FYI: Chrysler had nothing to do with the design of any M-B models, whereas M-B influenced designs of Chryslers and Dodges. In actuality Daimler-Benz took over Chrysler in US and placed Germans in many management positions, particularly high level ones.
I do agree with the classic design of the 2010 E Class and that is one reason why I still have mine.

 

I do not completely agree with that statement. I have my personal opinion that Daimler learned from its partner how to make rust buckets and call them cars during that time.

But the master of the merger of equals was always Daimler. Here is an excerpt from recent article about the SLR

 

Alas, the ML is gone and we are down to "my" S212 as a daily driver. Good for the car to see regular use, I'm sure, but my better half doesn't like having to drop down into the seat vs stepping up into the ML. And she can't seem to get the knack of knowing where the corners are so I find it parked in rather amusing positions. I'm casually browsing the available 2019+ Cayanne listings...

 

I certainly think Chrysler got more out of it than MB did, that’s for sure, but also believe there were cross pollination between the two where what MB picked up ended up not being quite as good as they would’ve liked. Nobody could argue that MB materials and/or build quality did anything but slide backwards a bit. Chrysler had some neat cars come out of that era for sure! The PT, Prowler, Crossfire, all pretty cool and unique!

I believe the 212 was their “statement” car to say that cross pollination era was truly dead and gone, from the way the muffler hanger was installed to the radio buttons. I believe the 212 was as close to the old school way of slow (and expensive) build to get it as close to perfect as they could, and could expect to last with normal routine service for at least a decade or two and several hundred thousand miles. Totally perfect? No. But when you realize nothing man made ever has been, or ever will be totally perfect, then I’d say the 212 is about as close to it as just about any other Mercedes Benz built in the last 40 years. From looks to execution, to ownership enjoyment.

Now before the Lexus crowd shows up, I have had two (LS400 and GS430). My 212 is now 9 years old, and no signs of suspension bushing problems. On my past two Lexus vehicles, I was replacing rear carrier arms, upper control arms, and ball joints long before they hit 9 years of age, and each at about the same milage I have on the 212 today (75k). Maybe I was cursed, but I saw the cracks and degrading rubber of those Lexus bushings with my own two eyes.

 

Maybe because I own one and only test drove W124's but that car felt more special to me than my W212. It felt more carved from granite than this car.

 

I’m sure it did and does, that’s part of that great era from them before the merger. When the steering wheel was big, the “everything” was unmistakably unique to MB. They couldn’t just reproduce the 124 though, even though many of us would love to have another bite at that apple. I think the 212 is the 21st century attempt though.

 

We are on the same page. Think that there are other factors at work such as the competition to be a "sport sedan" and the associated wheel size that have pushed the away from that feeling. The W212 is also a bigger car than the W124 which doesn't help. The W124 was a perfect size. The W215 is similar in size but lacks that feeling of solidity.

 

Great thread! Definitely hits home for me as well. I got 2 cars I want to replace. My 2009 CLK350 Coupe now with 114,000 miles (Bought with only 30,000). Also, my 2012 E350 4Matic Sedan with 100,000 (Bought with 25,000 miles). Both run very well. Neither one really show age so why sell? Interest rates are high even for my 800+ Credit score and prices are high too. Cheaper to keep her.

 

Cheaper to keep her, indeed! Reminds me of the Ray Charles song "Busted". One of the things I'm enjoying the most about mine is that other than maintenance and the occasional repair, it's free and clear. Paid it off in 2020 right before loading up on the wife's GLS.
Given how expensive everything is, when I get that itch for a GLC, which I really do like, I am reminded that I get to enjoy the 212 for $0, and I don't enjoy the GLC enough to buy it in addition to keeping the 212.

It's funny, I am far more protective of the 212 that is probably worth $15k at best now, than I am of the GLS that is probably worth $55k at this point. Hail storm? Take the GLS, but leave the 212 in the garage. I'm pretty sure if I hit a squirrel in the 212 at this point, insurance would rather just total it out instead of repair it, which is exactly what I don't want to happen. Eventually I'll either replace the 212 or just buy another car to complement it and keep it (likely), but sure is nice to not have to fuss with any of that right now while we're in this economic mess.

