dfordham

Have you made this inquiry on an Acura board as well?

While the responses in favor of MB that you have received are sincere, they are also quite predictable on a Mercedes enthusiast site. You may get a useful alternative view on an Acura site.

Regards,
Don

usamuscle

lol@ at the honda with leather...
No even close by a long shot. really though on a serious note, Acura is good value but just not comp to MB ..

GoBlando

My biggest problem with the TL was the seats not folding down. I use my car for many things and prefer versatility. If you get the TL, do it for the manual transmission.

mikeyle

everyone i know who has a lexus or acura always asks me if in worried about the repair costs and reliability of german cars, thats pretty much the only positive point they ever bring up with their cars...that says a lot to me.

Shadow5501

Which is interesting, because if you look at the latest JD Power dependability study (of 3 year old 2011 models), MB scores 2nd best as a brand. It's behind Lexus, but ahead of Acura, Honda, Toyota, and every other brand out there. Link to the JD Power press release: http://autos.jdpower.com/ratings/201...ss-Release.htm

atl7

thank you all for the feedback- i really appreciate it! so heres the scoop on the whole cpo thing. ive been looking around for the last couple of weeks and its been easy to find a used cpo tl as they have plenty in stock. the e350, not so much. ive seen a few at my local nissan and bmw dealer but for a cpo at mercedes theyre a couple grand more. based on your replies i know i should just go with the benz its a really nice car, but so is the tl! and yeah i know that brand really does matter and you cant beat a benz. at this point its really going to come down to numbers and if i wont be saving at least $2k with the tl then ill just go with the e350. thats probably going to be the case! what sells me on the e350 is how solid it is and the build quality

BM2BZ

not sure about acura but i'm sure you'll be safe in a mercedes if you were into an accident.

hyperion667

guess you have to ask: do you want to be one of those TL guys?
or know that you have a comfortable Mercedes Benz?

pamiboy

Look ahead five years from now. That TL may not look and feel as a premium car as now, but with the Benz you can wait 25 years and it'll still look good and feel special.
For reference just check out a 5-10 year old Acura TL and a similarly aged E class. You will know what I mean.

El Cid

When I was cross shopping ALL the "luxury/premium" brands, I considered how I would feel when I saw other luxury cars on the road. That limited me to Lexus and MB in the end. BMW has never been on my list. Acura is nice, but does not carry the "prestige" of MB, Lexus or BMW with the general population.
No regrets on choosing the E350.
However, there is no doubt that Lexus and Acura are much more reliable than anything made in Germany. Never have trusted JD Powers ratings. The April issue of Consumer Reports rates brands by reliability. Top 3 are Lexus, Acura and Audi, but Audi is new to the list. MB finishes about mid-pack and has for years. E Class is the best of MB's vehicles though.

atl7

yeah i agree on the reliability! and ive decided to get an e350. i saw one parked on a neighbors driveway yesterday and immediately fell in love. now i just have to go through negotiations and ill be done! its going to be either silver iridium or palladium silver, both with black interior and burnt walnut trim

martinlarose

Good luck with your search. Both are nice colors and easy to keep clean..let us know what you get and post some pics

BetterTomorrow

I say MB. I've not had too many MBs in the past (mostly stayed with BMW), but W212 was raved by reviewers all around the world when it first came out. I remember watching a MB PR video where the PR guys said something along the line of, "everything we've learned over the history of MB is in this car".

I had w212 for about 2 years and I am glad that I did. It was very reliable for 30k+ miles. And If I did not experience it, I would still wonder what it would be like to drive one regardless of what I drive now.

It's been about 3 months since I've been driving another car but I still miss my e time to time. I've never missed a car the way I miss e (maybe E39 M5 but it was and probably still is one of best sport sedans ever).

I do not think same sort of thing can be said about TL.

El Cid

Every time I look at mine, I'm impressed with its great looks and feel even better when driving it. Mine is Palladium Silver, which is more of a light gray in reality.
Make sure you read the Operator's Manual and COMAND Manuals in great detail. Lots of information in there.
Happy Motoring!

usamuscle

sorry this is not even a comparison in my eyes. Acura dosent come close to MB , BMW or even Audi. Your making waaay to much about the reliability. The TL is dull, ugly and the front looks like every boring Japaneese car . In fact That front end makes me barf . If you get the TL dont came back here because I will just make fun of you

MBNUT1

So the guy I bought my E class from was a devote Honda guy before he bought his first C Class that quickly led to an E Class which he had less that Honda reliability from which he in turn sold to me and bought an Acura RL. Within 6 months he traded the RL in on a couple year newer E class then traded that in on a W212 and hasn't looked back.

DerekACS

Be cautious about getting burl Walnut trim. This trim in W212 before August 2012 production was prone to fading from UV exposure. MBUSA has been very good apparently in replacing the walnut, but only for cars still under warranty.

You will probably find a good many CPO W212 with the black Ash trim; no fading issues with this wood trim.

Good luck on your search ! The W212 is a wonderful car, especially for highway cruising !

atl7

well considering im running this car to the ground, i want something that will take me there. sure acura doesnt have the prestigious name that mercedes does, but acura is more reliable and thats a huge factor for many people when buying a car. im comparing the two because theyre both great options and happen to have the same price. yes i agree the tl's front doesnt look as classy as the e350 but you dont need to completely insult the tl, its still a great car whether you think that or not. if you would have read my previous post you wouldve seen that im buying an e350 and wouldnt have needed to bash the tl

atl7

thanks for the heads up! i might just have to take my chances on the walnut since thats my favorite trim with the black leather. i would get black ash but it just makes the cabin a little too dark for me, still a really nice trim though!

pamiboy

Great choice of colors....

El Cid

Haven't had a problem with fading on my 2010, BUT it is garaged 90% of the time. Did have the MB dealer check it and put it on a work order so it would be there if starts to fade. They looked at the end of the dashboard that is covered when the door is closed. If this is different from exposed parts of trim, then fading is occuring.

chalkpie

Hey man - I have had my '08 E350 for a year now. LOVE the thing. It's just plain gorgeous inside and out. People notice this car, and has way more character than any Japanese car. They have absolutely no soul and are so generic. My philosophy after owning this thing: Life is too short NOT to drive a German sports sedan, especially a Benz! Do it man!

If you want more *****, why don't you go for a '12 E350 that has the 302 HP/273 ft.-lbs. engine?

My next move may be a '12 E550.

pamiboy

Have you found your car yet? Or still negotiating?
Please post some pictures if you are done with the deal. Cheers.

SnakeDoctor

Not exactly the same, but we bought a 2009 TL with Tech(non-AWD) and a 2010 E350 Sport Sedan. So I've experienced both cars.

Both cars great, great cars. To me, the TL is such a great value. The MB, such a great all-around car. I still have the MB. I sold the TL to my brother to keep it close, haha. I didn't want to sell it.

All the obvious, Japanese vs. German, sport vs. lux, repair cost, etc. aside...

Now, you are considering a 2012 TL which is after the minor facelift right? I was partial to the more aggressive look the 2009 had. And for that, I say go with the MB. The TL is newer and under warranty, that can't be discounted. Tough decision indeed!

Not to sound pompous, but there is something about being surrounded and experiencing the MB drive though.

michael61

Glad to hear they fixed the problem.

I got a ride in a dealer's older E350 and the wood looked really terrible. I saw it and wondered if my beautiful new wood was going to look like that after a couple of years. Sure hope it really is fixed since I intent to keep my car for a while.