What do all of you think of Mercedes-Benz?

[Vern_in_IL]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Seems like all the European makes take "DESIGNED OBSOLECENCE" to the extreme.

...and the replacement parts are $$$!!!

I also don't like Mercedes HUGE emblem on the grills, but that's personal preference.

I read somewhere that a Toyota Camry had a better suspension...TIFWIW


Put down whatever you are ingesting.


The Camry's suspension is primitive compared with the multilink front and rear on any Mercedes that I've owned. The Camry ride is lumpy and the handling imprecise by comparison. They're just not comparable machines in any respect.

Designed Obselecence?? Mercedes is the one manufacturer that's fought against it! Where are you getting your facts? I can order any part for any Mercedes ever made. They support every car they've ever built. Try that with a Toyota or a domestic. I can't get some parts for my 4Runner. Toyota doesn't make them any more. But I can get everything I want for the 1992 MB from Mercedes, and it looks just as good as it did when it rolled off the showroom floor 23 years ago.

As far as parts prices, Vern, where are you getting your information? The complete head gasket kit for the 1991 MB was $89 from the dealer. It included the headgasket, exhaust gaskets, intake gasket and various o-rings and seals to do the job. Price anyone else's kit lately? Toyota perhaps? MB parts are often very reasonable.

But you have to actually own one to know any of this...it's easy to listen to the horror stories that distort the facts and draw faulty conclusions based on the anecdotal, second-hand evidence.


I did not know this, the only guy what I know that has a MBenz seemed like a brand loyalist, thought he might be crazily disillusioned, perhaps he is somewhat right. I've been around too many BMW worshpers, very doubtful what a owner of a "prestige" vehicle has to say. So much hype out there.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
So much hype out there.

And this goes both ways. I've seen a lot of hype around the unmatched reliability of Toyota and Honda. While that may have been the case at one point, things have certainly changed.

 

[aquariuscsm]

What exactly is an AMG MB? Is that their high performance lineup?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
What exactly is an AMG MB? Is that their high performance lineup?

Pretty much...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-AMG

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Win
For that money, I'd buy something stylish.

That eliminates anything German (or Japanese) from consideration.

So what specifically would you buy then?


Jaguar, Cadillac, a low time V35, or maybe even a Maser if I felt really bold.

 

[horse123]

Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Win
For that money, I'd buy something stylish.

That eliminates anything German (or Japanese) from consideration.

So what specifically would you buy then?


Jaguar, Cadillac, a low time V35, or maybe even a Maser if I felt really bold.


>Cadillac
>stylish

Be honest, you're 85 years old.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: horse123
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Win
For that money, I'd buy something stylish.

That eliminates anything German (or Japanese) from consideration.

So what specifically would you buy then?


Jaguar, Cadillac, a low time V35, or maybe ev
en a Maser if I felt really bold.



>Cadillac
>stylish

Be honest, you're 85 years old.


LOL, not yet.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: horse123


Be honest, you're 85 years old.


LOL, not yet.



84?

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: horse123


Be honest, you're 85 years old.


LOL, not yet.




84?

Good grief, I'm glad I didn't say Buick ....

 

[horse123]

Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Win
Originally Posted By: horse123


Be honest, you're 85 years old.


LOL, not yet.




84?

Good grief, I'm glad I didn't say Buick ....


BUICK

for those who were 85 in 1993

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: Trav
. Like you say long term support is what Mercedes does best.



Short term not so much in support. A good friend has the GL350 which 1.5 month into ownership had a failure of AC. Of course this happened during a New England heat wave and the MB had no parts in the US. Instead of overnighting it from Germany they instead used regular channels taking 6 days. They OFFERED NO LOANER since car was drivable. $70k well spent!

We slummed it in my pimped up Honda(Acura) MDX and did our trip to Boston.

 

[fdcg27]

Mercedes has had their ups and downs over the years, like every other maker.
The DC cars were in many cases junk.
It's as though DB took the worst elements of Chrysler and Mercedes and combined them.
There are some exceptionally good Mercedes and BMW models and there are also some to avoid.
A good Mercedes, or a good BMW, gives you a solid taste of what the respective marques are all about without being any more costly to own than any mainstream Japanese or American car.
Parts are usually not expensive, are readily available and are usually very well made.
Many of these cars are pretty easy to work on, since they were intended to be kept and repaired over many years and miles.
There are money pits to be had cheaply, but there are also cars that you can buy for reasonable money that will be cheap to own for a number of years.
Out of four used Mercedes cars and two BMWs, the only car that I regretted buying was a seven series BMW that had too much electrical nonsense for its own good. It was mechanically a very solid car and the body and suspension held up well, though.

 

[Norm Olt]

Originally Posted By: horse123
As an auto manufacturer and company in general. I tend to believe that a M-B will last quite a bit longer than a similar BMW or Audi. And I think reliability ratings seem to usually back that up. But then you also have people saying that because they last longer, they're boring cars. How boring are they REALLY if you want a mid range ($50-80k) luxury car? I don't think Merc is quite going for super high end track performance on anything except some of the AMG lineup.

Would you drive one?


#1: Read my signature, please.

#2: What in the world does "super high end track performance" really have to do with normal ownership of any motor vehicle: car, truck or motorcycle?

The motorcycle magazines were the 1st to really get into this concept, as if there is any real difference in what a professional rider (or a quartet or more of amateur enthusiasts?) can "do" on "such&such" a track on a "brand X" (or brand H, brand S, brand Y, brand BMW, etc.) 600cc sportbike vs. a 1000cc sport bike?

How many "track days" does the "average" (or way ABOVE average?) rider actually enjoy? Are we takling someone who has an extra set of wheels/tires for this experience? Has gone to racing school three times, etc.?

