Trey C

OK...What is the best Mercedes to buy for longevity?.......maybe I shouldn't even be looking at Mercedes......I tend to keep cars for a very long time.....I've always thought mercedes was the best quality car ever.

I thought that if I bought a Mercedes I'd never need another car....I've always longed to own one......now that I can afford to buy one....I started doing a little research....I read things like....if you buy one with 30k or more get the extended warranty because problems will cost you big time.....

I'm looking for a car that I can put about 200k trouble free on....I service my vehicles regularly and the last three vehicles I've owned have gotten 200k + miles trouble free........I figure a nice Mercedes should get twice that easily given the quality and reputation..If the reputation is built on luxury and low mileage gee whiz stuff...then why should I or anyone..pay the premium..?

Gullwing

Treat it well and you should be fine.
My mom has had very few issues with her 2001 ML320 and 98-01 MLs are not the more reliable.
Any 07 or newer Mercedes should get you to 200K just fine.

Or just get a early 90s W124 diesel and it should get you to 500K without much work.

lkchris

Exactly.

The best "Mercedes for longevity" is the Mercedes that's dealer-serviced following the published schedule, no compromises.

If you're looking for a car you can ignore, it's not a Mercedes.

Eurosport

sorry but no modern day car will be trouble free for 200k miles
german cars of course require a lot of maintenance and preventive maintenance and still you'll have issues here and there.
i guess it depends on your definition of trouble free too, like does that include some sensors that go bad? hoses, belts that need replaced? bushing, control arms, tie rods, MAFs, pulleys, water pumps, valve cover gaskets, hmmmm i could go on and on lol

chokaay

IMHO, NO modern car will guarantee you 200K miles "trouble-free", whether it's a Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Toyota, Ford, Mini-Cooper, whatever!

One reason is that "cars aren't made like they used to be"... or in my interpretation "just because a car is more expensive, doesn't mean it's built better... like in the olden days". Nowadays, with so much competition in the industry, and so much pressure to keep prices down and profits high, ALL car manufacturers are trying many different ways to keep costs down in order to make a buck, and Mercedes is no exception.

Another reason is that ALL modern cars today (from the cheapest Kia to the most expensive Ferrari) have so much technology packed into them, that statistically speaking, something is bound to fail before 200K miles (especially electrically). Adding on even more features, such as GPS navigation systems, more sophisticated entertainment systems, parktronic, panorama roofs, etc, will just raise the percentage that "something" will go wrong before 200K miles (statistically speaking).

However, don't let that turn you off from buying a Mercedes-Benz. Actually, in my experience, if you do your research and buy one of the "less troublesome" models/years, then a Mercedes-Benz can actually be a very reliable car. Just remember that it IS a Mercedes-Benz though... and WHEN something does fail/break, it can be very expensive to fix (at the dealership) if it's not covered under warranty... which is why so many people recommend getting an extended warranty for your vehicle (if you plan on keeping it that long)!



EDIT: Just to throw it in there, according to the latest "Reliability Ratings" poll, Mercedes-Benz leaped up to #6 this year (with Lexus back at #1 again, as "usual"). At this rate, in another year or two it wouldn't surprise me to see them in the Top 3!

CoupeLeicht600

I used to be under the same assumption that the higher you climbed up the automotive hierarchy, the better the car would be. However, I was wrong. Having my CL for over 4.5 years now (which I thought was the best Mercedes-Benz vehicle produced in 2002), I beg to differ. It might be because I bought it used and the previous owner (only one) might have neglected it's maintenance, repairs, etc and I ended up footing the bill. But, even under my care, the car goes to the shop at least twice yearly. I'm not a rough driver and the roads here in Arkansas are rather smooth because of the lack of snow and salt on the roads. Nevertheless, the car has its issues mostly with the advanced technology (ABC, ESP, and so forth). It's weird because the CL's are the first to get the latest in technology but seem to have the most issues/problems with the latest technology. Maybe because of the Daimler-Chrysler fiasco or because Daimler diluted the brand?

I don't mean to complain. I love this car when it's problem free (a few months out of the year). Like chokaay mentioned, I also thought Benzes would be the best piece of automotive machinery out there. I guess they don't make 'em like they used. I'm still at odds as to whether or not to buy the three-pointed star again. I personally think that they should get rid of some the classes and focus on quality. It's also silly that they're about to get rid of Maybach Manufaktur and the SLR (at least it has the SLS coming). All the part swapping between classes must stop!

CoupeLeicht600

I completely agree with your last post Chokaay.

chokaay

Honestly, that MIGHT be one of the main reasons why you're having so many problems. Getting the first-generation in ANY technology is troubling IMO because while it's "cool", it also makes you the "guinea pig" stuck working out all the "kinks", "glitches", and problems out of the technology before other people get it (so that the later-adopters will have a problem-free time after all the issues have been resolved before the technology is put into other vehicles).

The other main reason is because in 2002, Mercedes was already in it's "sub-par quality" period... to put it lightly. The cars made from around 2001-2005 (plus or minus a year) had severe and significant quality issues due to a number of reasons, Chrysler being only one of them.

