I'm a proud a owner of a 96 E320 w/ 271,000 miles and still going.
I'm interested in buying a R350 or a ML350 (06 or 07)...The only reason for R is becos of the extra cargo space as I occasionally move equipments for work that might use the extra space.
Or should I save more $$ for a post Daimler-benz versions ..post '07??

i need advise and suggestions on what I should look for....Thanks in advance
Will you buy another R-Class?

Cheers!

 

If you don't want the V8 R (which you said by wanting the 350) then I HIGHLY urge you to get an 09+ model. 06/07 has various problems, 08 not as many problems, but 09 better and they updated the interior Command so it's marginally better than the older ones.

 

I'm concerned about the gas consumption of the V8...I drive a lot ... I'm a realtor.
I also heard that the R500 are not that good...but my source wasn't that reliable...
Are you saying that if I can't afford the 09's, I should consider the R500s for the earlier models??

I appreciate your input

 

No, I'm saying if you want more power than the V6 then your ONLY options will be 06/07 models as the V8s were phased out after that.

But if you're stuck on getting a V6 I recommend looking at 09 onwards.

 

"Will you buy another R-Class?"

In a second! It's the perfect vehicle because it is so versatile. Fun to drive by yourself, great family (long-distance) hauler, and roomy enough for hauling whatever needs hauling. In fact, I plan to buy another one (2010 or 2011 model) next year to go along with our 2008 model my wife drives. I agree strongly with the previous poster. Do NOT buy anything older than a 2009 model. I have a 2008 and while a few things have gone wrong, I lucked out and didn't have the engine cam shaft issue. very few issues reported with 2009 models and on.

 

Just to get a better picture IMO the consumption difference between a 350 gas and 500 aren't really that much- maybe 2 mpg difference. Also on V8 models you don't have to worry about the cam shaft issue- that seems to only have affected 06/07 350 gas cars.

 

Also dont ingore the diesel. I have an R320 2008 and it really boots!
I would buy another in a flash too.

 

I'll chime in to Generic's and efauzner's advice.......

The V8.....this heavy car behaves much better with the additional torque and horsepower of the R500 V8. The R63 is insane! And as Generic noted, the fuel economy is not that much worse. That's why I specifically DID NOT want an R350 in any incarnation.

The diesel.....gives you even more torque at even lower RPM albeit with a rather severe horsepower penalty but even better fuel economy. If I had found a diesel optioned the way I wanted it, I wouldn't have hesitated to buy it. Although I haven't driven one, I'd expect better drivability 95% of the time vs an R350. The only place the diesel may suffer is passing at highway speeds.

The R350 gas engine.....had camshaft design/parts quality problems pre-09. And that size engine is IMHO barely adequate in a 5,000 lb AWD car meant to carry 6 adults.

The car I came from, 2 Pacifica Limiteds, was essentially a conceptual twin of the R Class. Same sports tourer nomenclature. Same 3X2 seating in a car like design. Same 5,000 lb weight. Same company behind the idea. Initially Chrysler used their own corporate 3.5L V6 with 250 HP & 250 lb/ft of torque with their 4 speed automatic. The power train was the weak point of the car. Perfectly reliable, robust even (unlike Mercedes 3.5L V6) but, just barely adequate. Chrysler eventually offered a fix of sorts when they stroked the engine out to 4.0L and developed a new 6 speed auto to mate with it for the 07 model year. The HP and TQ peak increases were minimal but the torque curve shifted up over the entire operating range and combined with the two extra gears, the car became what it should have been from the start.

So, when I went looking for a long term replacement for the Pacifica, I was determined not to get back into an inadequate power train. That automatically excluded the R350 gas model for me. The camshaft problems of early R350 gas engines was just confirmation for me.

 

SpudRacer, the opposite is the reality. The Diesel is just abit slow off the mark but boots like a bat out of hell at highway speeds. at 60MPH the engine turns over at about 2500 rpm which is where the 410lb-ft of torque peak... stomp at you are doing 90 in no time. Merging onto a highway from 30mph is just as fast. Amazing for a 5000lb car. Made for the autobahn!

 

thanks for the clearification

 

Thanks for everyones input and suggestion. I will love to get a '09 or newer, but my pocket is not that deep....I can't afford it now....
I will start looking for a R500 or a R320cdi
I'm so glad I posted the question...
I really appreciate all the inputs..I will update with my purchase
Does anyone know if the 06/07/08's can be retrofit to add the dual foglights I've seen on some newer models???

 

Another option is to look for an 06/07 R350 that has already have the balance shaft repaired. This will be fairly easy to find out as after you get the car's VIN, you can have an MB dealer run it for you and they can check to see what's been done on the car.


As for the quad fogs, the short answer is no, the long answer is yes.

MB only offered quad fogs on the 2010-2012 Rs without the xenon lights (xenon lights gets you the LED strip). Issue is this is the facelifted style with completely redesigned bumpers/ front end. It's not a matter of buying the part and bolting it on.

The long answer is yes. A member on this board did it to his pre facelifted R by buying an extra set of fogs and having a shop custom fabricate it onto his stock AMG bumper.

My quad fog light setup is a complete aftermarket front bumper from Wald which includes the four fogs.

 

XXGenericSNxx, Thanks for the response and input.
1. To get this right...Once the balance shaft has been replaced, the 350 becomes a reliable vehicle? Does it have a chance of going bad again? OR the replacement is what MB should have done in the beginning? I thought about "what if I lucked out and found one that the balance shaft has been replaced...??

2. Thanks for the info on the dual fogs. I know I can research this..but did the facelift occur in '09?

 

From what I've read the problem is/was a parts design/materials quality issue on the camshaft balancer gears. Mercedes redesigned the part and after the fix, if there was no other damage caused by the failure, you should be good for normal engine life. My worry would be if the balancer gear did actually self destruct and cause damage to the heads or bearings. That's why I simply decided to avoid the 3.5L engine altogether.

 

1. From my understanding, as Spud Racer said, MB redesigned the shaft and this is HOW IT SHOULD'VE BEEN from the beginning.

2. As I alluded to in my post, facelift came in 2010+.

 

Thanks for ALL the education and info...its been well taken.
I really appreciate the time put into your posts!!!

cheers!

 

I am not sure what your used car market is like in your area, but around me the 2008-2010 models have very little price difference, the only "cheap" ones are 2006-2007 and then prices almost double for 2008-2010. Recently 2010 models with diesel have been listed in the low 30s, which is what the 08's are usually asking at the MB dealers.
Just make sure you know what you want for options/engine and keep looking, it took me 8 months to find mine but I knew the instant I opened the door, it was that clean and proper with everything I wanted AND needed. The diesel is my vote, huge fuel economy increase (especially if you try) and lots of power if you need it, no loosing speed on hills etc great to tow stuff. Just a delay off the line from a full stop, torque lag is my guess to protect the transmission (it is not turbo lag, but a delay). I think a sprint booster or reflash would solve it. Try to talk with the servicing dealer and find one that was always maintained and never declined services...