To me it is even more ludicrous when cars are concerned: who cares whether an Audi A6 or a BMW 5-Series or a MB E-Series is faster around Sonoma Raceway (formerly Sears Point, formerly...) in the rain (or, in the dry?)???

Talk about delusions of grandeur for MOST people. What's next: "My Porsche Cayenne TurboS (with the optional ceramic brake option, BTW!) stopped 15 feet sooner (in the track day comparison test in the latest issue of $UV WORLD that that p.0.s. Jeep Grand Cherokee SR8!"???

#3: If you are talking the MB products of the 80's-early '90's I really don't think there is much question that the MB products of that era were superior vis-a-vis reliability.

#4: "$50-80K" is more mid-SIZED than "mid range" in luxury cars, now-a-days, IMHO...

CHEERS!

p.s. Really don't know how the italics got submitted the way they did... BTW, is a Toyota Camry or an Accord somehow more "boring" than, say, a Dodge Avenger just because they are more reliable?

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Seems like all the European makes take "DESIGNED OBSOLECENCE" to the extreme.

...and the replacement parts are $$$!!!

I also don't like Mercedes HUGE emblem on the grills, but that's personal preference.

I read somewhere that a Toyota Camry had a better suspension...TIFWIW


Put down whatever you are ingesting.


The Camry's suspension is primitive compared with the multilink front and rear on any Mercedes that I've owned. The Camry ride is lumpy and the handling imprecise by comparison. They're just not comparable machines in any respect.

Designed Obselecence?? Mercedes is the one manufacturer that's fought against it! Where are you getting your facts? I can order any part for any Mercedes ever made. They support every car they've ever built. Try that with a Toyota or a domestic. I can't get some parts for my 4Runner. Toyota doesn't make them any more. But I can get everything I want for the 1992 MB from Mercedes, and it looks just as good as it did when it rolled off the showroom floor 23 years ago.

As far as parts prices, Vern, where are you getting your information? The complete head gasket kit for the 1991 MB was $89 from the dealer. It included the headgasket, exhaust gaskets, intake gasket and various o-rings and seals to do the job. Price anyone else's kit lately? Toyota perhaps? MB parts are often very reasonable.

But you have to actually own one to know any of this...it's easy to listen to the horror stories that distort the facts and draw faulty conclusions based on the anecdotal, second-hand evidence.


Most people just shoot off at the hip and have no personal experience.


Mercedes parts support puts everyone else to shame, as you said you can get just about anything for any car they have made and the prices are usually pretty good. You can still get brake parts for a 300SL Gullwing, right from the dealer counter. Try doing that with a 1955 Ford or Chevy at one of their dealers. They have records of every car they have ever made, all you need is the VIN and they can look it up. Handy when your trying to restore a pre war car with missing parts and in a none original color.

On the contrary I find Ford and Chevy dealer prices to be insane and their parts support horrendous, same with Toyota they are horrible to deal with and rip you off. My truck is only 9 years old and already a lot of stuff is discontinued. Also if you can get the part the pricing will take your breath away.

For example the metal door handle for my old S class was about $20 from the dealer and wonderfully made. I'm pretty sure a door handle for my Silverado if I can get GM to cast me one out of cheap plastic would run me 2-4 times that.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: Trav
. Like you say long term support is what Mercedes does best.



Short term not so much in support. A good friend has the GL350 which 1.5 month into ownership had a failure of AC. Of course this happened during a New England heat wave and the MB had no parts in the US. Instead of overnighting it from Germany they instead used regular channels taking 6 days. They OFFERED NO LOANER since car was drivable. $70k well spent!

We slummed it in my pimped up Honda(Acura) MDX and did our trip to Boston.


OMG no A/C for 6 days. Let me get the violin out, the guy must be a real wuss.

 

[supton]

I dunno, new car, I wouldn't care what kind, if I had it for only 1.5 months I'd be ape if I didn't get a loaner either. Might not be a reflection of the car whatsoever but it sure would look poorly for the dealership.

 

[Trav]

I agree they should have given him a loaner but who knows the whole story. Maybe the guy said no i can live with it then got upset later.
I detect a closet MB hater stuck in an Honda. LOL

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Mercedes parts support puts everyone else to shame, as you said you can get just about anything for any car they have made and the prices are usually pretty good. You can still get brake parts for a 300SL Gullwing, right from the dealer counter. Try doing that with a 1955 Ford or Chevy at one of their dealers. They have records of every car they have ever made, all you need is the VIN and they can look it up. Handy when your trying to restore a pre war car with missing parts and in a none original color.


This is true. But other than for consumables or the generic fastener, they are extremely VIN-specific about it. Any requested substitutions or changes from MB's parts computers are strictly Verboten.

When I wanted to swap out the slightly garish red/black steering wheel on my SL for a plain black one, the parts man plugged in the VIN. I could have a replacement red/black steering wheel from Germany in under a week -- but that was IT. No chance at a different wheel of any other type or color. None whatsoever. MB would have none of it, and the parts man was helpless to do a workaround. It's all VIN-based. I was told that MB still offers just about every single part the car was built with - which is great. But MB would only ship in exactly what the car was built with.

I wound up getting a used steering wheel and sending it to Dallas for a custom recovering. Looks and feels better than anything MB could make for it, and stitched exactly like the original one.

But still, talk about parts Nazis.

 

[Win]

This is the way we make it, and this is the way you will like it.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: Win
This is the way we make it, and this is the way you will like it.


So true. I deal with MTU Aerospace on regular basis and they do not like doing things any other way but theirs. Fortunately for me, they have to do things my way

but that doesn't stop them being grumpy about it.