Which 2000s-2010s Mercedes are "reliable"?

I am pondering doing an open road race.  There are none near me, so I am also pondering what would be nice to drive 2000 miles to and back from the event.  Was thinking maybe a CLK, E-class, or S-class Mercedes would be nice.  My knowledge of the marque is mostly related to the issues mazduece and wae have had with theirs.  Are there any particular model years, engines, transmission/drivetrain combos that should be avoided for exorbitantly high maintenance costs or terrible reliability?  Are there any that are considered anvil-reliable?  (or at least as close as a modern-ish German car can be?) 

I'm considering other brands, too, but this thread is primarily me wanting to learn about Mercedes in particular.  I saw a sub $13K 2008 S550 AWD at a local dealership, and it piqued my interest.

Obviously anything that says "BlueTec" on it should be reserved for only your bitterest of enemies.

Avoid all BluTec's (Wae) and pre-2003 cars. Also, avoid 2007 v8 vehicles, though most might be fixed by now. W203's always seem to be in terrible shape used, I'd be cautions buying one of those as well. 

If I could own any "affordable" Mercedes vehicle from 2000-2010 it would be a 2008+ S550 or S600 (W221). I love the W221.

2nd would be CLS55/63 AMG (C219).

3rd the C63 AMG (W204).

4th the 2003+ E55 AMG (W211).

My personal experience is non of them. Not that I can say that is a judgement of the car it could just as well have been the owners.

Wether it is car or owner around here i think I'd be hard pressed to find one I'd trust as a DD, let alone a track car

Opti said:

My personal experience is non of them. Not that I can say that is a judgement of the car it could just as well have been the owners.

Wether it is car or owner around here i think I'd be hard pressed to find one I'd trust as a DD, let alone a track car

Oh I'm certain they are much like all German cars seem to be, generally more finicky and fiddly than anything American or Japanese.  I'm thinking an open road race would actually be easier on a car than a track day, though, and my thinking is, being from the country of the autobahn, they'd handle an hour or so at 100 MPH reasonably well, if caught up on maintenance.  I am under no illusion that they will be trouble-free.

My Sister in law has 2 2010 or close to it E350 awd sedans.  They have been very good to her.  She has 1 in Toronto and 1 in Florida.  If you can maintain them yourself I think you would be good.  She can't and they can be expensive for silly stuff let me 1.5k brakes that could be some for a couple hundred.  They ride very nice though.

I'm no expert on MB, but used to own a few.

I wouldn't buy anything after a W210.  They were a pretty bulletproof setup.  I had a 99 E300TD with well over 200k on it and the seats looked darn near new, and the only part I had to replace was the duovalve for the zoned HVAC.  (aside from obvious maintenance items of course)  Their one Achilles heel (as is true of many MBs) is that so many things are vacuum operated, like door locks, HVAC blend doors, etc.  The vacuum hoses under the dash are pretty intense and if (when) they develop a leak, it's a full dash disassembly to get to it.

Available as an AMG E55 and later an E60 or 63... all of which are dancing around 400 hp.  E300 TD is a super stout starting point as well.  Only 168hp, but gobs of torque, and massive power on a stock bottom end is common if you have the coin.

I'm sure there are plenty of diamonds in the rough AFTER the early 2000s, I just am not well-versed enough to tell you which ones.  When I was considering a W221 I was told they are a pretty good bet, but we have now reached the end of my MB accumen

One other thing... more of a question.  It was 1998 when it went from Daimler-Benz to Daimler-Chrysler.  Possible that was the catalyst for the downward slope of things?

Quite a few years ago I had a 2000 model ML430 (W163) and at times I've considered picking up one again as a beater. It was a good reliable car during the year I had it. Sold it because it got around 15 mpg and I wanted a lighter more economical SUV (went to CR-Vs and a couple Ford Escapes). Not that I picture a ML430 as an approprite car to race, but that 4.3L M113 engine is in:

• 1998-2000 C43 AMG
• 1998-2002 E430
• 1998-2003 CLK430
• 1999-2001 ML430
• 1999-2006 S430

Only work I did on it was when I first bought it, replaced the crank position sensor for stalling when warm. Seems like a reliable engine to high miles from what I have seen. Weak point in surveys is Rear Main Seal. Buying one I'd look for signs of a leak and records of replacement.

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

One other thing... more of a question.  It was 1998 when it went from Daimler-Benz to Daimler-Chrysler.  Possible that was the catalyst for the downward slope of things?

I have heard that, but I've also read that at the time of the merger, it turned out that Chrysler reliability was better than Mercedes, despite their reputation.  IIRC, the merger was mostly a way of Mercedes getting a hand on Chrysler's cash stockpile and diverting it to developing their products.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

And most of that merger was Mercedes r&d and parts lol. As you can see they've been riding on the w211 platform for about 20 years now.

And I wouldn't want most w210's as they would rust in the most dry desert lol. I like them though, especially the om606 and m113 cars.

