Hi everybody,

My family is expanding, so I have to change my truck (Infiniti QX4 98) for something bigger. My wife is pregnant with our second so, within 1 year, I will have 2 infants seat (Diono RXT) rear facing. I need a vehicle with plenty of room in the back. Just so you know, I live in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

I tried a Chrysler 300 and the quality is just heartbreaking... I could not even adjust the rearview mirror because it moved so much at the base! I analyzed a Maxima and Altima with the 3.5, because I had several Nissan and I have always been well served by their products, but the amount of recalls and problems with these cars make me feel uncomfortable ...

Recently, I've start watching something I've never watched before, a Mercedes. Class E to be exact. I read that the W210 from 2000 to 2002 was the most reliable because of older technology, they are easy to repair for a DIY and because they are 2nd generation most of the problems have been fixed. What I like about this model is that in my budget (about $ 10,000) there is models with a very low mileage (as low as 80 000km!).

It is certain that for my space problem, a class S would be better, but not only with my budget the chances that I find one with low mileage are extremely thin, but I read that the reliability of the W220 was bad. What is your opinion on the W220 (considering you're W210 guys!)?

It is certain that for my space problem, a class S would be better, but with my budget not only the chances that I find one with low mileage are extremely thin, but I read that the reliability of the W220 was bad. What is your opinion on the W220 (considering you're W210 guys!)?
And finally, in my life, I had many cars, but they were all Japanese, American or Korean. So they were all design differently pretty much the same to work on. What worries me the most in buying myself a Mercedes is that everything is different to the point where I cannot be able to maintain the vehicle myself. I do not have a diploma in car mechanic, I have technique in mechanical engineering and I do mechanic assuming that it is built by humans for humans so I should be able to do it. Mercedes have such a bad reputation that everyone I spoke to about the brand told me to stay away. I've heard that each nation develops its cars differently; Americans make inexpensive car to purchase, which translates into cars with components that are cheap and or engineering design with the economy always in mind. The Japanese make cars that are perfect and where everything is hyper-optimize, but the problem is that the hyper-optimization kills the soul of cars and they all become the same. The Germans build cars to run on one of the things that make them most proud of the Autobahns! What is most important to them is not the price or reliability, but to be able to ride more than 200km/h safely, giving the car extremely stable and extremely strong platform and oversized brakes. This is what makes German cars so unique. What do you think of this? Does it happen often that you can't do something because you need a special tool? Is it easy to find the parts at a good price? Because I doubt that standard parts places will have as many parts for a Mercedes then for Toyota or Honda ...

Thank you very much!

 

The w210 is a solid relible car with tons of room in the back seat. It should be fine and you can consider the wagon for more room. Gas mileage is excellent and it's no harder to work on then your former Japanese cars. All the information and assistance you'll ever need is right here. The S class is not as reliable. The Chrysler 300 is not a bad car. The mirror problem you mentioned is just a set screw that needs to be tightened. No biggie.

I bought my W210 6 yrs ago and its been a dream. I just replaced the alternator and got it in stock at AdvanceAuto for $130. Nothing particularly hard about that. Its been very reliable and still looks great.

 

Living in Canada, the logical choice for what u need would be an E class 4matic wagon. I've been buying Japanese for years, recently went all German. (New Jetta tdi for wife, 08 ML diesel for me, & 98 e320 for son) I like doing my own maintenance and did have to buy a few new tools. The proper oil filter wrenches, metric Allen wrench sockets, male & female Torx sockets, but that's about it. German cars are not as reliable as Japanese, but they are safer from wrecks I've seen (I'm a 20yr LEO) and they have that solid feel to parts & driving. Parts aren't hard to get if you have Internet access.

 

I know the rearview mirror was just a screw! I was just trying to show the poor quality of the vehicle! It just looks and feel cheap and like it won't last 10 years!

Can you give me more infos about the wrecks you've seen? What is a LEO? Were do you go to buy your parts?

 

Leo=law enforcement Ofc. 3 wrecks that stick out in my mind- 1.elderly lady in a mid 80's MB 300 sedan rear ended by a mid 90's Ford Taurus. The Taurus had to be towed, driver was hurt, the MB only had a bent back bumper, old lady wasn't hurt. 2. A late 80's Chevy s10 T-boned a mid 90's Bmw 7 series. The lady in the truck hurt pretty bad, truck towed. Lady in Bmw not hurt, worried what husband would say. Bmw was drivable. Recently saw a newer Dodge Charger that T-boned a Bmw 3 series convt. The front of the charger looked like an explosion of plastic. The Bmw had a bent door. Charger driver hurt, Bmw occupants angry. I don't know if I remember seeing a fatality wreck in a German car, just from the ones I remember. As far as buying parts, I like Rockauto the best, but Autohausaz and Fcp Euro also very good.

 

Thank you very much for your answer!

 

You can find lots of photos from members here that walked away from a bad wreck (head on colision and still were able to open the doors)

 

Don't group VW in the same class as MB. Still good cars, but certainly a whole level down in terms of build quality and cheapness. You will be able to DIY a lot on MB, as long as you scour the web forums for collective experiences and wisdom.
For the family, though, minivans offer a lot of convenience and practicality. The latest generation DodgeChryslers have good and efficient engines, and can be picked up used at a great discount.

 

Thank you guys for your comments!