Hello

I'm considering 2013 E350 Sedan for my next car. Looking at CPO. But I honestly don't know anything about Mercedes Benz cars. I'm coming off of a lease on a BMW 1 series which I love but with 2 kids, it's just not practical for my life. Also that was 1st time leasing a car and I hated that feeling of renting a car for 3 years. Granted it worked out as it would have sucked if I owned it considering the current situation. So I am saying good bye to my little go kart and looking to move up to a big sedan.

I've test drove BMW 528i, GS350 and E350 and so far I like the E350 best. As far as I can tell it offers the best value in that E350 CPO prices are in line with 528i CPO prices oppose to 535i which runs about anywhere between $4k-$7k higher. I hated the Lexus...I just never like any Toyota products.

But here are a few questions that I am hoping experts can shed some light on:

Why is the price on 2013 so much lower compared against 2014 E350? Because of the face list? There seems to be a big price drop on 2014 vs 2013, more so than you would expect.

Is 2013 a good year for W212? I really like the pre-face lift look but are the cars significantly better in 2014 model?

Is there a must have options? All the E350's I've looked at so far seems to have Premium Package 1, Spoilers, and few other smaller options.

Thanks!

 

Consider the E550 too.

 

Good choice. I myself moved from a C55 AMG to a 2014 E350 and considered the same alternatives as you because of my 4 year old daughter, that I live in the north east and the E comes with 4 wheel drive. The biggest differences between the 2013 and 2014 E's are interior and exterior styling. That is a personal choice. As far as options go, I would get split-folding rear seats for convenience, the P1 package at a minimum (since it comes with NAV, bluetooth, iPod (almost any external media) hookups, a CD changer and a better stereo (some people like it, I do, some people, mostly audiophiles do not). Some people like the panoramic sun roof. I do not. It is prone to rattling an lets in too much light for those who like to be enclosed when the sun roof is shut. If you can find them, the automatic trunk closer and active multi-contour dynamic front seats and leather are nice options, but not at all necessary and not easy to find on an E350. Typically, those options are more readily found on the E550, but that model itself is much rarer than the E350. Good luck with your hunt!

 

Thanks for the replies. Looking at local stocks of CPO E-class...It seems E550's are very hard to find and definitely command a much larger price tag.

Do E550 & E350 have the same suspensions? One thing I am little unsure on E350 is the suspension. I am used to pretty firm ride and E350 on sports mode still felt little floaty. Is there an option that gives you a firmer ride? Or do all the W212's come with the same suspensions?

 

some have airmatic as an option, which is adjustable. but any e-class is liable to feel floaty compared to your 1 series!

 

The differences between the pre and post face lift (2014+) W212 are far greater than just exterior/interior styling changes. Having owned both a 2013 E350BT and now a 2015 E250BT, maybe I can highlight some of the mechanical/electrical changes.

With over 2000 new parts, the 2014+ models have a revised auto transmission that shifts faster and smoother, revised steering, upgraded structural changes to the floorpan (from January 2014 build date), revised instrument binnacle, revised Command system, much improved rear tail light clusters, available full LED intelligent lights plus numerous other minor improvements.

My suggestion would be to test drive both a 2013 and a 2014. If you are willing to go for a 2014, be sure to get one with the full LED head lights. These lights are a definite upgrade from the bi-zenons that were installed on the 2012-2013 models. As others have suggested, the split fold down seats are a must have option (IMO) and leather is another nice option to have.

Good luck on your search.

 

The E350 is a much better family car. The 550 has a few more bells and whistles maybe, but primarily it has a V8 and goes faster. This will be reflected in your insurance rates. Maintenance may be higher on 550 also, but not sure.
Also, airmatic suspension is not reliable and costs a lot to get it fixed.
As for 13 vs. 14, look at both carefully and give them good test drives.
I have an E350 with the Premium 1 package and it satisfies all my needs. I special ordered it and looked over all the options. Didn't see anything else I needed.
Just to muddy the waters, the E comes in Luxury and Sport versions. Little difference in trim on exterior and appearance of interior features. Main difference is that Luxury has a comfort suspension and rides better than the Sport.
Assume it is still the same but the Sports mode on E350's is for the transmission shift points, not for suspension.
Good luck.

