To each his own I suppose. The W124 has a lot more of that euro look. W210s have never caught my eye w/ 2 round headlights, but that's me. IMO it will look vey dated in 3-4 years.

 

On what you mean by "best?" :p

 

Not.....!!!!

 

I think the W210 is one of the best looking MB's of all time. I drove an E430 once and it was nice and smooth and refined. Id say the W210 is on top when it comes to Beauty, Drivability, and Prestige.

 

Time for me to weigh in. I bought my 97 two years ago with 11,000 miles on it. For starters, the gas gauge quit and the seller had the $1,000 cluster replaced to get it working. 5 months later while 500 miles away from home, the left rear window went down and never came back. All went well for 9 months. This past winter, I took the car in to my local dealer because the Econ button stayed on. I was informed by my service rep that there was a leak in the A/C somewhere. After a $200 top off, they found no leak. Two weeks later I was back with the light on again. At that time they offered to do a "free" quality inspection. Imagine my horror at the phone call which stated that I needed an evaporator to fix the A/C leak, new lower ball joints, a re-seal of the rear diff, and a re-seal of the steering rack. Keep in mind that now this car has about 40,000 miles on it. The dealer was glad to take $6,600 for the repairs, and since my extended warrantly (thank God I was smart enough to buy one when the dealer refused to "StarMark" the car) covered a portion of rental fees, they were happy to charge for the rental - when paying/factory warrantee customers get one free. If it were any other business you could sue for descrimination. This past summer, a couple of dash lights went out. I bought the $35.00 tool and replaced them myself, saving about $150.00 in the process.


Do I like the car - yes. It's a great automobile. Would I buy another MB, hell no. The person who sold me my car is a lifelong MB person - after he sold me the E420 he replaced it with a new E500. 6 months after he bought the replacement E500, MB had to buy it back because of quality problems (the car refused to start numerous times leaving him stranded).

I will have a dilemma when I purchase my next car. I don't like Asian cars because they lack passion. German cars are my favorites, but they have grown very expensive and have huge quality problems (my father just got his 45 year plate from the local VW, Audi, Porsche dealership. He warns me about quality problems on those cars too.) I like some of the new American designs, but can't get over the fact that I feel like I'm sitting in a new Chevette rental car every time I sit in an American interior. So, I'm stuck.

 

I have a 98 e320 that is so full of rust I am taking in (at Mercedes request) on Tuesday for the rep. to decide if they will split the repair cost..even though the car is outta warranty. Nice gesture but the quality drop between the W124 and the W210 is most noticeable. I've owned severl Mercedes over the years and this will be the last. So I too am looking for a new ride...what about Lexus? Those that own them like them alot!

 

As I stated, the Japaneese cars run like sewing machines - but lack the passion of German sedans. I always felt like the big sedans from Lexus and Acura were copies of the E Class body styles. Look at the License plate area and tail lamps on those cars. The wheel designs also mimic those available from MB at the time.

I was surprised at the look of the new Audi corporate grille. I thought it looked hideous in photos I saw. But, when I saw the new A6, it looked striking and distinct. But, Audi is no better, maybe even worse than MB when it comes to quality (my last car was a 96 A4 which I drove 135,000 miles). It's tough to decide what to buy next.

 

I love my W210, but quality is very poor IMO, on the little things like the seat popping, fan regulators, rear window regulators, it blows lightbulbs constantly. I even have interior creaks now!

Of course nothing can match the feel and charachter of a Benz. I think it's a highly subjective matter of opinion; what stage you are in life, and what you want out of a vehicle. I certainly pay a premium to drive my Benz, I could have an Acura TL with more features, less problems at less cost.

I'll probably buy a year used S-class in a couple years and trade in before 80K. My E has 145K on it now.

Oh, and I think the classic W126 is the most beautiful Benz around! My sister drives one and even though it's a tank compared to my much newer E, nothing rivals its charachter. It's like an old brief case that gets better with age. I cannot say the same about the W210, the styling, tho beautiful, is not as timeless. The proportions are more generic and not as well executed.

So no, it's not the best benz ever, IMO, but then again, opinions are like a$$ holes, everyone's got one.

 

I've had several Mercedes, the oldest being a 1971 250 sedan and I have to say, of all of them, the one I enjoy driving most is the E430.

