Wondering about this Mercedes. Never owned one ??

[Dan]

Of the german brands, I like MB the best. They`ve been the most reliable and durable for me (those aren`t the same FWIW). They are much easier to work on than VW and Audi, and a little bit easier than BMW. The big problem with new Mercedes is they depreciate so fast. The dealers don`t seem to discount much and then after the warranty is up, they are worth less than half what the owner payed for them at trade-in time. That said, there are excellent deals on used ones. You either have to be able to work on them yourself, have a great indi (hard to find) or be rich.

[RaskyR1]

My wife test drove the C300 coupe before buying a used 2014 E350. She liked the look of the C300 but felt it was under powered a little and she fell in love with the E350 coupe after a test drive. The interior was much more to her liking too and she couldn`t stand the stuck on iPad of the C-class.

That being said, I`m considering the new C43 when my truck lease is up as I`ve really grown to like her car. The maintenance is expensive if you have the dealer do it but doing it yourself will save a ton. Oil change was only more on her car because it requires 8 qts.

[The Driver]

My wife test drove the C300 coupe before buying a used 2014 E350. She liked the look of the C300 but felt it was under powered a little and she fell in love with the E350 coupe after a test drive. The interior was much more to her liking too and she couldn`t stand the stuck on iPad of the C-class.

That being said, I`m considering the new C43 when my truck lease is up as I`ve really grown to like her car. The maintenance is expensive if you have the dealer do it but doing it yourself will save a ton. Oil change was only more on her car because it requires 8 qts.

EXACTLY! That was a big deal breaker for us when looking at the new Merc line up. The Ipad style center console is something we just couldn`t get around.

PSA: To all European car owners (Merc, Audi, Volvo, Bmw, Land rover, Jaguar). Buy your oil, fluids and brakes through FCPeuro. Everything is warrantied for life. My Oil changes (Do them myself) no just cost return shipping, which is cheaper than an oil disposal fee anyways.

I run Motul 300V

[RaskyR1]

EXACTLY! That was a big deal breaker for us when looking at the new Merc line up. The Ipad style center console is something we just couldn`t get around.

PSA: To all European car owners (Merc, Audi, Volvo, Bmw, Land rover, Jaguar). Buy your oil, fluids and brakes through FCPeuro. Everything is warrantied for life. My Oil changes (Do them myself) no just cost return shipping, which is cheaper than an oil disposal fee anyways.

I run Motul 300V

The good thing is that they appear to be going away from it now and they look much more like they are part of the dash and not just an after thought. The dash/display on my brother in-laws new S550 is insane and the new E-class is like that now too. Hoping the 2019 C-Class makes the same change as the upcoming A-Class looks to have done away with it.

2018 E-Class. I really feel that Mercedes interiors are much more elegant that BMW and Audi.

[Desertnate]

I`m a long time fan of German cars and they easily stand out far above any other vehicles I`ve owned as being my favorites. Over the last few years, I`ve only looked at BMW`s and Audi`s as I always believed the Mercedes to be too soft and too expensive. However, recently when I started pricing out both new and CPO`d S4/S5 Sportbacks, 440 Grand Coupe`s, and the C43, they turn out to be fairly comparable. In fact, when I price out a new C43 and an S5 Sportback with the options I want, the Mercedes is actually cheaper...but not by much.

The C-Class Mercedes has really captured my attention as has all the praise for C43`s handling prowess. Each of the three German Marque`s have their advantages over the competitor and I lean towards BMW, but until a test drive proves otherwise, the Merc C43 is rising to the top of my list.

[shortspark]

A previous poster said, "only old guys actually own MB", meaning everyone else leases. I`m an old guy (70 this year) and I do not see the benefit of leasing unless I can write it off. The MBs I have owned in the past have been reliable and the best driving cars I have ever owned - and I`ve owned them all, both foreign and domestic, over the years. Currently I own what is known as "the beast" - 2017 CLS550 with that great 278 V8 twin turbo. Most fun coupled with luxury car I have ever owned. I could have bought an AMG but after driving "the beast", it was all this old man could handle. I shutter to think what the AMG would do.

