Anybody owned more than one Merc.

LostKiwi

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Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Yes, on my 3rd and will get another one if I ever do change. Mine's so good that after 7 years, I still have no great desire to change. The old man's been running them since 1980 and wouldn't consider anything else.
Beemers are great but in terms of quality and reliability, they're no better (or worse) than mercs.
Things may have been different though. Back in the late 90's I was looking to get a decent car for the first time. I'd always fancied a 5 series so made a bee line for the local dealer. I collared a salesman and asked about a used 525i. His reply astounded me. We don't have any - and with that, walked off.Stuck up $%!*. I guess as I wasn't wearing Gucci I wasn't worth talking to.
Rang a few MB dealers and they all offered to bring cars to my office for me to look at. That's despite them being able to sell everything they could get their hands on (at that time). So I bought a beautiful C class and never looked back.
Point is, I've had good and bad experiences with BM and MB dealers and all cars have their foibles so to criticise any one vs another is foolhardy and naive.

That almost mirrors my experience.

In 1995 I was looking for a company car and couldn't decide between a Mercedes or a Saab. The Mercedes dealer was excellent. I went in there dressed in scruffy jeans and an old T shirt and asked about them. I was offered a test drive next day so accepted.
Went back with other half and young baby and the salesman gave me a set of keys, pointed at the car and asked if we would bring it back before closing (its 10am and closing was 5pm!). Way beyond what I'd expected and gave us a good chance to try the car. In the end I bought the Saab just for the sheer performance.
Roll forwards 2 years...
In 1997 I was running a Saab 900 Turbo Se - top of the range 900.
It was a company car and was due for a change. I shortlisted a Lexus IS200, BMW 325i and Mercedes C class. As I was at work and happening to pass a BMW dealers I decided to drop in to look at a new 3 series. I parked the car and (dressed in suit and tie etc) walked into the showroom. Had a good look at the car in the showroom and waited for a salesman. And waited. And waited (I was the only customer there). And waited some more. Eventually I caught the eye of a salesman who as I approached just picked up his phone and started dialling a number. I coudn't believe how rude he was or how poor the service and walked out.
3 days later and it was Mercedes turn. Remembering my previous experience I waited till the weekend and went in dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Within 2 minutes of walking up and looking at a car in the showroom (which was quite busy at the time) I had a salesman asking if he could hlp. We had a good long chat which culminated in 3 test drives - A C240, a C230K and a C250 diesel. We went back and had another chat over coffee and he went through the options, model differences etc. Couldn't have been more helpful.
The Lexus experience was broadly similar but ultimately the car wasn't to my tastes. I ordered a C240 with the factory collection option, all arranged through the helpful dealer (who knew it was a company car and was still amazingly helpful). They also got all the servicing work and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the C240, so much so that I bought another 10 years later as a private sale.
Since then I have been back to BMW dealerships for a look and even managed a test drive on one occasion but even then the experience was never as relaxed or helpful as either of the two MB dealers previously.
I have now owned 3 MBs (four including the Smart) and have yet to own a BMW. Just shows how a bad experience can lose not just one sale but several.
 

Naraic

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Your Mercedes
2005 CL500.
Getting the car for the week end is what you aim for...and they all do it.
 

00slk

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Your Mercedes
2002 SL55 AMG, 2005 E320 CDi, 2014 SLK250 CDi, 2003 SLK200
I am on my 11th or 12th Mercedes, bought the first one in '82 a '78 450se, then went to a 1960 220se, it was just as nice!! had mainly 280se's and some '70s compacts, SL's SEL's and estates too, some I will remember owning some I have forgotten!! I have now had more Mercedes than Jaguars, though BMW's are starting to creep up!
 
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ttonk

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London
Your Mercedes
W203 C220 cdi
I had a LWB 450SE in the era of big corrosion and dodgy early computerisation, it never ran on all 8 cylinders but it was fun.
Now, thirty years later, I enjoy having a 16 year old C220CDi even though it has been annoying at times. Parts are surprisingly easy to acquire at modest costs, it makes me feel like a king or a racing driver when it's on the road, sweeping around the bends.
And it took very little damage in a nocturnal incident with a wild boar.

By comparison my Toyota of the same age is less substantial but a bit easier to work on, slightly better thought out, from a repair or routine maintenance standpoint.

So I don't quite agree, if one talks of the older Mercedes. But I was once a Lotus Virgin-Owner, and only once, because they are 80% weirdly awful AND 20% fantastic.
 

Craiglxviii

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Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
I bought my CL500 on a whim when I saw it advertised, took a punt and oh boy what a learning curve it is. It's even in the name (Curve, Learning, £500 an item).

However I liked it that much, all the little design features that I looked at my options, what I was running (A3 and Trail at the time) and decided to sell the A3, and replace it with a new business lease hire E class. I found a deal on one of the final 5 W212s left for the UK market in Bremen, an E220 AMG Line and snapped their hands off at the wrists. We both enjoyed that one so much that, based on much input from the good denizens here, I went looking for an estate version W211, as the sale of the X Trail would finance it). Many were found, one was selected, an E320 Avg, and that was brought into the family.

Aside from the comedy list of errors on the CL, and a set of front brakes on the 212 that really shouldn't need to have been replaced (5000 miles... and a really unhelpful customer care experience through Head Office) I cannot complain about the cars at all. They're smooth, powerful, incredibly comfortable, fairly cr@p on fuel but far nicer than anything else comparable that I've ever driven.
 

S500al

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Wirral, Merseyside, England
Your Mercedes
2002 A160,W210 E430 estate and a king of kings.... W215 CL600 BI TURBO
our CL600 is known as the grand car... everytime something breaks it costs at least a grand but we love it and it aint for sale any time soon
 

John Laidlaw

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Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
our CL600 is known as the grand car... everytime something breaks it costs at least a grand but we love it and it aint for sale any time soon

That's highly apt!
 

gr1nch

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Location
Mons, Belgium & Ashford, Kent
Your Mercedes
W222 S350d AMG Line Premium Plus 2017 Iridium Silver over Black Nappa
I bought my CL500 on a whim when I saw it advertised, took a punt and oh boy what a learning curve it is. It's even in the name (Curve, Learning, £500 an item).
Hehe...naming convention solved



Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk
 

alexanderfoti

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Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
Happy days, only £65 per repair for me....or is that per mile?
 
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pitch1

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Location
Plymouth
Your Mercedes
Morris 1800S, Volvo 740, Triumph 2000/2500PI
N0w on my 5th merc!

No1, gold W210 E300 estate, reliable but rusty wings

No2 Green W210 E280 estate, electrical problems, returned to dealer

N03 Silver W210 E320CDI estate what a performance car,but gearbox problems at 83K, recon box £2100 incl. Write off.

No4 A class 180, did not like..rteurned

No5 W209 220CDI 2009. again what a car, Fast comfortable good road holding, a helluva car.

Its Mercs for me all the time!!!!!
 

pitch1

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Your Mercedes
Morris 1800S, Volvo 740, Triumph 2000/2500PI
Re 7g boxes, a quote from MB REP..."There was a kmown isssue"
 

John Laidlaw

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Land Rover Discovery 4
Just added an AMG E63 W212 to my list...
 

00slk

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Cambridgeshire UK
Your Mercedes
2002 SL55 AMG, 2005 E320 CDi, 2014 SLK250 CDi, 2003 SLK200
Just added an AMG E63 W212 to my list...

I wish you all the best with you new acquisition John. I know how it feels driving something as special as the AMG, enjoy. ;)
 

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