pyccak

hello everyone.i'm new to this forum and this is my first post.i'm looking to buy an 04 e320 and as i was researching i found that most of the cars are off lease.i'd like to know how most people treat their leased cars.i heard that most people treat them just like rental cars,is that true?whould it be better to buy the car from a private seller?any comments are apriciated

TREZ63

I just turned in a leased E320 to Vadim over at MBLN. I treated that thing REALLY well. If you're interested in it, give him a call I am sure he'll make you a great deal. It had 39K miles on it when I turned it in. Black on black. Flawless.
Not everyone treats leased cars bad.
If the guy had kids or dogs then probably a messed up car. I am telling you though, mine was still immaculate.

DaCeptak0n

Ours is going back in a couple of weeks and we've tried to keep it up to the condition we first got in. It's hard though with white interiors so I guess be careful what color interior you're seeking.

We only have on small ding on ours, rear passenger door but we got our inspection already and we were charged nothing

jagata

I treat mine like if I were going to have it forever. I take pride in what I drive, lease or not.

monstaloc

I think MB owners take care of their cars, lease or financed. Speaking of leases, are you interested in an 03 e500 with a few mods? Not trying to jack your thread, just wondering.

KYBENZ

I baby mine and change the oil every 5k. Of course it helps that I work at the dealer. I am giving back a car that will be loaded with a LOT of goodies that it did not come with i.e. Nav, Sirius, etc.
I agree that most people we lease to tend to treat the cars as if they were thier own.

lig

I treated mine very well. Always polished - no swirls - cleaned the interior once a week. Always tried to park where it wouldn't be dinged.

Free maintenance for '03s so always dealer serviced before the actual mileage.

That being said it wasn't a very good car from a reliability standpoint but I was very nice to it.

New E350W4

This will be our first Benz but, we've leased several Swedish cars in the past 10 years and like many here, oil change every 3-4K, all sceduled maintenance and treat them with respect. Whoever bought these cars, got gems.
The only problems was abuse by LI roads on low-profile tires!

crb49

I would like to think the majority of Benz owners have the same general concensus as the posts so far. I take very good care of mine because I usually really like my cars and, who knows, I may decide to buy it at the end of the lease. My last one was a beautiful '04 with only 22k miles on it. I would have been happy to keep the car but the buyout was a little rich for the market.

TREZ63

See? You got nithing to worry about!
The only thing I abused on my car were the tires and the brakes. I replaced those before return so it was good as new (if not better after all the recalls)

New E350W4

Yes, like trb we were prepared to buy our '01 T5 but, price wasn't realistic and non-negotiable.
It defies logic, to me anyway, that these manufacturers will wholesale at lower price rather than keep a happy and brand-loyal customer.
This doesn't seem like a good business plan

AndrewAZ

Drive the **** out of it... Redline from every light after the engine is warmed up.

crb49

This was a topic a while ago, IMHO:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....7&postcount=19

BudC

Make sure the dealer does a carfax for you. Also make sure you see the maintenance records for the car. You should never ever buy a used car without seeing these things.

Most lease cars are bought at auction by dealers. Many of them have had two owners.

Real cream puffs never make it to the dealer's lot. They are held for preferred customers. I was told this by the used car managers of the largest BMW dealership in the west and probably the largest Mercedes dealership in Arizona.

Mr.Gearhead

I have my very first lease on 2006 E350 nicely optioned, purchased about a year ago with 9,800 miles showing. I find that I treated my last 2002 E320 purchased new in May 02 more aggressively. I still think the E350 is not mine... as if I am renting it. I don't want anything to go wrong before I turn it in. Lately, I have thinking about turning the lease over... so it makes me be even more thoughtful of the condition. I also cannot mess with it except for 19" wheel upgrade so that is also another plus factor for potential buyers...

As posted already, I think most new Mercedes are treated rather generously and in addition, having a lease... Mercedes requests that I bring it at or before interval to make sure everything is as it should be. I was already told the stock wheels must come back with the car... I have them wrapped up with 5,000 miles on them... waiting to be turned back in. All in all, I think a leased Benz is a safe option for purchase... GOOD LUCK and post pics...

Another view too... If I beat on it... brakes etc... It is just more money out of my pocket when I turn it in... and that stinks to shell out the cash and give the car back...

BudC

Nevertheless, you had better find out where it came from, how many people have had it or driven it, if there were any serious maintenance problems, etc.

It's one thing to buy a used car from a local, one owner. It's another thing to buy a lease car that came from the rust belt and was auctioned off in Texas to a Mercedes dealer in Arizona.

ATS

The people that post in here care about their car enough to take the time to learn about it and discuss it. The people who mistreat their car, would never post in here. I am sure their are tons. I see them at the dealer, I get them as loaners..

Alan Smithee

I think it's fair to say that, in general, a leased car will not be treated as well as a purchased car.

I'm a die-hard car enthusiast, and take much better care of my vehicles than the average person. However, we have one leased car that will either be sold or returned next year, and one that's purchased and will be kept indefinitely...guess which one I spent three hours cleaning yesterday, and which one has one-week old waterspots still on the paint and a service light blazing?

BudC

Before anyone buys a used car from a dealer, either check the history of the dealer's used cars or go to MBUSA and check the national used car inventory.

The vast majority of these cars have been leased or owned by businesses. The leased cars will have been auctioned to dealers and many of them have been leased twice.

If you think buying a used car from a dealer in southern California will get you one that hasn't seen salt you will be surprised to see that they come from all over the place including the east coast and the Midwest rust belt.

I personally would never touch a car that has been leased or owned by a business. As I said before, pay a bit more and get a local one owner car that was registered as a personal car. Better yet, buy a new car at the end of the model year when it's got a bunch of trunk money so you can really deal on it and then drive it until the wheels fall off.

SAguirre

I have never leased a car, but I have purchased many used cars. Of all the used cars I have purchased, only one was from a dealer (all the others were from the original owner). Lease or not, you need to be diligent in your research and inspections of the car.

I think that there are some good lease returns out there, but! If I leased a car and the car turned out to be a problem child or if it was in an accident that triggered airbags or required even minor frame work I would never buy the car at the end of the lease. Leasing gives you the trial period of ownership (or renting). Some people lease because they get new cars anyway, but others use a lease to make sure they are not buying a LEMON.

Make sure that the car has not had major bodywork. Carfax might state it, but just because something does not show up on Carfax does not mean that it did not happen.

My cousin just traded in her 2003 E320 for an 07 ML 350. I would not touch her car even though it was totally trouble free. She rear-ended someone and had a good amount of bodywork. She did not lease her car. So you need to watch out anyway.

Steve