The point is that if I wanted C class in non-AMG form, I could probably better justify many, many other cars, including the Accord. To me, a true MB has to combine performance with luxury. A normal C300 does not quite give me the performance I need. Yes, Mercedes cars cost big bucks up front and it costs a lot to insure and maintain but you know all that going in. If you could not afford it you would not be looking at MB. At my age now, money is a not a major factor. I buy them new to my order and specs to be sure I have what I want without compromise, keep them until the warranty runs out and then sell them. So for me, that is around four years. My maintenance costs are limited to once a year oil changes, filters and a few other checks. I only average about 1,000 miles a month so I sell them before they get so miles on them to present problems. Sure, it is expensive doing it that way but like I said, I don`t care too much about that. Time and convenience is what is important to me at this stage of the game. You have to determine what is important to you at your stage of life and the circumstances that are peculiar to you.

Not to be underestimated, if you decide on this car you will be rewarded with top notch customer service and dealer experience. I`m sure there are dog MB dealers out there but all my experiences have been very positive. That may or may not be important to you but it is to me. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Accumulator]

A previous poster said, "only old guys actually own MB", meaning everyone else leases. I`m an old guy (70 this year) and I do not see the benefit of leasing unless I can write it off..

Noting that I don`t see 70 as being especially "old"...I know some people who could pay cash for anything they want, but lease simply for peace of mind. Every two years they get a brand-new car and thus, in their opinions/experiences, they`ll never have any car-related problems. Most of `em don`t even wash the things, *maybe* running them through a carwash now and then but usually just having it done (free) as part of regular servicing. "I`ll never have to think about car issues again, just spend an hour every two years signing papers". For people who are truly getting old, I gather it`s a load off their minds.

[Desertnate]

I really see the benefits to leasing depending on your situation in life. Some people are comfortable with always having a car payment and want to change things up to a new car every 2~3 years. With the higher end vehicles, they also like the fact they`ll never drive a car not covered by the manufacturer`s warranty. Not driving great distances every year helps too.

I just came out of a lease on my GTI. Going in, I liked the low payments and had every intention of having a lot of fun with the car for the term of the lease and then move on to something bigger/better. Funny thing happened along the way. Life put me in a position where buying/leasing "bigger and better" wasn`t a good idea, and my whole family fell in love with the car. So when faced with trying to find a good used car I liked and trusted, the easy answer was to buy out my lease. Thanks to VW`s pessimistic residual rates, I actually came out ahead and bought the car for less than you`d find an identical car at any dealership.

The one thing I really don`t like about leasing is the mileage restrictions. From an enthusiast perspective I live in the middle of nothing. Good driving roads are a long way away. Great sites/travel locations are a long way away. Good road tracks are a long way away. I basically held my breath for most of the lease and the minute I bought it out, I REALLY started putting the miles on it! No regrets.

[Stokdgs]

Shortspark,
I must have been gone when you joined up, so welcome to the Forum !

Love the car, its beautiful !

Have Detailed a few E63 AMG models before and you are correct - those things are absolute rockets !

I am surprised you mention "once a year oil changes"...

To me, that`s way too long (12k a year) to expect even synthetic oils to protect from wear in there..

The only reason the Factory may say this is ok to do is because if its on their dime, they don`t want to spend that much money, the cheapskates..
Dan F

[RaskyR1]

I really see the benefits to leasing depending on your situation in life. Some people are comfortable with always having a car payment and want to change things up to a new car every 2~3 years. With the higher end vehicles, they also like the fact they`ll never drive a car not covered by the manufacturer`s warranty. Not driving great distances every year helps too.

I just came out of a lease on my GTI. Going in, I liked the low payments and had every intention of having a lot of fun with the car for the term of the lease and then move on to something bigger/better. Funny thing happened along the way. Life put me in a position where buying/leasing "bigger and better" wasn`t a good idea, and my whole family fell in love with the car. So when faced with trying to find a good used car I liked and trusted, the easy answer was to buy out my lease. Thanks to VW`s pessimistic residual rates, I actually came out ahead and bought the car for less than you`d find an identical car at any dealership.

The one thing I really don`t like about leasing is the mileage restrictions. From an enthusiast perspective I live in the middle of nothing. Good driving roads are a long way away. Great sites/travel locations are a long way away. Good road tracks are a long way away. I basically held my breath for most of the lease and the minute I bought it out, I REALLY started putting the miles on it! No regrets.

I`ve done the same on a couple of my leased cars (Acura). For me I don`t really mind having a payment and like you said, I like not having to worry about mechanical issues. I think my biggest reason for leasing though is that I tend to get bored with vehicles quickly. I also work close to home and I`m lucky if I put on 10,000 miles a year.

