3rd Jun 2015, 05:52
I totally agree with this comment. It will change the way you think of large luxury American cars.
After spending the 80s and 90s in Volvos, my dad bought himself a 97 Aurora. He cannot believe he wasted so much time and money on Volvo. Never again will he own another import car.
3rd Jun 2015, 17:30
I admit that interior is roomy, and after all those years of use still looks presentable.
It goes for both; C- and E-class. The comfort is not an issue. It is mostly the "under the hood" and rust stuff that turned me off. As I already said in another place, when buying used cars some repairs are to be expected. The problem with Mercedes is that those repairs are too frequent and too costly.
5th Jun 2015, 23:55
I would expect any 14 year old car to have things like pulleys and shocks need replacing. I am biased as I largely drive Volvos well over 200k miles with few problems, but you just can't beat their comfort. I have tried Audi, but always got backache and constant warning lights showing. The Merc rusted, but the Volvos have always looked after me despite heavy use. Being in the UK, we don't get many American cars (only rubbish stuff like PT Cruisers and Chevy Cruzes - I can see why they are so cheap) so I can't compare to those.
16th Aug 2015, 18:35
August 2015.
A further update on my MB 2001 E430 4Matic expense:
1. Radiator blew up (M - $230.00, Labor (incl. other minor work) - $560,00)
2. Fog light (molten!) (L - $55.00)
3. Hood release cable (L - $38.00)
Total maintenance cost since purchase: CDN $8,340.
Total mileage driven since purchase: ~185,000 - 125,000 = 60,000 km = 37,500 miles.
Average maintenance cost for my 2001 Mercedes Benz E430 4Matic: CDN $0.14/km or CDN $0.22/mile. FYI.
P.S.
As a reference only, average maintenance cost for my 2000 Mercedes Benz C280: CDN $0.07/km or CDN $0.11/mile.
5th Feb 2016, 00:56
Just another update to the list of items that failed in my 2001 Mercedes E430 (still in 2015):
- Excessive oil consumption (1L of motor oil required every 2000 km).
- Vent control failed; only slightly warmer air is blown through the side vents; central and front window (dashboard) vents are not delivering air at all.
- Rain sensor does not work (it did not work from the day the car was purchased).
- Auxiliary fan (tandem) ceased working: needed to be replaced.
- Check engine constantly on.
- Thermostat maintaining too low engine temperature.
- Doors auto lock keep locking and unlocking during the driving.
- Dome lights and rear passenger lights going on and off without apparent reason.
21st Feb 2016, 06:03
"Excessive oil consumption (1L of motor oil required every 2000 km)."
Unfortunately, a lot of the Mercedes-Benz V8s from the 2000s use oil once real miles start getting put on them. Oddly, the older engines didn't have this issue.
Not all of their engines have this issue, but a lot seem to.
4th Aug 2016, 13:51
You don't know what real problems are until you buy an American luxury car. Caddies and Lincolns are the worst. If you can drive 12 feet in a Cadillac without the service engine light going on, consider yourself lucky. Lincolns are even worse. You can plan on spending $1500 the first day to have the air ride fixed. Electrical gremlins ride with you every mile you go. Stick with the Benz or BMW. Have you ever heard about the great American engineering? No. Great German engineering? I think yes and it's for a reason.
13th Oct 2019, 14:33
I am/was the owner of that car. As a matter of fact after sending my example of “Great German engineering” to the scrap yard (got $300, hurray), I did switch from the Mercedes E430 to a Lincoln MKZ.
The cars are comparable in luxury, size and performance. The appointments are almost identical except that in Lincoln they all work, which was not the case with the E430 (see the itemized list). Sometimes overenthusiastic owners tend to not remember all the costs of vehicle usage. For business and tax purposes, I do keep the log for all car expenses. The comparison of the the upkeep (excluding the fuel) costs limited to the time when both cars had the same mileage is: Lincoln CDN $0.02/km, Mercedes E430 is CDN $0.08km.
The fuel mileage for both vehicles is the same except for the fact that for Lincoln it is a regular gas; not a higher grade as it is required by OEM with all the cost implications…
As far as, at least “regular” passenger cars are concerned, the supremacy of Great German engineering is not that obvious. My son has 2010 Mercedes and hasn’t complained about the costs yet. The reason could be a very low mileage on the car (98000 km). I am not trying to bash one engineering over another (this year, I did purchase a 2000 911). Just comparing my particular costs of the ownership for the benefit of others…
1st Jun 2015, 03:38
You should also consider a Town Car.