MOZART

First of all thank you guys for this great forum. I enjoyed reading almost every post for the past 4 years. I loved my 04 E500 so much, it was my first mercedes ever and I realy enjoyed driving it. but I got sick and tired of the electronics( the retarded command) and the MB unwillingness to update it.
I remember reading every word written on the nav trying to get an extra piece of information displayed on the screen (like ETA for example). I bought 3 versions of Navteq software in the past 4 years hoping they will add something to the nav. I installed the bluetooth moduel by myself (thanks to this forum). I did all this because I realy loved the car.
so instead of keeping it for another 2 years till the w212 is out, I went shopping. I test drove BMW i530, Acura TL, Infiniti M45, and Lexus GS. I didn't try A6 since my other car is Q7. but nothing came even close to E500 eventhough they all have much beter electronics in them. To my surprise only the new Cadillac CTS (not DTS or STS) came close in handling, riding quality and interior finish. for under $47,000 it came with 40 gig hard drive, digital audio recorder ( like Tivo) to record radio programs, full ipod compatibility, instant traffic and weather and the best navigation on the market. so I couldn't resist but to lease it for 24 months waiting for W212 and hoping the MB dosen't screw it up again.
3 months later I'm still in love with my little Caddy and I have feeling that some other cars are closing the gap to the E-class, and fairly quickly.

b_rashed

i can understand a little bit bc my dad has a 06 cadillac xlr and nothing drives that good. only reason i dont want it is b/c its too small on the inside.

justforfun

S-Clusiv

Congrats! I love the best of both worlds! ('05 CTS-V), hopping out of one always makes me look forward to the other. Can't wait to upgrade to the new CTS-V!

MotorWerkz

Great upgrade. I love CTS, especially the V version.

I want to buy cadillac product as well if they are available in my country, unfortunately, they aren't.

vettdvr

Given :

E500

Brakes every 30,000 miles
Heater valve at 28,000 failure
Tire cupping and on 4th set of tires at 70,000
Ball joints
SBC pump failure
and possible strut failure at $2000 each.

I test drove the CTS last week. Only issue is wife likes E500 better than the CTS. I will wait 2 years then test drive again. There may be a CTS in the future if the MB doesn't hold up better than it has. But I will order with the full option package so it does top MSRP at $48000.

sgaar

Seriously, anyone who has been paying a little attention knows that MB had quality problems with the ’03 and some ’04 W211. It is not a surprise so IMHO there is no need to keep complaining about how bad MB was at the time. I have 25K miles on my ’06 and have not had a single failure! The quality problems are in the past and I for one hope they stay there.

I you don’t like the way your ’03 behaves then get rid of it. Want to get a CTS? –great but honestly I couldn’t care less. This is an MB owners/enthusiast site and if you want to bash MB then you are on the wrong website. Join the Caddy site and rave about how you ‘saw the light’ and bought a CTS. I am sure you’ll make a lot of buddies and they will welcome you to the caddy ranks.

JDM_SXE-10

I don't think that he bashed on MB. He even stated that he test drove several other cars and nothing came close to his E500 until he came across the CTS. He further stated that he may be in the market for a W212 in the future.

sgaar

I don't think he did either but as I said; it is not a big surprise that '03 models have problems. It is a known issue so broadcasting that he sold his and got a CTS is like saying that I like rice over potatoes. I am fairly sure that nobody on this forum cares.

Now, had he come and asked for advice on how to fix the problems he had then that would be a whole other matter.

ProV1

glad you like the CTS, i'll thoroughly check out the new 600HP CTS-V for sure

airactivist

All of that beautiful electronic wonderment...and the braintrust at GM forgot integrated bluetooth in the redesigned '08 CTS.

Unconscionable.

Davel

Amazing, i own a 2003 (purchased new) and this has been the best MB (out of 3) that i have owned. I was suprised to read that folks have been having serious problems. I'm thinking that many of the cars that had issues have been traded in and are now priced right and folks are buying them used along with the 1st owners problems, and most of these cars have little to no warranty left for the 2nd owner who is now faced with costly repairs. Nothing worse then buying the car of your dreams and it does not live up to the expectations. I had a transmission mount replaced and radio software reflashed twice, outside of that nothing. And its still using the original battery going on 5 years. I feel sorry for folks that have bad MB expirerience, because these are still some of the best cars on the road, and once you get use to the overall expirence of owning one, no other cars in their class compares. There are some that handle better, faster, more electronics, but none offer a better overall package than the Benz.

As with any car purchase new/used you have to do your homework

MARK CUMMINS

Seems FAIR to Compare a 2004 E class to a NEW 2007 CADI CTS

Should compare a USED 2004 CADI to his 2004 E 500...How about a Catera

Barry45RPM

AMEN Brother! The problem is, if you did a lot of homework on the E, you wouldn't buy a used '03 - '05... but that's not altogether true either, since there are many happy owners of those years' E's.

So its a crapshoot whenever you buy Used. Warranty or not. Particularly with 211's of those years.

My '07? ...Perfect! a joy to own. I hope it ages well when the next Gen E class comes out, and doesn't look instantly "old", as happened to the 210s when these 211's came out.

SCHUTZEE

I have owned and driven nothing but German cars for the past 34 years. I've had many VW's, four Porsches, an Audi, many BMW's starting with a 2002, two BMW motorcycles, and several Mercedes. With a last name of Schutzenbach, nobody can call me anti German. BUT, I have been disappointed with my 2005 E500 Wagon. Many electronic gremlins, and a transfer case that needs replacement. My biggest beef is the lack of content in relation to the price. Extra for HID lighting, extra for I-pod interface, extra for phone, etc. And we're not talking just a few dollars! I think my next car just might be Japaneese (gasp)! It seems they have closed the gap quite a bit. If cost were no object, then I wouldn't care. But cost does matter.

