As long as some of the solidity is there, I'd be a happy camper. And yeah, If it was one thing I wasn't all that impressed with on the C300, it was the interior materials. I guess you can only do so much while trying to design and engineer a vehicle to meet a price range in the entry level luxury segment.

The Airmatic is the suspension system right? Pardon my ignorance.

 

Wow, that's definitely some impressive fuel economy numbers.

 

The dollar amount that one "saves" by having "free" maintenance with a BMW is very minimal. In fact, BMW has now extended their OCIs to 15,000 miles! So you can figure how many oil changes you'll get during the 4/50 period. The rest is little stuff like an occasional wiper blade or light bulb. And unless you're super aggressive you won't need brakes until after the 4/50 is over.

BMW has it figured out. They aren't about to give anything away for free. The bottom line is to buy the car you truly want to have. And not based on this "free" maintenance enticement. That's exactly what they want, people to buy their cars because of the "free" maintenance. It's the only reason they have it. I wouldn't buy a BMW because of that. I'd buy one only because I want one (I also happen to own one.)

There are repairs and there is maintenance. The warranty will cover repairs. If you pay out of pocket for maintenance then you just have to figure it's part of the cost of the car that you want to be driving. Otherwise get the BMW.

 

When considering the E550 I would discard the 2008 model simply because the command system is up to date in the 09 models. Integrated bluetooth, much better ipod integration and lastly but best of all the NAV system is light years ahead of the 08 and before. The electronics in the 08 models are outdated by a good 5 or 6 years so please consider this as well.

My MPG on the highway has been as high as 30mpg and I average mid to high teens in the city with my heavy foot due to loving every second of this V8.

I am yet to read of any chronic problems in these cars especially considering you are looking at a late model year. Just for comparison sake, I had a 2005 C55 for over 3 years and that car did not have a single mechanical or electrical issue. Try comparing that to any BMW and you'll be shocked.

I didn't see anyone answer this yet, but I think paying for scheduled maintenance up front is $800. I would recommend against it though because what if you get rid of the car in a year for some reason??

 

Agree. Although the E60 may have set those trends, I think every manufacturer that copied some part of Bangle's designs did it better. In my eyes, there is nothing attractive about them. The F01 7-series and whatever the new 5 series for 2011 is called are what they should have been back in 2002 when introduced.

I owned a 98 E38 740iL Upon replacement in 2005, BMW was not on my radar when I shopped again. The designs were just ungainly. Hence the switch to Mercedes, and as you can tell from my signature, I've been here since.

 

Okay, I'm following you now. The only thing on the BMW that I wouldn't pay vs. the MB is on the scheduled maintenance. And even then, that wouldn't be very often because of lengthy service intervals.

What are the E550s service intervals anyways?

 

I hear you on the updated nav system. The 09s are now at decent prices too so it works out perfectly.

I really am impressed with what E550s are capable of in terms of fuel economy. I had no idea. It's just like any other powerful car though..you have to resist the urge of dipping into those available power reserves.

Is the $800 for some type of maintenance plan from MB? If that's all it costs, is seems that it would pay for itself in two maybe three service visits...?

 

Yes, that is for the MB maintenance plan.

 

Is there any catches to this plan because it seems like a decent deal?

 

I don't think so but would definitely check. I haven't used it so I cannot speak to it for sure.

 

Service intervals are 10K miles or 1 year for 2009 E-Classes (whichever comes first... your car will remind you).

Cost is approximately $99-$179 for Service A, and probably around $219-$299 for Service B. These prices are dependent on your local area, how much dealership competition is in your area, and if you have any coupons or other discounts. Some areas with a monopoly do charge higher than other areas with a MB dealership every 10 miles...

 

Oh, okay. I'll try to do a little research on it and see what I can find.

 

imho, you're nitpicking all this maintenance and mpg stuff way too much. Buy the car you truly want. These aren't Hondas or Toyotas. You need to figure in ownership as part of your cost of living if you choose to go to a Mercedes or BMW.

You'll be fine with a CPO'd warranty. Maintenance is maintenance, it's not going to ruin you. Go to a dealer and talk to a SA. They can print out the maintenance schedule for you and their current prices. Don't forget that dealerships offer service specials all the time to be competitive. Plus you can always use an Indy for service.

And gas costs are partly under your control. But if you commute 700+ miles a week, then sure, get a Japanese appliance car.

Shop a car for what it offers you in performance, comfort and satisfaction. You'll end up preferring one over the other. Buy the one you prefer. The reality is that you'll be driving the car day in and day out. Unless you picked a lemon by sheer bad luck, you'll be at the dealer or repair shop only once a year or so.

Good luck.

 

Those prices seem reasonable. I'm going to assume that as the miles pile on, the cost for the service ramps up as well...?

 

The main thing I was concerned with was the crazy prices it sometimes takes to repair a luxury vehicle such as an E550. But so long as I have a warranty, I now realize that this will be a non-issue. And to top it off, going by what you guys say, the E550 should be a really reliable vehicle.