 

That expression members above are giving is why I am religious about protecting the paint.
Unlike most of owners, my cars sit in garage, when the crap goes to the cargo trailer, I am using as a storage.
My W212 zooming on 10 years still look like new and beside few chips and 1 scratch (touched up) on front bumper you will not tell it from new.
I am on the market for white front bumper, to make it perfect again.
My driver seat shows single wear, but I found new cover on ebay for $40.
Car has close to 160,000 miles.

 

I agree with these posts, my 212's are long paid for, new ones have 4 cylinder turbos and are slower and louder, the electronics are improved and cooler but my car still goes down the highway fast, safe and comfortably, I have been thinking about trading my '13 sport AMG wanna be in as it has 88k now and has been in the salt for nine years, I had brake lines rust out and now my backing plates and emergency brake hardware, Tone rings on the axles all rusted out, I have been very concerned about the rear subframe as well, now MB extended the warranty on the rear subframe and is replacing my interior wood pieces at 100% coverage. The 213 is not the car the 212 is in my opinion.

 

Yeah my 2010 with 150K miles isn't worth a whole lot which actually brings me a lot of peace. If it broke tomorrow I wouldn't be writing off a whole lot and it's still a much nicer car to drive than my wifes '21 Kia Niro EV that cost about 5 times what my car is worth. Not that the Kia isn't a nice car it's just more of a commuter. They are both much nicer than our rusted out 212K mile 2006 Mazda 3 that won't die but is actually much more fun to drive than either of them. I actually like it because I can park than one amongst all the riff raff that I wouldn't park the Mercedes near.

 

Feeling the same way about my now 10 year old W212! My daughter is 12 but I'm still thinking I should hang onto her for another 4 years so she can have a really nice ride when she gets her license.

 

Between this and the op @nc211 , I have the same seat cover issue on my driver's seat in black mb-tex for my 2014 E-class sedan. Can you direct me to a place to get a reasonably priced seat cover and are there instructions on replacing oneself? I'm happy to have my mechanic do it if it's complex with heated seats, but the tear in the bottom cushion of the driver's seat is bad enough now that it's really getting to me.

Between that and repainting the front bumper after years of being pelted by pebbles and road salt, I want to freshen her up!

 

I feel you on the wife not liking dropping down in the seating position, but she still likes going to dinner in my car vs. her Toyota minivan I did drive a GLS580 recently just to see how it felt and it was just way too much car and not sporty enough compared to my E-class. Very luxurious, beautiful car but too big for my tastes considering we have another 7-seater already.

 

I bought my new seat cover for $49 from this seller https://www.ebay.com/usr/andy-auto
It is still on my shelf, but visual inspection proves good quality.
I could repair stiches on my old cover, but even after 11 years the vinyl still looks good, for the price I figure out the car deserve new.

 

I'll keep hunting, it's just odd that the price has gone up so much over the years. Instead of down. I was following some of the links from the thread, from when this car originally came out, and now it's hard to find on part sites short of 600 bucks.

My mechanic specializes in Mercedes restorations, and he said that it wasn't worth it to replace the seat cover because it's a design flaw underneath (he had already tried to fix a few by restitching to no avail), not with the seat cover itself. So he said if it gets really bad to talk to him about it, but I'm a little afraid of what the price will be for him to fix it! Would like to try it myself if there are instructions for replacing the seat cushion cover only.

 

As I said, my W212 seat cover is still on the shelf (1 year after purchase) but I replaced covers on other MB and when the job require some flex fingers and patience, it is not really high-skills required.
Remove the seat, line up good bench, or table with some cloths or carpet, put the seat upside down and put your weight on it.
You might have some screws in the corners, but covers has interlocked edges, who stay locked with the tension, so once you press it, it is just pulling them out.
Seat removal will probably take more time than cover replacement.

