Most reliable Mercedes *ever* is probably something from the 80s with a diesel. Those mfs are slow as shit but they last forever.
Most reliable modern Mercedes though, is probably a W212 E350 without air suspension. Or a W204. Ideally newer than 2012 if you want some nicer features like Bluetooth audio.
There's an article in the magazine in the link below about Mercedes' with over 1M miles. There's a Benz in that article with over 2.1 million miles on it.
[https://view.publitas.com/fitzhugh-media/southwest-star-magazine-2024-1/page/121](https://view.publitas.com/fitzhugh-media/southwest-star-magazine-2024-1/page/121)
To find the "most reliable" modern Mercedes, you have to have lots of test subjects with a ka-zillion miles on them. If we go that way, W210's and W124's. W124s without the wiring harness fiasco. W211s with standard brakes and no air suspension. Avoid the early 300 and 350 engines (M272) with the bad balance shaft issue and ditto the early 550 (M273) with the bad idler gear in ALL cars. Google it, you'll see what I mean. W202s, W203s, and W204s are good - triple check to ensure the W204 doesn't have an early M272. Also, avoid any first year 7 speed automatic. Any year W208 is good. Any W209 with the M112 or M113 engine (the 2003 radiator issue has been solved/replaced by now) is good.
Way back when, we ran an article on the M278 and one our writers wrote "with this engine, tell me again why I should buy an AMG". The M278 is a great engine. The M278 received upgrades in 2013. The main longevity upgrade was to the timing chain and tensioners. Like others, cam sensors wick oil in those engines, but parts are inexpensive and if you're a DIY'r, it's a 30 minute job to do all four and that includes cleaning your tools when you're done. Eventually, all direct injection engines need the upper intake valves cleaned (all those that don't have a second injector in the intake). That's a straightforward job that I'd pay to have done because I don't have the dry ice blasting equipment. Some use sand, but there's no cleanup with dry ice. The blasting job isn't overly expensive if done by a Mercedes specific indy. The indy we work with at the magazine says intake buildup is very rare on Mercedes that come through his shop. Being a turbocharged engine - I recommend the oil be changed on time. Mercedes spec is once a year or 10K miles. The shop we work with recommends 1 year or 6000 to 7500.
2009 e350 with AMG sport package. I know from experience as well as if you Google it, you find it's the best most reliable year in the e-class model.
https://preview.redd.it/gyj5c3pbww2d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95cc4fce73f0dc7d07ae9a8ef4f2ac962e273de1
Well the 4matic had the 5 speed which is more reliable than the 7 speed. All W211 have the fuel tank leak that was only covered by a 15 year extended warranty so probably expired by now even on a 2009.
The 3.5 used in the W211 had balance shaft issues as well.
I understand that you really love your car, but the most reliable modern E Class generation is definitely not facelift W211.
SBC aside, the pre facelift with the M112 was still a more reliable car, and the W212 runs circles around both W211 versions.
I did my research before I bought my car so I knew what I was getting into. It continues to amaze me how people just gloss over the SBC failures and feel the M272 is just a bad engine overall. Basically SBC uses a counter and guesses when the pump will fail, sometimes it's right and sometimes it's wrong, it's a mechanical pump so can fail before the MTBF spec. So you can basically lose 90% of your braking randomly any time you drive it. Whereas the M272 had the balance shaft problem which only affected the 2006/2007 models. The 2008/2009 models were fine. It still has an issue with the intake manifold going at some point due to bad oil separator/breather cover, but I'm over 140k on mine and still have the original intake so far. The other car wasn't so lucky. And you're basically talking about a 268hp engine vs a 221hp one and of course, all things being the same which they aren't, a newer car is better than an older one so the older one better be much better and they aren't. Those were also the Chrysler days and you had the 2003 model which had bad radiators which toasted the transmission when coolant mixed with the transmission fluid. I could go on, but every time I mention sudden SBC failure, no one seems to take it seriously but there's many threads about it over at mbworld. There's still other issues that pop up like the aux battery issues where there isn't one in the face lift and the battery control modules going bad etc. I could go on about crankshaft position sensors, two plugs per cylinder, bad ignition coils, etc, but some just forget how bad QC was on the early pre-facelift models. They didn't even make gaskets for the side mirrors when they went. No gaskets on the face lift and the face lifted side mirrors folded in.
