[sv97]

Voted No simply because of the reason that such old germans are not reliable and would require high maintenance which does not make it a great buy and also when travelling long distances the constant fear of being stranded in the middle.

[kamilharis]

Votes YES! Sole reason being - The intense desire to announce my arrival in a Mercedes.
Apart from this, can someone throw some lights on 2 of my doubts :
1) How reliable will be the air suspension for a W212 model in 2020 ?
2) Mercedes is an expensive car to maintain, but just in India only? Because I can see all of those who have used it abroad did not share any reliability concern or unexpected huge repair bills stories,instead they vouch for its solid reliability and ease of maintenance!

[Hatari]

Had to make a similar choice with a 4yr old Skoda Laura DSG AT 4 years ago.
Drove it, loved it. Owner was urging me to go quicker, floored it on 3rd doing 60 odd and the tires screeched as it roared forward.

But some company ownership issues and mostly the horror stories of Skoda service kept me away. Needed a daily commute that was 100% reliable.

Dont regret it but each time a Laura passes by.....
If I had the money to 'burn' for a 2nd spare car of my own (not wife's) would have definitely bought it

[jayanttalwar]

Originally Posted by kamilharis

Votes YES! Sole reason being - The intense desire to announce my arrival in a Mercedes.
Apart from this, can someone throw some lights on 2 of my doubts :
1) How reliable will be the air suspension for a W212 model in 2020 ?
2) Mercedes is an expensive car to maintain, but just in India only? Because I can see all of those who have used it abroad did not share any reliability concern or unexpected huge repair bills stories,instead they vouch for its solid reliability and ease of maintenance!

The W212 in India does not have an air suspension as far as I know.The parts cost a lot abroad also ,its just that due to our infrastructure and traffic filled cities that cars here need more maintenance.

[klgiridhar]

Voted NO

My personal opinion is if at all I am in search for a used executive luxury sedan, will pick the most reliable one available. Since Lexus is a rarity in the Indian market, the default choice is the sporty and fun 5 series, nothing else will even be considered

I do not have much confidence in the reliability of older Audis' and Mercs, read many horror stories online. Moreover, I can't get over the feeling of Audis being glorified VWs , will always go for an Octavia VRS over an Audi sedan anyday.

[troublemaker]

Voted YES.

First of all, I drive one. I'm in love with it. This was the last generation of true-blue E class - more metal, less plastics. One can differentiate between this and later generation simply by the thud of the doors. If you like old school Mercedes, this one is for you.

My family mechanic who services all sorts of German cars prefers Mercedes as the best car to maintain for years (his least favorite is Audi).

[Torquedo]

Fellow BHPians -

I'm looking closely at a 2011 E350 petrol, need your help on the following.

1) Kindly suggest the best Mercedes mechanic in the NCR who may thoroughly inspect the car and may call out all the issues that need addressal.

2) The experts on MB, please call out any known issues on the W212, anything that I need close inspection on.

3) Any other suggestions and things that I need to look out for.

Thanks to one and all in advance.

[ndnesh]

Voted NO, sadly, mainly because of limited knowledge of these old Mercs, lack of awareness of good FNGs to maintain/service them, and the Whopper Bangalore Prices.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

I'm looking closely at a 2011 E350 petrol

Would suggest the E350 diesel for its torque & durability, but I guess that's not happening with you Delhi-NCR folk.

Kindly suggest the best Mercedes mechanic in the NCR who may thoroughly inspect the car and may call out all the issues that need addressal.

Best mechanic would be the authorised Mercedes workshop. They do thorough evaluations. Expect to spend in the region of 10,000 bucks. For such an old car, you can expect a 10-page list from them of the work to be done. Ignore most of the stuff and just focus on the important problems they highlight.

[jayanttalwar]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Fellow BHPians -

I'm looking closely at a 2011 E350 petrol, need your help on the following.

1) Kindly suggest the best Mercedes mechanic in the NCR who may thoroughly inspect the car and may call out all the issues that need addressal.

