MB-JIM

Based on the very damaging report from J.D.Powers ,I'm wondering if I should cancel my order for an 04 E320 which I'm scheduled to pick up on Tourist Delivery in October? The comment that especially concerns me is "The rate of deterioration on the E-Class is greater than on any other vehicle in the industry." Are things still out of control or is that statement only applying to the early months of production?

bmms8

i would not at all. your car will not be a first year model, so most likely, you will be bug free. if your concerned, like we were, i suggest getting the extended warranty, for about $2200. also, i thought that they tested MY2000 e-classes or whatever. anyway, i would not cancel, and get the car, its a great car, if you cancel, you will be sad about it, believe me, you'll love this car.

slipnby

If you do not cancel, be prepared to absorb greater than expected depreciation in return for a car that may or may not have had the bugs worked out. My replacement 211, picked up on 24June, immediately had the 'see workshop' notice on the screen due to a problem with the airmatic. 211 has been in production for a year now, and M B continues to produce Es with issues. Sure, the 211 is new, but the rating was based on 210 which was out for 7 years. I have been in MBs all my life. I have watched the cars deteriorate in quality particularly since the early 90s. The publicity is only now catching up. I'm prepared to pay the high cost/depreciation of owning the 211 when I trade it in because I like the car better than the competition.

jim256

Jim: take a look at this, make up you own mind, I guess. I sure like mine, also liked my '98 E. Had almost no issues with it.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=44240

This also is from an article on the issues: "“The Mercedes E-Class and M-Class have had more than their fair share of complaints,” said Power’s Joe Ivers. Mercedes lost a lot of points on interior problems, switches and controls, window problems, and some faulty components including fuel pumps. It also lost on excessive brake dust on its wheels, a problem unique to German cars with big brakes designed for the autobahn."

Brake dust in these surveys can equal any other problem when calculating simply the problems per 100 cars.


MB was a little over 3 problems per 100 over 3 years. Lexus was 1.7

Barney

Keep in mind that the JD Powers info is a survey of cars 3 years old. Really no way to tell how the current W211 will be at 3 years and it is probably hard to figure this out ahead of time. People tend to post when they have problems. Those without problems have less to complain and inquire about. I love my E320 and have not had any problems thus far (delivered October 2002).

Quattroleap

Wanna buy mine? Great buy! I'll throw in a special rear passenger door paint job that will guarantee to get you notice!

Beltfed

That is just unreal, the person who painted that door must have been drunk.

fiftyfive4me

hey quattro,

did you get compensated in any way by the dealer regarding the paint issue?

MB-JIM

I didn't realize that the report was based upon the W210's. Actually I owned 5 of the W210's and had a minimum of problems. I did pick up an E-500 Sport last fall on tourist delivery and liked the car except for the steering that simply didn't seem very precise. It gave me an uneasyt feeling and I didn't keep it. The reason I ordered the E-320 is that I drove one recently and the steering seemed much more precise that my E-500. I don't know if it was that there is a difference in the cars, different tires of possibly my current test drive being in the city vs driving on German roads at higher speeds with many switch back mountain roads.

skymast

Come on! The E is a great car.

Unfortunately you only her the negatives on this board.


Regarding depreciation, this version of the E is on its first of 5+ model years. That report nothing to do with depreciation values.

The important fact on MB and depreciation is that MB has the best lineup it has EVER had, the best line up in the industry, and it is only getting better. This alone creates demand and decreases depreciation.

Buy and Enjoy!

slipnby

That the report has nothing to do with depreciation values is true. Depreciation is driven by many factors. Annual public lashings such as the JD Power surveys can drive away prospects, reduce demand and lead to oversupply and loss in value. I certainly hope the elasticity of demand works out as you project. However, the negative initial quality survey does not support that idea.

Zandorf

Got my car last November. Have not had one problem with it.

jim256

The JD Power report released today is not Initial Quality, that was a few months ago, I believe. Today's report is :

"DETROIT — The results of J.D. Power and Associates’ most influential survey — long-term vehicle quality over three years of ownership — " These would be 2000 models, W210.


On the Initial Quality, 2003 MB had 132 problems per 100, about average for all cars.

MB-JIM

Thanks for the clarification. I thought the negative report was about the W211.
I will plan to pick my car up as scheduled on October 8th.
Jim

drb

Good for you.
I had 5 problems with the E I picked up last November. I have two problems, so far, with the E replacement I picked up on 24June.

Hopefully, your experience will be like Zandorf. While the initial quality survey was average, it was also a decline from the prior initial quality survey.

Quattroleap

Im still in the process working things out with the dealer and factory rep.