W210

I look hard and compare my old 500E with my 2004 E55 and do not find the latter a cheapened version of the former.

While I remember paying more for the 500E more than 10 years ago, the E55 is clearly an improvement in all areas.

Will the E55 last as long as the 500E? Who knows and honestly I care more about the present utility of the car more than anything.

I would much rather put myself and my family in the E55 than the 500E if we were to ever get into an accident. Not that the 500E is unsafe, the E55 is just definitely more advanced as far as passenger safety is concerned.

Needless to say, the E55 also performs much better than the 500E with a far superior drive. Count me in as a believer in the new Mercedes.

Barry45RPM

A car is like jewelry for guys. It adorns them, people stop to look at it. They admire it. I happen to own my cars, but I have traded them in on average every 2 - 3 years. I get tired of them or I have been dissapointed in the long term with them, or its simply time...

If you can afford to do that its ok, but do remember that NO car is an investment. ...and the fact that I BUY and then trade so soon, is an even more unwise monetart decision...I should be leasing if I intend to do that, but then I would feel I was driving a borrowed car, and it wouldn't feel as good. That all in MY head, right or wrong.

I could wear a black plastic, deadly accurate cheap digital watch too, but I don't. I prefer a "better" watch, not quite a Rolex, which wasn't accurate enough for me. Go figure. It takes all types.

adam3

Leasing ......now that sounds more for my needs. I keep my cars for about 12-18 months max. It seems i buy a car for its style, looks and not for my needs. So end up trading in for another. Bought Accord(Honda) 5 door...perfect then 18 months later traded it in for E Class. 10 months later thinking of trading in for something more practical.... have lost a fortunte in the process.....but then we all learn from our mistakes...if we listen to the head and not the HEART...we're only human.

Alias

While the new E-Class may not last 20-30 years, you should realize that most Mercedes owners do not want to keep their car for 20-30 years. I see hundreds of 2000+ MB's on the road everyday... I see perhaps 1-3 1990-2000 MBs every week.

cte430

Hey BudC, don't mean to hijack the thread but with have a quick photography question for you. I recently got a Canon drebel and have been mucking along in auto. mode. I know for the camera to do it's best work, I've gotta go to manual. Well, I need to get some shots of my car to someone pretty quickly and don't have time to experiment. Assuming a relatively clear day, are there any guidelines on settings either in program or manual you can give me. I don't have time to read the whole manual! I've been browsing some of the camera sites, and boy, what a complicated "art" this is. I would love to figure it out, but it seems like a very daunting task. Thanks.

DWP

cte430 -

I sent you a PM on the camera question, in case BudC is off for a while - and I just realized that a Canon drebel is a Digital Rebel - very nice camera.

MBE55AMG

Wow, I just can't wait for my "plastic" car to rust.

Dema

You are not alone, just read Acura RL review stated that RL is much better than e320 or 530. I do not know maybe it's so.

ENEM

Just bought a used E320, having had a very good look at several cars. Only one was ion poor condition, presumably because it was not looked after. Other, even cars nearly two years old were in very good condition.

W211 Ryda

Spartan

Well, I guess I will agree with the first post. That's why my next car will be..........a Volga. Dem Ruskies know how to make a GREAT car!

luxury1

This is a good point that I didn't think of right away. Here in the US these cars come pretty well loaded and then I loaded it up some more. I really like the car. I don't know if you saw the comparison testing of the group of cars in this class by Road & Track but the magazine put in second place. All the critics also had great things to say.

BoSoxFan

I saw that review and the MB was a very close second overall. Nonetheless, the E was rated highest on interior quality and design and was at or near the top on all other characteristics except cost with only a 530i being more expensive. The other tested cars were an S-type, A6, Volvo, Chrysler 300, and Cadillac STS. The Cadillac came in first but the test car had an optional sport package and upgraded engine whereas the MB was a standard E320. The comparison was restricted to 6's.

hd_vato

Just traded in my '03 E500 for an '04 M3. The E500 is nothing more than a German Chrysler. I would have been better off buying a Stratus and spending $20,000 on booze and hookers.

