Common issues with the 400E? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

gsxr · #1 05-13-2010, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geeky1

Oh, and my girlfriend needs a car when she starts driving later this year, too (19, never had a driver's license >_<)... I've been teaching her on the 300D,

Good car to learn on, either 123 or 124.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geeky1

and I insist on baptizing her in the Church of Mercedes before letting her contaminate her mind with a BMW or some Japanese or American car or something.

Excellent idea. And if she chooses one of the latter, that's your cue to say "let's just be friends".

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geeky1

I'd love to pick up another 400E/E420 for her (just so I can drive it

) but I think we're going to go the 210 E430 route for that.

Uh, unless she turns out to be an undiscovered Danica, I'd put her behind the wheel of something a lot cheaper for the first 1 year (minimum!) after she gets her license. Any cheap 124 would suffice (remember, it's not a car you'd necessarily keep long term). If the sacrificial lamb car survives the year unscathed, then trade up to something with a V8 under the hood (400E, E420, E430). If you insist on letting her drive a V8 anyway, *please please* make sure it has ASR. It will help keep the car intact with a nOOb driver.

Geeky1 · #2 05-13-2010, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsxr

Excellent idea. And if she chooses one of the latter, that's your cue to say "let's just be friends".

Absolutely.

Quote:

If you insist on letting her drive a V8 anyway, *please please* make sure it has ASR. It will help keep the car intact with a nOOb driver.

Yeah. This thought has crossed my mind. I've had ESP save my stupid *** a couple of times. I have thought about getting her something cheaper and less powerful than the 430, and we may end up doing so. The arguments in favor of getting the 430 instead are basically that from what I've seen they're marginally more reliable than the 320s (they're also a measurably larger pain in the neck to do some jobs on, though. At least the V8 isn't in there as tightly as it is in your 400Es and 500Es.

), they get about the same gas mileage as the 320s and they don't need to be worked as hard as the V6s do to keep up with traffic (although the I6s seem to me to have a lot more bottom end torque than the V6s do, so an early 210 with the I6 might be the best option). It's a few months off yet and I need to get around to actually selling the Buick first.