What would you do?

2002 E320, 27,000 miles. Very Good condition, scratched Rims

Less than $18,000 on 3 year loan (at 2.9%). Payment is about 500.00 a month.

Would you:
Keep the car?
Trade it in for W211... ?
Trade it in for W211 Lease?
Bail out of a Merc and go to something else?

Go ahead and keep the car and hope for the best in terms of reliability?

 

If you like the car, why not buy an extended warranty that the dealer will stand behind (from MBUSA, if possible) and keep on driving it?

 

Cars are a losing investment so the main question is what car will make you happy. I would only get a new 211 if it was a step up from your E320 (like a 500 or 55). If you are thinking of a new E320 then keep you car. I have heard that the 210's are faster than the new 211 E320's and get better MPG.
If you keep your car, why don't you treat yourself to new wheels or some new mods. The 210 is a great looking car and with some mods it can look like it just came off the show room floor. I would always rather have an older fixed up car than a new bone stock car that cost more a month.

Mario

 

do it, the w210 is a great car, unlike the new one.....many people i know have had the w210 one time or another and they have loved it including myself

 

Keep the car ,,,from what people are saying,including some MB dealers,the 210 was far more reliable,not to mention classy,and some mods can restore the allure of the car for you.New rims,some nice exhaust with tips maybe,you can't go wrong.Good luck.

 

I have my W210 E320 for $503/month payment, just paid off. (bought it used)
I also have W211 E320 for $940/month payment (bought it new)

In term of reliability, both car are very reliable. The W211 spent a month at the dealer after we bought it, but that's for waiting on part (command gateway). Since then, no problem. The W210 has no problem whatsoever so far.

The W210 is much more fun to drive (w/ tons of mod). The W211, well, it's newer, look nicer in/outside, craftmantship is awesome, however, it looks smaller, and doesn't seem to have soul while driving as the W210. And I can't stand the freaking SBC !!!. I HATE IT !.

To be honest, I can't find one thing about the W211 that woow me when I drive it, except when going through intersections with camera (plenty around my area now), since I still haven't put a license plate on it even after a year , feel more like stealth car . The W210 raises my heart beat when going through light w/ camera, even thought I don't mean to run red-light

If you have to go for the 05 or 06 W211, go for the E500. It's a blast to drive, especially with the 7-speed transmission now, and adjustable suspension (not even option on the 6 cylinder version). The 04 W211 uses same engine and transmission as the W210, but somehow I feel it's slower than the W210.

For 06, E320 is now E350, with new & larger engine (3.5 litter 4 valve DOHC instead of 3.2 littler 3 valve SOHC), and new tranmission (7 speed), I'm sure the car will be much faster & better mpg, but haven't tested it, so no clue how it drives

Try out the new Infinity M45 or Lexus GS430 too, it cost the same as the W211 E320/350, with more power & features, and very fun to drive.

With that being said, if I am about to buy another car, I'll get a W210 E55. I think it's the best car for the money out there.

 

I think this decision really depends on what you want in a car.

I had a similar decision that I made about 2.5 years ago with my W210.
At that time, I was seriously looking into buying the W211 but after the first drive I decided not to buy it. I hated the brake feel. So, I looked around and didn't really see alot of cars that I thought was worth the money.
Of course if your loaded then you can buy any car without really thinking about it but I had already invested alot of money into my car and realized that even though it does look a bit dated, it still looks and drives great.

A friend encouraged me to just drive my car till it dies or till the maintenance costs are way too high. Well, I chose this route. If you live in a large city or need to drive alot, you will need a good daily driver and so this E320 of mine I've had for 7+ years now is a daily driver that still gets looks and drives well with 161,000+ miles. With the money I've saved I am looking for a second car to drive on the weekends.

You have to think what car would you get next and will it be that much better than your current car. Will the payment be more? less? Is it worth it?

Good luck

 

I would keep the car. It's better since you're almost there getting paid off. why deal with a new car all over again with payments. If your car doesn't have any reliablity issue, then i say keep it. In my opinion, I love mine and I like the body, the feel of a mercedes and the look. I like the new W211 but lately it's been getting bad press about reliablity issues and build quality which really concerns me. Bottom line, I rather have the W210 over the W211