Hi everyone! I'm a newbie to purchasing a vehicle, so please do excuse if anything is repetitive/basic to this forum.

My husband and I are thinking of trading in our trusty 2005 SL500 at Carmax (they gave us the highest value) for a more family friendly 2016 GLE 350 2WD. Carmax has this GLE for just under $40K+tax, and mileage is just under 10K. Carmax and Carfax both report only one owner, was a leased car, no accidents or structural damage, with history just comprising multiple tire condition and pressure checks, as well as two annual front/rear wiper blades refill/replacements. The car is being transferred (we are in Las Vegas), and I'd get it inspected by an independent third party mechanic during the trial period, but other than that - does everything look ok to you? I've done some online comps, but can anyone please verify if this is a good deal? Based on your experiences with this SUV, is there anything else I should look out for? My husband bought the SL500 preowned with low mileage (and no warranty!) but we've never had any problems, thankfully...that said, I would like to be more diligent this time.

Also, I tried to go the CPO route but the closest dealership doesn't have any 2016s (just 2018s, pretty much at full price), and the other has a few options but with much higher mileage and price. So my guess is non-CPO it is...

Thank you in advance for the help!

 

 

Thank you, Chassis! Great to know you like yours too and have had no issues. This 2016 model would be from Carmax, I was told they don't allow for negotiations on price, it was a hard no on pretty much everything...have you had success negotiating some freebees with them? Perhaps I just had the wrong sales associate?

THANKS AGAIN!

 

 

luckysk8s,
FYI, I purchased a 2018, GLE350, 2wd last March. Have had "0" problems and am well satisfied with all aspects of the vehicle. It is my daily driver, as such it is driven only locally. Have NOT had it on the highway as yet.
Good luck.
Ron

 

Hi Lucky,
I purchased my 2016 GLE 4-Matic new in April 2016. I ordered my set of options from the factory.
I have had no problems and I am at 53,000 miles currently. (yes, I drive a lot)
The only annoyance is the leather seats were a little "Loose" The seat bottoms were replaced and they are better.
I STRONGLY suggest that you take a look at the lights. (see the many posts in this forum)
If they are the standard halogen type, take the car out at night to ascertain if this will be ok with you for night driving. People hate, hate, hate, hate the halogens...
I ordered the LED's and they are AWESOME!
Incidentally, my brake pads were measured at 50,000 and they are at 7 millimeters remaining of 10 on the measurement. Great news on brake wear...
Enjoy!

 

I have this vehicle. 40k miles. YOU MUST make sure you have the upgraded LED headlight system. The standard headlights, the halogens, are completely unsafe at night. There are posts about halogen to HID conversion (i made a summarized tutorial as well). It's a big enough problem (when you take into consideration children) that I wouldn't have kept the car if my HID conversion didn't go so well. The acceleration is decent, you'll need new tires soon though if you get the continentals (mine at 25,000, still useable but not for this vehicles weight); they are not meant to last long. Im much happier with my michelin defenders. The one issue I did have was that if the tires don't have enough traction (like the continentals) regardless of weather, and you hit the accelerator too fast (say changing lanes from a slower speed in traffic), it sometimes will take a second to accelerate (there's a lag but no turbo reason). New tires improved that drastically so I assume it was the traction control thinking I was slipping so it cut the wheel power, but I still get it every now and then (this part has to do with the transmission computer trying to save gas). It's definitely a well made vehicle, it's very large, it does feel heavy given it's height, but it's been trust a trustworthy vehicle so far with no major issues. Looks brand new detailed (after MB spilled coke inside...made them take care of that real quick). IF i had to do it again (which I will soon), I would get an audi q7 2017+ model (its got the length wise horizontal passenger vent). It's one of the better built and designed suv's. Might cost more but: supercharger 3.0 so it drives more like a car and accelerates smoothly, the parts you touch/use FEEL premium (the MB dials are plasticky), the entertainment unit is better (mine is just a screen to view the song that's playing, nothing more), the heated seats STAY on when you leave them on/turn off the car which is nice in the winter, and lastly, the q7 and GLE are for all intents purposes the same size on the interior. The cargo is a bit bigger in the q7 and you also get a 3rd row option (the gle space goes unused much of the time). redline and others have reviews on youtube, look for the 30 minute ones, every detail and item is discussed (even ones you didn't think about)..

 

If you like the no haggle pricing from Carmax. Thats great.
Make sure to purchase the maxcare too. I have a 10 gl450 and the maxcare has paid out over 15000 at the local mb dealership. Be sure to purchase the maxcare with the 100 or no deductible with mileage at least 100k or more. The term is 6 years max I believe.
Although that might not be a huge issue for you since it would be a 2016 with factory warranty until 2020. Maxcare woiod extend it to 2025.

I emphasise that you listen to what other posters have said about the headlights. The led headlights are a must. Also consider the harman kardon stereo and a trailer hitch.

Hope you like what you find!

 

 

THANK YOU EVERYONE for chiming in! This is so helpful, the SUV is still in transit and my sales person didn't know about the lights, so I'll just test it out when it arrives. Thanks for all the advice, I'm keeping it all in mind and will post a picture when I get mine...whichever listing it ends up being...

And THANK YOU, Kombifan for helping to search for another option! Unfortunately I've just had too many friends who had a rough time with the M class...even though I love Mercedes and all my non-M class driving friends love theirs too. Your option is a great price (CPO too!! darn itttt) and has all the right features as you said but I do feel I want to have the GLE at least. The car is probably fine, I think it's just a mental thing for me because of all the M class complaints I've heard first hand BEAUTIFUL color though!! Thanks so much for the help!

 

I just responded to your initial post, we must have crossed! Looking at your other options now, THANK YOU! So kind of you to help search!

 

 

@kombifan - Apologies for the delay, I had some guests! Thanks so much for taking the time to find options - I was discussing them with my husband, the Carmax model hadn't even shipped yet, when I guess due to President's Day sales the dealership got back to me. They were willing to increase the initial discount and also increase the trade in value for the SL, so long story short I actually ended up with a 2018 GLE 350 demo with 5K mileage at a great price! White exterior/tan interior...good for those hot summer months here in Vegas. And I know there isn't much difference between the 2016-2018, but didn't realize there wasn't much between the ML and GLE. I looked it up after your post and...indeed!! But I'd heard such good things and saw good reviews about the GLE, vs all the crap I heard from my friends about the ML, I assumed it was a whole new upgrade...whatever...I'M IN LOVE HAHAHAHAHA

@chassis - since it was the dealership, I did in fact negotiate some more and got some freebies. Also got the prepaid maintenance.Thank you for the initial encouragement - your SUV is GORGEOUS, I love the pic and the background. I don't exactly have as serene a picture yet, will work on getting a good one.

And thanks to everyone who gave input on here, I took it to heart when test driving and buying! Very glad I found this community, I felt more confident when purchasing. My husband loves the SUV as well, we talk about it each time we climb in. We just feel like we're flying! I'll follow up with some pics shortly!

 

 

Looks great, congratulations!