I am thinking about getting a E class wagon as a family hauler. I don't like the way SUVs/Crossovers drive and so I've been looking at wagons. The E-class has a lot more appeal to me than the other few wagon options available (Audi Allroad, Volvo V60/90, Subaru Outback, VW). I plan to drive the car 10k miles a year and want to keep it as long as possible, 10+ years. I want to minimize maintenance headaches and costs. I'd prefer not to splurge for new E400 and would rather buy a CPO E350 with less than 30k miles and add on the maximum extended warranty and prepaid maintenance package for peace of mind. I don't really want to spend much more than $40k as this car will be used mostly on weekends and road trips. I have no tolerance for having my car in the shop every few months (I have a 10+ year old Acura for reference).

I am trying to figure out the sweet spot to buy in terms of price/warranty/tech for CPO E350 from 2012-2016. I understand that MB has 4 years of warranty for new. CPO adds on 1 year + whatever is left of the 4yr original. Then you can buy another 2 years (max is 3 years, but since CPO gives you 1 year, assuming you can buy additional 2 years only and not 3 years). Assuming a 2012, the warranty would end 2019, the car is about $32k. A 2015 is for $43k and warranty would run out 2022. A 2016 is $52k and warranty would go until 2023. All are under 20k miles. Not sure how much the extra 2 years of warranty costs and what prepaid maintenance costs, is 4k total ballpark a good guess? If there is no advantage buying a newer car, and the car should be reliable for my use (again 10k miles per year), I'd rather buy the cheapest car. I can't justify buying a new E400 wagon or CPO E400 wagon as this car will not be driven daily, most weekends and road trips.

 

I don't think a 2012 would have extended warranty till 2021 unless it was sold in 2014. Maximum warranty is 7 years from original sale date.

Cost for a 2 year extension to the CPO is likely going to be around $2500 to $3000. a 3 pack of pre-paid maintenance is $1400.

My current car is a 2013 E350 wagon, has been very reliable. I've owned it since new, it's got just under 32k miles on it. I got 3 year extended warranty so it runs till May 2020 (was purchased May 2013 when the 2014 models were just coming out).

I think the E class is probably the most reliable of all MB models, so as long as the car has been maintained, you have a good chance of getting a reliable one.

There was no E400 wagon in the US for 2012-2016 MY.

The only one complaint I have is the 3rd row, there is no Vents back there, so on hot days, it gets very warm back there and whoever is stuck in the 3rd row can get car sick easily.
As my kids get older and their friends get bigger, they are starting to out grow the 3rd row in the wagon, so we're now shopping for a GLS to replace our wagon. So if you intend to use the 3rd row, keep in mind it's only suitable for small kids. (manual states 3rd row is only for those up to 4'7" tall or 110lbs)

 

"I have no tolerance for having my car in the shop every few months (I have a 10+ year old Acura for reference)."

i stopped reading after that statement. hopefully you have a tolerance for broken stuff, otherwise you will be.... my service adviser knows me quite well. In fact i just made another appointment today...

 

Not everyone has had the same experiences. I've owned nothing but german cars for the last 22+ years and have had no major issues with any of them. A few minor repairs but nothing major.

Over hundreds of thousands of miles, they've all been very reliable. Needing very little other than normal maintenance.

 

Of the ones you stated, I would do an E class. Allroads are a nightmare (I have one currently, owned 3) , Volkswagens ( I have 3 currently, have had over 15), Volvos are good but are expensive for maintenance/work more so than the E. I would rather have an E class.

 

if you can try to knock off 2-3grand over the price listed in autotrader, you would be lucky.
try to get the distronic plus, 360 camera etc packages. especially that LED lightning package for brighter visibility on the road.
I didn't know your zip, else I would've searched few cars for you.

 

What options do you want in the car? What color? Searching on the MBUSA CPO site there are 28 E350 wagons from 2012 to 2016, the cheapest being a 2012 at $33K with 17K miles.

 

If still in CPO have you looked into extending through MB?

 

we bought a 2016 E350 wagon CPO in December 2020, and got the max CPO extension, its running out this December. It has 28700 miles when we bought it, and has 57000 milles now. We've needed ZERO repair services that would have been covered by CPO, only repairs were minor rodent wire damage under the hood, twice, fixed by our good Mercedes Indie shop a lot cheaper than the dealer. At the time, this was the *ONLY* 2016 White "Luxury" car we could find in the whole US, we had it shipped from a dealer in New Mexico.

the day it was delivered we took it for a ~200 mile test drive, this was down in Big Sur near sunset...