bzliteyear

hi all,

my mom's looking to replace her dying 1993 Infiniti J30.
she only drives 4k/year and this car will likely last her at least 10 yrs+.

we've looked at a few bmw 530's, but she recently started looking for at the e320. i've show her a really nice 2004, but she feels like going w/ 2003 might save her a few dollars.

what do you guys think of the 2003?
i've heard that it's best to avoid the first year of a new model.
also, most 2003 e320s would be out of warranty.
even w/ the certified, MB quit doing 7yr/100k miles.
now even certified it's 5yr/100k, then dealer gouges you another $2k to get up to 7 yrs.

btw, given mb dealers are charging $5k+ more for same car as other independents buying off same lease auction, i'd probably go that route.
the only question is whether to get after market warranty...and whether to go 2003 or 2004.

thx all.

Clinton Horn

You are going to get some conflicting opinions from here. I have a 2003 E-320 that I bought from an indy that specializes in off lease. The car was mfg in Sept of 2002 if I remember correctly, did not get titled till sometime in March of 2003. I purchased it in early September last year with 15,320 miles. Of course I paid pretty much top dollar for that year. It had one problem in 10,000 miles and 1 year of ownership and that was a loose battery cable that caused an error code in the display. I think the indy dealer put a new battery in prior to sale. Fixed under warranty. Obviously, this is an early build car. Tomorrow the tranny may fall out. I do not think that you will find many mods until 2005. It is hard for a mfg to collect data and make changes in the line quickly. 2004 owners may know of some significant changes but I could not find any. I was facing the same dilema that you are. Cash being the great equalizer. There is no question that the warranty has value. I could not find a seller who did not place a pretty high premium on even short periods of remaining warranty. In my opinion the indy warranty industry has to be gambling at least 2:1. IE They collect twice as much in premiums as they pay out. I will take my chances simply because I think the odds are too far in their favor.

Barry45RPM

Just remember... these cars are horrifically expensive to repair when they need it. Search this forum for past experiences. It is very safe to say with this generation E Class, the newer the car you get the better your odds will be of being extremely happy with the car.

bzliteyear

thx for input. very well said.

btw, some of the E500s are actually similar in price to the E320, and often better optioned. anyone have thoughts on the two would also be appreciated. i've heard the air suspension is nice when it works, but super expensive if they ever break, $1k each corner.

lig

Listen to Barry.

My '03 was problematic - to say the least. Newer is usually better with W211s.

I haven't even considered any M-B lately because of it but the new C63 is looking to be very sweet.

The last thing you want for you mom is for her to be freaking out when the MFD starts screaming "VISIT WORKSHOP!" in red.

BudC

I think that the history of the car is as important as anything. How many owners in the past? Is it an ex-program or ex-lease car sold at auction? What does the maintenance history look like? Is it a local car?

Don't buy anything without seeing a CarFax for it.

Remember it's not what it costs to buy a car that's important, it's what it costs to own a car.

Almost any car you find on a dealer's lot is an ex-lease/program car bought at auction. The cherry ones never make it to the lot.

I'd talk to the used car managers at your local M-B dealers and tell them you are looking for a really nice car and are willing to pay a bit extra for it.

Also check newspaper ads for local cars being sold by private owners.

I suspect that most early W211's have been fixed but I would not go near an early E500.

Frankly, I'd steer your mother to a new Honda Accord or Toyota Camry or a used Acura or Lexus.

Barry45RPM

I've looked at the new '08 Accords. Put her in a 6cyl with leather & nav for 28,000-29,000 sticker, and BOTH of you will spend the next years without a care. Right now, the car is just arriving at dealers lots and of course they're selling them as high as possible. Come February, "they'll be just a car" again, with plenty of negotiating room.

The resale on them is not a "made up" number to keep lease payments low as possible as it is with many many cars, so you will have a car worth something that gave you no problems at the end. The Accord's resale value is truely phenominal.

I had an '04 E 500 very loaded with goodies... very. When it came time to trade in the Benz all you get paid for is the base car as a 320 or a 500, and whether or not it has Nav. Nothing else adds any money to the trade value, except its condition and milage. (Private sale is another matter.)

I know you want the Benz for its image and other values, but, if its for your Mom, make life easier for her, not more complex, and expensive. E classes that are MY '06 are pretty solid, '07s onward are bullet proof, rock solid vehicles.

If the new Accord isn't upscale enough for her, get her an Avalon. BTW, don't compare todays Avalons or Accords to older versions. They're a completely different animal.

bzliteyear

thx for everyone's input.

i'll ck out the accord...they look nice.

my main hesitation is that she used to own an accord from 1986 and to her, it's still a subpar image vs. MBs and BMWs. given that many of her retirement friends are driving nice cars, i want to make sure that she's also feeling special...especially as she gets up there in age. nothing but the best for mom, right?

Barry45RPM

You can't compare a 20 year old design to a brand new state of the art design.

BudC

The new Hondas are nothing like old Accords. They are (as Barry points out) state of the art in every way and a new one gets your mom at least three years of worry free ownership not to mention 1 hour walk-in oil changes for $35 dollars.

We have a new '08 E350 which blows away the '04 E320 we owned but I've told my wife if she has to buy a new car somewhere down the road to head for a Honda dealer.

I've replaced her nearly new Dell desktop with an iMac for a similar reason. A hassle-free experience and it won't require a resident nerd to maintain it.

harkgar

Hate to agree with you guys but the 2008 Honda Accord is nothing short of phenomenal value. Even the 4 cylinder has 190 horses and the V-6 over 270 horses. If you go for the coupe you can get the 6 speed manual which is as sweet as the BMW 3 series. There is another kicker: reliability and ease of maintenance (read cheap).

The Honda owner's manual tells you what you can use in place of Honda fluids whether engine oil, transmission or other stuff. Mercedes will tell you to use only MB brand name fluids or you are screwed with warranty denial. MB does not even give the fluid grades in the manuals any more but rather states "consult your local MB dealer". Terrible people.

The only thing I do not like about the Japanese makes is the quality feel rather than quality. The metal is still tinny though in the rush to improve fuel economy MB is going down that road too. The MB car metal gauge today is nothing like it is in 1986.

Prestige ultimately comes with quality and less so with value. The Germans have to keep up or be left behind.