R class as a second hand buy

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"Don't really understand the negative press, it's a fantastic car." - AGREED! I haven't owned one, which I suppose I should say outright, but having spent days looking at specs and reviews, it seems that the 'only' people who have a good word to say about this car are..... OWNERS of them! All the other naysayers sound to me like rotten apples, people who "want" people to get a "proper" 4x4, or an E Class. For me personally, the blend of the R class is perfect and exactly what I need.
The only issue I have is trying to find out real world MPG figures for town, mixed, and motorway journeys. I am sure it's better than the bricks like discos etc, but would be really grateful if anyone could chip in after all this time and comment on the MPG of their R320, and also reliability and build quality. I was told these were made in the USA instead of Germany, which I can't deny puts me off a bit, but not too much to not buy one. Any up date thoughts on the R320 would be very much appreciated, especially on the fuel economy figures.
 
". I was told these were made in the USA instead of Germany, which I can't deny puts me off a bit.

Funny you should say that. Back in the day I had a Vectra B saloon, which was made in Germany, unlike the hatch, and it was always said to be the better built of the two.
 
Yeah ditto for me with E320 CDI Y reg which I chose specifically to grab a late german made one rather than the newer crapper ones :D
 
Overlooking the fact that the "newer crapper" ones were also made in Germany.

Need one mention "spring perches"?
 
Just went by what I was told by a guy I knew who worked at a MB main dealer for quite a few years. didn't have any reason to disbelieve him, but are you saying what I was told was incorrect? If so, I stand corrected. I did have a later model for a while (04) and it didn't feel anywhere near as well built as the older one (as a fair few ex owners have also told me they agreed with over the years) and that experienced married with the (possibly incorrect) information I was given led me to think it made sense.
 
I am looking at a 2008 R320 sport and very close to buying it now, it's in beautiful condition but its got 141k miles on it. Would anyone have any reservations about the mileage, I am thinking in particular about the air suspension? Does this system last long enough for me to get a few years out of the car without 4 new corners of air bags?! (generally on average i mean, no guarantees expected!)
I really do love everything I read about these cars. I need GOOD 7 seating ability, 4 wheel drive is a bonus for towing a boat, and I miss the quality of Mercs since getting rid of my E Class a few years back. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
A quick update - brother turned up yesterday with an R320 CDI. He's only just had it and seems happy at the moment. I will be interested how well it lasts in the long term.

Fast forward ten years. How did the R320 last?
I'm considering a change from my 2000 E280 Elegance to either:
  • a late S124 auto (maybe a 1996 diesel); or
  • an early W251 (R Class).
 
You can find horror stories about just every model if you look hard enough.
Like I said before, just another 'expert' view from a non-R class owner.:rolleyes:

The well-documented point here is that the R class this is an Indiana built car, built on M Class underpinnings. The R class has a poor reputation not solely for its size, but also for its poor design and build quality, compared to Sindelfingen's finest: the S Class and E Class, which make far more sense in for normal families.

I write this as someone who would buy an S Class estate if Mercedes made one. They don't - unless your name is the Sultan of Brunei.

The resale values of the R Class partly tell you how poor it is.

But the clearer sign of its failure is the number of units sold when it was made. Mercedes intended to sell 50,000 units globally each year. In the end, they sold about 100,000 units globally over the course of its 12 year life - yes, just 12,000 units a year.

A very faint shadow of the 250,000 E Class vehicles made and sold every year. Yes two million E Class sold over an eight year period, twenty times that of the R class.

The only reason to buy an R class, a decade later, is that they're cheap because people don't want them.

An S124 is a conscious decision to buy a "classic," and R320 is a decision to buy an "oddity."

But back to "business analyst fundamentals:" What are you trying to achieve here, sir? When we understand that we can make an appropriate recommendation....


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… poor design

From what I see in photos, I like it.

and build quality, …

Optimistically: I like to think that if there's a significant quality issue, it's likely to have surfaced – and been at least partly addressed – within the first decade of a vehicle's life.
 
From what I see in photos, I like it. Optimistically: I like to think that if there's a significant quality issue, it's likely to have surfaced – and been at least partly addressed – within the first decade of a vehicle's life.

The US manufacturing quality issues have surfaced and are well documented. So it will be much easier to repair this low volume production oddity.
And they're so cheap now, because they're unwanted, that the saving will go some way to covering maintenance.

