White02civicsi

Im looking to get a another car and Im thinking about a used Mercedes-Benz E 350. Im concerned with the E 350's reliability and cost of maintenance, repairs, etc. I know they had problems in the early years when it 1st came out in 2003 but I believe they should have been fixed by the year 2006. 2009 was the last year the W211 was manufactured. Im looking for a Black on Black E350 with less than 50k miles. Im not sure about purchasing an certified pre owned or an extended warranty. Does anyone know if you can do your own repairs on the W211 E350 and what kind? I know the dealer would have to do the brakes because of SBC. Do you recommend buying from a dealer or private party that has all service records? I would appreciate any input from anyone that had experience with this car. Thanks in advance for your time and help.

Black Tire

I have the 2006 E 350 4Matic. It's a very sweet ride. Cost of maintenance is higher than an Acura, but you'd expect that from a Mercedes. No problems so far.

White02civicsi

Did you buy it new or used? How many miles when you bought it and how many miles do you have now? Thanks

What are some of the maintenance we can do ourselves if we are handy and have tools?

dallison

they are nice vehicles. If you can get service records either private party or delaer purchase would be fine.

Black Tire

We bought it used in 2008 with 50k on it. At first i was questioning the cars quality due to what I read online about Germans cars. I have to it has been great. I read the previous model years aren't good. We put about 10k since, we only use it one weekends. The TL is the daily driver. These M-B's are very complicated to work on yourself.

CL6

Can be transmission issues when they went to 7 speed.

VQPower37

its a good lookin car ... but there is a reason most people recommend that you lease a german car ... so you own only while its under warranty. if anything goes wrong you are going to be paying through the nose to get stuff fixed, german cars are tough to work on by yourself

F23A4

Good to know BT. Indeed, that's about the driving frequency (i.e.: weekends) I would aim for if I owned an E-Class OR 5 series....if nothing else, for longevity sake.

A bit off topic: I love the ergonomics of the W211 but, I LOVE that W212's exterior styling.