From what you've read and heard and experienced, which model year turned out to be the best all-around W210 in terms of quality and reliability? What's your opinion?
If you want, please post a reason why a particular year was the best.
Okay, I'll go first.
I owned a 1997 e420 for 4 1/2 years and love the car. Never really any problems with it. I upgraded to a 2001 E430 4Matic in 2005 (because I think the 210 body style is classic) and was so impressed with the changes made from the 1997 model
Color coordinated outside with the skirts,
Blinkers in the mirrors (smaller as well)
Rear light lens
Upgraded fog lights
Slightly slopped front
Standard ESP
Better Phone system
Navi (in both cars)
Tele Aid
Side Curtin air bags and all doors
Coin catcher seat thingy's (great idea)
Thicker carpet
Smart Key
Improved Dash layout
Intergated controls on Steering wheel
little light under the rear view mirror (surprised me)actually, little lights everywhere. door handles etc..
Express Down windows
blah, blah, blah
All of this, along with the absolutely impressive 4Matic (which wasn't offered in V8 for 1997). I decided to by a second one. I currently own a 1971 250C (for hobby), 1990 BMW 325IS (going to my son) and two 2001 E430 4Matics for myself and my wife. I have to tell you, if I'd known how much more improved (in my opinion) the 2000 plus cars were, I would have bought one a long time ago. Don't get me wrong, the pre 2000 cars set a bench mark that had every, and I do mean every other car manufacturer - Lexus, BMW, Infinity etc.. scrambling as it was and is a very impressive car; a modern day classic. I just feel Mercedes up the anti in 2000 and made some very pleasing improvements.
Well, I've only had my '02 E430 4Matic for a little over a month, so, admittedly, my opinion is based more upon personal bias than a lot of first hand knowledge. I've always felt that it was better to own the last year of a particular model than the first, as successive model year fixes are common. That, along with the additional options mentioned above really influenced my choice. Plus, I really love the car!
As a family, we've owned a '96 E320, a '97 E420 and an '01 E320 4matic wagon. For features and sound system I'd definitely vote for the '01, but for build quality I think the 96 and 97 are the best. We've had relatively few problems with the inline 6 and V8, but the V6 in the wagon was completely rebuilt (at MBUSA's expense) and it still has weird issues. I also loved the feel of the inline 6 more than the V6. Regarding the transmissions, I like the 5 speed for gas mileage but loved the way the 4 speed drove.
Mine are (were) both 1998 (one early and one late) the late model seemed more finished and well rounded, though the harmonic balancer and spring perch problems can be scary on all pre 1999 cars.
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