 

I was in the same boat about 2 years ago, looked at 5 series, E class and GS350. I went with CPO 12E class, great car, love it.

As far as I know, there is not that much difference between 12 and 13, 14 got a face lift and some dash changes. IMO, its a same chassis, and I am not a fan of the new face lift.

 

+1 to Derek.
If you don't like the styling of 2014 facelift, the get the most loaded option available on the 2013. Otherwise you'll feel buyer's remorse for paying so much for a used car which doesn't have features that are common in regular new commuter cars now a days.

 

You should test drive a 550 with Airmatic and P2 option and some other options, like distronic, pano, etc. Once you drive one, you won't want anything else. No mushy suspension, leather, comfortable, and goes like stink. There is no insurance premium that I am aware of and the newer Airmatic system is way more reliable than the past. These are incredible highway cruisers, that are a pleasure to drive.

 

I had a 2011 E350 and just upgraded to a 2013 E550. Aside from the differences in engines, I believe the items you get with the P2 package (which I now have in the 550) make it feel like how I imagine a Mercedes-Benz SHOULD be. I had P1 in the 350 and it was fine, but having the Bi-Xenon lights, ventilated front LEATHER seats, automatic trunk-closing button, and a few other things (which I admittedly don't really need or care for) really defines the car and what makes this a luxury brand. I also get better gas mileage from the direct-injected V8TT (still babying it, for the most part) than I ever did in the indirect-injected V6.

From your first post, I take it your requirements are that the new car be a big sedan (to accommodate the kids), but not necessarily be a Mercedes (since you loved the BMW and were considering Lexus). I also assume you want a newer car. But despite that last one, I would give the Lexus LS a chance, because the 2006 LS430 Ultra Luxury I looked at awhile back was AWESOME, for a car that old (but it has to be the UL model). Didn't feel like driving a typical Toyota at all. 1 owner, the owner of that particular dealership, so all the maintenance was done on time and with top-tier service... low miles, too. If you can find a car like that, it might be worthwhile and still have more features than a P1 (perhaps even P2) E350 and still be just as reliable as any 10+ year old Toyota. Just an alternative, of course.

My advice is, if you're going with the pre-FL E350, get the newer engine (2012-2013) version with P2, if you can find one with it. But don't "settle" (like I did the first time) just to have that MB feel. But the E550, though harder to find, would be more likely to have the "right" features (P2), and is honestly more enjoyable to have.

I also drove a GS350 and it felt like driving a Toyota, so I'm with you on that. And while I never drove a 5 Series, I have driven in a few 3's (328ix, 335is, M3) and even a 128i and none of them gave me that luxury feel like when I drove the E (or even the 5-years-older-at-the-time LS) for the first time.

 

Drove both, but found a 2014 with the adaptive LED and I was sold. It does have both P1 & P2 along with multicontur seats. So it's pretty loaded, it was not that much more than the 2013.

 

There are so many used E class on the market with less than 30K miles, 2 years old (2014 - 2 years warranty left) and 50% off the original MSRP (So low 30K). With the new style coming out, I can only imagine the deals get better. All my previous cars are brand new. But I bought E350 used. If it depreciates that much, I'm willing to sacrifice the new car smell.


I'm happy with the purchase but I'm disappointed with MBUSA comparing to the experience I had with BMW, Toyota, and Honda. BMW/Toyota/Honda treated their customers much better when issues happened comparing to MBUSA in my experience.


My need to have options are 2014: Keyless Go, P1 (almost everyone has it), Sport Steering Wheel, AMG Wheels, Lane Tracking.


Adaptive LED and parking sensors would be nice but I couldn't find one with the others at the price I'm willing to pay. I set the willingness to pay price cap at 35K. A two year old E350 should worth less than that.


