MB - The best or nothing....maybe not any more...

[Deleted member 149005]

Mercedes-Benz had the most recalls in Europe for 3 years running now, and with a growing YoY trend too...

2019 – The Most Recalled Cars in Europe « Car Recalls EU

 

[Petrol Pete]

Quote ' The most common cause of recall in 2019 were Airbag , Engine , Suspension , Brakes , Steering , and finally (drum roll please ) Risk of FIRE !

Nice. I suppose we should all be thankful that recalls exist in these modern times for our modern cars, if they didn't we would probably all be dead.

 

[noogieman]

MB will never go back to their former glory.
Better stick with what you have the old cars rather than buying new hazardous nonquality cars.

 

[Deleted member 11979]

The best or Renault or Nissan isn’t it?

 

[noogieman]

Customers are the real lab guinea pigs.
Should always buy the last MY of a model before it's phased out for something new.

 

[merc85]

"Best or Nothing" , I mean you would have thought they would go back to the eighties quality standards with a Slogan like that.

Shame as they are far from it! Still i suppose thats why they are still in business

 

[Eddy77]

It’s a shame, isn’t it? My memory of Mercedes dates back to the early 80s when I was a nipper and my dad bought a brand new W123 230TE. It was quite something compared to the Renault 18 that preceded it. Back then the slogan really did apply. They were the best!

Nowadays, well...I don’t know. They’re nice cars but - in common with most others - built to a price and plagued with issues (as is my 2019 Audi). Sign of the times I think.

 

[artyman]

The Best Or Nothing, that's a joke, I've just spent the last couple of days fixing the control knob on my W204, a known fault, with the aid of some useful videos on You Tube. The shaft, which breaks has four miniscule points that look to all intents and purposes that it was designed to fail under stress, as though it was a safety issue. What an absolutely rubbish design. Fixed with some good old fashioned Araldite, reassembled and now working. The whole mechanism seems complicated in it's design or is that the object of the exercise, it makes you despair!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Customers are the real lab guinea pigs.
Should always buy the last MY of a model before it's phased out for something new.

Good strategy and one I have followed on my last 2 purchases.

 

[190]

Lets be realistic, they were the best back then but in real terms also double the price. Something had to give for MB to reduce prices and increase sales volumes.

 

[Eddy77]

Indeed. Dad’s 230TE was £18,000 on 1984. That was A LOT back then for a car.

 

[AMGeed]

When Mercedes decided to join the mass produced sellers like Ford and Vauxhall back in the the day, cost cutting became the norm along with lesser quality materials. When every Tom D1ck and Harry can get behind the wheel of a A/B/C class you realise they are as common as the rest of the mainstream manufacturers.
MB are no longer a premium brand, although the prices say somewhat different on models fitted with an AMG engine. Fortunately, the interiors of cars like the 205 and 213 for example, are still a cut above the competition in my eyes.

 

[noogieman]

Lets be realistic, they were the best back then but in real terms also double the price. Something had to give for MB to reduce prices and increase sales volumes.

Fat cats @ Daimler und Benz has only greed on their mind stuffing their own pockets full off $$$$.
They don't give a rats @rse if company spits out crappy cars

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Indeed. Dad’s 230TE was £18,000 on 1984. That was A LOT back then for a car.

According to the bank of England, £18,000 in 1984 is £58,282.78 in 2019.

Plenty of people own MBs for £58k and up... a modern, equivalent E class comparable to my W212 E350 with zero options STARTS at £51k...

 

[Deleted member 6183]

According to the bank of England, £18,000 in 1984 is £58,282.78 in 2019.

Plenty of people own MBs for £58k and up... a modern, equivalent E class comparable to my W212 E350 with zero options STARTS at £51k...

Finance.

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Sure... but the prices are still about the same, for arguably lower quality. At least, that's the premise of this thread.

 

[Eddy77]

According to the bank of England, £18,000 in 1984 is £58,282.78 in 2019.

Plenty of people own MBs for £58k and up... a modern, equivalent E class comparable to my W212 E350 with zero options STARTS at £51k...

I think a fairly basic no options E220d is more like £40k. His was pretty basic. No leather. Manual box. I think they were more expensive back then.

 

[190]

Here's another comparison both cars similar mileage:
1989 190e cost new £18K £21K with extras. Bought at 5 years old for £9100
2009 C180K cost new £21k. Bought at 5 years old for £8100.

20 years on the new price is similar and used price is cheaper. the 190e would cost almost double in todays money so which ever way you look at it, new or used, 80's 90's MB's were vastly more expensive than they are now.

On the positive side it's remarkable that MB can produce what is in most functional respects a far better car for half the price.

 

[MrRight]

new cars are throwaway trinkets. the market has changed so much from back in the day. despite the recalls, they are safer than they used to be, and more efficient and more disposable

 

[fabes]

A friend compared a CLA with a top of the range Mondeo on interior only (Co car, diesel hack, same price)

Ford won over conclusivley
He said many of the plastics were Dacia cheap and he also didn't like the stuck on ipad

He doesmt see the badge when doing the 30k business miles

I still love my top of the range c207 though.
There's little to compare it to that isn't German (and those two other interiors are so dark.... )