I am very skeptical about buying any newer Benz after hearing about the quality control issues.
I think quality started lagging around 97.
I had an S600 coupe, bought used at dealer with 34K on it. Front springs had sagged and AC was leaking. Some continuous fixing for one year totaled $8,000.
As much as I loved the car, I just decided to sell. Now I hear about airmatic suspension that costs over $600 for each wheel, parts only.
What models from 2001 are holding up the best?
Had a 97 e420 that was simply amazing. Before that the E300. Now I own only an 87 560SEL.
I think buying brand new and under warranty may be the best bet.
Buying used MBs sounds very risky.
I agree. However, even with a new Benz that is still under factory warrenty you'll still have to deal with the aggravation of leaving it with your dealer more than you'd like. It is well documented that MB has continued to deal with quality problems for quite some time. I own two MB vehicles - an '87 560SL and an '01 S430. The two don't compare when it comes to reliability. The S430 has been in the shop more times in four years than the 560SL has been in 18 years.
For me, I'm going to keep both cars and wait this out. At this point, I'm not married to MB and will look at BMW, Audi and others. Still can't even think about going Japanese.
I have a 98 740IL and the car has had minimal work over the last three years of ownership, only the AC had to be redone, and it was under warranty. I am completely impressed with the quality build and service.
I had to sell my 97 S600 because I just kept going back to the service department!
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