BTW, Barry i think I bought a 1973 911E (white with Recaro seats)from you many years ago?

Barry45RPM

Nope. Not me. This is my 1st good, "expensive car". I've friven mostly GM products, with an occaisional used Ford product here & there.

Before 2004, I wouldn't have considered a "foreign" car purchase. Since then I've bought an 05 Suzuki Forenza, an '06 Honda Coupe, and will probably get my daughter an 08 Accord coupe. I'm afraid the quality gap between American and Foreign has been closed by the "Big 3", but the Japanese, and now the Koreans consistantly give the customer what he wants at a good price.

I agree that there are too many things that are options on a car of this calibre, but mostly its the insane pricing to add these missing items as options that's really out of line. Same with repair parts. Simply out of touch with reality.

Dema

Thank you fro sharing your experience. I am on the same boat, my current lease should expire a year before W212 is out, so I'll need some car. I'm considering Jaguar XF as well, however CTS can be cheaper. What about size of CTS? I do not want to sacrifice much in size and looking something like E class dimensions.

What about Cadillac dealer experience? Are they good? Could you negotiate a good price as invoice or below easily?

jimm

Thank you for your honest report Mozart. Those of us who own MBs should
want to hear ALL opinions .. from current - and previous - owners. Honest
unbiased opinions can save us a lot of money .. and disappointment.

No car is perfect, so it’s logical that at least “some” problems and negative
opinions will exist. I trade fairly often and definitely want to hear the good
AND BAD about various models. I realize that in all forums there are some
die-hard owners who become incensed if anyone says anything bad about
the brand. But fellas .. it’s only a CAR! We’re not talking about our mothers!

This extreme “owner-loyalty” is highly prevalent in the Corvette forums I
belong to .. where any “dissenters” are quickly chastised. But, most of us
want to know the bad too. Otherwise, a forum’s value is limited and
somewhat boring. (Too often dealers tell us that “we’re the only one
complaining about that!”) Forum info bolsters our challenges. So, I hope
members won’t be discouraged from reporting ALL helpful good - and bad -
experiences.

FWIW .. since I got my E-350 in June, I've been back for warranty work
several times. If others aren’t experiencing this, good for them.

Regarding MB’s electronics .. of course you are on target.

jimm

==========

‘08 E350 Sport, P2, Black/black, Parktronic,
Voice, Bluetooth, Burl Walnut, Split rear seat,
Wood/leather steering wheel

Barry45RPM

I had a 2000, then a 2002 Caddy DHS. My dealer service experience was excellent. I always saw the same SA, and he understood that I knew what I was talking about, was a car enthusiast, and wouldn't accept any fast talking or excuses.

I always got a rental car. (I didn't much care what car it was, but more often than not it was a Deville or an SUV). The both cars were in for something or other not working intermittantly, or crank sensors, or coil packs, or power memory seats, about every 8 weeks. I got the occaisional free Lube, Oil, & Filter from my SA, but I tipped him $20.00 every time I drove in for service (always unannounced, at my convenience.)

The cars were far from perfect, which is a shame because GM and its assembly line people are capable of building a better car than anybody on the Planet, but Management always chooses to go the cheap out and save some known/needed improvements for each of next years version of the planned lifespan of the model.

vettdvr

Any vehicle is built with human hands and subject to issues. MB is no different. My wife loves the E500 and if she want we will replace it with another even with all the issues we have had. However from the engineering viewpoint I think it is wiser to consider all options before plunking down $$ for any major purchase. The MB is no different. My preference is not the E500 but the S500. But we will go E500 even if I prefer the S500.

BUT.. I will always give the actual problems on the vehicle when others ask. This is not bashing with opinions but just stating the facts of failures.

Now if I were to compare my C5 Corvette I bought new to the E500. The C5 is driven on the track/street a little more agressively than the E500 and has had far fewer failures than the E500 and I would say it is more reliable.

NCE500

Congrats, the new CTS is a beautiful machine.

I wish they would build it with a mid power V8 though, the V6 is quick for a V6but you will likely miss the torque of the E500. The upcoming CTS-V, which will be an awesome machine, will however be too powerful for regular day to day use.

Enjoy your new ride!

raymond g-

yeah, i prefer group ************ also....sitting in a circle and only limiting my
discussions with folks who agree with me.

IOW, I personally think that there is enough room on these forums for candor
in regards to plus/minus of MB. Hearing from someone who has previous
hands-on experience with MB is insightful to me.

lig

Says the guy with the SRT8 SUV!!!

CTS-V is just right as far as power goes.

Vik888

Isn't the new CTS just full of SAAB parts?

Vann

Congratulations.....I like the cts as well, good choice....Im leaning on giving up my 03 e320 and picking up an 08 e350 w/ amg package or a 535xi 6spd..I found the original posters review very inciteful...I love my e320, but not having 4matic (I live in ny), sport, airmatic, nav, hids, amg package, aux input, pano roof, etc...kinda sux...Its also starting to have a few brake and suspension problems....I know I can add all if not most of those things, but I rather just pick up a newer eclass with all of the above (short 2 year lease and warranty) or just switch it up and try out the 535xi (3 year lease and free maintenance program, damn!!!)....Im eagerly anticipating the w212 but that wont be out until 09, and I am also skeptical about buying the first year of a new production vehicle, So I think a short 2 year lease would suit my needs perfectly.