Daniel Rajaram

I am having a hard time deciding which car to purchase: 2004 Mercedes e500 wagon or a 2008 e350 wagon. Through research, I've seen that the 2004 e500 is less reliable than the 2008. But is it mostly the braking system that goes to a fault? The sensatronic braking system gives problems but since it been recalled, it says Mercedes will fix it for free. Should it be something to worry about? Also, the 2004 e500 wagon has Airmatic all round with ADS-II, which compared to the 2008 model with only regular struts in front and self-leveling air in the back without adaptive suspension. So people do say the ride with the Airmatic ADS-II is better than the without it. Lastly, I daily drive a 2000 Mercedes ml 430 and an e wagon is an upgrade mostly for ride comfort and quietness that lacks in the ml430 but since im coming from a V8 Benz, it would be enticing to stick with the V8, don't really care about mpg. So if I can get opinions on both cars about reliability, ride, comfort, etc, it would really help me make a decision, thanks.

Andre91

We're talking about cars that are now 11 and 15 years old. Overall reliability is going to really be dependent on how each was looked after. Do you have access to service records for both to ensure that they've been serviced correctly and are up to date on scheduled maintenance? Also consider how many owners each car has had and how long each owner had it. What's the mileage on each? You can also get a Mercedes dealer to run a VMI for each one, which is a complete record of every visit to the dealership for service. It'll also list all claims on the factory warranty.

The E500 is going to need more upkeep just because of the additional features (airmatic, SBC brakes).

There were hundreds (thousands?) of improvements to the W211 platform when the facelift happened in 2007, so the bugs from the earlier models have been fixed in the E350. IMO the facelift looks much better as well.

Both are getting up there in age and will start to need plastic/rubber parts replaced regardless of mileage just due to degradation over time especially if you live in or buy a car from somewhere with a hot climate. Suspension bushings, motor/trans mounts, radiator hoses, belts, even tires degrade over time whether the car is driven or not.

kajtek1

Early 350 engines had weak balance shaft, so check if that would apply to the car you consider.
350 engine will have much newer technology and from what I remember - difference in HP is not big between older V8 and newer V6

tjts1

04 E500 advantages:
Cheaper, easier to maintain engine
More torque at lower RPM
Disadvantages:
Fuel consumption
Airmatic
SBC brakes with 25 year warranty
15 year fuel tank warranty runs out this year if it hasn't been replaced yet

08 E350 advantages:
Fuel consumption
No SBC
4 more years on the fuel tank warranty
Disadvantages:
Far more complex engine with failure prone intake manifold
Lacks low end torque

The big disadvantage for both is they are both 4matic. If you want rear wheel drive your **** out of luck. 4matic makes the cars slower and less fuel-efficient and more prone to failure. On the plus side they both still have the 722.6 5 speed automatic instead of the 7-speed garbage. I got the 04 E320 wagon because it was the only rear wheel drive wagon option worth owning.

Broly

where did you go to decode your VIN?

i'm surprised yours is not made in Graz. i thought all 4matic w211s were made in Graz.

ours was. we got a steal of a deal on ours though because we bought it brand new in feb 2006 but it was MY05, and the E350 was just being rolled out (best bullet we ever dodged).

fwiw and i don't want to jinx it, though we had a courtesy engine rebuild of at 141K (km), we have not had a single issue with our 4matic at all...