Help Please - Should I repair or cut my losses?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Cincinnati
2010 E350 4Matic
A Mazda6, even a new one in top trim, is not going to be a replacement for your aging W212 unless you want all the latest tech. The size is similar but the drive/ride is distinctly "mainstream". I don't like to sound like a snob.. I actually love cheap cars (as you can see we have a new Forte and traded in a Porsche for it).. but it just is not the same. And if you're OK with that, you'll love the 6. But if you like the way the Benz drives/rides, you will be disappointed.
Also, the RWD E350 is 4,001lbs of curb weight. Not 4,500.
Also, the RWD E350 is 4,001lbs of curb weight. Not 4,500.
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Joined: Jul 2008
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2019 G70 6MT & 2022 Ford Maverick XL
The W222 is a huge car, but I really want one as well. Thinking about it seriously.
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Joined: May 2012
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From: Pepper Pike Ohio
24 GLS580 '23 E450 4matic 12 E350 4Matic
We also loved our S classes, had three in a row, one C and four E's, when we first got these E's my wife kept teasing me, laughingly saying " we're slumming now?" LOL. but we have gotten used to them and enjoy the parking and around town ease. On the highway there is no comparison, the S is clearly a step above in almost all respects I can think of at the moment. Then they get old, oh boy, Air suspension, front suspension, soft-close doors, trunk and air door locks, air rear headrests up and down, their own air compressor in the trunk, 16 spark plugs, massage seats and on and on. Not to mention every mechanic that looks at one sees dollar signs as most owners just say "whatever it needs" and in the current political climate, very high profile. That said we do miss them on long trips.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 4,976
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From: Cincinnati
2010 E350 4Matic
We also loved our S classes, had three in a row, one C and four E's, when we first got these E's my wife kept teasing me, laughingly saying " we're slumming now?" LOL. but we have gotten used to them and enjoy the parking and around town ease. On the highway there is no comparison, the S is clearly a step above in almost all respects I can think of at the moment. Then they get old, oh boy, Air suspension, front suspension, soft-close doors, trunk and air door locks, air rear headrests up and down, their own air compressor in the trunk, 16 spark plugs, massage seats and on and on. Not to mention every mechanic that looks at one sees dollar signs as most owners just say "whatever it needs" and in the current political climate, very high profile. That said we do miss them on long trips.
he called it an a-hole car.
Don't care though in the quest for automotive visual and driving refinement it can't be beat.
Last edited by MBNUT1; May 8, 2021 at 06:28 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2012
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From: Pepper Pike Ohio
24 GLS580 '23 E450 4matic 12 E350 4Matic
Absolutely gorgeous, more refined than anything else, all the way around. I have friends with Bentley's, Maserati's ,A8's and 7 series, arguably all nice cars, I would take the S every time. the Maybach is too bougie.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2012
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From: Pepper Pike Ohio
24 GLS580 '23 E450 4matic 12 E350 4Matic
Got my eye on a few 2013 W221's. Will probably have to purchase from abroad to get what I want though, they are getting harder to find. I don't care for the W222 body or glass cockpit. Love the 221 styling. It'll be another diamond white. Already did a bunch of work to my 212 engine, and the M278 is basically an M276 with two more cylinders and a couple turbos, so no big deal with any needed mechanical work.
My 221 was the car that convinced me to buy the E in '12. Loved the styling, hated the repair bills. my 220 was less troublesome, but not quite as much panache' .
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From: 122W, 37N
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
I am my own service and repair department, so the repair bills aren't too bad. The ultimate dream car would be a 1990 W124 500E M113k swap, but old W124's are all but extinct, and a nice 221 would be way, way more affordable for me if I were even lucky enough to find a decent 124. I think there were only 2000 units released into the USDM.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2020
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From: 122W, 37N
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
500E was the Porsche-built platform. It has all the necessary body and chassis adjustments to accommodate the larger V8. The smaller engine platform 124s, for me, would require too much panel beating and modification to accept the v8, and the exterior dimensions are not the same (wider body/flares for the 500).
the 400E/E420 was a production model that had all the mods for the V8, just not the fender flares, and sold in far higher numbers than the 500E. roll and space the fenders, install 500SL brakes, staggered wheels, and the 5.0 from a early-to-mid 500SL/SL500, and a 400E is a 500E in all but VIN. and R129 500SL donor cars with trashed interiors/bodies are a dime a dozen. other than the flares and wheel offset, the wheelbase and track of the 500E was the same as the base 300E.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 4,976
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From: Cincinnati
2010 E350 4Matic
I am my own service and repair department, so the repair bills aren't too bad. The ultimate dream car would be a 1990 W124 500E M113k swap, but old W124's are all but extinct, and a nice 221 would be way, way more affordable for me if I were even lucky enough to find a decent 124. I think there were only 2000 units released into the USDM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 4,976
Likes: 1,344
From: Cincinnati
2010 E350 4Matic
Bougie is another one of my son's words. As in, he lived in the bougie part of New Orleans. Or when my wife (his stepmother) wanted a Audi Q3., "I knew she was bougie!"
Last edited by MBNUT1; May 8, 2021 at 10:22 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,359
Likes: 1,555
From: Pepper Pike Ohio
24 GLS580 '23 E450 4matic 12 E350 4Matic
