2010 vs. 2012 E350
 

Hey guys. I'm still deciding on which car to buy, or should I say which E. Do you think it's worth the extra $3k-$4k for a RWD 2012 sedan- 25k miles with P1 package as opposed to a AWD 2010 sedan- 30k miles with P1? Both are certified. I don't think there's a huge difference between the years, just a little more power and better mpg for 2012. I know I do like the sound of the 2010 naturally aspirated a lot more than the 2012 direct injected. What do you all think? Thanks in advance.

I don't know if this helps you but when I was purchasing my 2010 I wanted 4Matic and it was a requirement to me. If 4Matic is not important to you, why buy something you don't want or need? It's still summertime, but there were several flash thunderstorms recently that I drove through and I felt 'more' confident with the 4Matic.
The NA engine, some consider dated, but it has track record. That being said, at times, i did wish I had a little more power under the hood in certain situations. And you are right about the published better mpg, 2012 - 20city/30hwy vs 2010-4matic - 17city/24hwy. Fuel cost is real, you can do the math.

i had the same decision to make about a year ago, the extra hp and mileage won me over.

I love the AWD. That was a requirement for me as well. A 2012 will be more attractive in a few years vs. the 2010 if that concerns you.

After listening to the DI engine for a little I think I actually like it more than the NA- but not while it's idling or at startup. Words can't describe how awesome my 2010 C300 sounds at morning startup. Lol anyways I still can't decide if it's worth the extra $3k for a 2012. But a 2010 is out of the question due to not so great reliability, so now it's a 2011 vs. 2012. Going to be a tough choice!

So, in less than 1 day you discoverd that the 2010 is unreliable? Good luck to your real world search. Just order a 2015 and dont complain.

I live in New England and have never owned an all wheel drive car. So NO IT IS NOT worth the extra $4K for the "all wheel drive" IMHO

I live in NY & only would drive a AWD....
I had a 2011 4matic & loved it.
I have a 2014 4matic & really like the extra HP.

This is a real world search considering I have this thing called a budget and can't just go out and blow $60k on a new E-Class. Furthermore, I'd like to get something that's not in the repair shop every other month, which led me to doing some research so I could do this thing called saving money. That led me to discover that actual 2010 owners have had many more repairs than 2011 owners. Good thing I'm in the "Real World" otherwise I'd be up to my eyeballs in debt!

To be honest, if you cant afford the repair bills on a Merc, then dont buy one. Not trying to be rude, but it is reality. If at all possible try to get one under CPO.
When the warranty ends on these cars, the repair bills can be really expensive. More and more electroincs fail a lot faster than the engines and drivetrains at this level. I left my BMW after a year due to out of warranty electrical expenses. You had/have a Mercedes so you must know how painful some of the out of pocket expenses can be.
On a more personal note, I owe you an apology for coming across as being crass. :cheers:

No man it's cool! I will be purchasing a CPO for sure but still want it to be reliable. Yes, this will be my 3rd Mercedes but luckily I've only heard about expensive repair bills and never experienced them! My 2010 C300 has had a couple minor fixes and my only expensive fix was when my 1998 CLK430's computer had to be replaced. I'd love an E550! But I don't need that much power and I need better fuel economy. :y

I'm not sure where you are, but at least in Canada, MY2012 had a stitched dash and upper door panels as standard equipment for the E Class. The extra stitching really ups the interior feeling to a different level.

if you do the math youd be saving about 500 a year on gas with the newer 2012, so the 3k price difference will work itself out if you keep the car for 5-6 years, but honestly i think it comes down to if you need awd or not, if you need it then obv get the 2011 but if its not really a necessity than the 2012 is the answer.

2010-2012
 

Why not look for a 2012 w/4Matic?

Can anybody share what the real world mileage difference between the pre di and di motors is? (4matics prefered)

They are about the same......

Thanks for the reply need to know because epa shows a 20% improvement for the di motor cars. If this is not the case then I will be buying an 2011.

Any other experiences. Need to know by tomorrow.

Thanks

I only have 2500 miles... Maybe it will improve after 10k.
I had a 2011 4matic sport & loved it. But I like the 2014 better.

What kind of mileage have you seen with each one? What kind of driving is associated with your mileage figures?

My sister is getting much better mileage with her 2013 E3504matic than she did with her2008 C3004matic and that car is rated better by the epa than the 2011 E3504matic

I know with a 2010 E350W4 I got 23 mpg and with 80% hwy. With a 2011 e350 bluetec I get 31 mpg same route. I would guess the 2012 gets 26-27.

The trade is between a 2011 lux with 39k for 30k vs a 2012 sport with 26.5k for 35k both CPO cars.

i would go with the 2012 if I could convince myself that the mileage was that much better

I haven't driven the sport much but I like the lux a lot. It feels perfectly Mercedes to me.

18 suburbs
25 hwy
But the car is not broken in yet

for $5k.....
I'd go for the lower millage & more horsepower.
The extra HP is needed on this car.

Cracked me up:rolf:

I agree, the E-350 may have plenty of low to mid range power for a V6 but it leaves power to be desired on the highway IMO.

I guess that's what the E-550 and E63 are for...