Hey guys, was wondering if I can get some feedback on this forum, even though opinions might be biased...

Ever since getting the RL I've been torn... Had a 2000 BMW 540 sport for 2.5 years, then its starts breaking down, really irritating.. I thought i go back to Japanese cars cause generally it doesnt cause any trouble.... When i first got the RL i was very impressed how the car is so well rounded.. beautiful looks, technologically advanced, state of the art in the building of the car.. I crossed shopped between GS300x, M35x and RL was by far the best buy given the price at that time (46500 in NYC, 3/05) along with rear parking sensor... and added mudguards and rear spoiler from ebay which i installed myself... but after having the vehicle for months... I feel that the low end torque and fragile paintwork really bothers me when i drive to work daily...

I currently trying to decide whether to upgrade to ASPEC package, which i heard makes the vehicle drive better/more feeling on the road and tighter turns... or trade in for a 2005 E5004MATIC with parorama roof/Nav/fully loaded with 4000 miles (49k).. but only getting about 37000 on my RL trade in...

Would you put in 6000 for aspec package upgrade, given used RL prices has really plummeted since to bad sales number to put such lumpsum on my car, or put in 13000 for the upgrade to e500... Feedback is appreciated

 

The a-spec suspension and wheels made a huge difference to me on my TL - so I say go with the a-spec. I just put the 18" chrome wheels with pirelli pzero nero M&S tires and it makes a world of difference when it comes to the handlign of the car. If I were you, I would get the 18" wheels and suspension. If you want a more agressive look, get one of the aftermarket body kits (IMO look better than the a-spec body kit)

 

no doubt in my mind I would get the MB E500 4matic. I would of gotten one myself if I could of afforded it. With only 4k miles, you really cant go wrong, and I would say the MB resale will be A LOT better then the RL, esp since acura f*cked up by trying to sell the car so cheap. Then again, just my opinion. Good luck either way.

 

I have a friend who has a 2005 E500 and that thing is in the shop more than he drives it - Mercedes does not want to buy it back as a lemon so far. I say stick with the RL, put on 18" wheels with PZero Nero tires and forget the A-spec package. I drove an A-spec equipped car the other day and IMHO it does not improve the handling, it only makes the ride harsher. Now, if you like the looks and you don't care what kind of ride you get, then by all means get the A-spec package.

 

I went from a 1997 Mercedes E420 to the RL. The ONLY thing I miss, is the V8 torque. The Mercedes seemed to always have something wrong with it. Sunroof stopped moving...$1100. The last straw was when both of the power side mirrors stopped working. Neither were physically broken, it was just that the motors burned out. $500 EACH to fix. That was when I traded the MB and got the RL. Other than the XM headaches, the new RL has been flawless.

My dad has a 2000 Mercedes E430 4matic, and has had many problems as well. He BABIES that car. It's over 5 years old now, and only has 27,000 miles on it. (his daily driver is a Toyota Sequoia) At 25,000 miles, Mercedes told him the AWD hubs were worn and needed to be replaced for over $2000. Naturally, my father had a fit, and the dealer said, "Mercedes has been having problems with the AWD system hubs, it's a common issue." To which my dad replied, "Right, that's YOUR issue, not mine, on a car with 25,000 miles on the meter. If you make it my problem, I will make it my lawyer's problem." Funny, they did the repair for free after that conversation...

As soon as the new Lexus LS460 AWD comes out, he'll be dumping the MB and getting the Lexus. My father, all his life, had wanted a Mercedes, and after I bought one, he liked it so much that he bought one. Now he's beyond disappointed, and is quick to tell anyone who asks that he will never buy another.

Randy

 

weird about people having issues with their RL's paint...mine seems great and I have no chips or anything thus far which surprises me.

 

Knock on wood

I have a clearbra which has surely saved my hood; however, further up where there is no film protecting the paint, I have a couple of minor chips I noticed.

 

The paint on my car is superb too. I think a lot of the paint "issues" is due to the left over glue from the factory. When I first found it I also thought it was a problem with the paint. Paint chips are normal and we cannot blame the paint for those - all cars get them from debris hitting the car at speed.

 

Many people on this board are willing to help, but the first thing we need to know is what are your priorities? Otherwise the responses will be based on our priorities.

It sounds like reliability was a major concern when you bought the RL. Has that changed? If not, check the boards that cover the cars you are seriously interested in. You will find that most recent Mercedes are quite unreliable. Perhaps that's why this car was traded in unless it was a demo.

Now torque is important. How important? It would probably be cheaper to have a turbocharger or supercharger installed than upgrading to another car.

