sklasse

is w210 the best benz ever made?

BlownV8

No!

akbro93704

heck no

deuce zer0

absolutely not!

sklasse

oh come on guys....


I have driven nearly like every model of benz and out of all of them the w210 always stood out in my affections,

if its not,

THEN what is ??

Com'on what say you ?

deuce zer0

What is it were talking about here?

They all have there mechanical issues, I cant think of one model that was known for not visiting the shop a few times a year past the regularly scheduled visits… if it was driven as a primary car.

So then I would imagine that it then comes down to style and which vehicle/model the buyer thinks looks the best (and available funds).

With that being said I think the CL has always been a very great car for Mercedes.

BlownV8

I'd say the best Mercedes is the current SL65.

I like the 210; in fact, at one time not long ago I had two of them. The 210 is a good car but the resale is just about the worst of any Mercedes that I've ever seen. Poor resale is good for buyers but it sucks for owners trying to sell.

The 210 has a lot of quality control issues that just shouldn't be there:
Catalytic converters disintegrate
Dashes crack
MAF's fail at an astounding rate
Rust in strange locations
Haromonic balancer failures due to a crappy design
Switches and lights that fail too often
Window regulators that fail regularly
Dash light bulbs that fail and fail often
Drivers headrest gets off track too easily
Factory Bose stereo system sucks!
Fuel level senders fail
Trim around doors and windows oxidizes very quickly



With that said, I still like my E55 but it is not the best car in the World. Had I purchased this car new, I'd be pissed that a $65,000+ car could have so many quality control issues.

clco

The best car I've driven, was my Mom's '78 Buick LeSaber. Big *** engine, the car floated on the highway, 0 to 60 in seconds, a back seat that served as a bed, the ladies appreciated that and an A/C that made Florida feel like Alaska.
The one thing missing was the prestige of the Benz.
But big cars are back.

C-2

Hey, come on now.

Out of that list and in my two years ownership of a 98 210, only the following things have gone wrong:

Catalytic converters disintegrate (kinda figured that's what all the rattling is)
Dashes crack (just a few!)
MAF's fail at an astounding rate (my first *big* hosing)
Rust in strange locations (they just sealed the body with wax under recall)
Haromonic balancer failures due to a crappy design (yeah, took out the timing cover and oil pan, even without the balancer physically spinning of the shaft - believe it or not MBZ paid for the entire repair, even with 99K on the car! $2,500+)
Dash light bulbs - 2 of them out

Don't you think you're being a bit harsh? lol

MBZW210

Its ok, but definately not the best, not even close

rjm

"The 210 has a lot of quality control issues that just shouldn't be there:
Catalytic converters disintegrate
Dashes crack
MAF's fail at an astounding rate
Rust in strange locations
Haromonic balancer failures due to a crappy design
Switches and lights that fail too often
Window regulators that fail regularly
Dash light bulbs that fail and fail often
Drivers headrest gets off track too easily
Factory Bose stereo system sucks!
Fuel level senders fail
Trim around doors and windows oxidizes very quickly"

Total B.S.! I have a 2001 E-430 I have owned for 4 years now and have had NONE of these issues. Every issue mentioned is true in only isolated and rare cases. I have followed these forums for 4 years and these issues are not "common problems" to the W-210. If you want to see some recurring complaints, go over to the W-211 Forum and follow that for awhile.

E-Klasse

Next year you will roll one or both of your rear windows down and hear a bang from the cable when it snaps. I have seen some 2002s do it already so it is no B.S. but a slight quality issue.

I like the W210 for a lot of reasons but it could be better.

BlownV8

LOL!!!! Ignorance is bliss. If you had been following the forums, you would know these are common problems. This is no BS. In fact, I've had every problem listed except for the rust and the window regulator but I never roll down my rear windows. I'd imagine the two problems I haven't encounted yet are going to pop up soon enough.

OceanView

I think alot it depends on your personal experience with the cars that you have had or driven and also what criteria you use to determine the term "best". For an all around car, it is pretty good.
I have had my 96 E320 for 7 years and it has been a great car. I still get compliments on it now. With over 152,000 trouble free miles I can't complain. I really wanted to buy the new W211 when it came out but I really didn't like the car's braking. From reading all the post on the W211 section, the car seems to have its share of problems. I am planning on driving my car till the new E comes out I think in 2009? Hope MB has all its bugs fixed by then.

OceanView

By the way, of the listed problems that someone previously posted:

I have only had the window regulator fail and a cracked dash which was covered under warranty.

MARK CUMMINS

You WILL have all of the Above....Its Just a Matter of time!

BTW you forgot Transmissions/Lower control arm bushings/Motor mounts/Rocking front seat frames/A/C evap temp sensor/Tail Light Bulb Holders/Rear diff leaking/Stop light switch.

I Worked for Mercedes and saw this Daily...Yes Even on My W210 I have seen all the above...With under 38k

deuce zer0

you have been following this forum for 4 years and only have 2 posts?

this is not bs. if you where to search the forum you would see that these are problems on a lot of the 210's.

i don't not believe that your car has been great for you but its hard for me to believe that you have had none of these issues if your car is driven regularly. i would feel very lucky if i where you.

OceanView

Mark, let me ask you this, I have a 96 W210 which was the first of the W210 models. In fact I have the M104 motor with the inline 6. I think alot of the technologies were brought over from the last of the W124 on my car and may be a different design (mechanically) to the later models (98 - 2002).

The problems that you mentioned seeing on a regular basis for W210, were they mostly on the 98-2002 MY or did you also see them on the 96 and 97 models?

deuce zer0

i have a 97, and it has had 3 transmissions in its life. not to mention almost everything else named above in previous post. but u gotta love em.

OceanView

Maybe its the way you drive

oh well, I guess I am the lucky one.

E-Klasse

Mine is a 96 and has had most of the W210 problems. The inline engine is a carry over from the W124 but everything else is new for the W210 with minor changes in later years up to 2002. The vibration balancer or damper is an issue only with the V6 that was introduced in 98. That part was redesigned but other issues were never addressed like the window regulators, lower control arm bushings and so on. There were electronic upgrades and a facelift but not much mechanical was changed from 96.

deuce zer0

i think ur just lucky

Dema

When MB will learn how design problem free cars? They should look in Lexus cars to figure out how it should be done. it looks like my next car will be Amanti.

ddenys

Definitely not. Problems problems, one time I had mine serviced 4 times in one month. I didn't even look at SL or CL when I got my maserati...

pghbenzo

Well I've had my car for a month and so far my MAF went bad, My seat makes a snaping noise when you lean back in it, My dash cracked around the airbag, about 1 cm and I've been using 303 on it since, and the paint is very thin.
On the good side the car looks sexy as hell its one of the nicest looking cars on the road, better than the 211 I think. It rides nice and it has great pick-up.
I came over from BMW's to MB for the first time I've had 4 5 series, with the E34 being my favorite and loved them all. I think when I buy my next car I'm going to go back, no offense maybe get an M5