powderhound5

I bought a friends car in 2005. I kept it 25 months. I left me stranded a few times. I drove MB in the late 70's and they were problem free

The car was owned by my pal and always serviced at MB Canada

Air Suspension 2500
Driver power window motor 1300
Misc crap 2500
Regular Service 2000
Brakes battery etc 1100

MB Canada would give me 15K on a trade

Lexus gave me 20

I bought a LS 430 30K miles, my partners all have them and none of them in over a million KMs have ever had anything but regular service.

my wifes SLK 430 is in the shop again HID's won't turn off 3rd time

cheers

tgood

They are expensive cars to maintain. I'm starting to notice in 2nd gear around 2k RPM's the engine lets out the most constant straining noise. It's definitely not how it should sound, I'm contemplating sending the car off. I already took off my rims too, just kind of done with it.

Plus I got offered a 2003 S430 Sport with 40k miles for $29k. But I've also been wondering why I have an S-class, it's such a huge car. I don't ever use the space either, we'll see..

kenstudios

In the 70's it was pure MB. In the late 90's it became MB/Chrysler/Bosch and that's where the problem started. Many more electric problems follow.

my06clk

I think most cars are junk today.Just like many beautiful women in the world, all looks and full of issues..But, I still like beautiful women, ( speak of the devil one just walked by as I was typing this message LOL ). Anywayz.. I still like the Mercedes brand, I've just decided that it is not in my best interest to assume that I can put my wrenches away just because I own one.

Everybody knows that the early S class cars had much much more problems than the newer 30-06 models.. but imagine introducing the world to the most "advanced" vehicle ever at the same time your company is going transitions..
The new millenium brought us a lot of interesting things.. the W220 was one of them. of course they are problems but it's 7 years down the road.

Not defending MB, but if you compare that to ANY domestic brand and many other imports, you'll find a much different story in terms of longevity.Lesus is nice, but how many 2000 LS400's are there on the road compared to the S class for example. Would I buy one today? Hell no. Well, maybe if I got it ridiculously cheap.

My point to all of this is, the thought of purchasing any used car
today and not having to work it back to life is beyond my understanding especially if its a mercedes. Again, I thank GOD that I know how to operate a wrench. IT really takes the pain away longterm.

ProV1

MB always has insane lease deals to keep their sales high. I wonder if Lexus has similar subsidized lease deals? It seems to me like I can lease a brand new E350 for not much more than the entry level Lexus ES350 for very little extra money.

BTW I also noticed that Lexus dealers always seem to give a lot more $ for MB trades than a MB dealer.

Skylaw

Obviously, the Lexus is overpriced to begin with. Not too hard to understand when it's a gussied-up Toyota. The Mercedes is a Mercedes.

ex-BenzDriver9

Give me a dressed up Toyota over garbage any day of the week. I don't ever want to see a SA until years down the road.

ProV1

lol i admire your enthusiasm on MBs but check out MB resale values

2H S5

WOw, as a benz owner, I'm never defending this brand blindly. If it breaks down, I'm the one paying for it, not MB. If MB covers the bill, which *** cheek do you want me to kiss?

If it leaves owner stranded a few times, headaches here and there, it's a problematic car matter what. (I won't use POS for the sensitive people).
Imagine your wife or daughter at night stranded on the freeway

That's why I don't trust it enough to let my wife drive the super duper mega sedan at night. She takes the Lexus.

Congratulations on the new LS powerhound.
It will give you a nice, cushy, and comfortable ride. People complain that it's boring, but me personally, I don't see it that different in the regular 220.

Now the sports package is a different story, but the AMG

Skylaw

2H S5;

Of course you do what you think necessary.

First, my Benz is still under warranty. i don't kiss any *** to get it fixed. Second, even with my older Benz, I didn't let it get to any condition I thought was unsafe for my wife (or me) to drive at night. Third, while I had a few problems with my '00 S500, my '05 has done very well.

I don't own a Lexus. Have driven them, find them boring (as I did the Infiniti Q45 I owned a few years back). I also find the styling boring.

If I wanted boring in both categories, I would save a lot of money over either the S500 or the Lexus, and buy a Lincoln Town car like my wife's - but then, it's a gussied up Ford Crown Vic (body wise)/Mercury Grand Marquis (body and suspension wise). It is, however, reliable. Has a great THX rated stereo system and a very good nav system. Nice leather interior, even if the "wood" is plastic. It's a great highway car; and no engine problems. One minor probem with a rattle in the catalytic converter. It cost less than half what my S500 did.

But I don't want boring. i don't want a fancy Ford, or a fancy Toyota. Whether one beieves it is good or bad, a Mercedes is a Mercedes. And I like it.

newton22

The only Mercedes I'd ever buy again in the near future would be a AMG.

ebolick

I love my benz dearly and dont see myself driving another type of car. But i am sorry i will never buy another benz again. every benz i have had all newer then 1999, have been nothing but problems. I have the money to spend on the maintence but at what cost. Sorry i am really pissed since my benz left me on the side of the freeway today. I hate to say it but looks like ill be trading it in this weekend for a Porsh, if im going to spend the money i rather have somehing that is less then a headach.

