vegeta

so a friend of mine is looking for an e-class. 2 cars are available to him at the moment, both are cpo.

one is an 07 bluetec with p1 (~25,000 miles).
the e350 has a lot more options and has ~31,000 miles.

He asked my opinion of which one would be better for him. both are approximately the same price, give or take $1,000. I'm a huge diesel fan but since the e350 is newer and has more options, I was leaning towards that one for him. but i wanted to get some other opinions from others about their experiences with their e350. any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

edwinwalke

I quess the question I would have to resolve if I were making the decision is how long will I keep the car and is fuel mileage a big factor. If the answer is keep it 2-3 years then the E350 would be the choice -- resale, warranty. If mileage is a big consideration and I plan on driving a long time the Bluetec would be my choice. The Bluetec warranty is about to hit the 48 month limit if not a CPO. Last consideration would be the options -- does one or the other have something I really want or something that may cause me headaches (expense) down the road.

DubVBenz

I might consider the 2009 E350 if I had to do it over again. I bought an 07 Bluetec with P2 and the Pano roof (hard to find options on the diesel). For this honor, I had to search for 5 months, and pay a considerable premium to the gas models.

The 09 has the advantage of still being in warranty, and probably a much better GPS system, despite the obvious flaws of not having the diesel engine.

One thing to consider are the recent problems with the 350 and 550 engines (balance shaft) which may or may not be a big issue going down the line.

pinebaron

A Bluetec with 25K miles is just about broken in (mine is at 26,500 miles) while a 350 ..well I know I'm biased

2slowcdi

Is your friend a diesel fan?
Where does he drive?
As was posted is he going to keep the car a long time?

You should ask him all the questions you asked yourself when you got a diesel.

vegeta

thanks for the replies.

my friend just needs something that he can use to go and come back from work in. his commute will not be very far, approximately 15 miles. I don't think he plans on keeping it for a long period of time, but then again, he's not even sure. a few things that are pushing me towards the 350 is because it is better equipped than the 320 and is newer (more warranty). the 350 has p2, parktronic, amg sport package while the e320 has the basic goodies like memory seats and dvd navi.

@pinebaron...I'm biased too. trust me. I like the mpg of the diesel as well. most of my travel is interstate though.

out of curiousity, what is the real world mpg for the 350?

Thanks again.

K-A

I'd go for the E350 in question hands down, but that's just me.

220S

fwiw, if it matters to him, the 2009 will have a way better COMAND system and navigation. It's the same as the current W212 COMAND with hard drive and built-in bluetooth, full voice control, etc...

listerone

IMO the deciding factor should be how much driving he does and what kind of driving it is.The more miles...particularly *highway* miles...the better the argument for your friend going diesel.

vegeta

Thanks everyone for your replies. he couldn't make a decision so he's borrowing my cdi for the time being to see how he likes it. initial impressions are good (as if I had any doubts ). probably gonna keep my eyes open for an 09 bluetec in the future. best of both worlds then. thanks again everyone!