Hi. I am thinking about upgrading to a gently used 2013 or 2014. I have tried doing research on the differences and only see that there were over 200 changes between the years. Is one year preferred over the other? I know that the lighting is LED and the front has two different styles now, luxury or sport. If you were going to upgrade, which year would you go with? I have always heard to go with the last year that the model existed because most kinks were worked out. Not sure if 2013 is considered that or 2014. Gas mileage appears to be the same. Any accessories that I should stay away from? Any advice is very appreciated!

 

Well what options do you like? There's a lot more used 2014's on the market now as they've come off lease now. 2013 is harder to find. If you like the bixenons, 2013 was the last year they had them, then it was just LED on the 2014+. Collision prevention is new on 2014+ and so is park assist, you just had parking guidance on the 2013 which just told you how to park, the assist actually does it for you. It's easier to find them with more options in the later years, the early years certain options like keyless go weren't that common but in later years it was more common. Plus if you get it with some of the factory warranty left, you can either get an extended warranty or get another 2 years of CPO warranty so the newer the car, the longer your warranty is going to be.

 

For me, it was simply a styling preference. I like the 2013 over the 2014. I'm sure many others like the 2014 better. Both are very nice.

 

yeah, major factors would be styling and price difference.

 

I hung out on these forums as a lurker before finally registering. I purchased a 2014 E350 last march. I liked it so much, that I had to have a E550! My dealer was able to find a 2013 E550. Personally, I like the pre-facelift grill, so it was easy to go back a year. The E550 I bought had 3 less months of CPO coverage than my trade-in, so that was insignificant IMO. Both years that you are considering were excellent, and I would buy what you like best. CPO warranty coverage would be a must have to give you peace of mind with your purchase.Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the advice. I guess it will just come down to what I find. I'm kind of old school on the options. I think the more electronics you have, the more your chances go up for sensors, etc., to go bad. Just wasn't sure if '13 was superior over the '14 mechanically because it is a bit older with the tech. There are a lot of '14s now because of cars coming off of lease.

If I buy from a non-Mercedes dealer, can I extend the warranty through Mercedes-Benz? I am not impressed with third-party extended warranty companies and do not think they are financially stable.

 

If the car is under it's original 4yr/50k warranty, yes.

 

I would go 2014, I had both pre-face lift and 2014, 2014 feel much more sportier,HP increased from 26x->30x, newer tech functions (lights, safety, graphic) now 2014 is undervalued due to massive off lease amounts. (Many people leased 2014 E over 2012 or 2013) you can buy 66k MSRP car around 30k which just passed 2-3 years, I think you should go for 2014 even consider resale value.

 

2012 models got the direct injection engines with increased HP.

 

IMO the tech is the best part of these cars. Latest tech will make the car seem less dated after time goes by.

 

Yeah, and I wouldn't worry about the tech too much. Most of the stuff that goes is pretty standard and you also have the option of not fixing it. I have a 2008 and most of the tech is still good, parktronic, keyless go, bixenons, headlamp washers, power trunk closer, bluetooth etc. Reading through the threads, there doesn't appear to be a specific tech that's really bad. Right now I'm just enjoying all of them and not really worrying too much about the repair bill, I either DIY or use a cheap indy mechanic.

2014 also had options like the collision prevention assist and options like distronics were more common, they were really hard to find in the previous generation. If you actually compare the prices of 2013 to 2014, it's almost the same. Only reason I'd get a 2013 would be if it were loaded and had the bixenons, last year you could get them.

 

About how much premium is a '14 vs '13?

The '14 represents a number of updates as noted above, but what's the $ premium?

Seems the '12 represented a modest mid-cycle update and the '14 was more comprehensive.

 

I would go with the 2014. MB spent a lot of money to refresh the car. I think it was in the range of several hundred million euros.

 

Really depends on which styling you like better, if you have a preference at all. I personally like the wheel arch treatment over the rear wheels in the pre facelift variant. Reminds me of a 1950's Bentley coupe. The DI injection engine came in for MY 2012. Inside is mostly the same, but with more metal trim and a bit less wood trim- that's for 2014. Iwould suspect that behind the wheel, the 2 feel largely the same.

 

2014s