 

Not sure if it helps but my boss just got a 2004 545i loaded with 50k miles for $20k from a dealer

If you're worried about running costs maybe you buy older and cheaper and pocket the difference for maintenance

 

Change that to "a relatively reliable vehicle" and you'll be all set. Don't forget that these are somewhat expensive high tech Euro cars, not Japanese cars.

 

My husband and I have a 2008 535 xi and a 2008 E350 4 matic, so we have some insights. As other have said the better comparison would be the BMW 550 i and the E550. Both cars are very nice and fun drive but have different characters. Since the E550 has airmatic and a more powerful engine, the E550 probably is slightly better in ride and performance than the E350.

Dimensionally both cars are just about the same but the feel in the interiors are very different. The E class feels much more airy and open. Our E-class has MB-Tex while the BWM has leather. Yet the E-class interior feels much more luxurious. The BMW interior is very sporty. I-drive is not as bad as most people say and quite handy. The 2009 E-class has a better Navigation system than the 535 (until 2010 model year it is DVD based not hard drive).

As for the Mercedes, the ride is great. The car is a great highway car and a relaxing car to drive.

As for the BWM, the ride is also great but quite different from the Mercedes. The 535 has plenty of go power on the highway. The car is not as relaxing to drive as the Mercedes. The turning radius of the car seems to be much worse than the E-class... when it comes to parking the E class is definitely easier to park. The 535 really excels in the curves and is very sporty. The 535 engine also offers phenomenal fuel economy. You can easily get up to 28 mpg or more driving at highway speeds.

Now the bad news - while the 535 is a great car, we are not sure that we would buy another one with the N54 engine. The twin turbo engine is highly acclaimed by the press and is brilliant. But it seems that BMW put the engine to the market without figuring all the bugs first. The engine is reliable but the fuel delivery system has many known problems. The way the N54 engine works is that it has direct injection and therefore requires a fuel pump in the gas tank and a high pressure fuel pump which pressurizes the fuel prior to injection in to the engine.

Our BMW has had two dreaded reduced power engine malfunctions in less than 22000 miles (we are now 27,xxx and the car runs well). Both them were while we were on the DC beltway but within a mile of our exit. The car remained drivable but we are not sure if it would have kept up with traffic.

The main problems we have had that caused that warning were (1) the high pressure fuel pump and (2) the fuel injectors. If you do more research you will find that plenty of N54 powered cars suffer from the dreaded HPFP malfunction. There is no rhyme or reason as to why this happens and when it happens. Some people never have the problem and others have the problem with 1000 miles. Some people go through engine HPFP malfunctions and force BMW to buy back their cars and for others there are no problems.

Typically the problem starts with longer cranks and ultimately it results in the reduced power engine malfunction warning. Some people have speculated that it might be due to bad fuel or too much ethanol in the fuel but that is not true. We have only used Shell fuel and still had the problem. In Europe 335i are having problem with the HPFP too - and they don't have alcohol in the fuel. Typically once you have the HPFP replaced the next thing to get replaced are the fuel injectors. We first had the HPFP replaced and then 3000 miles later when the warning came on again the fuel injectors were replaced along with the spark plugs. BMW has been diligently working on the problem and undergone numerous revisions to the fuel pump and hopefully the latest (943) version fixes the problem. In addition, BMW has also changed the programming of the car. These problems might not happen with all of the cars but they are kind of worrisome (there are horror stories of the HPFP failing in rush hour traffic... )

If you want a BMW check out the 550.

 

I have a 2010 e550 had it for almost a mont now hooked my cell phone up to the bluetooth and down loaded the contacts everything work fine until I went back and picked up my plates he the sales man hooked up the MBrace he said it was free for 6 months after he hooked it up I was driving home and the bluetooth rang with a unknow caller so the radio sound shut down thinking it was a call!! well the cars blue tooth will not hang up from that call so as long as my cell is hooked up I cant get any sound unhook the cell and everything is good again!! anybody every seen anything like this before?

 

Good info. Thanks for the feedback.

 

Totally understand where you are coming from. As long as this stuff is covered by warranty, I'll be happy.

 

As long as it's under Warranty, you'll be fine. Even afterward, it's not like the car is known to be a bank-breaker (unless you get unlucky).

Maintenance wise, it's not that big a deal, a lot of people are afraid of this M-B Maintenance thing, which is why my Mom bought a Lexus. Just know what you need for the car, when things are required, you only have to Service it once a year, unless you put no a lot of mileage, and take it to an Indie, as I got HOSED by the Dealer with my W211.

 

Yeah, if it's one thing I need to look into, it's finding an independent mechanic. I've never personally dealt with the area MB dealer but I've heard that they're not exactly the best.

 

Just thought of two more questions.

First, what are some ballpark prices for an 09 E550? I've seen anywhere from the low 40s into the low 50s. What are prices at right now for them?

Lastly, what kind performance upgrades are there? This is just out of curiosity because at this point, this is an early thing to be thinking about but I'm certainly interested nonetheless.

 

service interval on my 08 E550 is 1yr/13k miles .. it changed to 1yr/10k on the 09's but the 09's have a much better COMAND system as was pointed out.