 

Your mechanic is correct, the flaw is too little spring support in the frame itself. You sink too far down and it stretches the material. Look up in this section of the board “Seat Pain” created by me back in 2017 when I bought mine. Go toward the last ¾ of the threads to the photos for how to easily fix the flaw (and make it a billion times more comfortable in general). It’s the springs. You’ll see it. Mine was perfect ever since, as my passenger side that I did not mess with split last fall from my 15 year old track star son sitting in it too much.

that being said, and my comments for the reason of starting this thread - I did sell the car recently. I was reluctant to give such a nice and powerful vehicle to a soon to be 16 year old as his first car. It just didn't sit right by me nor mom. So I traded it at 73k miles for a 2014 VW Tiquan SEL with 40k miles instead and giving it to our son who turns 16 over Memorial Day. Ultimately I will replace the 212 with a custom ordered Ford Bronco Outerbanks with all the trimmings (minus the massive wheels, will chage tires instead). I should have that vehicle around May 15th (ordered Dec 26). I tried to stay with MB, but not a fan of the direction they’re going in terms if interior quality and all of these tech glitches here and there. Thought I wanted the new GLC, until a loaner of the same year went spaz on me in a parking lot and fried itself out. I turned 50 recently, never had a convertible or a Jeep, didnt like the Jeep, but loved the 2.7 twin turbo V6 and driving/ride of the Bronco. Yes, total mid-life crisis purchase, it’s like a real life Tonka Truck from my childhood, but you only live once and there is more behind me than in front of me now, so screw it and do what makes you happy!!

i enjoyed the 212, loved it, and do miss it. However mine was starting to get electrical ghosts in the machine around the pre-safe function, and about 99% positive the front diff was going out if not damaged by one too many pothole hits over the years..

 

Fair enough! I'm right there with you with Benz. It sucks because at the time, the W212 I ended up with was everything I wanted in an E-class and has been such a great car. But at some point it'll be time to say good-bye, at least for me. I even love the mechanic I go to. But I am inclined to hang onto the car for my daughter. I understand the point on not having such a great car at 16, but figure at this point I should treat it like an asset rather than have to worry about what she can drive that's her own in a few years. Though by then, maybe I'll have other issues w/ the car that'll force me into trading it in.

 

To further explain my comment on Benz: I drove a 2021 E450 wagon loaded up, and it just didn't feel like enough of a difference to justify upgrading from my E350 sedan. The important part, the engine, was amazing, but I just wasn't blown away. It really would have been just refreshing what I already have with nicer gizmos and features I now desire (Android Auto, auto cruise control - a must have for my next car now that I've experienced it on my wife's car), but otherwise, I kind of like the more classic look and feel of my '14 E-class.

 

When the local Indi (2 of them) buy older MB's instead of new ones, that basically says something.

I loved my 212, thought it was the last of the old way attempt by MB to remind the automotive world of their pre-chrysler roots. Felt that way. Drove that way. Looked that way. Sadly I believe those days are gone for awhile. They'll be back though once the market reacts enough that it shows in the financial results. I'm just one buyer who had $90k to spend on his next car. I've been a fan of MB since day one, warts and all, simply because of the way it drove and made me feel driving it. I went to MB first for my search, started with the E450. Whacked my head badly getting into it. Realized I want an SUV instead, tired of crawling in/out. Already have the GLS in my garage, so the GLE was a waste of money to consider. Left me with the GLC and GLB, or a previous generation GLE (which actually was my preference). New GLC and GLB didn't give me that feeling that I had grown accustomed to with the 212. Just felt like all of the other cars out there. Went to Audi on the SQ5 due to two friends having and loving them. Great car, can't talk bad about it. But having 3 GTI's back-to-back-to-back as well, it just didn't sit well for the cost. I'm not a BMW fan, and too many X5's in my little pocket of the universe. They're friggn' everywhere where I live. Felt like I was just one of the masses in over-leverage suburb-land. Nah. Really struggled badly to find a replacement that I liked as much as the 212 for several months. Then the Bronco hit me from my blind spot. Immediately loved it. It had that feeling. Had to give it a try. Every manufacture usually gets that "lightening in a bottle" car once a decade. They've all had their fair share (I think the 212 is MB's). I think the Bronco is Ford's. My first Ford, and only my second American vehicle in my life. So we'll see how it goes. Back up plan, previous generation GLE and give the Indi $10k to make it new again, and a Mini Cooper toy for fun. All-in would still be less than the Bronco.