The W124 doesn't come close in terms of performance and enjoyment, esp. the transmission. That alone is enough to make the case for the W210, IMO.

Of all of them, the W124 was the most durable. It had over 17 Canadian winters on it when I sold it, and it still looked good. It was totally reliable.

But - let's not wax all romantic on the good ol' days...the W124 had its issues.

- oil leaking top timing chain cover (replaced, still leaked)
- radiator neck snapping, requires upgrade to non-plastic part
- dreaded and inevitable evaporator failure - $$$$ - not "if" but "when"
- depending on year, a weak and unacceptable 70A stock alternator, requires upgrade and harness for 80A alternator
- fuel level gauge malfunction/sending unit malfunction (I think every Mercedes has this issue, to be honest, all of mine had it, save my current E430)
- engine wiring harness M104 (which made its way into early W210s I know, but only until 1997)

Suffice it to say that every model has its bugs. It's easy to go on a forum and whine about the more common ones, but many owners don't have the issues and are happily driving their cars (and not posting here).

An example is one of my techs has a W210 E320 with over 300,000Kms on it. Looks and drives perfectly. No major issues.

I think the look of the W210 is fantastic and I also think it will age well. In terms of maintenance, the w210 is more advanced than previous cars and hence will cost more. Simple as that. In terms of performance, it wins hands-down, no contest.

So...the best? Hard to say. Probably not. But it all depends on how you view it. Perspectives towards the past tend to be selective.

All IMHO.

lol..just noticed the date, freakin' newb that I am here. Ah well.

 

Best..Hmm.

The W210 may be the best economically engineered Mercedes. They certainly will help the dealership charge you lots of money for service, unless you DIY.

It's a good car and a nice car, but not the best in terms of low maintenance, worry free, low cost, most economical, etc.

The best engineered Mercedes that I've been in contact with to date is the one that my girlfriend drives. It is a 1977 240D stickshift with manual everything (mirrors, windows, transmission, climate control, seats, antenna, etc.) These is very little on that car that can be wrong without quick diagnosis.

My co-worker and I carpooled in his two W124 diesels, which were nicer, but they also have their own list of maintenance issues.

There will never exist a maintenance free vehicle. You will always have to repair or replace something at sometime. The deciding factor for what is the best, is whether or not you enjoy the way it looks drives and if it's affordable for you and your budget.

 

Next to the defroster vents and around the corners of the passenger airbag is very common. Black dashboards are usually the worst especially in warm climate.

 

having perfect trouble-free cars will put many dealers out of business especially considering the fact that they don't have any broken-down cars

Well I can say I have the car for almost a year and I jus completed the tranny fluid change and service. The car has gone thru a minor service and still soldiers on like a trooper

trust me I get lots of hypocritical comments bout expensive parts and maintenance, well I tell them off by saying that any other car will end up in a dealer's service center and will end up being charged for parts

we are lucky to have a wide variey of experienced indie shops and they can source us with cheap parts, plus their labor is very reasonable which is why you dnt see tht many W210 in the dealer's lot being repaired

so the W210 is as close as it gets to being a great car and it will still live on with many people. But unfortunately It aint a car for me, which mens I might have to sell it to get me something more enjoyable to drive.

 

This is the first and last Mercedes I am ever going to own. I have a 02 E430 4MATIC and I bought it under warranty. I had at least a dozen things done to it including replacing the instrument cluster because gauges were out, had it in three times to fix the steering grind, and lots of other things.

Now that it is out of warranty, my seat pops, the SRS light in on (passenger side seat sensor), paid $700 for service last month and now my alternator went this week which cost $1000 to replace.

I think this summer I will be looking at one of the new all wheel drive RL's. Dont get me wrong, I love the car. I don't think anything I buy will be quite like my E430 but I hope it wont cost like the benz!

 

Sounds like you need a little DIY, and it wouldn't kill the bank so much. But you have to like to work on cars first, if not then I'd go for a Toyota, you just won't look as nice driving it.

 

yea dude ive driven many of the benz models.. and realized that the 210 2002 model does have too many problems.. and is a very good ride.

 

w123

 

I am sure that many people have their own personal preferences for what they consider the "best". And, it also might be hard for anyone to defend a opinion as to which of the Mercedes-Benz vehicles truly is the best because undoubtedly with the exposure of these forums, someone can inevitably point out problems of individual vehicles.

