ESIX3POWER

Alright guys, Im here to admit that I made a mistake not holding on to my 08 E63.. I picked up the 2010 E550 and have enjoyed the car for last 7 months.. I love the body styling and still prefer it over the W211.. Here are the main reasons that i regret my decision and think about it all the time! its eating me up fellas.

1) The interior - I originally loved it, must have been blinded by the exterior which forced my self to think the interior was nicer than it is ? The entire door is built with the cheapest platic you can imagine, other than the strip of wood that is on the door, the rest is hard cheap plastic.. The arm rest is harder than a peice of iron and the leather that is on there feels so hard and nothing like leather.. After driving it for months, i started comparing to the interior in the W211 E63 and obviously there is no comparison what so ever, none.. The dashboard on the 212 also has the hard cheap plastic.. My Honda Accord has better feeling plastic, Im not being sarcastic at all.. The stalk shifter sucks and sounds like the tranny is about to bust when you switch in and out of gears.. Nothing like the buttery glide of the 211 console shifter..

2) The Seats! Oh my god do i miss the seats of the 63.. I felt like my body was molded onto those seats, they were by far the best positioned and most comfortable seats i have ever sat/drove in. Not a knock on The E550 seats ,they are big and comfy for long rides but nothing compared to to the 63 seats, they are just that much better. Also Nappa vs non Nappa..

3) The ride and power which speak for it self.. The 550 is very solid and planted,rides great but there are a lot of annoying rattles in the dash from time to time.. I never had a single tiny issue with the 63,nothing at all.. Also not crazy about the wide gaps on the 212..

More than anything i cant get used to the seating position and the CHEAP looking feeling interior.. I always think back to the big smile i would have on my face when cruising on freeways.. I dont have that same feel any more..


NOW THE BIG QUESTION..

What can i do ? I have another 29 months!!! before my lease ends. I want back in a W211 E63 in the worst way imaginable but i dont want to get my *** handed to me.. Can i break a lease ? what are the penalties ? What if i ask the dealer to locate a CPO 63 for me ? would that take away from any possible fees or costs? Im lost and confused right now.

I really love the look of the W212 and i prefer it to the W211 but at the end of the day what matters most is how you feel when youre driving the car and that is most important.. Too bad i didnt put more stock into that area before i made my decision..

Thanks all

cmn130

well first off i got to agree with you. I drove a new c class and thought it felt like the interior of a accord. cheap plastic everywhere, there junk...

secondly on the lease thing, you can trade in your lease car for your e63 u want, basically buying the car from the lease then trading it in is how it works. just depends on what your buy price is on the car. Go talk to your dealer and Im sure they will work for you. you may have to come up with some cash outa pocket tho...

ESIX3POWER

I can come up with some cash out of pocket but not a crazy amount.. So basically I would have to pay off the remainder of my lease payments + the risidual amount to purchase the car? and than trade it in for the AMG ? I would absolutley lose my pants, no?

tgoss

Yes most likely it will take a chunk of change to undo what you've done.

There are two ways to go about it, you can find someone to do a lease buy out on your contract (Which is tough to come by but can happen)

Or like cmn130 has said, you will need to basically buy your lease out and then trade it for the car you desire.

In this economy it's not far fetched for dealers to get creative and do incentives to entice you to spend more cash out of pocket. I'd get on the phone and see what someone is willing to do for you. And that doesn't mean that some other dealer won't purchase your lease to get you into a piece of their inventory.

I don't know what your financial or home (wife/kids) situation is or how much you like driving an AMG but it's only money... And yes it does grow on trees, you just have to plant them and tend the vineyard.

My advise would be to go get what you want, you only live so long.

DAGREEKNYC

throw the car on swap a lease but u will have to remain a "PG" personal garanator and you will also need to be named a certifcate holder on their GL policy . I let a few leases go on swap a lease and it worked out just do a credit check prior to transfer and MB usa will also request a credit application from new owner of lease .

Also MB usa will not allow you to flip to a finance until a year after lease matures but i know they still want to piggy back the interest of the lease on the finance .

