Hoping to own a E350
 

The boss (wife) needs a new to her car and she likes the E350. Looked at a 2011 E350 4matic today and seemed like a nice car. Has the sport package and P1 package and under 30k miles. My question are is the car a lot of maintenance (compared to my F150), can a person do their own maintenance, is this going to be a reliable car? Thanks I really appreciate it and any other info would be awesome that anyone has.

It's really hard to say. I went from a 2013 C250 Coupe (perfectly reliable/low service requirements) to a NEW 2014 Chevy CC Z71 4x4 and it was the worst vehicle I ever owned. It was in for Repairs 22 times in 2 1/2 years. I was so glad to be out of the POS and back into a Mercedes-Benz. 30K miles for a 2011 is EXTREMELY low mileage. They require service every 12 months or 13K miles.

Doing your own maintenance is completely dependent on your tools, your ability and your knowledge, both of the car and of working on cars in general... so can't help with that one..., as for reliability... can speak from experience in that I've experienced no unusual issues here... also, do a google search for "reliability of mb e350" and there are plenty of sites that assess the reliability of these cars, issues for different model years, etc. The routine maintenance schedule is pretty much in line with other cars in its price range.

I looked on consumer reports and the car had good ratings. I have been searching online and haven't really found anything horrible on the car. I guess the maintenance I read about sort of scared me as I have always have done my own i.e. Spark plugs, oil changes, brakes, transmission fluid. She just wants a car that will last like a Honda or Toyota, but doesn't want one those cars.

I purchased a 2010 with 48k recently, I also did a lot of searching/reading, it appears the E350 has excellent ratings, and you will probably find the same thing here in the forum. I am very happy so far with my car.

I would get a PPI from a M-B dealer, or a Indy shop knowledgeable with M-B. If you want to do your own maintenance, then have the proper tools and equipment necessary. I am extremely prejudiced, so YMMV. Good luck!

The Mercedes maintenance does take a lot of specialty tools, except for oil and oil filter filter changes. Use only oem mercedes or Mann oil filters for Mercedes. Transmission is sealed but still requires service every 40,000 miles and cost 300.00 to 400.00. a 4matic also cost a little more in service. I am a repeat Mercedes buyer and love how they drive and ride but I must say that my wife's 2011 Genesis 4.6 V8 with the same options is much more reliable and with its 385 hp v8 its fast. For comparison the Genesis transmission service cost about 600.00. We purchased the Genesis new and now have 201,000 miles on it with no problems at all. Will I buy another Mercedes? Yes / Will I buy another Hyundai Genesis? Yes. Hope this helps.

It's a German car and not a Ford, so parts will be more expensive (i.e., $200 thermostat), but overall very reliable. The 2011 is getting on in years and you need to make sure you have all of the service records. The 4Matic design is a bit quirky for those models which involves a marriage between the transfer case and the transmission. If you have an issue with the transfer case it will more than likely involve a whole new transmission to fix. Just be aware of some of these things that can be big ticket. I have had my share of Hondas, Toyotas, Acuras, and multiple M-B cars including an AMG (bought new and sold before the end of warranty). I have never had one of those Asian cars leave me stranded anywhere. I cannot say the same about the M-B cars. The only reason I like and buy M-B is because when they are running well and sorted there is nothing on the market that can compare for me.

Everything you've named is fairly simple to DIY with the exception of the transmission fluid. I've seen everything else on your list mentioned multiple times in threads on this forum. I even learned how to change the spark plugs and ignition coils from this forum and never have on any other car before my current MB. If you're use to DIYing then you'll be ok I'm sure.

Thanks everyone for the great advice. The boss pondered it too long and it sold so I will keep my eyes open for another one now that I know they are good cars.