2) The experts on MB, please call out any known issues on the W212, anything that I need close inspection on.

3) Any other suggestions and things that I need to look out for.

Thanks to one and all in advance.

Get the car diagnosed from an authorised dealer, they do a thorough inspection.

I just got my Compressor and coiling coil changed for my 3-4 your old W212,the AC suddenly conked off.If you do not end up taking it to the dealer get the AC checked for sure!

The car has not given me any major issues and I have taken it to the hills, Rajasthan a few times.

I know a few Mercedes specialists in NCR, let me know if you want contact details or have any other questions

[adi.mariner]

When was the 7G Tronic gearbox introduced in the W212? And how is the performance and reliability compared to the 5G Tronic gearbox?

[Kartik Deshmukh]

Hello everyone,
At first I was a bit skeptical to buy a car without even looking at in in flesh. Because of this lockdown and thing's getting a bit worse dad by day, I had to make a choice. The car was in Pune and I stay in a small town called Amravati, by looking at the pictures the car seemed flawless but one cannot just judge a book by it's cover, but I took the plunge and got myself a good deal and brought home this diesel rocket! The car has been with me since past three day's and I've driven it for more than 500 kms, it is just what the doctor ordered for a car nut like me. It is just magnificent, the smooth diesel motor and the very responsive 7G-tronic gearbox is just brilliant. This car is a 2008 E280 CDI, driven just over a lakh and has been looked after very well. My initial impressions of the car being it is just what a Mercedes should be comfortable, luxurious, powerful, an able cruiser which barely breaks a sweat even at triple digit highway speeds. I took it on a road where people usually get their crossovers or SUV's and it was raining, traction control and ESP was doing it's job perfectly to keep the car in check and the car just glided through this muddy, gravelly, fair amount of slushy road. It is is just a stunner can be used as a daily and still feels tight after 10 plus years of service. Hats off to Mercedes Benz, I have been told that a well maintained one can last a couple of lakh kilometers only if taken due care of the vehicle. My father has a 1996 W124 E220 and a 2000 Maruti Suzuki Esteem, both the cars have crossed the 2.5 lakh mark each and are trouble free to date! His only advice is just service your car regularly, don't miss the intervals at any cost and the car shall take care of you needless it being of any make! Attaching some pictures of the car.

[harry_1732]

Originally Posted by GTO

Would suggest the E350 diesel for its torque & durability, but I guess that's not happening with you Delhi-NCR folk.



Best mechanic would be the authorised Mercedes workshop. They do thorough evaluations. Expect to spend in the region of 10,000 bucks. For such an old car, you can expect a 10-page list from them of the work to be done. Ignore most of the stuff and just focus on the important problems they highlight.

I have a Nov 2011, W 204 250cdi and staying in Mumbai. Looking for the following upgrades/ changes in my car:

1. Front Parking Sensors(Got damaged in the Mumbai rains i guess)
2. After Market rear parking camera which can be adjusted for display on the inbuilt unit
3. Left rear view mirror outer cover
4. Wheel Alignment: In fact, this has been a pain point for me ever since I had got my rear wheel adjustment done through a local garage(due to excessive wear in rear wheels which i could not notice in time and had to replace the tires) and ever since I have a prominent Left Pull but the Alignment figures comes out Ok. Someone suggested Caster/ Camber adjustment but want to go for someone good and experienced. MB ASS in Thane quote onwards of 15k for Wheel Alignment and Balancing
5. Suspension work along with Aftermarket parts like Sachs, etc

It would be great if you can help me with the suggestions on the above. Thanks

[nickolajj]

Anyone got better than this..
Mine is a 2017 E 250 cdi
Highway mileage, with ac and average was always not more than 90 km/hr

[AKSarkar1]

What an amazing thread! Precisely something that I was looking for!

The hunt for my pre-worshipped E class starts hopefully next month. My family and I are in the process of finding a new daily driver and this is definitely something on the top of my list.

Massive thank you to all the BHPians for sharing their thoughts. I already have all the data I need without having to spend endless amounts of hours on the web.