You need to clarify the "fragile paint" issue for us too. My experience with Celestial Siver has been great. Maybe certain colors have issues.

 

Btw, thanks for the feedback guys...

Went to test drive the e500 today, fully loaded except nav and keyless go... that feeling the torque, oh man it felt great.. the guy wants 50000, and trade in of 36000 is rather low...still torn i told the guy i'll give him an answer today...

Mercedes always had reputation of having little problems here and there, but i did some research, seems like JD powers and other gave them even better mechanical quality than most (except lexus)...??

 

Mercedes is digging their way out of the quality problems that have plagued the
brand over the last 10 years...My neighbor just purchased a new E500...it has the
wonderful MBTEX interior (in other words vinyl) and cost $10K more than my RL.
If you have lots of money and don't mind driving rental/loaner cars get the MB.
One other thing - check out the Mercedes Nav system...it is a POS!

 

It is nice to drive a mercedes, but they are known for electrical problems and not in just one model.

Like I always say, go ahead, is not like it makes a difference to anyone but you and your family.

 

I guess its quite unfair, when I had the 2000 540sport, and accidently scratch my door against a wall, barely anything can be seen, but in RL's case i can actually feel paint powder chipped off as i visualize it... also once when i accidently scratch the bottom bumper into one of the low parking ridges, with little force, the damage (which cannot be visualized on the vehicle but can be felt when reached into the bottom of the bumper) is much more than expected... again with the bmw when i bump slightly into objects no samage can be visualized... again for those that had BMW/mercedes/Audi, when you open and close ur hoods, the body definitely feels a lot thickers in the european machines...

Again RL is a great car... taking a loss of 10000 after 8 months is quite big, talked to several NJ dealers, they expect price to be down and down for the 2005 models, its really not cool what acura is doing, those of us who paid close to MSRP and now they sell it for even 9000 below...

 

yeah that is IMO a tough hit to swallow for a car that is pretty damn good aside from maybe less power than what you seem to desire now. I dunno dude...I wouldnt do it but that is just me.

As for the hood...man you should see the new Lexus hood. It is aluminum and is so friggin light that you have to like drop it from a good height for it to close. Crazy

 

If you have any faith in the car owner forums, you can start here:

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/foru...posts=9&fid=18

"Anyone had SRS problems?

I have a 2005 E500 and am having recurrent SRS problems. I now have the car in for repair for the 4th time. Anyone else heard os similar problems? Is this an issue with this model or am I just unlucky?"

The rest of the research is up to you and Google.

 

Hey Guys,

Its been a pleasure exchanging information with you guys... i'll continue to stay on this board cause all people are educated about cars, the typical sophisticated RL buyer... Today I just traded in my 2005RL (6800 miles) for 2005 fully equipped e5004MATIC(4200 miles)... just personal taste, I can never forget the RL because of its sophistication in the making, I guess i'm still a little too young for this type of vehicle, even though Acura has definitely improved a lot in that sense...

 

Congratulations on your decision! May the force be with you to keep the gremlins away. I can't think of a more ego-satisfying car than a new Mercedes.

 

Or a used one.

Don't forget to look for rust under the seats (now that we have tens of thousands of flooded cars on the used car market).

 

Good Luck with the E500 4Matic. Make sure to provide your Mercedes service rep with a nice gift for the holidays. They usually ask for something after the 4th visit. Keeping your service appointments is a big thing for Mercedes Dealers, kind of like customer satisfaction.

I think the average owners age is like 48 for an E500. I guess its a more mature ride?

 

1. Mercedes will be as unreliable as your BMW was. No reason to expect otherwise.

2. That being said, the Japanese do not offer AWD w a V8. Unfortunately, you must choose one or the other.

3. Wait 6 months for the GS350 AWD. If the new IS350 is any indication, it will be a rocket.

4. Sacrifice size and get the G35x

 

I definitely was wary of any southern cars, made sure my car was a ny car, in fact since i got it from a wholesaler, i even have info of last owner...

The drive of e500 is definitely superior to the RL, but still chases BMW... but tech wise, e500 is no competition for the RL...

Avg owner of all these cars are about 50... but i think mb has a lot more freedom in terms of euro-tuning, a lot of market options, for example wheels there are dozens, as compared to RL which can be counted on one hand...

With panorama roof, amg exhaust in the back, brabus monoblock wheels, and amg body, i think the car definitely looks a lot more sportier than any of its competition while still being a v8 4 wheel drive vehicle...

 

Congrats!!

We need pics though.