ESIX3POWER

I guess ill pay my dealer a visit and have a talk.. Depending on the hit i would have to take, ill see if i can get out of the car.. I dont trust swap a lease, i guess i might have to but for the time being i will work with the dealer.. I know most likely i will get bent over.. I cant pay off the remainder of the lease in 1 lump sum..

220S

Um, I'd like to say I told you so... (remember the W212 vs W211 dialogues a while back ) The truth of the matter is that you spend the time inside the car and only other people are looking at the outside.

Anyway, be careful with the hit. That can be a lot of money in future maintenance, etc.. See if your dealer can work with you, but in the end it just might not be economically smart. You're going to have to think creatively. Try several dealers and feel them out.

MB does have that program of moving to another car, but I doubt it will work moving to a used car (maybe, at least ask.)

I agree that swapalease, despite the headaches, could be the best deal financially.

ESIX3POWER

Just wanted to say that I would only trade out for a W211 E63 not a W211 E550.. W212E550 > > W211E550 = no brainer

W211E63 > > W212E550

MB_Forever

Talk to your dealer and see if you can trade in your car and finance the amount still remaining on the lease on top of the purchase price of the W211 E63 if you don't want to pay too much cash upfront. Payment will be crazy high though. Good luck

K-A

Damn dude! WTF!

Me and you went into major role reversal mode. All the interior things you're complaining about is the same stuff I was saying when we were debating before. Now here I am looking past some of those issues myself.

"Door arm rest feels like iron".... LOL!! That's hilarious, I was driving today and my arm started hurting, and you gave it the best metaphor I could think.

Anyway, sucks to hear. Yeah, unfortunately the inside of the W212 has a lot more plastic than the W211, especially the AMG W211. And the feel of the plastic isn't superb in some respects.

I'd say the 212 has many better interior aspects, and many worse. It would have been nice if it just trumped the W211's in every respect (the way it should be).

I hope I don't start feeling like you soon. You've got me all freaked out, haha. Fortunately I'm loving the exterior and all the strikingly sculpted detailing now that I'm acclimated to it, which was expected I guess, so go figure.

K-A

You know what, thinking about it quickly, here's my advice.

Fortunately you like the way it looks, and you probably like the interiors design I assume. Sucks to hear about those rattles, but maybe if you just ride the Dealer hard they can get to the bottom of it??

I'd say, maybe invest some mod money into the interior?? My friend got his ML all Suede'd up on the full roof-lining, and pillars, and it looks great and pretty OEM. Maybe look into that?

As for how to cover up the plastic, and cheap door materials, that will definitely be more intense and would require lots of $$$$.

cmn130

lmao

Vanditz

i felt the same after test driving a 2010 e63 then an 2008 e63. The interior is so much nicer on the older model. How often does THAT happen with cars? Anyway, I feel your pain. I had a jaguar XF that gave me tons of problems and I got out of my lease with 11 months left. With the trade in and tax credit you get in Texas, I was out of pocket about 4 grand. Not to shabby getting rid of a car that you end up hating. I have only had my e63 for a month and a half, but no way I would give it up for a new e63 until at least the bi turbo comes out and comes down in price preowned to make me want to spend another 60k on a car. Do what you feel is right. Sometimes we learn the hard way, and a car lover can be fickle with his cars. Do the swap a lease like others have said and get you an 08 or 09. You will get that smile back on your face in no time!

bobbyfali

Try to get some one to take over your lease with a cash incentive. www.leasebusters.com That would be your cheapest way out of your current situation.

Best of luck!

Thanks

Bobby Ali

ba

MB_Forever

Even Mercedes themselves mentioned in a few articles that the W212 E-Class will, for the first time, share more than 62% parts with the C-Class. Traditionally, the E-Class shared more components with the S-Class than the C-Class, but that has changed dramatically with the newest model. Most of the W212 E-Class interior has the same "look-and-feel" as the cheaper C-Class.

i_am_amused

if I understand this correctly, you end up being responsible for the lease in case the "swappee" goes belly up.



are you nuts?

