I'm considering either the last W211 or 2014 W212 E350 for my next car (potentially the estate version). Design wise I actually like the W211 sport better but I am just afraid that it's too old for DD duty (about 11kmiles per year). What are some of the common maladies of the W211 and W212 E350? Anything peculiar I need to know about? Is the W211 too old for DD duty? I'll most likely go the Merc CPO with 2 extra year or Carmax plus Carmax ext warranty for my peace of mind.
Thanks all.
My buddy was an MB tech for 22 years, one of those two he warns to stay away from, I'll ask tomorrow (today, it's late) and get back to you
Panoramic roof and 4matic gets a lot of complaints with the w212. With that said, if you're getting those ext warranties then get the newest most loaded low millage w212 you can. Mercedes does well with their cpo cars like Porsche. I think you'll be able to drive one daily with confidence.
I'm a diesel fan and a wagon fan but sadly the diesel wagons in the US are unicorns at best. Amongst diesels at least the W211 CDI are known for being quite reliable. I currently own a W212 E350 Bluetec that I purchased 2 years ago with 27k miles on it.
Sport package, the MBtex fake leather seats, premium package 1, harmon kardon sound system, and Distronic + radar cruise control. As a daily car for a family of 4 with two kids in car seats I don't think you could really find something better. It's got plenty of pickup, it cruises wonderfully, the presafe braking and radar cruise is nice, the stereo fantastic, an 8-12 hour drive is very comfortable, and it looks much newer and still fantastic imho.
The only reasons I would not own this car forever is reliability/maintenance cost and depreciation. I got a screaming deal on mine and its still continued to depreciate to the point I might owe slightly more than its worth. Which would not be an issue as I mentioned if I wanted to keep the car forever (which I do/did)
After a year and 25k miles of perfect ownership, I ended up with a couple expensive repair bills. A well known issue of an oil cooler leak on top of the engine (2k) and then the fan died and its ECU controlled/fancy so when the fan went the alternator kept getting shut off which toasted the battery due to not enough charging and on these the battery is actually under the seats and is pretty expensive (1500ish to fix everything) Both these things happened in the last year between 50-67k miles
Honestly if nothing else goes wrong with the car for the foreseeable future I'm fine with fixing things like this if it lasts because its that good of a car. I'm also averaging 30mpg combined with 38mpg on the highway trips with cruise locked to 70-80mph
I have heard anecdotally from a couple people about poor reliability on MB's, I can also say anecdotally that one of the executives at my office drives a W211 and its been very reliable and he has over 200k on it (gasser)
It's very important that you understand a luxury car like this will require more care and feeding than a honda etc however and you find a good local mechanic.
In reply to Justjim75 :
Any update from your MB tech buddy?
In reply to Jaynen :
I drive about 10-11kmiles per year so not sure if a Bluetec makes sense. I am planning to get a good extended warranty so hopefully that should take care of the issues that will surely crop up. About MBtex, why is it so hard to find a used Merc with real leather? The majority of used Mercs in the market have MBtex. How is your MBtex holding up?
friend of mine from Germany loves MB wagons, but gave up on them. He kept having suspension issues that the sedans didn't have.
Bought a low mile 2011 e350 CPO car for the wife after flirting with the idea of buying a low mileage 1988 560SL for her. She put about 20k on the car over 4 years. For the amount of depreciation I took when I sold it I could have bought the 560SL and just thrown it away.
ea_sport said:In reply to Jaynen :
I drive about 10-11kmiles per year so not sure if a Bluetec makes sense. I am planning to get a good extended warranty so hopefully that should take care of the issues that will surely crop up. About MBtex, why is it so hard to find a used Merc with real leather? The majority of used Mercs in the market have MBtex. How is your MBtex holding up?
My only issue with my seats, seems to be that a seam in the butt of my driver seat has split a little bit. In terms of wear/handling kids wit cheerios/comfort etc I really like the MBtex. 10-11k a year I would not buy a bluetec. You don't need the care and feeding of the diesel. I can't speak to the other motors but the only issue I have had so far from 27k miles to 67k miles have been with my engine/diesel injection etc.
The depreciation is really severe. My 2011 I bought 2yrs ago was worth about 30k when I bought it for 27k and now its worth barely 20
W2111 too old for DD service? Don't tell my W123 that. 
In reply to Basil Exposition :
I've owned a few R107s. They make great cruisers. Heavy and solid. Won't pass a gas pump, and can be somewhat maddening to troubleshoot electrically, but great, smooth driving cars. Plus they're cheap, as you said, and not likely to depreciate further.
volvoclearinghouse said:W2111 too old for DD service? Don't tell my W123 that.
Well W123 was from a different era when Merc was still overbuilt like a tank...
My problem with the W211s was I really preferred the facelift refresh and the most reliable ones at least diesel side were the older CDI ones
There's an E55 wagon for sale in Boston for $29k. Nearly 500hp with a relatively bulletproof drivetrain, all in a super practical body: https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/d/2005-mercedes-e55-wagon/6311571885.html
Thats quite the sexy
100k miles, effed up front fenders, and $30k for a 13 year old one? I'd much rather a cts-v. Sorry.
This is just my opinion, but the 98-99 W210 was the last truly great Merc. The last of the bulletproof tanks.
If I were buying an MB Estate car right now, I would actually pay MORE to get a low-mileage survivor W210 TD than I would for anything newer.
Fewer failure points, cheaper parts, very similar styling, great MPG, and better seats.
Like I said... my opinion.
dculberson said:100k miles, effed up front fenders, and $30k for a 13 year old one? I'd much rather a cts-v. Sorry.
100k miles is nothing for these drivetrains. I saw a 400k mile E55 on a YouTube channel that still looked and drove great. $30k is on the upper end of what these trade for, but it's not unheard of, due to the relative rarity of the E55 wagon. The only real advantage the CTS-V has is the manual transmission (which is somewhat uncommon), otherwise the E55 looks better and has the nicer interior despite being older. I'm clearly biased though, as all but one of my cars are German.
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