After driving a few days on the 2014 E350, something I miss from BMW and Lexus:


- No heating steering wheel with sport steering wheel
- No parking sensor by default (Almost all Lexus has that)
- No power folding mirrors (not a big deal but hey...)
- No one key short cut to dial a specific phone number (Could be I'm still new to the Command system. I need to be in the phone menu to use speed dial - two buttons. On BMW, I can have one key dial to a specific person)
- The power back curtain is "too low" when popped up. Kind of blocking the rear mirror view. It can go higher when fully extended.


These are small things I expect to be standard on E350. There are many good things.


It puzzled me that Mercedes depreciate so much in two years while CR rated the E class very reliable. The depreciation made it too good a deal to pass on or not buying used. For the 2014 model, you don't need to pay for CPO if it puts a premium on the car. CPO only gives you one extra year of warranty.

 

This is so true. Everything seems to be sort of a-la-carte on a Mercedes, kind of like a fine restaurant vs. a normal chain (lesser brands). Things that are extremely common on other lesser brands, like keyless Go, parking sensors, heated seats, backup camera, etc. Make sure you look over every option and decide what you really want, then seek it out when buying used. With P2 package you get most of it, except the really crazy premium stuff like Pano roof, Distronic, Parktronic, Lane keep, Airmatic, Dynamic seats.

I have a rather low option P1 E550, but it still feels like a luxurious car. I attribute that to the overall fit and finish and solid feeling of the E-class in general. I test drove a similar year/mileage 535i and it felt like it was already loose and falling apart. My E feels like a new car still.

Coming from the pocket rocket, I imagine you will definitely want the Sport package vs. Luxury. Even the sport MB does not feel as tight as any BMW. It's a bit of a different audience they're going for. This mainly come down to some exterior styling queues, wheels, and suspension.

As far as 2013 vs 2014, of course there is always a price gap when a new model comes out. It's significant enough of a "facelift" that most buyers will see it as more desirable to have the newer look model.

 

I have the sport model 2014 E350 and I believe the suspension is a little lower and and little firmer on the sport model than the luxury model. I think the sport models are 1 inch lower -- set to or closer to euro spec's. I definitely agree with DerekACS about the LED lights. I have the full LED's with the automatic cornering and hi/low beam switching -- the are fantastic -- leaps and bounds above the bi-zenons on my prior C55. He also posted some great information regarding the changes between the pre-FL and post-FL models of which I was unaware. Thanks Derek.

In general, w/ 302 hp, the 2014 E350 sport is as fast as my old 1998 V8 MB C43 AMG, and is much more comfortable. The 2014 E350 Sport does not handle as well as my 2005 C55 AMG but its pretty close and I find the 4matic and the updated shift points (especially in "Sport" mode) make for more enjoyable driving. Granted, with a family now I'm not burning up the roads any longer.

 

I had a 2010 and now have a 2014, and I agree with those who say that, everything else being equal, the many changes/improvements make the facelift cars nicer that the pre-facelift. Offsetting the higher initial cost, you should get a better warranty, and, if you just can't get past the star grille, they do sell the luxury version with the bar-style grille.

The 2014 (and 2015 and 2016) sport models do come with comfort suspension. It is part of the Sport Package, and has been discussed in other threads here. Whether it is exactly the same a the comfort suspension on a luxury version, I couldn't say. It may not be BMW-firm, but I have no complains about my ride, and can't really tell the difference from my old 2010 which had sport suspension.

If you buying from a dealer (CPO), have him print the build sheet. Or you could post the VIN here and someone will help you. Good luck.

 

FWIW, I've enjoyed my CPO 2013 E350 Sport over the last 6 months. I had to have the split rear seats for Home Depot runs, Xeon headlight (P2) and light package (headlights turn with steering wheel inputs). it's a comfortable cruiser that come alive with speed.

Happy shopping!

 

My CPO 2013 E350 Sport has been completely trouble free in the 15 months I have owned it. Ride is somewhat firmer that my W 211 Bluetec but handles well with 18 inch rims and Conti Pro Contacts.