ESIX3POWER

Ive had a strange love/hate relationship with my 2010 E550.. Coming out of my 2008 E63 lease, i jumped into the all new newly designed W212 Mercedes E class in November of 2009. I was one of the first people to roll around in the new E550. I LOVED the body styling of the car and was super excited about getting the new E class but after several months I had some buyers remorse and very badly missed my W211 E63..

What I mostly missed the most was the incredibly beautiful interior and seats, those SEATS! Ive never sat in a car with a more perfect seating position than the 211 AMG, by far the most comfortable seats ive ever sat on in any vehicle. Also, the timeless look of the W211, I still see a few around and believe it or not, I cant stop staring. Here I am in a new 212 E550 and im turning my head with my foot on the brake just to get a glance. I still think there are way too many cheap feeling plasticky parts in the W212 and it just feels cold to me.. Dont get me wrong, I really like the car. The 550 has great power and a beautiful drive. the tranny is buttery smooth and the car has striking looks.. But something is missing, I dont feel complete.

So now here we are and my dealer is actually telling me he will eat 7 months of payments just to put me in a new Mercedes. I dont know what to do.. Im really thinking of picking up a CPO 2009 E63. Prices are crazy high, STILL!!? I might test drive the 2012 E550 and possibly see if i can get a good deal on the CLS550 but damn there is barely any headroom in there. Or i might just ride it out with my current 2010 E550 with the magnificent N/A engine and possibly buy it out ? If I could do it all over again, Id have kept the E63. Car was an absolute gem, rock solid. Not a single rattle or creaking sound in the 2 years I drove it, not 1 single issue, nothing. ****ing tank.. My 550 has had some minor annoying issues but nothing major.

What do you guys think ?

RobbieRob

Get a new cls 550, nicer interrior, new motor. Thats what I would do, and probably will do in a year. I love my 2011 212 550, but I feel the same way, its just kinda,,,BLAH. At least with the cls there is only 2 models, 550 and 63, the e has a whole line up that looks identical to each other.

BM2BZ

if you concern about headroom, get a 2013 e63 and you'll be one happy camper all over again.

BenzV12

No other cars are better looking than W212 , this is my opinion . I think you need to order a car with multi contour seats assuming you find W211's seats the most comfortable ones than other cars you have ever sat in
I don't know if your current car came with U09 code which means leather wrapped dashboard , if not order a car with that option as well . I think your point of view on cheap plastics would dramatically change

K-A

What's your buyout price?

When was the last time you sat in a W211? I wouldn't be surprised that if you sit in a E63 after being acclimated to your W212, it wouldn't feel the same way you remembered. The tactile solid feel of the W212 really gives the W211 a "flimsy" vibe when you get back in and close to one.

That said, the W211 is timeless and will always look good and hard to pin a date on.

hyperion667

keeping it in the family??
I am freaked out by the new cls man, go look at one of those.....

ESIX3POWER

W212 > W211 BUT W211AMG > W212

A regular w211 E350/550 is completely completely different than a 211 E63 AMG.. Especially the seats and interior, my god it's two different animals. There is nothing that a W212 would make " flimsy" on the W211 AMG. Maybe the non AMG W211 350 that you previously had.

ESIX3POWER

KA - Buyout on the car is 35.5k
What do you think? I don't even have 11k miles on the car..

K-A

I think that's a damn good buyout for an E550 that you've owned and know the history of, and I assume is a P2 with some Options. My buyout is $38K on an E350 with Options, but this is obviously because the Lease payment differences and the extra incentives that came with the 2011 models that pushed the Lease payments down (and the residuals up). For the record, as of right now, I'm planning on buying mine out after the Lease, barring nothing changes. I just don't know of any other cars that I like more that won't cost over double that even high residual.

If I were in your shoes, I'd buy it. It's a great car and the body style looks just as new and fresh as it did when you bought it. However, if you're not happy with it, might be best to look elsewhere. I think it would be a bad decision to pass up that residual on SUCH a low mileage car to get another W212, however, so if you want a W212.... that's the one. Though, unless you want a W212 E63.

