I've always loved Mercedes Benz while growing up. I think I'm in the position to buy a used one. Any advice on what class to buy and what I should know about owning a Benz would be appreciated.

 

Hi @PopaBenz and welcome to the club! This link might be helpful…
https://mbworld.org/how-tos/slidesho...y-used-1005871
Good luck with your search 👍

 

Welcome to the forum... Just out of curiosity what type of dream car you fancy?
R,
2Merks

 

welcome to mbworld...

 

Mercedes Benz!!!

 

How far is your daily drive to and from work?

 

Some things you should be aware of are that Mercedes-Benz is both expensive to buy and expensive to own. Buy new and you pay more for the car and have at least 3 years of factory warranty. Most issues come up after 3 years making an extended warranty somewhat necessary. Getting used is cheeper initially but you are now getting a car that will likely develop expensive issues. You can always get lucky as I did when I bought a 2012 E350 in 2014 with 8K miles on it. No issues in 12 years and 162K miles until I totaled it. It's hard to provide open suggestions without more information like type of car such as sedan, coupe, SUV, sport, etc. In general the classes of sedans are C, E, and S which roughly equate to entry level, mid level, and high level, but it's far more complicated than that as far as models go. There are A and B class that are even cheeper than the C class models generally. If you want more SUV type and want to keep the cost low, look for a GLA, GLB, or GLC. If you want a more premium SUV, look for a GLE or GLS. If you want a car, then look at the C or E class. If buying used you need to be careful of what you get. If you plan on keeping it for a long time you want one a that was well maintained especially in the initial years. Many MB drivers lease and don't properly care for their cars since they will drive it for 2-3 years and get another new car. I would avoid those if you can, but that is not easy to do. Look at the Carfax and review the maintenance and miles in between. I would pass on any with questionable service records or more than 10K between oil changes. Don't fall in love with a car and make an emotional decision. For every car that you think is just perfect there are dozens more that are just as good if not better. I would do your research on the various models and narrow it down to a few models that fit your budget and needs. Don't feel you must get an S-Class because they are the high-end MB. They are, but they are expensive to repair when things go wrong. I heard a stat a long time ago that older Mercedes-Benz's are some of the worst as far as safety since many people who buy them used cannot afford to maintain them so they are driving around with bald tires, poor brakes, and other safety issues. I don't know if that is true, but it does make some sense. Good luck!

 

Not to be a downer but I believe L1wolf has some good advice. My first Mercedes an slk320 from 2001 I purchased new had kept for 12 years and was rock solid. Beside normal maintenance (I say normal but the shop I took it to said a few times I take very good car of the car) the only issue was Crank position sensor. Never need brakes (manual). When I did sell it it did need about 5,000 worth of work to get back to new status. I think I was lucky with this one. I talk with fellow MB owner and 5000 repair bills once or twice a year are common - once the care is 3 or more years old. Of course, warranty covers year 3 and 4.

I now have a 2026 CLE 53 AMG and purchased an ELW for 7 years and 100,000 miles. So far so good but it only has 3,000 miles on it. Even with the ELW I have 10,000 set aside for the 7 years.

Good luck.

 

What type of benz?
R,
2Merks

 

I'm guessing the OP is 24 years old...LOL