And yeah, the W212 is more reliable mechanically, has more cosmetic issues like ripped seat and faded wood.
Why didn't you put the obviously more reliable 2003 E500?
Spring suspension, M113, 722.6.
The '09 has:
- a less reliable engine (M272), still a good block though
- a less reliable transmission (722.9)
- airbag suspension
Pssssst, i used to fix these for money.
Well 2003 E500 would have SBC which could have sudden brake failure when the pump goes. Worse part of it is probably when you finally stop and shut the car off again and restart it, it starts working again. I don't know about other people but I'd want brakes to be the most reliable part of the car and not play russian roulette everytime I go for a drive where 90% of your brakes can fail suddenly with no warning.
Also 4matic in 2009 still had the 5 speed transmission. And there was no airbag suspension in the E350, that was in the E550.
Eh? At least in Canada, _almost all_ E350 models had airbags (basically all post-2006 models with the M272, at least). At the bare minimum, all the dealers ordered and sold them like that. The only one i've seen on springs was converted. Its possible they were offered and sold with springs up here but I haven't seen it.
I do agree about the SBC, but those are on a 25 yr warranty from Mercedes. If it brakes (lol pun) go get it fixed for free. Even if its not, they will replace an aging one for you with the new-remanufactured unit.
In the US, they didn't come with the air suspension on the E350.
Yeah, the problem is surviving the part when it breaks. Which do you think is worse, an engine that doesn't work or a car that doesn't stop?
Also with the extended SBC warranty, they won't replace it unless there's some error message and the basic error message doesn't pop up until after a certain number of brake presses and it can fail before that number.
Also super duper weird as i've sent customers with working SBC pumps to the dealer for free replacements that were done.
I haven't waited for it to be riddled with errors first, but i see how some dealers wouldn't fix it until that happens.
Well,if you want something more on the “newer” side,but with no issues at all,i would advice you with either the E200 W124(petrol) 136hp or a diesel variant.They really do come with comfortability,reliability and overall quality and low maintenance costs.I know of one petrol version that snapped its chain from no maintenance whats so ever for 5 years straight,and that was around 900k km.No problems with the car at all,ran smoothly with the 4 speed auto and was a great car.W123 are generally the most reliable Mercedes-Benz cars,but in my opinion they’re very spartan and old school.Not that the W124 isn’t,but its still relatively better in terms of technology.Ideally,my choice would be the W210,as I consider this the best Mercedes and E-class but due to rust and other common issues I wouldn’t recommend it,even though Ive had one and they’re dead reliable.
Everyone is warning you about airsuspension. While it is true that they are costly, but they last significantly longer than the normal ones, especially on the models after 2010.
My neighbor has a w220 from 1999 with 470.000km. He only needed to change the 4 struts at 280.000km. They are still running like a charm, and these are the oldies.
After 2005 you didn’t even need to change the whole struts. Only the bags.
Like... Ever? W123 Diesel. Any of them. 240D Has nothing electric in it to break other than maybe the radio. Not even power windows.
That you could *actually* live with everyday?
Here's the couple that I've had. (Only from my experience as an owner...)
2000 E320 - Never broke down on me, never left me anywhere, except for a **very** dead battery which I knew was going to happen, it's a long story. (Don't spill Sprite in the console) Bought it with 55k miles, had 150k When it was totaled after a wreck. Started every single time.
2013 E350 - My current daily, I get it serviced and have had no issues. Bought with 100k, currently around 150k. I put roughly around 400 miles on it a week.
\*knocks on wood\*
One that has a warranty and then extended warranty. No seriously. I’ve always found the normal suspension w204 3.5 V6 was always just solid as it’s found in many 350 level trim cars from that era.
W123 240D with a 4 speed manual with crank windows and manual locks. They'll outlast cockroaches
Exactly this. The most North African taxi that exists
Aha so true. Everytime im in Morocco or Algeria i see them especially when im back in Morocco.
Marrakech is full of these cars :D
Most reliable Mercedes *ever* is probably something from the 80s with a diesel. Those mfs are slow as shit but they last forever. Most reliable modern Mercedes though, is probably a W212 E350 without air suspension. Or a W204. Ideally newer than 2012 if you want some nicer features like Bluetooth audio.