Certainly judge the car by photos on a website. But maybe drive it, with an open mind, to see how it actually drives, rather than assuming it drives like its siblings.

This is a car you buy for its interior cabin size, not for its handling, secure boot space, or quality of its fixtures and fittings.

And worth bearing in mind that professional drivers never took to the car - theoretically it could have been a "carriage trade" delight, but it never was.

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The big difference between an R Class and an E Class estate is 4WD. If you want/need that without going to a full-blown SUV then the R makes more sense. You also get a slightly higher seating position (better visibility etc.) without needing a step ladder to get in :D The ML has always had a fairly reasonable reputation mechanically, so the underpinnings should be OK.

The R was a niche vehicle which is why it didn't sell well - in the US (in particular) people were too much in love with their full fat SUVs and 'trucks'. That doesn't mean there was anything intrinsically wrong with the R - as mentioned it's basically just a slightly lower ML, and they are popular enough.
 
Aye, Bill. But the R class was a failure in Europe too,

and that was nothing to do with the R class not being an SUV or truck in the US market.

Once again: 100,000 R class sold globally over the course of 12 years, compared to about 3 million E class over the same time.
 
Aye, Bill. But the R class was a failure in Europe too,

and that was nothing to do with the R class not being an SUV or truck in the US market.

Once again: 100,000 R class sold globally over the course of 12 years, compared to about 3 million E class over the same time.

Yup I mentioned the US in particular as that was the primary target market for the R. SUVs have remained a hugely popular style choice in Europe too ... even the 'fake' (2WD) ones. I'm not disputing that the R was a financial disappointment for MB, which is obviously why they dropped it in the end. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad vehicle now, any more than an ML of similar age/mileage would be.
 
The sales figures, owner reviews and the resale values tell us that it was a bad vehicle.

It's a niche vehicle: an S class size vehicle with poor (ML) interior, and poor reliability. It's ideal for someone who wants a 4WD people carrier - although there are better people carriers out there.

Buy it if that's what you need, but don't say it looks a good alternative because you like the photos.

Drive it, get your wife to parallel park it, look at the fuel consumption and look at the cost of ownership.

I've used them for Airport transport, and "they're not bad." But its no E or S class. It's not even as good as a Ford S Max.



FordSMAX0606(6)_794_529_70.jpg
 
I bought my R 320 in February this year. Just under 60k on the clock, very good history with it and all for £6k
My feelings so far?
It's fantastic, kids love the very back seats. Ask to sit in them most of the time. Even when there's no one in the middle seats.
Good to drive, as long as you remember it's a heavy beast, it does roll in the corners. If you want to go quick in the twists, get a sports car.

The mpg? I was hoping for better to be honest. Normally seeing 30mpg, that's driving to work, about 50 miles from my house and 95% of it is duel carriageway.

I do very much like the car, driving position, comfortable, solid feel to the equipment and little touches like the reading light in the middle row , doesn't glare the driver when it's dark.

Huge amount of space in the back when the seats are folded, you could almost camp out in it.

I'll be hard pushed to get something to replace it in a year or so.
 
The mpg? I was hoping for better to be honest. Normally seeing 30mpg, that's driving to work, about 50 miles from my house and 95% of it is duel carriageway.

To put that into perspective, we run a 5-seat Vito Dualiner as a family car (the back is caged out for our dogs). That has the same 3.0 V6 CDI and averages about 25 mpg (auto gearbox, aircon, DPF, etc.). So 30 isn't bad for a big car with permanent 4WD ... the only time we see that is on a very long motorway run e.g. when we visit the in-laws in Germany.
 
Oh, I see. I'll take my 30 over 25mpg any day. I'd have thought the Vito to be about the same if not better. As you mentioned, with the 4WD.

To be honest, if it was in daily use I may not be as happy with the mpg.
 
Fast forward ten years. How did the R320 last?
I'm considering a change from my 2000 E280 Elegance to either:
  • a late S124 auto (maybe a 1996 diesel); or
  • an early W251 (R Class).

He still has the R class. Generally he rates it. He has had a few seized glow plugs and worn suspension parts.

I have a late S124 which I have SORNed currently until I can take the welding on the subframe that needs doing. I bought a good example with comprehensive service file (fills an A4 folder) but you WILL still have issues as these beasts are 23 years old now.

I have the luxury of multiple vehicles but I would say do not rely just on a 124 until you have worked through the inevitable issues that will arise with such a vehicle.
 

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