I have been pleased with all the Mercedes that I have owned. I have also owned 4 Lexus as well, and although they where nice cars, they will never compare to a Mercedes-Benz. As long as I am able to, I will drive a Mercedes. I have seen more older Toyotas smoke and more older Hondas towed to know that they aren't that bullet proof.

__________________
Mike

90 300D 511k
95 C280 133k
14 BMW 528i

Mercedes-Benz cars are of extreme high quality (at least the W140/W126 and W124/W123 were, can't say much about the W220, W201 and W210), BUT they require high preventive maintenance.

And still, there are some Achiles hills that in my opinion plage all Mercedes-Benz, regardless of year and/or model:

1/ Tricky and temperamental (to say the least) electrical issues (including but not exclusive to power windows/seats, radios and worst of all: FUSES and RELAYS!)

2/ Water pumps and radiators (could it be because most M.B.s tend to run REALLY hot at all times?).

3/ Over complicated and over engineered extras: like the self levelling rear axle/suspensions.

4/ All vacuum assisted systems (locks, self closing doors, etc)

5/ And if you live in country where the roads are horrible: alignment and balancing issues.

My opinion is derived after more than 20 years of M.B.s ownership. Anyone is welcome to disagree with me.

__________________
A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

My personal experience is that they were good and reliable until 1990.

I have been driving a 1995 S500, ( Bought it used, STARMARK at 22K miles and bought 2 extra years of MB Warranty )
at present I have 55K miles.

Its troublesome for two reasons:

1. I think the quality has gone down.
Second, Is the problem with MB Authorised dealer.

In my first year of Starmark warranty, dealer was very cooperative. However in the second and third year of STARMARK warranty, dealer had no interest in fixing warranty jobs. My car had to be sent back second and third time to fix the SAME warranty job correctly. So the quality of service has also become POOR.

Car was never returned on the same day as promised, but usually after 2/3 days.

Dealer's service department NEVER returned your phone call when the car is in the shop. Heard his complaint from other users also.
While waiting at the dealer to pick up my car, which was never ready at promised time, I had the pleasure to watch other customers express their frustration and anger for the quality of service and repair jobs.

I hope MBUSA are reading this post. They have to fix the problem of Quality of the car and quality level of their dealers.

I am hearing great reviews about quality and SERVICE from my friends who drive LEXUS.

It is funny, same problem, same time frame. I have owned a Mercedes since I Was 15 (a '73 450 SLC that I restored). and I have had a few down the years. I currently have a '93 500 SEL and it is infinitly more troublesome that my '88 300 SEL. So far I have about $15,000 in repairs (doing some of the work myself) and there does not seem to be an end in sight. 1990 seems to be the turning point.

My dad has 2004 S430, and it has been nothing but trouble. It has been as troublesome as his '74 Cordoba. I think that will be his last Mercedes.

The dealer is really crappy too. His town used to have a fantastic dealer. That dealer really earned my dad's business. I know the current dealer. He was a dishonest car dealer when I was living there. He had a showroom of "classic" cars that were mostly fakes. He would sell cars as real, completely original (such as a Shelby GT 350) that were pieced together from multiple vehicles. I could bore you with the stories of getting warranty repairs, but I won't bother. I was picking up some parts for my wife's Toyota (230,000 mi, 15 years old in Cleveland) and running like a racehouse. He went down to the showroom and looked at a new Avalon. I wouldn't be suprised if that is his next car.

GM used to make great cars. I wonder if Mercedes has gotten to arrogant to understand that they could fall too.

Not in my lifetime! (I was born in 1966.)

__________________
Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)

With a few exceptions, you are right. I was also born in 1966.

But in the 50's.

A friend of mine (whose family has owned a lot of Mercedes: actually I was helping him fix the climate control on his dads 69 280 SEL) had a '56 Olds Delta 88. His dad bought the car new in '56. With careful care, it was continuously driven until the early '90's before he sold it. He really doesn't know how many miles were on the car since it was passed from family member to family member. At least 200,000. Keeping a car running that long in this part of the country is a major feat. If the car is not excellent, it is really impossible. Before he sold it, I did some research on the car. There were repeated comments on the superior quality of these vehicles.

