Can anyone help me with the following? I'm considering purchasing a new E320 CDI for long-term, high mileage ownership.

I know that Black or Grey interior is the best choice for this use. Can anyone provide feedback about exterior paint colors? How does the new Black and Black Opal hold up over the long-haul? My last "keeper" was a '88 W201 with Midnight Blue (non-clearcoat) and it was easy to maintain in perfect condition for the full 12 years of ownership.

Thanks

Are you SURE you want a modern Benz for 12 years? The repairs are sure to be a killer.

I understand exactly what you are talking about! Back in '87 (my mistake, it was not an '88) I custom ordered a car without even ABS to make sure it was totally fixable. Overall, it was a very good experience with only driveline bushings being part of the above-and-beyond part of normal maintanence. Window regulator motors and A/C (Tempmatic?) issues all being resolved with better parts before the warranty was over.

Things are a bit different today because one is forced into purchasing most of the over-complicated systems except for DVD navi. Other than that, I can at least make an attempt to choose the most durable paint color!

Magic, I know you like dark colors, but you should consider Metallic Pewter as a long term color. My '05 CDI was Pewter, and I have never had a color that hid the dirt as well during the rainy season. It looks great with a black interior.

just good ol trustworthy silver... Charcoal interior... with normal paint maintenance it will look brand new till the day you sell it or get rid of it

Here's another vote for Silver. I think it looks great on the W211.

I think Black is very nice when the car is clean but I think it gets "dirty" easily.

Whatever you do, make sure you get the extended maintenance to cover you to the max, ie 7 and 100,000.

Avoid orange, yellow, and lime green.

Kent,

You're showing your age here! These were the colors that Dodge/Plymouth had back in the early 70's. I had a Duster 340 that was purple!!

Regards,
Paul....

With nano paint and clearcoat, does the tint of the paint have any real bearing upon its durability? The only real variables, I suspect, are how much time the car spends in the sun and whether it is washed and waxed regularly. I tend to think of silver as a not-durable color, because so many older silver cars have a flat matte finish, like a Delorean, but that's because the owner(s) haven't taken care of them, not because silver is inherently damage-prone. FWIW, I had a dark gray metallic BMW 325 for 12 years and the paint looked about as good in year 12 as in year one. The car was garaged and washed/waxed regularly. The non-metallic paint on my 33-year-old Datsun is still shiny.

My car is Pewter, and I must say I am shocked at how clean it always looks. Even in Winter.

I have black opal with charcoal leather in my 05 CDI. So far so good.

Perhaps the clear stuff on the front bumper would be helpful? I did not do. If it gets bad $1000 or so should get a re-spray

Buy the color that you like..as YOU are the one that has to live with it for the term.I Have Owned My W210 Estate for Seven Years and the Paint still looks like New..Other than the door replacement (RUST) The Paint has held up great...YES Black is HIGH MAINTENCE..wash/wax Every week..But the results are worth it

The Wifes 2006 W211 With NANO still chips and swirls....Yep Black and detailed weekly.

I Would recommend to have clear bra done asap..buy a car cover..and cover it as much as possible..shopping/work etc. Yes it requires work to make the Paint last...But it CAN be done! Good Luck on YOUR choice!

I think the pure white is an easy color to keep for a long time. I had a white Volvo for 15 years that the paint was close to perfect when I sold it. Also, the non-metalic colors are easier to match and touch up if necessary.

Hard for me to answer since I would probably never keep a car that long. But I do know that darker colors tend to show more blemishes such as swirl marks, chips, etc. Given the fact that my level of attention for the car would probably decline over several years, I would probably choose a silver or a white color.

In my experience, if you are talking LONG-term, and don't think that regular waxing, the clearcoat, and keeping it in the garage (with or without a dust cover) is going to keep any modern, high-quality paint looking good...then go with Brilliant Silver or Alabaster White for the paint, and a grey for the interior, for best odds on long-term color fastness, would be my guess....

I have cars in all different colors, from all different years and makes of manufacture - and keeping them covered in the garage, and regularly waxed and conditioned, etc. keeps them looking great for decades.... I am not sure that you will have the problem which you are trying to avoid -- do you live in a very high sunshine location - is that why you are concerned?

for those of you who think white is easy to keep clean its not really... I have an alabaster white E500... after 3 weeks of ownership I had to clay bar to remove all the stupid black specs it has in it

The silver is just dark enough to hide imperfections

"Hear-Hear". If you get black you'll be waxing more than the Karate Kid.

You like silver, right? So, get the silver. The modern paints hold up really well.

Buy the color you like, maintain as necessary, and you'll be happy!

R

I'm in for the long haul. I've had my car 3 and a half years and just turned 14,000 miles. My vote went to silver with charcoal!

I had my last Mercedes 17 years--long enough to turn 100,000 miles. It was white with palomino. According to my detailer, white is the second hardest color to maintain after black. It stains easily. Silver has been a breeze!

My new E55 is flint grey and I just love the color and it is so easy to care for. It hides dirt and scratches well and it reflects different colors under different lighting. I have a black car(5 years old) now and I will never buy another one again. The only black color I would consider is black opal or obsidian black.

John

Thanks for bringing a smile to my face If memory serves me correctly, the Delorean was never painted!! It had a buffed, polished bare metal horrible finish. I think, but am definitely not sure, but I think it was aluminium (aloooneenum??? )

I go with the posts that say buy the colour of your liking. You have already stated you are in for the long haul. Silver is as common as the $5 bill (is there one ) but if you really like it, then go with the flow.

Interior
I have always been controversial here. We have a very long hair German Shepherd that believes we purchased the car for his own personal use (I'm sure we did) The rear obviously gets dirty, but a quick vacuum, dust off etc and it is as good as new. A nice, light, clean refreshing interior. We did have a protection option when the car was new, whereas our new neighbour who has EXACTLY the same car, same colour, same DOG (obviously not the very same ) but a dark interior without the protection option always comments on how nice our interior looks.

My personal opinion is a light interior looks refreshing and cool Go with what you want, go with what you like.

Good luck,
John

a very sunny morning in Torquay

I second that.

My E500 just went into limp home mode last night. Called emergency roadside service to arrange a tow. Waited 2 hours and no tow truck showed up so I gave up and drove home in second gear.

This morning no dealer will take my car in since I don't have any appointment.

Anyway, my choice for the color will be silver on black.

P-B-27-50/59a MAR06 Transmission in Limp Mode, more than likely they will replace the valve body and/or flange and readapt.

That is absolutely deplorable service by the dealers in your area. I would call MBUSA & let them know how shabby you are being treated. How are you supposed to have an appointment for an emergency breakdown? On second thought, it really isnt an emergency breakdown... its a usual failure of something on the damn car, you just didn't know what was going to fail, so you couldn't have an appointment planned in advance. Next time you should be expecting something to fail about once every 5 weeks.

(I love the way my car drives, but it doesn't do me any good if its in the shop)

Completely off topic but in situations like this when the dealer works on the car, are you given a loaner? Does Mercedes then reimburse the dealer for the loaner? Just curious how that works. I agree this is unacceptable. You should call MBUSA and file complaints agains the dealers who would not handle your emergency as well as the road side assistance people.