03-19-2004, 02:31 AM
Let me say a few words...then you can decide.
For starters, the only reliable Mercedes that I have ever known to function One Hundred percent of the time are the absolute classics. My uncle has a 1972 SL-class convertible that has never broke down or had any major issues other than regular maintenance and he has had it since it was new with over one hundred thousand miles on it. Another aunt that I have has a 1976 SL 250 with a diesel motor in it and has yet to have a problem after driving it for the last 30 or so years. Although the new models have caused more headache than they're worth.
Another two aunts that I have, yes I know I have a big family, which consists of mostly doctors, purchased two new Mercedes in 1999 and 1998. The 1999 model was the SLK-300 Class and within the first year she had it, it was in the shop for more than two months getting worked on. Since I handled some of the communications between her and the shop, the same shop that let her have an S500 for a loaner, I have intimate knowledge of what was diagnosed as the problem and was therefore replaced. To begin the internal wiring harness for the "Most Comfortable Seats Ever" were burnt to a crisp due to a short that occurred in two relays. Subsequently causing two other relays to die for the electric fans for the engine and the relay to control the power windows. One service technician I talked to mentioned that if it hadn't been under warranty (and Mercedes warranties are horrible) it would have cost my aunt eight thousand dollars to diagnose and repair the problem without a loaner car. Now the other aunt who had the 1998 E320d (not sure on model) had similar problems but only with the engine fans and her windows, but since she knew of the other aunt's woes with her giant piece she told my uncle to fix it. He ended up rewiring the window harness on the back right door (the culprit) and replacing both fans and created a secondary system (homebrew) to make the fans function without burnout. Though just recently, after 9 months of proper running and a total of sixty thousand miles on the clock, the turbo blows and she's left with an NA diesel 6 which can't get up her driveway.
I can't speak for all models of the Mercedes but of the ones I have driven, the cars don't handle well to constant hard driving at all. For all practical reasons Mercedes has no real racing bravado, while BMW was originally creating most of their vehicles for the advanced driver and his needs. When I first caught the BMW bug I was going over the most rudimentary things that caught my eye, such as the fact that they designed their cars originally with slanted motors so the hood could be sloped to improve visibility for the driver. Or the fact that they made some of the lightest cars (yes in the 80's) that became a great racing classic (e30 M3). BMW has had an edge on motor development using a reliable naturally aspirated design (high compression, aluminum block/head, etc) to provide motors that output high power even after miles and miles of wear. They've also been engineering for luxury, striving for quite some time to provide comfort and support to varied degrees of success. I have yet to be uncomfortable in any BMW that I have sat in to this day except the X3 (which is a total waste of anyone's time, but it is just an early model which is open for revision). As a more racing grown series of vehicles BMW does require some additional work, but if you're in that buying price range you should be fully aware that major work will always be needed on any vehicle. BMW has only turned me away from their smaller motor powered vehicles, namely with the newer 318i's 4C, Z3's 4C, and 2.5L 6C motors.
My car has been reliable as anything to me for the last five years of it's existence, which has been thirty thousand miles on a now 200k+ car. I have not had any problems, the parts are cheaper than that of a Mercedes (of that era), and it is certainly comfortable. So for me it's the ultimate classy racing company from Germany.
Drv2Liv-4E30
Sean
For starters, the only reliable Mercedes that I have ever known to function One Hundred percent of the time are the absolute classics. My uncle has a 1972 SL-class convertible that has never broke down or had any major issues other than regular maintenance and he has had it since it was new with over one hundred thousand miles on it. Another aunt that I have has a 1976 SL 250 with a diesel motor in it and has yet to have a problem after driving it for the last 30 or so years. Although the new models have caused more headache than they're worth.
Another two aunts that I have, yes I know I have a big family, which consists of mostly doctors, purchased two new Mercedes in 1999 and 1998. The 1999 model was the SLK-300 Class and within the first year she had it, it was in the shop for more than two months getting worked on. Since I handled some of the communications between her and the shop, the same shop that let her have an S500 for a loaner, I have intimate knowledge of what was diagnosed as the problem and was therefore replaced. To begin the internal wiring harness for the "Most Comfortable Seats Ever" were burnt to a crisp due to a short that occurred in two relays. Subsequently causing two other relays to die for the electric fans for the engine and the relay to control the power windows. One service technician I talked to mentioned that if it hadn't been under warranty (and Mercedes warranties are horrible) it would have cost my aunt eight thousand dollars to diagnose and repair the problem without a loaner car. Now the other aunt who had the 1998 E320d (not sure on model) had similar problems but only with the engine fans and her windows, but since she knew of the other aunt's woes with her giant piece she told my uncle to fix it. He ended up rewiring the window harness on the back right door (the culprit) and replacing both fans and created a secondary system (homebrew) to make the fans function without burnout. Though just recently, after 9 months of proper running and a total of sixty thousand miles on the clock, the turbo blows and she's left with an NA diesel 6 which can't get up her driveway.
I can't speak for all models of the Mercedes but of the ones I have driven, the cars don't handle well to constant hard driving at all. For all practical reasons Mercedes has no real racing bravado, while BMW was originally creating most of their vehicles for the advanced driver and his needs. When I first caught the BMW bug I was going over the most rudimentary things that caught my eye, such as the fact that they designed their cars originally with slanted motors so the hood could be sloped to improve visibility for the driver. Or the fact that they made some of the lightest cars (yes in the 80's) that became a great racing classic (e30 M3). BMW has had an edge on motor development using a reliable naturally aspirated design (high compression, aluminum block/head, etc) to provide motors that output high power even after miles and miles of wear. They've also been engineering for luxury, striving for quite some time to provide comfort and support to varied degrees of success. I have yet to be uncomfortable in any BMW that I have sat in to this day except the X3 (which is a total waste of anyone's time, but it is just an early model which is open for revision). As a more racing grown series of vehicles BMW does require some additional work, but if you're in that buying price range you should be fully aware that major work will always be needed on any vehicle. BMW has only turned me away from their smaller motor powered vehicles, namely with the newer 318i's 4C, Z3's 4C, and 2.5L 6C motors.
My car has been reliable as anything to me for the last five years of it's existence, which has been thirty thousand miles on a now 200k+ car. I have not had any problems, the parts are cheaper than that of a Mercedes (of that era), and it is certainly comfortable. So for me it's the ultimate classy racing company from Germany.
Drv2Liv-4E30
Sean