Polish_mikeski

My next car is gonna be a Benz. I hope by next year I get a 2002-2003 S430, I currently drive a 2003 Mazda Protege 5 its a great car to get from point A to point B and toss the mountain bike in the back of the hatch and go. I will still want to keep the Mazda as a winter car. 5spd+Little Mazda= Fun to whip around town with Mercedes just = Heaven behide a wheel

Mark_K

I would get a 2004.

my06clk

Boy are you in for a surprise....

ebolick

Hey CLK,
Just curious do you own a porsh? or are you going by what you heard? the reason i ask if you do own one i would like your input.

Thanks

chipleyfla

Porsh?????? I bet he parks it next to his catilack. SPELL CHECK is at the upper right corner of the reply page. Please use it. Thanks.

ebolick

I can see you are new to this group, so do yourself a favor and dont call people out like that. its very rude and does nothing to support the group. We are here to help each other and learn from one another. If you want to call people out or make fun of each other i suggest you join another group.

chipleyfla

I am not making fun at all. I am guilty of butchering the English language also. I always use the spell check, so I do not come across as completely without education. It only takes a few seconds, and if anyone ever googles my thread, they will not think I am a complete moron. We all should take a little pride in our postings. After all this is a Mercedes forum. That all.

my06clk

In fact. I purchased a 2007 Audi Q7 Sportline last year... I do not have it now, s it lived at the dealer more than It did in my driveway.. I was soo disappointed in its reliability because it really was a nice car but Good Lord!!! I'm going to stop short of calling it junk, but I had NO problem getting the dealer to take it back.. They offered me a Porshe Cayenne but to me its the SOS...I was not going to trust the brand anymore.. I lost a bit of $$ even with the buyback, and the whole thing just left me with a very nasty attitude towards the brand, and New cars in general really but that's another story..

The meaning of my original statement was because you seem to feel you are going to be out of the woods by trading brands.. My testimony to you is that all you are doing is trading forests... you may still be in the woods even deeper than you are now..

BTW.. isn't this the car with the wheel bearing issue?forgive me if I am mistaken, but obviously the victim of major neglect on the part of the previous owner(s).. You can't blame the brand on that sort of stuff....It's neglect pure and simple.These things are not Normal wear items on such a new car.

It seems that experience has taught me that even though I may have some issues with my benz, the frequency and nature of my issues are quite minimal compared to a lot of brands( at least the ones I have exp. with,, and the quality of service and support is just unparalleled.

ebolick

That is very interesting that you say you are not making fun, but yet you said this “Porsh?????? I bet he parks it next to his catilack”.
Please explain how this is not making fun of another person.
And for the second part PORSH, although not the correct way to abbreviate, however it is most common for one to use it as such. I am sure if you Google it you will find it more then 42K results, so you see my friend it is a common term.
And finally it does not matter what forum you are in, it is always courteous not to call people out. If you are being sincere about it and you personally think it is that important that you must say something send them a private note.

Good luck, and please don’t take this as a smart *** comment, but just a guy that wants to keep this a fun and positive group.

ebolick

Hey CLK,

Yeah that’s me with the bearing/hub lol, what sucks is I had the bearings replaced about 6 months ago, and they went out on me again. I have a feeling they did not put them in right. What burns me is that before I replaced them myself I was always taking it to the dealer to get fixed and you know how expensive that is they were going to charge me 1100 to change my hub. I finally had it and did it myself and it only took me about 2 hours (learning time included) to switch out hubs. I originally wanted to change the bearings, however I was told by 3 dealers that it will take up to 2 weeks to get a new set of bearings sent over from Germany. But I can buy the HUB with bearings right now. Lol since I don’t want to waste money on a rental I just bought the hub.

I know the maintenance is expensive on these cars (I have had 3), its just everything on these car’s are having problems, the electrical, suspension, seats that crack easy, a hard to use navigation, etc. Since you are a member of this group you know the common problems. I have had some close friends that have the Porsche, and the biggest problem is the tires get worn out quickly. O and the clutch for those that are abusive on there cars. I just want to have a car that keeps its value and does not have so many “minor problems”

But in any case thanks for the info on your Audi

NZ_Benz

The W220 sadly has been the worst S class built to date, even the W140 with all it's problems had amazing build quality.

ProV1

which Porsche are you buying? Porsches have their share of problems. and I couldn't think of a car more different from a W210 than a Porsche 911.

if you want a 2 door sportscar with almost zero cargo room, then by all means buy the 997 Turbo, but if you want a similar 4 door sedan, then buy a Lexus LS460L and call it a day

traumatic

Check out some of the Porsche chat rooms (rennlist or pelicanparts), or talk to some people who have had recent Porsches. While the 964s and 993s were overall excellent and reliable cars, the early water cooled (Boxster, 996, 997) have some serious reliability and design problems that have just been worked out. In all Porsche has done the same as MB; rather than building the best cars possible with no regard to cost, they significantly cheapened their product and increased production numbers and profitability.