I'll never own a Mercedes again. Good luck to those who still own a W211.

plocjim

Sure there were problems with some early '03s, mine included, but the comparison is so absurd...overall the quality is still there and the car is an awesome car. Someone looking for an M3 never would have been happy with an E Class (but maybe they'd like a Stratus - those crazy BMW owners! )

saffrontiger

Does your mother know you speak that way I'm sure you knew a statement like the above was going to receive a flurry of flames. Did you not do your "due diligence" before buying the car? I'll keep it clean.. good bye and good luck

paulhu

Too bad!!! Driving a Stratus, you have to pay for booze and hookers, but driving a Mercedes, you may get one of the above for FREE. Eat your heart out!!!

E500 as follows:

bamberger_1

This statement describes in precise and short words what I also think what the W211 is in some ways, "A Germanbuilt Chrysler". I once was in the market for a LeBaron conv. Since all cars, even the Japanese look good when new, I tried out the 3-4 year old models, and this made me, thank God, not buy a Chrysler LeBaron, way back when, when I could not afford to buy MB.

......And by the way I did not expect hell to break loose, just giving my personal opinion on a car. There you can see carstuff is not logical at all. Just read the comments on the same post in the W124 forum, they are sometimes as weired as some of those in the W211 forum.

....And by the way BoSoxFan and Glojo WRONG GUESS. There maybe a large US military installation in Bamberg, but so what? has nothing to do with me, but has BoSoxFan been there? So he may know about the worms in the water there.

BoSoxFan

I've been there several times and have long been a fan of the Bamberg Symphony. What's the story on the worms?

bamberger_1

Hi BoSoxFan, I may have "hurt GloJo's feelings" talking so neagtive about the W211, so GloJo had suspected "worms" polluting Bamberg's waters.
Anyway, Hope you not only enjoyed the Bamberg Symphony but also the different types of local beers. The City of Bamberg has 70.000 people and 10 indipendant breweries!!!! Maybe it was the beer rather the worms.

http://www.bamberg.info/www_tks/homeen_268_89_7_f.htm

BoSoxFan

Of the many wonderful things about Germany, some of the best are the local beers. Sad to say, I've never been in Bamberg long enough to sample the beer or hear the orchestra live. It's a pretty city and one of my goals in life is to get back there long enough to try both the beer and the music. I'm also an enthusiastic lover of Frankischer (I hope I spelled that right) wein.

glojo

Hi,
PLEASE do NOT think you have hurt my feelings. Everyone has the right to like what they like, and dislike what they dislike.

Your post describing second-hand 211's being sold in such a deplorable condition just does NOT add up.

This is an actual quote from the Mercedes-Benz Used Car Program...

******A used car has to work particularly hard to get our seal of approval. Mechanics, electrics, bodywork, interior, tyres, wheels, vehicle history and mileage - all are checked and double-checked before the car even gets close to the showroom. So you enjoy the kind reliability you'd expect from a new car.

To find out more about the programme, click on the links to the left or ask your Mercedes-Benz Retailer. *********

A 211 is not the most basic vehicle of the Mercedes-Benz range and worn seats, water 'sloshing about in footwells' just does not equate to ANY experience I have ever had when looking at such a relatively new range of vehicle.

If indeed you are German, I congratulate you on your excellent English.

By all means stand up and say you do not like any brand of vehicle, and give your truthful, personal experience.

Regards,
John
Warm, but overcast Torquay

lig

I think that's pretty funny. After a week of driving rental cars - a Kia V-6 Optima, Ford Escape (pretty nice, actually) and Taurus - I really enjoyed having my wife pick me up @ the airport in the E320.

Granted - I'm not convinced it's worth the MSRP and having a relatively early '03 it hasn't been close to being the most trouble free car I've owned but it's far from being a German Chrysler.

To be fair I don't think it's right to tell the guy that he should have researched the car further - he was driving an '03. How was he to know?

I think it's a safe assumption that a car any company charges 60K for should work pretty well...

My ego isn't wrapped up in my car so if someone has a bad experience it doesn't diminish my self-worth.

BWL

With all due respect I did own a '95 Stratus (a decent car) and currently own both an '02 Stratus (also a decent car) and an '03 E320, and there is a large difference in the performance/build quality of the those vehicles. The E320 is in a different league (superior).

If you don't see much difference between an E500 and a Stratus you should probably save yourself a lot of grief and buy an "econo-box".