MI350_55

AMG models are much more prone to problems... just a few items that has happened to my wife's SLK: Engine oil leak from the valvetrain cover at 16k miles, tranny valve body replaced at 24k miles, air bag sensor malfunction at 12k miles. May be the car was built on a Friday at the AMG factory...?? Though, I found out thru mbworld that the oil leak issue has occurred w/ other owners.

IS-SV

Note: Most of those problems sound typical for a model year 2005 Mercedes, not surprising other than the oil leak.

IS-SV

Let's hope the new Porsche(s) proves to have more reliable engines than the model years of 1999-2005. The incidents of oil leaks, RMS problems, defective blocks, IMS failures/complete engine failures were far too common. But Porsche is better than most companies in assisting owners out of warranty.

MI350_55

I wished we'd known better. We waited 5 months for the delivery of the car and expected flawlessness at the price that was paid. Oh well, hard lesson learned...

IS-SV

Oh I see, but not a realistic expectation (flawless w/excellent reliability) for most German cars.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

I really don't see how that is so.
real AMGs (not adding a badge ok???)= different engine, suspension, brakes, exhaust, body kit over the basic MB

I'm not sure if I missed it but it shouldn't matter if you're leasing it. You get a loaner when it's in the shop. It's not an S class where the air suspension will die prematurely leaving you stranded.
2006+ has gotten much better than before.
Make sure you get the mb where you are going to take it in for service b/c if it's another dealership, they'll give you a nice "C" class.......it'll be a "C"obalt, not a C class really

MI350_55

Let's just say that our stable will never include another German car.

IS-SV

I like variety in my stable so often it includes Benz's and Porsches, but I never expect the same reliability of a Japanese car. My most recent dust collector was a 2004 Porsche Boxster S that I owned for 5 years.

FKL

Alright, lets get serious here - A 2005 SLK is a very old car, designed and engineered nearly ten years ago. Nobody is going to try and argue against your experience, but if nobody else is going to, I'll state the obvious - Your "problems" with one old model Mercedes-Benz doesn't equate to all of their vehicles being "unreliable" on a whole. This holds even less weight with the totally new generation of Mercedes-Benz's. Again, that SLK is very old, from a different time, and I hate to say it, but your experience is pretty much weightless here when discussing new 2009/2010 MBs. Sorry, but you probably know this too.

MI350_55

So,the 10 year old (or to your preference, is very old) model is still being used in the 2009/10 SLK?? Besides, why would I bother buying another Benz to compare the new quality, hence hard lesson learned? If I had another 75k to spend, I'd throw it in something that doesn't require $150 oil changes and frequent visits to the dealer to figure out what's causing grease films on the windows.

IS-SV

MI350_55 - Above is my take on Mercedes "state of its reliability". I think the marked improvement began only a couple of years ago.

FKL

You are comparing the oil change costs on a Honda Pilot (regular) to a top spec, HANDBUILT AMG motor in a Mercedes-Benz (synthetic)? Uh, ok. The epitome of apples to oranges.

You can tell yourself whatever you need to to justify never buying another Mercedes-Benz, but the reality is what I stated previously - You have an SLK55 that was designed and engineered back in 2001/2002 for a model debut in 2004 (ok, 7-8 years, I exaggerated). I really do feel your problems with the car and in no way doubt them, but I would be extremely hard pressed to use your experiences with the current C-Class (which this thread is discussing), or even the W212 S550 or new E. The point is that these are all very different vehicles.

NINEZeRO

What is your take on the new C class more specifically the C63? Let me hear some good things

MI350_55

Indeed very different vehicles, but still the same manufacturer with the same quality standards (or lack thereof). In the end, my experience is just a small blip on their bottom line, but enough to influence my friends and family to avoid a similar pitfall.

Threxx

The fact is that Benz has had some terrible reliability problems in the last few years. The unproven theory at this point is that their latest redesigned models that have come out as a part of the 2008 through 2010 model year are more reliable.

I personally would probably not be willing to risk my own hard earned cash on that theory, especially if I'd already been burned once by a Benz. There's nothing wrong with waiting a few more years and see what people are saying about the 2008 C-class at that point. Tunes tend to change after hype dies down and cars start to get some real mileage on them.

Like I said... during my test drive of an 08 C350 I noticed a burnt out vanity mirror light and I had the door lock plunger fall off the door without even being touched. Yes those are two minor things but I took them as an omen of what else might be hiding underneath waiting to fail on me years down the road.

Look... I wouldn't fault anyone for buying a C-class if that's the car they preferred... but it's almost definitely not the car to get if you are looking for a low cost of long-term ownership.