NEWBY

Thanks Max
My driving is 95% highway. Typically 60mi each way, once every 5 or 6 days to get groceries and booze. Sometimes 120mi each way if i want to hit the nearest costco. Maybe 10mi/day local mileage

pierrejoliat

Interesting, My first new Benz was a 190E 2.6, '91. It was awesome! Been driving Benz's ever since. We named it "Baby Beluga" Blue with tan interior.

LILBENZ230

It depends on what you're looking for. I have had 5 Mercedes cars in my life, and with the exception of the 2011 C300, I have loved them all. But between my last Benz, a 2014 C350, and my current 2016 E350 I spent a couple of years driving Kia Souls. Both I bought used, first a loaded 2015 then a turbo 2017. I loved those, too. Still do, I still think about buying another one. Of all the cars I've owned, I think I liked the Souls the best. After my 2009 W211 burned up in a house fire and I needed a car quickly, I purchased a brand new Corolla back in 2014. I didn't keep it for too long, but to this day that car still ranks #1 on my most comfortable seats list.

What I'm saying is that Mercedes has its thing. They do what they do well, and they're good. But I have been able to enjoy many other cars, some much cheaper.

pierrejoliat

Well I would agree with that, I have found some nice features in non-Benz's. Newby's location doesn't bode well for easy maintenance either, the nearest Benz dealer for the more sophisticated repairs is in Quebec City, Bangor or Halifax likely.

DFWdude

If you've owned BMWs and Audis previously, you're looking at about the same amount of maintenance expense in any MB. For a facelift E-Class, you're looking mainly at basic maintenance (oil and filter changes, engine and cabin filters, tires etc). As it gets older -- any car really -- the expense will become more frequent and possibly more expensive. I say possibly, because I have a 2001 C-Class that has started to cost real money only in the last couple years. So, ownership of that nearly 20 year-old car has been a dream.

As pierrejoliat noted, if you can't tell the difference riding in a Benz vs a Toyota, then you may be better off with the Toyota. I've owned two Nissans, one Toyota and two Hondas in the past, and they were fine, reliable vehicles. In my case, though, driving my wife's Hyundai Sonata or my Honda SUV (son's car now) always reminds me how much better the E350 is. The ride is much more sophisticated and smooth, even with the E350 Sport suspension.

LILBENZ230

Funny you mention that because I have a friend with a 2019 Prius that he adores and I regularly drive it when we go places. I always think "wow, this is pretty good actually, and look at that 50+mpg and I'm not even trying"

Then he drives my car and is like "it just glides!"

NEWBY

Yeah, GLIDING is the strange and wonderful sensation I’ll always remember from that hitchhike ride 190D.

Here on Campobello Island I am about 100 miles from either the Bangor or Saint John Mercedes dealer so that is not so much of a concern

(maybe dumb) question: is there a way to determine the state of the DEF tank prior to purchase?

MBNUT1

I liked my '89 190e 2.6 5 spd manual much better than the W211 or the current W212 that I now have. It was much more of a true Benz that either of the more recent cars.

Alandf

Just a funny thought .......Mr Diesel's first name is Rudolf And here it is Xmas!
No disrespect meant ,but go for a gasoline motor

pierrejoliat

Doors that sounded like bank vault closing! Straight six engine that sounded like a half a Messerschmitt engine, I miss that car, also my first built in cell phone! Back when you dialed the operator and gave her the number! Damn I'm old... My youngest daughter's first car...

ml3504matic____

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El Cid

Yes. I have read reviews in auto magazines stating how great M-B, BMW, Audi, etc. are, but also add it is a German car so be ready for frequent and expensive maintenance. This applies whether the dealer does it or an independent does it.
I really like my 2010 E350, but a lot of warranty work was performed during the seven years it was covered. Only has 40,000 miles on it so keeping it for a while. My wife has a 2014 Nissan Rogue with same mileage and it has been perfect. Rides better and quieter than my Luxury E350. Also better gas mileage and lower insurance. Insurance is based on cost to repair vehicles by brand and M-B costs more because repair places charge more to repair them. Not to mention exorbitant cost of parts. Labor costs on M-B are higher because they take longer to do them.
Example: I have the Nissan and a 2011 Toyota Tacoma pick-up. Will cost $250 at dealership for A service on the Benz and take two hours (no loaners), whereas it takes 45 minutes or so on the Toyota and the Nissan and cost about $100 to $150 for same service.
The other problem is that I live within 20 minutes of a large city with all dealerships except the foreign luxury brands. The M-B dealer is a 45 minute drive one way. So, it becomes a 3.5 hour trip for A service, which is the least & quickest they do.
They also replace parts a whole lot more often.
Now, the old hands will jump on me for degrading M-B, but you asked. I really like the way my car looks and the overall ride so I keep it.

LILBENZ230

I mean, the maintenance stuff.. the basic stuff.. can be handled by independents for much cheaper.

Otherwise the only thing I really take issue with here is the 2014 Rogue comment. I've owned a Rogue and had a few as rentals, and none of them rode better than my E350 and they were not quieter either. That's an odd observation. The Rogue is a great vehicle for sure, but it's weird that you would have that experience.

El Cid

Even independents will still cost more than for a comparable American or Asian car for the same service is my point.
Ride comfort and quietness are top of my list for vehicles. That's why I got the Luxury version of the E350. The Rogue just rides better and is quieter. Don't know why, but it is. One reason why I got it was because it was rated better than comparable small SUV's.