Found the answer on the web site:

Lease Company Details

Leasing Company: Mercedes-Benz Financial Lease Transfer Restrictions: Cannot transfer in the first 6 or final 6 months of lease (some exceptions may apply) CA Transfer Fee $695, WI Transfer Fee $0, LA Transfer Fee $0. *Post transfer financial liability for the original lessee removed for Swapalease.com clients Lease Buyer Credit Application Fee: $50.00 Lease Transfer Fee (typically paid by lease buyer): $545.00 Does Original Lessee Remain Liable? No Mileage Issues at Transfer: Per original Wear & Tear Issues at Transfer: Per original Does Security Deposit Transfer? Yes Other Policy Information: Please be advised that without the written consent of Mercedes-Benz Financial (1-800-654-6222), the completion of a transfer agreement and the payment of applicable fees, any transfer or sublease violates the Mercedes-Benz Financial Lease Agreement.

Yuille36

If I can make a comment, if seems that your not happy with your W212. Your heart desires a W211, you will not be happy until to get want you want. So get cracking, be like a pitbull, don't take no for an answer, visit multiple dealerships, until you find someone that is willing to work with you, on this issue. Call MBUSA, and see what your options are. The salesman at my dealership is always on me, about trading in my car for a 2010 E63. I will admit, I like the front but not the rear, looks like a Honda Accord. The interior layout is nice, seat are nice and the tranny is great. But the rest of the interior is cheap looking. No swede on the head liner or A,B,C pillars is a slap in the face, and insulting. For the price we pay for these cars, the W212 should have been an improvement over the W211. Look at BMW, each subsequent car is an improvement over the previous model. Constant improvement, not the Mercedes hasn't improved ther cars. But the W212 should have followed the foot steps of the S Class, in terms of refinement of the quality of its interior. The W212 is a great car, but from an AMG standpoint, I'm sticking with my 07 E63. Good Luck, I hope everything works out for you, and you end up with your dream car.

jayhawkblk

Leasetrader.com is another place to list the car to get out of your lease. I think no matter what you do your are going to take a hit. Sorry to here that you dont like your car so much. Is the interior in the w212 E63 the same as the 550? If not why not try to lease one of those?

Quadcammer

Now that doesn't make sense to me.

Your main gripe seems to be the interior of the 212 E550.

However, the interior of the 211 E550 and E63 is not THAT different. yes, you get a nicer headliner/pillars, but thats about it.

Since the motor is the same, and the way the cars drive is pretty similar, why do you prefer the 212 550 to the 211 550.

cte430

I'm guessing it will cost you a fortune to get out of it. I did it once way back when and it was painful - but I wanted what I wanted.

ysgi

Lets not forget, you can sell your leased car. You have a payoff that changes every month. Usually its the residual + the remaining payments on the car - tax on those payments.

So your car has value - lots of value to the right person. So you don't HAVE to transfer your lease. You can post it in the classifieds here, ebay, craigslist, etc. The only catch is that depending on the finance company (probably MBUSA, and your state) you will have different laws. Here in PA you have to make the payoff complete including sales tax on the residual so that you can sell it to someone 10 minutes later and they have to pay sales tax AGAIN on the entire amount.
I just went through this with a Toyota lease in April.

So it is another option - maybe not the best - or maybe it is.
It doesn't hurt to list it.

-Eric

kermalou

Yeah, I went for a W211 to the W212 and noticed after I got the car all the interior points you made. I was in love with my old interior, the seats were so comfy and the back seat was bigger too.

Your best bet is to try swapalease.

K-A

W211 E63 and E550 have pretty significantly different interiors. First off, you get the already refined and attention-to-detail oriented W211 interior to start, then you get the massive E63 SEATS, which on their own do a lot to raise the interiors bar, then to boot, you get the luxurious/sporty wheel, and the very nice Alcantara, which makes another nice difference.

The W212 E63 and E550/E350 don't seem all that different to me, on the other hand.

MB_Forever

Any updates here? Were you ever able to work out a deal?

VCA_AMG

Here's my advice--you live once, you want a different car, then go get the car you want. If you can remotely afford the swap, swap it. Otherwise you'll regret it. Regret over an automobile (that's supposed to provide you with ENJOYMENT) just ain't worth it brother...it'll bother you every day you start up the car. There are many other 'more important' things in the world to regret and worry about, not your car. Just get it over with and get back into the car you want. It's just money.