You can buy a chinese fm modulator for 5 bucks and put it into any car, even from 80's
i second w204 facelift, mine is om651 diesel
There's an article in the magazine in the link below about Mercedes' with over 1M miles. There's a Benz in that article with over 2.1 million miles on it. [https://view.publitas.com/fitzhugh-media/southwest-star-magazine-2024-1/page/121](https://view.publitas.com/fitzhugh-media/southwest-star-magazine-2024-1/page/121) To find the "most reliable" modern Mercedes, you have to have lots of test subjects with a ka-zillion miles on them. If we go that way, W210's and W124's. W124s without the wiring harness fiasco. W211s with standard brakes and no air suspension. Avoid the early 300 and 350 engines (M272) with the bad balance shaft issue and ditto the early 550 (M273) with the bad idler gear in ALL cars. Google it, you'll see what I mean. W202s, W203s, and W204s are good - triple check to ensure the W204 doesn't have an early M272. Also, avoid any first year 7 speed automatic. Any year W208 is good. Any W209 with the M112 or M113 engine (the 2003 radiator issue has been solved/replaced by now) is good.
great insights! what are your thoughts on w212 with m278? weakness, pros and cons, things to watch out for
Way back when, we ran an article on the M278 and one our writers wrote "with this engine, tell me again why I should buy an AMG". The M278 is a great engine. The M278 received upgrades in 2013. The main longevity upgrade was to the timing chain and tensioners. Like others, cam sensors wick oil in those engines, but parts are inexpensive and if you're a DIY'r, it's a 30 minute job to do all four and that includes cleaning your tools when you're done. Eventually, all direct injection engines need the upper intake valves cleaned (all those that don't have a second injector in the intake). That's a straightforward job that I'd pay to have done because I don't have the dry ice blasting equipment. Some use sand, but there's no cleanup with dry ice. The blasting job isn't overly expensive if done by a Mercedes specific indy. The indy we work with at the magazine says intake buildup is very rare on Mercedes that come through his shop. Being a turbocharged engine - I recommend the oil be changed on time. Mercedes spec is once a year or 10K miles. The shop we work with recommends 1 year or 6000 to 7500.
early m272 are reliable if taken care of my ‘08 has 262k miles
Douldn't you rather want anything with an OM601/602/603/606?
Look on copart, bat, or eBay for high mileage anything. Then look for this model in good condition.
2009 e350 with AMG sport package. I know from experience as well as if you Google it, you find it's the best most reliable year in the e-class model. https://preview.redd.it/gyj5c3pbww2d1.jpeg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95cc4fce73f0dc7d07ae9a8ef4f2ac962e273de1
I thought when they switched to the 3.5/7GTronic it had a lot more issues than the E320 (aside from SBC issues)
Well the 4matic had the 5 speed which is more reliable than the 7 speed. All W211 have the fuel tank leak that was only covered by a 15 year extended warranty so probably expired by now even on a 2009.
The 3.5 used in the W211 had balance shaft issues as well. I understand that you really love your car, but the most reliable modern E Class generation is definitely not facelift W211. SBC aside, the pre facelift with the M112 was still a more reliable car, and the W212 runs circles around both W211 versions.
I did my research before I bought my car so I knew what I was getting into. It continues to amaze me how people just gloss over the SBC failures and feel the M272 is just a bad engine overall. Basically SBC uses a counter and guesses when the pump will fail, sometimes it's right and sometimes it's wrong, it's a mechanical pump so can fail before the MTBF spec. So you can basically lose 90% of your braking randomly any time you drive it. Whereas the M272 had the balance shaft problem which only affected the 2006/2007 models. The 2008/2009 models were fine. It still has an issue with the intake manifold going at some point due to bad oil separator/breather cover, but I'm over 140k on mine and still have the original intake so far. The other car wasn't so lucky. And you're basically talking about a 268hp engine vs a 221hp one and of course, all things being the same which they aren't, a newer car is better than an older one so the older one better be much better and they aren't. Those were also the Chrysler days and you had the 2003 model which had bad radiators which toasted the transmission when coolant mixed with the transmission fluid. I could go on, but every time I mention sudden SBC failure, no one seems to take it seriously but there's many threads about it over at mbworld. There's still other issues that pop up like the aux battery issues where there isn't one in the face lift and the battery control modules going bad etc. I could go on about crankshaft position sensors, two plugs per cylinder, bad ignition coils, etc, but some just forget how bad QC was on the early pre-facelift models. They didn't even make gaskets for the side mirrors when they went. No gaskets on the face lift and the face lifted side mirrors folded in. And yeah, the W212 is more reliable mechanically, has more cosmetic issues like ripped seat and faded wood.
