coupes are pretty rare around here. When I was looking there were only 4-5 for sale within a 200 mile radius of me and I live in Southern California so that encompasses all of San Diego, Orange County and the greater Los Angles area.

I don't think Mercedes sells many of them quite frankly. The E350 coupe is plentiful though and there are literally thousands of E350 sedans for sale at any given time.