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Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans
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Comments
thoughts?
My guess is that Mercedes has been receiving a lot of complaints about tire/road noise and they went with a brand that was quieter, traction and performance be damned. Also, let's face it, the E500 "sport" isn't really a sport sedan. It's a luxury sedan with a few visual ad-ons. I doubt that most E500 buyers would even notice the difference between the H and W rated tires in their daily driving. Coming out of an E55, my friend would.
I agree with jb_shin that the blow out explanation is BS. If anything, H rated tires of this size and profile are going to be more prone to sidewall stress and edge wear, since Z and W rated tires have much more sidewall stiffness. And be aware that, even for a luxury oriented sedan, H rated tires are at the very bottom of the scale in terms of performance. If it were me, I'd replace them with a real tire as soon as they show moderate signs of wear. My bet is that Mercedes will switch to a different tire before the year is out. They certainly can't be equiping their German (i.e. Autobahn) models so frugally.
Say what, bargamon? How the suspension "feels" has nothing to do with body lean. What's happening is you're driving more aggressively with your upgraded tires, and your car has inadequate sway bar rates to handle the increased cornering G's. So it heels over like the Bismark hard-to-port at flank speed trying desperately to avoid the torpedo that locked her rudder gear. You might be able to find uprated aftermarket front and rear sway bars. These would help without materially affecting overall ride quality adversely. Variable-rate springs could be helpful, too, but in either case you need to consult with a competent suspension guy familiar with Mercedes suspension pieces and setup. One thing you won't do, though, is turn a Mercedes-Benz E class into a BMW 5xx series.
Thanks for your imput, well defined.
Anyway, I think the E, while being fairly smooth on the road, has way too much interior noise for a typical car in this class. Perhaps it is my Sport Package with those 'Hi-Performance H-Rated' tires? Jokes set aside, I feel it is too loud, and as soon as I hit 100Mph, which I often do here in the DC area, I feel the car becomes very loud and also notice a slight wobble in the back. It may all be my imagination. I would love to have other opinions on this.
Anyway, I want to replace my tires with something more performance-oriented, does anyone have any suggestions on W or Z-rated tires that are up to task?
Im buying one.
Ahhhh, the peace and quiet. Check them out on tirerack. They do carry the right size.
The next generation of direct injection gas engines should improve power and mileage by 10-15%. With that performance I question the appeal of the CDI options in the US market.
I am considering purchasing a used E430 and have been looking at 99 an 00 models. Do you have any advice for those of you who own these cars? I test drove a 99 E430 Sport today and it was incredible. I read on Edmunds that the 99 has a better mid-term reliability rating than the 00. What have been your experiences and what is you advice for buying a used E430.
TIA, hgp
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/97005.htm
http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/00027.htm
I am hoping that I can get people to weigh in on their opinions of the 2000 E320 (if applicable).
Thanks in advance
In addition, I am surprised by how much 2000-2002 E's have dropped in price over the last few months, per the Washington Post. It appears that under $30k for a 2000 E320 is very possible. Even saw a low milage 2001 "S"430 advertised for $39k this weekend. I have been considering replacing our SUV with a 2003 E320 Wagon. But given the drop in used prices, a nice 2000/2001 may make sense.
Shop hard, it appears to be a buyer's market.
Love the ride, power, and luxury look and feel of materials. Also practical with 3 kids and I consider it a safe car with all the electronic gadets.
If I had to pick one of my vehicles it would be the 320. My other 2 vehicles are an SUV and Porsche.
Make sure that you have nearby dealer that you can get very good references on. See if you can find out where the car was serviced and check for any unusual service events.
As my sister in Savannah says "I got the money honey, but not the time, to own a Mercedes".
I concur with the folks who recommend getting a used one with as much warranty as possible. I bought the MB extended warrant that takes the original 4-year/50,000 mile warranty to 8 years/100,000 miles. It's transferable, so if you can find one like that, by all means pay the extra freight and get it. footie is correct -- a Mercedes can be expensive to maintain and repair! Start with Starmark cars from dealers.
I really lioke a roomy back seat in my cars. That's what killed a BMW 525i for me.
Mark
Nice to be aboard.......I hope!
You shouldn't have paid more than the very low 20's for a 1999 320. Navigation technology moves very quickly and like cell phones is behind the curve very quickly. You can tell that by looking at any of the museum quality built-in phones in a 95 or 96 MB.
Make sure the car has service records and that you are ok with the dealer. Make sure that the warranty is Starmark from Mercedes and goes for 5 years from NOW and up to 100K from now.
Thank you jean7of9 for the welcome.
Also....while it was at the dealer in Oct....it was discovered during a routine inspection that the dashboard was cracked.....I hadn't noticed it....the crack was on the passenger side right above and going into the groove for the passenger airbag..very tiny ....I kinda thought the tech must have known what to look for or else he was just lucky...or maybe it's just an example of MB taking extra care their customers...I was wondering if anyone else had had a dashboard replaced due to a crack similar to this?
Thanks,
Bobbie
I just use prices in Boston Globe, ebay, etc. for car's actual value. What you pay for is your choice.
Remember invoice - holdback (2-3%) on a new MB is what your new MB is worth the instant you take title, because the dealer isn't going to buy it back for more than he can buy it from MB for right away.
Dealer trade prices and auction prices tend to reflect this offset from new pricing throughout the first 5 - 6 years of a car's life.
So if a dealer can go pick up a 1999 320 coming off of a 4 year lease for $19 - 20K or less, that's what the car is worth. What you pay that's higher than that is your personal decision.
Recent trades on ebay for example:
Item # 2402654886 a 1998 E-320. at $18,700 the reserve is met and the car will sell today.
Speaking of high mileage, there's a 1999 320 with 104K on it (just getting broken in as they'd say) on ebay now. The current price is $14,200 at no reserve.
There's a 1999 AWD 320 with 65K with a buy it now price of $23,900 with Bose CD rear shade. see
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item- - - =2402423413 ...
BTW..I love Toyota's despite what findav says. Toyota has the best manufacturing process on the planet. But there's a major issue with Corollas and Matrix's regarding sulfur smells in the cars and I have been active in posting there. to encourage people to chase Toyota for resolution. If Mercedes stank like swamp gas you might feel similarly motivated.
So there!
Never any offense intended here or there. Just the facts.
I think that there's a lot of evidence that Toyota 'quality' is going down very fast across their product line.
Wait until they start building the new Lexus RX330 in Canada and it gets hammered by problems.
The best Toyota's to buy aren't new ones.
I do love'em but still think that they are letting their quality slide across the board. I still root for them to, but I also encourage all owners to stay in their faces about QA issues.
I talk with one of my sales manager friends at New England's largest Toyota franchise as another benchmark. His take is that the problem level has risen significantly since 1999. Seeing the Camry and Corolla lose or drop places in the JDPower surveys is also a confirmation.
They can get away with lower quality now than it took to penetrate the market here. Toyota fans like me need to stay on them to keep the benchmark high.
They have a significant supplier education problem here in the U.S. that takes a long time to get up to speed. That's why they have special center in Kentucky to teach them the 'way'. The transition to increasingly high % of domestic content takes its toll.
The Corollas and Matrix coming out of Canada are good but have had nagging 'little problems' that Toyota owners aren't used to. The new Lexus RX330 will be a significant challenge.
:-)
The scam put the money in a trust account while the transaction closes.
The trust account was owned by the thief.
Lesson no money till you pick up the merchandise.
Ebay also offers a holding account until the deal closes.
I guess my point to Footie if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. You get what you pay for.