That said, even with the rattle from the sunroof actuating cable (I think), two rear windows that dropped into the doors (at different times), unexpectedly, dashboard lights that needed replacement, a ABS unit failure, and a CD changer that needed replacement, I still think this is a great vehicle.

I really enjoy this car, every time that I get to drive it. Even with the items that needed attention, that I listed, the car has been relatively trouble-free, and what I would consider as low maintenance. I purchased my 1999 E430 Sport used, six years ago with about 40,000 on the odometer, and am now closing in on 90,000. It still is a wonderful car to drive, doing everything asked of it, and more.
JDB

 

Gee.......a true love story. Any rust...or do you live somewhere sunny?

 

I guess all of that true love must be the result of looking at my car through sunglasses.

I live in Northern California. We don't have to deal with snow, salted roads, etc., unless you want to trek up to Lake Tahoe in the winter.

Body panel rust ruined a wonderful VW Scirocco MkI I owned, through constant wintertime excursions up there on a regular basis. Haven't used the E430 in the snow, at all.

So no rust that I am aware of. Has rust been a problem for you?

JDB

 

Oh yeah.....I have driven Mercedes cars since 1978 and have never seen an MB product rust so quickly and in so many different places, for no apparent reason. And, by looking at the same car around town at different times the problem is systemic.

 

Interesting that so many people in the W210 section of a Mercedes forum either slate it, list problems or suggest an alternative model. I suspect if you asked the question "Is the W124 the best benz ever made?" over on the W124 forum the answers would almost all be yes.
In my opinion the W210 is the WORST benz ever made. It was build by accountants and not engineers. "I zink vee can save two deutschmarks per car if vee eliminate all zee rustproofing"

 

I think it is a classic design and will endure for many years. I don't know of any MB's that haven't had their fair share of problems but that goes with the turf I'm afraid. The folks who say "no problems" bought used and the original owner probably had them fixed, many occurred early under warranty. Of the sedans, I consider the old 70's S car and the 210 to be the most classic as well as the old 60's convertible coupe.

 

The rust issues, as I understand them arise from the environmentally mandated change over from solvent [petroleum] based paints to water based paints. The new paint would not adhere properly to the traditional Mercedes "hot dipped primer". Mercedes is not alone in problems relating to that particular issue.

I do believe that during the Diamler-Chrysler era, in particular, corners were cut to compete with the Japanese on price point. The '93 400E had a list of over $56K, and the '97 E420 had a list of +/- $53.5K, depending on options... do the math. Both cars cited were pre-merger, and it got worse from there.

The W210 was significantly more advanced than the W124 in terms of the use of electronics, i.e. the "can bus". This continues to cause gremlins in the newer lines of MB cars as well, some 10+ years later.

JR

 

No, the latest S-class is the best ever.

Any S-class is better than the same-year E-class.

The W210 is the second-best E-class ever made, second to the W211. When W212 arrives, W210 will drop to third.

The W124 was better than the W123, but there sure were a lot of problems with W124s.

Later E-classes are always better than earlier ones, too, as new models always come with the engines from the previous models. Also, the "facelift" stuff always includes genuine improvements.

The W210, however, is the last traditional Mercedes E-class, with the red-needle speedo, rocker switches everywhere, etc.

The W210 is a larger car than the W211, too.

Facelift W210s are really nice cars.

 

Re: W211 E500:

My 2001 W210 E320 has 103,000 miles on it. I think the 217 horses is plenty because of the good torque between 2500 & 4000 rpm, but thought the supension absoluetely sucked the day I bought it -- felt like a Buick -- so I've got Eibach springs, Koni Shocks, 17" AMG wheels, and lately put on REMUS exhaust for a very nice, subtle exhaust note.

I'm wondering what the W211 E500 may have that is better ... as far as I know, a lot more power but that is meaningless to me other than lower gas mileage .... also on on the down side the fly by wire brakes... But, how is the handling of that compared to my setup with Eibach & Koni plus the 2001 has the upgrades in suspension away from the reticulating ball of the 2000 and prior. Will the W211 drive more responsively?

P.S. I loved the retro look of the W210 from the first day I saw it. I think the W211 looks exactly the same as the C class and more hunched up, which I think is not nearly as distinctive looking as a lowered W210 which reminds me of a shark on the prowl.