Key reasons why I decided against giving my 212 to my son:
1) The car wants to do one thing - cruise at 140mph all day long. I'm 50 and it was tempting every time to do it. Thinking back when I was 16, I would've done it multiple times. Thankfully he's smarter than I was, but still an invincible teenage boy.
2) Low slung front in an SUV world. God forbid the unthinkable were to happen, anything other than a sports car will likely be on top of the 212. It can handle it, videos of then flipping on the autobahn at 130mph and walking away made me buy it myself. But still.
3) Just not the right car for him. It's "dad's car".
4) He would not be comfortable owning it after seeing how much effort I put into keeping it up. The weekends clay bar detailing it, the no expenses spared repairs, how much I adored it. He would be more worried about damaging it than enjoying his first car. I didn't want that for him.

It was costing me around $4k a year to keep up in tip-top shape now. Bearings, bushings, PCV, cam magnets, etc. Nothing simple to fix, and the latest glitch with the pre-safe and an estimate from $800 to $8,000 to find and fix the issue, along with the mysterious highway droning sound at 65-70 that I was positive was the front diff going bad (as was my Indi by that point), I was done. Time for someone else. Whomever bought it got a good one, and if they can fix those two issues, will be back to world-class for a very long time. Only had around 72k miles on it.

 

Good luck on your search.

When we first bought our E550 I told my wife it's criminal to limit this car to American speed limits. These want to be on the autobahn

 

That makes total sense. Sometimes a car just hits you. Congrats on the Bronco, and I hope it works out!

I plan on driving an A6 allroad wagon today or tomorrow. I have always wanted a German 6 (or 8...) cylinder AWD wagon and it's sad BMW doesn't send the 5-series wagon over here. I would get the Benz but as I explained, it just didn't hit the right notes for me when I drove it. Maybe the 212 is just that special that it'll be hard to part with it? Would be odd going from Benz to Audi, but as I get older, I realize that sticking with Benz for life may not be what I want in the end, and it doesn't mean I can't come back to it later. I could always try to keep both vehicles, and if that's an option, I might .

I give you kudos for all the work you put in to your car. I put in my fair share of elbow grease - washing, claying, etc. - but some jackass scraped lightly against the side of the car last year, so between that, the paint swirl I can't completely fix, and a few other cosmetic issues that would take money to fix including the driver's seat, I'm happy to let it ride "rough" from a cosmetic standpoint, but keep her up mechanically. If I still have her in 4 years, my daughter will enjoy owning and driving it, but Daddy will likely be taking it to the shop to maintain. Honestly, the cars these days are so darn peppy it's not as if keeping that car from her somehow prevents her from doing stupid things on the road - though it would be ideal if she had the pre-collision safety tech of the more modern cars. Again, we'll see.

 

Thanks! I’m a believer in taking care of your things! For me going forward, it has to start with “fun”. I’ve done the “nice” and “luxurious” enough. Not to say I don’t enjoy those aspects of a car, but when I look behind me now and think about my favorite cars that I have owned, they’re not the “luxurious” ones. They’re the little GTI’s, or the SR5 V8 4Runner, that 1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R stick. So, I decided to focus on the fun factor for my next car, which led me to the Bronco.

The lesson I have learned with “luxurious”, is that it gets expensive to maintain. You pay the premium for ultra smooth, ultra quiet, and it’s great, right up to that point where some random bushing or mount starts to fade, and then it’s a rabbit hole to find and fix, usually only to reveal the next wearing bushing or mount. I like luxurious cars, but have my limits after awhile. There comes a point when you ask yourself if you own your things, or do your things own you…