I think the new ones look pretty cool, the E-class is good looking, the C is too. They've improved over the previous ones.

A lease for an E-class diesel is most of the cost of a moderate size home's mortgage around here.

I'll let others absorb the depreciation first, then I will obtain one.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

I think that is a tad of an exaggeration. The newer ones are much higher in reliability.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Most of the repairs will have to be done by the dealer, these cars are computers on four wheels and are very complicated.
The upkeep on one of these, out of warranty, would easily exceed your mortgage payment.

Vahe

You must have a pretty small mortgage payment.

I agree you cannot DIY on these cars, there is almost nothing I can do on my W211. I'm just not that interested on working on them anyway, I have a good indy who is fully capable of doing anything the dealer can do except warrantee work. I don't know if the W212 is significantly more complex than the W211.

Think about it, if these cars had a 50K mile/5 year lifespan they wouldn't have a residual in the range of .79 to .72.

The new ones are very nice, but I don't do loans or leases and I just can't bring myself to write a $60k check for any car. You folks can pay for the initial depreciation, them I will write a check for 1/3 - 1/2 of the initial price. Thanks for that, by the way.

The upkeep exceeding anyone's home mortgage payment argument is a blind, red-herring. Since everyone's mortgage payment is a differing amount. That said, I doubt the upkeep of an out of warranty 2011 E320 Bluetec exceeds most home mortgage payments. My home is paid for, so it carries no weight with me. But, $550.00 every month for out of warranty upkeep? No way that's so.

If your '97 E320 transmission went kaput at 104K miles, that is luck at work. No one can predict bad luck with mechanical issues.

If you are prepared to spend $550.00 each and every single month for an MB lease, more power to you. That's $66,000.00 in 10 years out-of-pocket, and you still don't own a car. If that works for you, have at it is all I can say. The cost of $550.00 each and every month to drive a new MB, just doesn't appeal to me.

The 50K miles/5 year lifespan is my personal opinion.

The residual value is what MB can unload the car for, and believe me there are many folks who are willing to buy these low mileage “certified” used cars at such high prices, they just do not realize what they are getting into.

My E320 is a good example of the larger problem, its parked in my driveway, cosmetically it looks like a new car, but in addition to dead transmission it needs $7K worth of engine work. Mercedes cars do not age and do not show their age like other cars, this becomes a trap for many who buy these cars because they look like “showroom condition” soon to wake up and discover the disaster they walked into.

Vahe

What you point out is all true.

There are people who will never accept that any lease is a good deal, but in some cases it is. If you want to drive a new car and understand that new cars depreciate fast then it doesn't matter whether you own it or you lease it, it will cost you money every month in depreciation. I'd rather spend $66,000 over 10 years, drive $300,000 worth of new cars getting a new one every 2 years and own nothing than spend $60K for one today and keep it for 10 years and have a car that's worthless at the end of it that I would have spent another $20K-$30K keeping on the road all that time - but that's me. Even if you bought a 2-3 year old one for say $35K and spent the next ten years driving it you will have spent nearly another $25K keeping it running for 10 years and you'll never have the priceless experience of driving a new car - having the latest technology while it is still new. Owning a Mercedes, any Mercedes isn't cheap.

I barely spend a dime on keeping cars on the road since they are new. No tires, no brakes, nothing but gas and an oil change every 10K miles for the C300, as an example. I know people who, if you add it up, spend nearly as much to keep a 10-20 year old car on the road as my lease will cost me - and they are driving an old car.

__________________
Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz

When the 124 came out, people said it wasn't as reliable as the 123. When the 210 came out, people said it wasn't as reliable as the 123, 124. When the 211 came out, people said it wasn't as reliable as the 123, 124 or 210. Blah, blah, blah. 123s break down as much as 124s and 210s. All have their issues. The new MBs are great cars. I bet many people will be driving them on this forum in 20+ years and even though they are more complicated, the DIY will catch up and we will all find ways to repair them just as we are doing now.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

+1. A friend of mine is leasing a CLS550 for around 5k down and $635/month for a 3 year lease with 15k/year mileage allotment (costs around 84k new). Cheaper than buying the car and selling it in three years (looked at MSRP of three year old cars compared to what they are selling for now). Others prefer to drive old cars and repair them.

The local Bentley dealer was offering to lease the new Continental Supersports for 2k/month on a three year lease and 5k mileage allotment per year. The car costs 275k new and 1 year old models are selling for 225k. Way cheaper to lease.

To each his own.

Scott

__________________
Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

How the heck does an M104 need $7k worth of work?

W210's are fantastic cars, it just sounds like you got a lemon.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The big one is the head gasket, engine mounts, front seal leaking and bunch of other ills.

Vahe

The head gasket happens, engine mounts and leaks are not really unexpected for a 14 year old car.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

These are probably the folks who should lease cars. If you want to drive a new car that you can't afford to maintain, a lease is the perfect answer. Of course, you can't actually use it due to the mileage limits, but the neighbors will be impressed.

It's because he's bringing a 14 year old car back to the dealer for work. They don't want to work on "old cars" so they will quote prices only an insane person would agree to (in other words they quote a price in excess of the car's value). You ought to be able to get all of that work done for less than half what the dealer quoted at any good indy shop which specializes on M-B. If the car is really "like new" otherwise it is probably still worth it to have it fixed, and get a few more years out of it. Even if you spent $5K getting it back on the road...what can you buy for $5K that's equal in ride?

There are also tons of "flippers" looking for nice cars that need mechanical work. A flipper will put a salvage tranny in and do the work needed for around $500-$1000 in parts and resell it for $7500.

__________________
Marty D.

2013 C300 4Matic
1984 BMW 733i
2013 Lincoln MKz