The W211 AMG and non AMG have identical construction. The seats and a few materials are different, but the build quality is the same. It's not bad, I love the W211, but the W212 is a lot sturdier.

BM2BZ

$35.5? it's a no brainer. you probably could make something out of it if you sell it later.

K-A

Agreed. ^^

For that price on that car, with no miles on it, you can make a profit on it easily by reselling it.

It is kind of a no brainer at that price.

Kar don

no wonder why the dealer is so eager to get their hands on it! lol. You must have a high lease payment!

ESIX3POWER

Almost 8 a month. Yes they are very eager, I actually got a voice mail this morning again. lol.. I will prb ride out the remaining months and buy out the car.

MarcusBDUB

+2

petee1997

I would ride out the lease and order a 2013 CLS with good seats.

ngerstman

I know what you mean about the seats. My e550 driver dynamic seats are not that comfortable, they could have more cushioning. The seats on my 2001 e55 are much, much more comfortable, which is pathetic given that car is 11 years old. Your buyout at $35,000 sounds pretty cheap, especially for such a low mileage car. At worst, ride out the lease, buy the car and trade it in for something else some time down the road. I continue to believe that the design of the current e is the nicest ever and the solidity far exceeds all past models. I think that you're just going through a nostalgic period and miss your more comfortable seats, which I can understand. It's a shame that we even need to speak to that issue in $70,000 luxury sedans. Regards. Ned.

ESIX3POWER

Your car is really BadAss.

ESIX3POWER

Ned, you're 100% correct. My cousins has a 2002 E430 and the seating position is amazing. Specifically the tilting upwards of the frontal under thigh area, you can tilt it much higher than the W212.. They reall messed it up. Oh well.. I love the exterior and rigidity of the car but dammit all my driving takes place on that seat!

ngerstman

The seats on my 2001 e55 were special to the amg version. They are great seats!! I am tall and lean and don't have a lot of "natural cushioning". I find most of the Mercedes seats less than satisfying. I am embarrassed to say that I actually use a really nice lightly stuffed leather couch pillow on my seat for additional comfort. Pretty silly to have to do that but it works for me. I would rather do that than be perpetually uncomfortable or forced to buy a new car. Regards. Ned.

hyperion667

almost as badass as your avatar lol.....

K-A

Are the leather seats less padded, or too softly padded, or anything, compared to the MB Tex seats? I find my seats to be really comfortable, firm and well padded, yet not overly "cushy", i.e how you'd want your M-B/German seats to be.

newyorktoLA

I think the leather ones are a bit more plush than the MBTex ones. I think the stitching pattern makes a difference. To be honest though, the E class overall has thin seats. Its a world of difference in the S class. The seats are so wide and so adjustable!!! I wish there were more padding in the seats on the E class and I wish the seats were a bit wider

K-A

The seats are actually VERY narrow indeed. I am skinny and notice myself sitting on the side bolsters. I don't know how even average sized guys.... especially big guys, find themselves fit in there.

The padding I really find to be good actually. It isn't the most soft or plush seat, nor the most firm, but I think it's a nice balance, and IMO you can really feel the balance that is engineered into it when going on long drives (which I've done a ton of). Results will vary of course.

ngerstman

I do believe that there is a bit more cushioning with the mb-tex seats than with my leather driver dynamic seats. I had the e350 for three weeks before trading it back in for the e550. I didn't like where the break in the bosltering was with the e350 seats, running with the width of the car. It hit me in an uncomfortable spot. The bolstering of the leather seats runs front to back, better IMO. I realize that I am probably unusually sensitive to these kind of things having a very lean build. Regards. Ned.

Arrie

I say you are nuts if you don't buy the car for yourself. The next day after you trade it in and pay the same amount of money for something you want to drive they will be selling your cat for at least $10 000 markup.

If you must have a new car buy your ride and sell it yourself and then buy your new ride. You will do a lot better.

And about your problem with the car. You might be missing the seats in the E63 you had but I really think you are missing the power...