801

2006 E3504matic. Paid off. Just put a bunch of $$$ into service items (CSP, SBC brake fluid flush, etc etc, plus ... 130k on the ODO so I'm fairly certain I was past the Balance Shaft issue) Looking forward to many more years of W211 motoring. Stopped in traffic at a red-light. Saw her coming in my rear view mirror. Head down, thumbs tapping away. BAM! Totaled. My beloved W211 did the job, took the hit well. No injuries. So enough of that. Real question to the W211 faithful here .. I've got money for a very nice 2009 W211 (no SBC, no balance shaft AND the new command) ... but ... there's also a very nice low mileage W212 4matic here locally for just a tad more. So I put it to you good people, do I stick with W211 (let's face it .. 2009 was a GREAT year for the e-class) or do I jump over to the W212 forum? Really interested in your opinions on this. I know I'd be happy with either. Thanks all.

S70Houston

What year is the W212?

If the cars are similar in mileage, condition as well as service history, I personally would upgrade to the W212.

I am howevery not sure about the 4Matic system, as I have never owned a car that had it and I am therefore not sure in regards to reliability as well as service/maintenance cost of this system.

Good luck with your decision.

OnlyGerman

Make the upgrade to the W212... why be stuck with another car with same body style?

2MERKS

Well you know what they say once you go w211 you go no more! Unless to a w212...lol
GL

Jan AMG

2009 W211 could be better than a 2010 W212.

Go for 2013 FL W212 if you want to upgrade.

cetialpha5

I'm in both. More details on the W212. It could be better or worse. I've noticed some things are better, like the keyless go handles seem better designed and haven't really read about any threads about failures and you don't have the loose wiring in the trunk. On the W212, MB-Tex is bad on the seats though, they tend to rip, seat heater can also go bad, the wood tends to fade up to 2013, cabin filter is harder to change. Aside from 2010, bluetooth audio works fine. Pano roof makes a lot more noise on the W212 than on the W211, at least on the two I have.

kurtismayfield

Good points made for both cars. With the W211 you get that understated iconic look that never looks out of place.

NewShockerGuy

Agreed. The w211 has the best looks to me compared to the w212. I like the updates here and there but overall I think the w212 redesign of the body is quite ugly. Especially the front end. It lost the mercedes look.

-Nigel

cetialpha5

They did cut some corners on the W212. On the W211, the grill goes up with the hood which I think looks nicer, on the W212, it's just a conventional hood, grill stays down. It's a mixed bag, I like my 2011 also. The 2012-2013 would have been interesting with the 302hp engine instead of the 268 in the 2010-2011, but people are saying you have to take the intake off in order to change the spark plugs whereas it's very easy to change them on the M272. It was very hard to find a W211 with most options, it's still hard on the W212, but not as hard. There's also a bunch of W212 options that didn't exist in the W211, the attention assist, lane change, blind spot, the availability of distronic in the driver assistance package, the rear view camera, updated Comand, actual tire pressure in each tire, automatic high beams, dynamic seats etc. On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of the scroll wheel, takes a while to navigate to where you want to be, I felt it was a lot quicker on the W211, but then there's less stuff there.