Sara Hackman

Im buying 2011 e350 with 60k miles. How reliable is the car? Will i spend lots of money on repairs and maintenances?

KEY08

You are buying a $60K-$70K car for what $17-$18K? These cars are very reliable, but it's still an $60-$70K automobile that will need work. Find a good independent shop that specializes in MB and you will be in good shape. Also have that shop look over the car from top to bottom BEFORE you buy it. You will save a lot of headache and not buy a problem.

cetialpha5

I have the same car. I'm a little over 110k on it. Like any car, it will need maintenance. Things to watch out for in this model year is the wood trim. Lots of them have faded. Open the door and look at the wood hidden by the door and see if it's the same color. You probably won't be able to get them to replace the wood, but you can have them discount the price more. The wood trim kit lists for 4k from MB, but I've seen kits on eBay go for $250-$400. Check the driver's seat for rips and make sure the seat heater works. Otherwise things I've done like brakes, thermostat, tensioner/pulleys, tires, etc have been at an indy garage. Only been to the dealer once for them to update the Comand firmware which helped with bluetooth, Sirius and keyless go.

Peachy

An "A Service" which consists of an oil change, oil filter change, and safety inspection and maybe other things runs around $200-$400. A "B Service" is an "A Service" plus cabin filter change and maybe other things and will run you $300-$600. Brakes and Rotors aren't cheap. Certain services like transmission fluid renewal, brake fluid renewal, coolant renewal are all not cheap. If you're used to Honda and Toyota prices, this may be a rude awakening. I'd say the car is really reliable as long as you keep up with maintenance.

cetialpha5

I believe you can buy the service packs for your car as long as it has under 80k. So if it has 60k and the service hasn't been done yet, I'd get a 3 service pack, I forget if it's $1200-$1400. That would include the spark plugs/transmission fluid if they're due at that interval. The 2011 isn't as bad as the 2012+ as the plugs are still easy to get to, 2012 was more expensive. I think traditional prices around here is $300 for Service A, $500-$600 for Service B. But I either DIY it (glorified service A oil change) or take it to an indy for much less. I think there was a discussion in another thread where someone was quoted $1500 by the dealer for front and rear brakes, but I know I could buy the parts like rotors and pads for around $400-$500 and diy it, or pay an indy another $200 or so to do it.

VegasE

Major improvements were made to the car in the 2012 MY. The most significant was an improved engine that has more HP and better gas mileage than the 2011. Also, the transmission has a much longer service interval. Consumer Reports gives the E350 high reliability marks. As others have said, dealer service is expensive so find a good indy shop. Cabin and engine air filters are easy DIY projects. Takes me about 30 minutes for both.

Mud

Get it checked by a shop familiar with MB. Lots of good general advice here but nobody knows anything about the specific car you want. What's the maintenance history as one example.

El Cid

Don't know your experience with different brands of cars, but M-B is expensive to maintain. Any European luxury car is. Whether you get an independent to do it or an M-B dealer. Don't let anybody tell you different. The prices quoted above are bottom of the range. An "A" service is generally $400 and a "B" is around $800.
As for reliability, the "E" is the most reliable for an M-B, but it is rated average by just about everybody and the older it gets, the more maintenance it requires.
The major problem is that if something does go wrong or needs replacing, it is usually fairly expensive to repair. Brake jobs, coolant flushes, brake fluid flushes, cabin filter replacements, batteries, transmission flushes. Cabin filters require removing part of the dash and also having special tools to do it. I changed the cabin filters on every car I have owned, including a Camry, and wouldn't touch my "E" due to difficulty level. Even if an independent does it, the parts are still very expensive. In addition, some procedures are time consuming compared to other brands, so the per hour labor costs go up.
If your previous car was a Camry, you are going from most reliable to moderately reliable. Consumer Reports does tend to rate it better than average, but have to take that with a grain of salt. Also, you are purchasing a 7 year old car.
Buy the car because you like it and the way it makes you feel. Then put aside some money every payday to cover insurance, property taxes, maintenance, etc.
Check the below website. It is another rating service and many members here participate in it.
https://www.truedelta.com/Mercedes-B...eliability-186
https://www.truedelta.com/car-reliability

Peachy

Guess I picked the right generation according to that website, nice.