LILBENZ230

Odd. That definitely doesn't mirror my experience with Rogues vs my 2016 E350. But YMMV, as they say. That's not to take away from the Rogue, as again I've purchased one in the past and think they're great vehicles.

El Cid

What does YMMV mean? Just curious.
Actually, if I got rid of the E350 I would probably get a Rogue Sport, which is a smaller version but supposedly rides well and is comfortable. Easier to get in and out of SUV's than sedans these days. But, don't want to yet as I really like the Benz and think the 2010 version is the best looking vehicle M-B has made, inside and out.

LILBENZ230

YMMV - Your mileage may vary. Basically saying no two experiences are exactly the same.

cetialpha5

Just makes me wonder if there's something wrong with your E350 when you say that. Maybe motor mounts are starting to go or the feel of a 4matic is a little different. I'm always surprised at how smooth and quiet the car is so that's why some find it strange that you don't feel so. Sedans typically ride better than SUVs. Maybe it's the tires, too much air maybe? If you go above the placard on the car, it will make it ride stiff. Certain OEM tires aren't that great either.

pierrejoliat

My youngest has a '16 Nissan Sentra SL, it has a sunroof ,navigation, leather and power everything including disc brakes in back, been a very reliable car and gets excellent gas mileage, but... I'm having a little trouble with the comparison too.

El Cid

Nothing wrong. In fact I complained to the dealer soon after getting it and they went all over the car's suspension and so forth. The answer: It's a German sports sedan and that is the way they ride and sound. I did road test one before purchasing, but Luxury versions were hard to find and they had to borrow one from a customer. The ride and sound were not as predominant on a 30 minute test drive as on a 2-4 hour drive.
Not the tires nor the TP. I purchase tires rated for comfort and quite rides.

NEWBY

Somebody mentioned that they loved the Kia Soul as much as any other car they had ever driven. That’s interesting, because I recently test drove one. A 2021. Surprisingly nice car to drive with a compliant suspension, good steering and pretty flat cornering. The CVT is not terrible and you could almost say the car has ample power.Unique and good looks. And at just over 60 cubes of total cargo, quite practical. I’d probably get one if I did not have to have AWD.

LILBENZ230

That was me. I love the Gen2 Soul (2014-2019). I owned a 2015 and a 2017, which was pre-facelift and post-facelift for that generation. Both nice cars - panoramic roofs, blind spot monitoring, heated front/rear seats (2015 cooled seats), CarPlay, harman/kardon audio, HID headlights, power folding mirrors.. I mean, they really threw a ton of equipment at those things. The new ones from 2020 are not nearly as nicely equipped. A lot of things they once had are just no longer available like pano roof and cooled seats and power folding mirrors. Unfortunately, the Gen2 had powertrain options that left a lot to be desired. The 2015 had 2.0L NA I4 with a 6-speed auto. It would have to downshift to 4th to maintain 80mph on highway trips on even mild inclines. It averaged only 21mpg. The 2017 was the 1.6T engine but that one is mated to a dry-clutch 7-speed DCT. This dry clutch caused it to drive (in slow speed situations) like someone new to manual transmissions. Lots of clutch slip and shudder. If they'd mated the 1.6T with the IVT the new ones have, I'd buy another right this minute.

We are way off topic.

MBNUT1

I can relate to this experience. What I would say is that the car is not a bad highway car if you are on smooth roads. I live near I75 which largely an asphalt road that gets pounded by a ton of truck traffic and the driving quality on that road is poor due to the busyness of the transmitted vibration through the chassis including the steering wheel. The overall experience is never harsh mind you but poor at filtering out small road imperfections. Like you I have good quality Michelin all season touring tires. Thinking something might be wrong with the suspension I asked the dealer to give it a good look over and test drive when I recently had it aligned. Their response was that the car reflected exceptional care and upkeep. For sure the car is not as quiet as my W211 was on noisy pavement. Again it's a nice road car on the right roads. My feeling is that Mercedes got on the sport sedan mentality and aren't that great at it.

In terms of ownership costs it has cost me about $15k in depreciation ($9k) and repairs ($6k due to 4 matic system repairs) over the 4.5 years and 45K miles that I have owned it and I bought it for wholesale. Buying a W212 now would be better from a depreciation standpoint because the W213 came out after I bought mine and all the W212's took a hit for that.

We also have a 2006 Mazda 3 which is a total rust bucket and approaching 200K miles but I trust the reliability of that car ten times more than my 135k 2010 Mercedes. For one thing there is just less junk to break and anything that does go won't be terrifyingly expensive to get repaired. If I keep this car until it has 200k miles on it without any additional significant repairs I will revise my opinion but based on the last 45K I just don't have much confidence in that happening. Putting crash worthiness aside, for the money the Mazda is a better car.

Of course from a safety comparison there absolutely is no comparison which is worth a lot. This is where I would trust this car over anything short of an S Class.

If one were to buy one I would go for the facelifted version despite not being a big fan of the post facelift styling for the better engine and with the hope of reliability and driving quality improvements vs my 2010.

pierrejoliat

I agree, my '12 Luxury is a totally different car than my '13 sport, I would not buy the sport again, don't get me wrong, it's been a great car and runs the twisty backroads really well, But... I also had to go to New York to get a luxury in my color with at least some options. Couldn't find a luxury with the Xenons or winter package [headlight washers-heated steering wheel] anywhere.

MBNUT1

Mine is also a luxury model.