[The Driver]

The good thing is that they appear to be going away from it now and they look much more like they are part of the dash and not just an after thought. The dash/display on my brother in-laws new S550 is insane and the new E-class is like that now too. Hoping the 2019 C-Class makes the same change as the upcoming A-Class looks to have done away with it.

2018 E-Class. I really feel that Mercedes interiors are much more elegant that BMW and Audi.

I 100% agree, Benz is far more classy. That said Audi interiors are incredible, super modern and very very clean/minimal (Again we have an S7, the interior is just a wonder.) I would also say this, the msot incredible interior to date for a 100k car right now is the Volvo XC90, from the seats to the UI on the dash it really is drop dead gorgeous.

That all said, my next two cars I plan to be Merc`s and I`m not a brand enthusiast by any means of the word.
1. CLK 63 BS 08 - Silver
2. AMG GT-s Base 17 - Gunmetal

[shortspark]

Shortspark,
I must have been gone when you joined up, so welcome to the Forum !

Love the car, its beautiful !

Have Detailed a few E63 AMG models before and you are correct - those things are absolute rockets !

I am surprised you mention "once a year oil changes"...

To me, that`s way too long (12k a year) to expect even synthetic oils to protect from wear in there..

The only reason the Factory may say this is ok to do is because if its on their dime, they don`t want to spend that much money, the cheapskates..
Dan F

Welcome to the forum you say? I`ve been here for many years. In fact, I joined in 2005 but I just don`t post all that often. Actually the maintenance minder on the CLS comes on after one year or 10,000 miles and that is when I get my MB cars serviced. The last one I owned was an SUV, the MB ML-350 and this oil change interval worked just fine. My dealer uses the high quality factory felt oil filter of course and also uses the very fine European Blend Mobile One synthetic. I have no problem whatsoever going 10,000 miles between changes using those filters and the Mobile One considering my driving habits and conditions would be considered "normal". In my ML-350 I had Blackstone Labs do two oil analysis with the samples taken at the time of oil change. The results were very good with the tsi numbers (or whatever the number is called) showing I still had oil vibrancy, with depletion no where near the danger point. Besides, MB has been building cars forever and if their engineers say go one year or 10,000 mile intervals that is good enough for me.

As far as leasing is concerned, I usually work with one dealership and they know me. I am also a long time member of the local MB club and the dealer knows we all talk at our events about the dealers we do business with. One bad word there and your sunk and they know it. I get a good deal every time in straight up cash sales because of my loyalty and the club connections. I also usually sell my cars outright to individuals, thereby getting maximum price. It just works out better for me although on paper I agree, I would be a perfect lease candidate because I give up the car after the warranty expires and I only drive about 12,000 miles a year.

[PPLd]

I owned and drove a few Japanese cars, from econobox to flagship models.
I switched to a Mercedes Benz SLK roadster with turbo engine a few years ago.

Heard a lot of comments like:
"roadster is a niche market product"
"it gotta be expensive to maintain"
"it will cost you a fortune to repair"
"parts are not readily available"
"these things must guzzle gas"
"no one want a used car like that so good luck selling it after a few years"

[MattPersman]

Mercedes parts are available darn near forever cause they are so widely purchased and bought all over the world. Yes the labor rate at a Benz dealer is more than your local Chevy dealer. Probably anyways.

Yes some parts are more money cause they are different. Talking wide band o2 sensors that cost 400 bucks for the part compared to a 4 wire lo tech sensor that’s 80 bucks. ECMs cost more etc

It’s just the way it is. Heck Mitsubishi stuff used to be outrageous price wise for parts too and those were Japanese nothing special cars.

With any car. It could be the best most reliable car you ever had or it could be the biggest piece of carp you ever had

Leasing that’s the risk. If you do get the car that’s a piece of carp you are pretty stuck with the constant inconvenience of having it at the dealer all the time getting fixed and of course as others mentioned the mileage usage on your lease.

But you get a lower price if you wait for a good deal with a car you can walk away from after your term or buy if you love


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[Poorboy]

Leasing that’s the risk. If you do get the car that’s a piece of carp you are pretty stuck with the constant inconvenience of having it at the dealer all the time getting fixed and of course as others mentioned the mileage usage on your lease.

Matt whether you lease or not if you get a lemon most Mercedes dealers offer loaner cars, in which case, mileage won`t count against you