Today, people tend to forget that GM was the Toyota + Microsoft of the '20s. They perfected the assembly line approach and the sequential marketing of cars to a popuation. That was the major technological breakthrough of the first two decades of the 20th Century. As you can tell, I used to work in the auto industry. I have worked in the US, Europe, and Asia. Unfortuately, I am concerned about the Diamler arm of DiamlerChrysler. They are burning their brand equity with the rash of troublesome cars they have put out over the last ten to fifteen years. I still talk to mechanics and people in the industry. They have confirmed the relative poor quality of Mercedes products over that timeframe. There does seem to be some acknowlegdement of the problems within Diamler's corporate headquarters. Hopefully they will not let pride and arrogance (like GM's) take over and lose sight that if their products are not excellent, they will lose business and market share. Considering how many technical advances that corporation has had (including inventing the automobile), it would be sad to lose them.

If anyone thinks MB doesn't build good cars anymore then head over to your local MB dealer and feel, touch, test drive a W221 or W211. They are built at least as well as my W126 was.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Some interesting words..

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pb/vintage.htm

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

As you can see from my signature, I have two new ones on order, so I can't be too unhappy. But...

The E280 has been trouble-free. It goes through two headlight bulbs a year (non-Xenon), and about one instrument panel bulb a year. The battery was replaced under warranty when the car was a year old and left me by the side of the road.

The SL had no faults when I bought it four years ago from the dealer. Since then, it has had a variety of small niggles, some of which are not yet fixed. It will be in for its 60k km/36k mile service on the 10th and 11th of September.

The faults:-
- Leaking hard top. Didn't leak last winter after I followed a tip here about applying vaseline along the seals before putting it on. Have changed employer, and will have outdoor parking this winter, so we will see.
- Driver-side headreast gear slips, so headrest does not go up and down.
- Driver-side orthopedic seat air currently not working. Can hear air leaking at valve.
- Two radio antenna masts so far, as they just seem to lock up.
- Tempremental remote locking. (Once a month, the lock lights stay on after operating, of course not while the dealer is checking it, and the passenger side receiver no longer seems to work.)
- Leaking radiator expansion chamber. Leaks where the metal part that supports the cap meets the plastic part.
- Bulb behind external temperature LCD has blown.
- Driver-side heated seat blows fuses regularly when I switch it straight to high position. Fine if I start off on low heat.

The car is still a pleasure to drive. Everything mechanical is wonderful! It's "character" (meaning the things above) irritates my wife. She spotted a 12-month old new SL at the local MB dealer, which is what ultimately led me to order the CLK500 convertible, as I need more than two seats. 9-month lead time. Delivery April. The new E should arrive in January.

Before these cars, I had three BMWs. An early 323i was full of problems. (Injection system, gearbox) A 320i was totally problem free over 200k km, and my 525i had two hydraulic fluid leaks. Had an early Accord at the same time, which rusted to death while I was living in Holland.

Momo

__________________
1990 500SL 65k km - until May 11 2004
2004 E320 4-Matic wagon
2004 CLK500 Cabrio from May 11 2004

I rekon computers are what ruined the later mercs.

I have been really disappointed with my MB experience. I was told they 'last forever' but that ain't true. It has stayed broken down a LOT more than it has run. I've owned it for 5 years and it's only run long enough to put 35,000 miles on it. If I didn't have my Accord to depend on , I would have to buy another car. The timing belt on the Accord stripped out at 158,000 miles and cost me $25 to replace. Try that on a Mercedes.

And just where would you put a timing belt on a MB.

For twenty five years I have kept care of hundreds of Mercedes for which the owners felt they were efficient cars.

Me thinks, cars with repeat mechanical problems aren't seeing the right technician.

__________________
Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

ive been around all types of cars and had alot of experience w/ them. it all comes down to this: every car manufacturer has its good models and bad models, good years and bad years, look @ ford i worked at a reputable ford dealership and i swear they design theyr transmissions to go out at low mileage, its a big joke @ work but ford sells more cars than any other brand because its a ford. so they keep coming in with there bad trannies with $$$$ hanging outta theyr pockets to fix with a smile, even 4 or five times lol. but if u cant understand the quality in mercedes benz, go buy a ford then talk to me. good example was the escort the 190e competitor both low end models and both junk in my eyes but ill take a 190 any day. but would never buy one and or spend 10,000$ fixing one. once again its not the car its the owner. so u chose to buy your parents 190e <----was your first mistake shoulda bought a S class ok then if u had to put ten grand into it it would last another 300,000 miles. ok "ignorance is bliss isnt it" i wouldnt know though so tell me more about it.

__________________
1972 280sel 4.5

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/08/pf/autos/cr_auto_reliability/
2004 CR

__________________
1992 300D 2.5 turbo diesel. 319 k miles.
124.128 chassis, 602.962 engine, 722.418 tranny.

I just read the link and in the list of 'most reliable cars', corolla at the top! need I say more ?

__________________
Whether you think you can or cannot, Either way you're right!. by Henry Ford.