With any obd2 Benz, invest in a bootleg Mercedes SDS. That'll save you on going to the dealer for diagnostic and will come with work manuals etc

In reply to eastsideTim :

Open Road Race!!!??? Drive 2,000 mile to and 2,000 miles back!!!???  Interesting!

For my crazy self, I would look at a car that no one thinks to look at...  Infiniti M56 (later named Q70 5.6.)  That is 5,6 liters of heated up Titan truck motor bumped to 420 hp in a very sedate looking sedan that looks too much like an Altima but super stealthy (if that helps.)  Governor limited to a top speed of 157 mph (but can that governor be removed?)  13.2 sec 1/4 mile, stock.    Typical sample

I would want an M113 or an OM648 car. As much as I loved the W210 they rust in the US when it rains in Germany. A nice ML430, ML500 or maybe e320CDI. That's my choice.

In reply to eastsideTim :

2000 miles?  Like across country to a race track then race?   What kind of racing?  Drag,  autocross, wheel to wheel?  
      I don't care what car you have. Wheel to wheel too risky if something mechanical doesn't let you down or electrical? Accident or incident might not Allow a Return trip. 
   Even if it did you couldn't risk all out racing. You'd have to drive very conservative.      
     Drag racing?   Sure 15 seconds of full throttle  should leave lefty in reserve. But if you spend all day trying to go faster?   
 Same with autocross. Plus a big car just can't cut the pylons as close. 

Silver State Classic is the event I am looking into running.  It's a 90 mile race held in Nevada, with index classes.  First year competitors are restricted to a max of the 110 MPH class.  Lots of straights, some mild curves, and I believe one stretch of sharper curves.  I'd think any modern performance car would be up to the task, and a lot of non performance cars would be, too.  

My w219 CLS 63 was excellent.  The only failure I ever had was a coil pack over 4 years and 60k miles including One Lap.  The new owner has had an air strut go and a speed sensor but nothing else.  I did some preventative maintenance on the motor, but it was all easy to work on and the non AMG parts were quite reasonable 

In reply to John Welsh :

My list is big and includes Japanese RWD sedans.  I just happen to know more about them so am not as in need of general info.  

In reply to eastsideTim :

You'll be alright! Modern Lexus are as complicated as their equal Mercedes. The more features the more complicated the car, luxury tend to have lots of features.

GRM-folks tend to fear anything that isn't a miata, p71, or minivan/wagon. They'll recommend a Jaguar XJR though but not a more modern Mercedes lol. 

Catastrophic engine failures just aren't that common. Avoid pre-2003 vehicles (98-02 were super unreliable years) and sound 2007 my v8's. Drive them hard and don't let them sit for long periods of time. 

I just spent the weekend with a bunch of Benz folks at the new Mercedes Classic Center grand opening. With Mercedes enthusiast, designers, mechanics and engineers. One big topic of discussion was my2000+ cars that will be considered "classics" in the next decade or so. Right now anything pre-my2000 are in that category. A lot of cars I mentioned in my first post of this thread were high on their list of some of the best modern Benz ever made between 2000-2010.

yupididit said:

Avoid all BluTec's (Wae) and pre-2003 cars. Also, avoid 2007 v8 vehicles, though most might be fixed by now. W203's always seem to be in terrible shape used, I'd be cautions buying one of those as well. 

If I could own any "affordable" Mercedes vehicle from 2000-2010 it would be a 2008+ S550 or S600 (W221). I love the W221.

2nd would be CLS55/63 AMG (C219).

3rd the C63 AMG (W204).

4th the 2003+ E55 AMG (W211).

My wifes 08 CLS550 was still in the range of those bum ass timing chain idler pulleys that wear out at 100k and require front end disassembly to get to.

In reply to fatallightning :

That sucks. Want to sell it to me? 

yupididit said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

GRM-folks tend to fear anything that isn't a miata, p71, or minivan/wagon. 

Amusingly enough, someone did run a P71 in one of the lower speed indices last year.  While they are on my list, they are not high on it.

I owned a 2013 C63 AMG Coupe (last of the 6.3L NA V8s I think) for around 2.5 years. No issues at all with it, I believe the earlier ones had head bolt concerns, but the later models (after 2011) were corrected. Fairly certain that the trials and tribulations that mazduece had was one of the earlier ones.  My understanding is that the early ones can be retrofitted with the upgraded or even ARP headbolts. 

In reply to yupididit :

Any opinions on a non-AMG W211, like this E500?  300 HP should be way more than sufficient for what I am trying to do.

I was going to ask if this was a trick question, but my wife actually drove a free C230 for a year before it went wrong.  When it went wrong, it went full-send, like so many lovely German cars do.  It was also a magnet for wild turkeys . . .

The 500E seems really cool, but it was also very much of its era (totally overrated).  It's also a truckload of money, because rarity.

I just came across this:

DAYTONAUTO 2003 MERCEDES BENZ CLK 500

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