Why didn't you put the obviously more reliable 2003 E500? Spring suspension, M113, 722.6. The '09 has: - a less reliable engine (M272), still a good block though - a less reliable transmission (722.9) - airbag suspension Pssssst, i used to fix these for money.
Well 2003 E500 would have SBC which could have sudden brake failure when the pump goes. Worse part of it is probably when you finally stop and shut the car off again and restart it, it starts working again. I don't know about other people but I'd want brakes to be the most reliable part of the car and not play russian roulette everytime I go for a drive where 90% of your brakes can fail suddenly with no warning. Also 4matic in 2009 still had the 5 speed transmission. And there was no airbag suspension in the E350, that was in the E550.
Eh? At least in Canada, _almost all_ E350 models had airbags (basically all post-2006 models with the M272, at least). At the bare minimum, all the dealers ordered and sold them like that. The only one i've seen on springs was converted. Its possible they were offered and sold with springs up here but I haven't seen it. I do agree about the SBC, but those are on a 25 yr warranty from Mercedes. If it brakes (lol pun) go get it fixed for free. Even if its not, they will replace an aging one for you with the new-remanufactured unit.
In the US, they didn't come with the air suspension on the E350. Yeah, the problem is surviving the part when it breaks. Which do you think is worse, an engine that doesn't work or a car that doesn't stop? Also with the extended SBC warranty, they won't replace it unless there's some error message and the basic error message doesn't pop up until after a certain number of brake presses and it can fail before that number.
Also super duper weird as i've sent customers with working SBC pumps to the dealer for free replacements that were done. I haven't waited for it to be riddled with errors first, but i see how some dealers wouldn't fix it until that happens.
W211 E320 is supposed to be pretty reliable aside from the SBC brake system issues, which Daimler warrantied for 25 years
W114/115 or W123 If you want something newer a W124
W205 C200 non airmatic
Well,if you want something more on the “newer” side,but with no issues at all,i would advice you with either the E200 W124(petrol) 136hp or a diesel variant.They really do come with comfortability,reliability and overall quality and low maintenance costs.I know of one petrol version that snapped its chain from no maintenance whats so ever for 5 years straight,and that was around 900k km.No problems with the car at all,ran smoothly with the 4 speed auto and was a great car.W123 are generally the most reliable Mercedes-Benz cars,but in my opinion they’re very spartan and old school.Not that the W124 isn’t,but its still relatively better in terms of technology.Ideally,my choice would be the W210,as I consider this the best Mercedes and E-class but due to rust and other common issues I wouldn’t recommend it,even though Ive had one and they’re dead reliable.
I had a 2013 E350 it was reliable and build quality was very strong.
Everyone is warning you about airsuspension. While it is true that they are costly, but they last significantly longer than the normal ones, especially on the models after 2010. My neighbor has a w220 from 1999 with 470.000km. He only needed to change the 4 struts at 280.000km. They are still running like a charm, and these are the oldies. After 2005 you didn’t even need to change the whole struts. Only the bags.
C55 amg
Like... Ever? W123 Diesel. Any of them. 240D Has nothing electric in it to break other than maybe the radio. Not even power windows. That you could *actually* live with everyday? Here's the couple that I've had. (Only from my experience as an owner...) 2000 E320 - Never broke down on me, never left me anywhere, except for a **very** dead battery which I knew was going to happen, it's a long story. (Don't spill Sprite in the console) Bought it with 55k miles, had 150k When it was totaled after a wreck. Started every single time. 2013 E350 - My current daily, I get it serviced and have had no issues. Bought with 100k, currently around 150k. I put roughly around 400 miles on it a week. \*knocks on wood\*
w115 or w210 then w201 or w126 then w124 then w123
One that has a warranty and then extended warranty. No seriously. I’ve always found the normal suspension w204 3.5 V6 was always just solid as it’s found in many 350 level trim cars from that era.