If you are looking for reliability from MB, your best bet would be buying 2007-and-later models. Also, to increase the probability of reliability, it would probably help if you purchased a model in the last year(s) of its lifecycle before its major redesign. That's part of the reason why I purchased my E-Classes this year (2009) instead of in previous years... because I wanted MB to work out as many "kinks", "glitches", and problems out of the car as possible before I bought. Yes, I know that next year's model will be a totally redesigned model and MAY make my car look "dated" sooner than if I purchased earlier (but after seeing the redesign, I don't think it will)... but I am willing to forgo what other people think about the "looks" of my car for improved reliability and "problem-free" operation, and for a HUGE discount off the invoice price of the vehicle (try taking $14K+ off the invoice price of the 2010 E-Class).

bigben320e

+2, good post and correct!

Any car that you buy, needs to be serviced at it's recommended intervals. None of that waiting 500 miles after, skipping oil changes, or using cheaper oil, etc. Even if you DIY on some parts, always use the OEM parts for the car, or MB recommended if it is an MB.

wand94nard

You gotta love your baby to get the longevitiy. Take care of the beauty and you'll get WAY more than 200k out of it.

mleskovar

300D...if you can find a low mileage one with 3-500K miles all the better.

whiteongrey

30 month leases new one every 30 months or an early 90's e class diesel with few options

stewpot

I have a w124 300D with 210,000 on the clock. Its just run in. Starts first time every time on the button.

RichardM98

The Guinness World Record for the most miles on any car is Greek taxi driver Gregorios Sachinidis, for putting more than 2.8 million miles on his Mercedes 240D.

No mention of whether he had to change the air filter yet,

Everyone makes good points but it's the sample of the model you buy which matters most. If you don't get a 'lemon' and you are willing to perform all the scheduled maintenance with factory approved products and all the repairs with factory parts then almost any car will last indefinitely. One thing that hurts newer models, say after 1980 is the use of plastics. Plastics turn brittle with exposure to sunlight (UV) and ozone. One big advantage of MB is they support long term owners by maintaining factory parts and for older classics they have the MB Classic Centers in Germany and Irvine, CA who can even make older parts from scratch if necessary.

All in all if I were looking for a car to keep a long time I would certainly consider MB as one of my top choices.

harperb

I had 160K miles on my '01 CLK430 when I gave it to my Grandmother. Still just like new inside and out. Assuming you are not buying the various bad MBZ models that were made between the late 90's and mid '00's, you should be fine.

For example would stay away from:

00-04 S/CL/ML
03-06 E
03-05 CLK

My totally unscientific, gut recommendations for longevity on MBZ within the past 10 years or so would be:
01-02 CLK
01-02 E Class
06-09 CLK
Any G-wagen

grane

There is a steady local market for CLs. Years quoted are problematic. My 05 55 has been good after the initial delivery fiascos were corrected, knock wood. The regular Cl500s, etc., are good.

Gs are pretty robust except for the doors and windows and the exposed transmission pan electronics I mentioned elsewhere.

Anything with a M113 engine is worth considering.

All this based on my anecdotal and tech's information as I see a passing parade.

apdxyk

That is one of the main considerations for me: I run a car service, and took a chance with the 2011 E350 BlueTec. As a long time town car service provider, I can attest to Lincoln Town Car and Lexus LX longevity. 300K for the former and 400k for the latter easily. Want to see firsthand how similarly priced E350 D compares to LTC. Expensive maintenance versus higher fuel cost..

clkwork

OK, no offense but you own a C5 vette and you're looking for 200k trouble free miles? I haven't seen one in my lifetime with 20k trouble free miles, and this is coming from a current C5 owner.

cmhans

I loved my 1997 C280. Bought it used and when I gave it to my daughter last year it had 167K miles on it. Now it has 190K miles and still going strong.

curtmaxwall

Yes, I completely agree with you. But SLK-300, I think would be trustworthy and should be preferable.

Musdaloose

I Had a 2001 E430 sport
Bought it at 153k miles, crashed it at 191k miles ran like a champion, still was able to drive normal even after a crash and leaking I was like wtfff

c3nthusiast

I bought my 2008 C300 in March of 2008 with 6,000 on the odometer. It has 263,000 miles on it now. Best car I've ever owned.

Arlene Sy

When were growing we used to think that Mercede was one o fthe most reliable brand of Cars out there and it's built to last that's why as soon as we can afford a Brand new we did not hesitate to buy one and even got an extended warranty for it. Unfortunately, they don't build asbthey use to. Because thta Brand New GLK250 died on us afer 2 years and with 30k miles on it. We do drive a lot but this was regularly maintained by the Mercedes dealership. As soon first trouble ce the dealer went for our insurance what Mercedes warranty? They didn't even blink and denied the warranty. Never again.we went with the more deserving number 1 brand out there which is Lexus.

Arlene Sy

When were growing we used to think that Mercede was one o fthe most reliable brand of Cars out there and it's built to last that's why as soon as we can afford a Brand new we did not hesitate to buy one and even got an extended warranty for it. Unfortunately, they don't build asbthey use to. Because thta Brand New GLK250 died on us afer 2 years and with 30k miles on it. We do drive a lot but this was regularly maintained by the Mercedes dealership. As soon first trouble ce the dealer went for our insurance what Mercedes warranty? They didn't even blink and denied the warranty. Never again.we went with the more deserving number 1 brand out there which is Lexus. Mercedes dealership and Mercedes benz themselves did not even move a finger to help