New Merc e220d vs BMW 520d

carsfan2

Father changing car and has come down to these two. There's only 1k difference cost to change between the two.
Both standard cars with metallic paint and service packs.
Both were very nice to drive. Nothing really between them in that regard.
Interior tech on beemer better but exterior abut non descript.
Will keep car good few years.
Which would you go with and why?

I think the Mercedes will hold it's value better.
That aside 520d are very common now, the Merc is a rarer site on the roads.
I think the e class offers an almost exclusiveness that the 520d doesn't and can't.

bmwguy

Into personal preference here. Neither is outright better than the other. Personally I would just about go for the Mercedes in this case, my uncle has a new one and I asked him not to change it in 3 years without telling me first. Lovely car!

There haven't been many times in last 20 years I would have taken the Merc over the BMW equivalent definitely in the E class v 5 series but this is possibly one of them.

Might have to change my username

bazz26

Review of both head to head here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZIdTcoqrSw

Is the Volvo S90 an option? Apart from the horrible rear light design on the saloon, it's a very accomplished car.

carsfan2

bazz26 wrote: »

Review of both head to head here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZIdTcoqrSw

Is the Volvo S90 an option? Apart from the horrible rear light design on the saloon, it's a very accomplished car.

Watched that review yesterday!

Drove the s90 Volvo too. In isolation was nice but dealer was poor and didn't inspire confidence. Lacked knowledge of the car and its features.We both agreed the drive of the BMW and Mercedes was superior too.
The 5 series has better navscreen and instruments. The 5 is very common though.
There is 4 grand off the bmw for cars registered before end of June and apparently there will be no more offers in it after this as it has been a success in Ireland with quotas sold out, apparently stock hard to get. There is an 1100 euro price rise coming on it too apparently.

E class has 6 per cent off and this is the last offer that will be out too.
Exterior of the e nicer than the 5 in my opinion too.

colm_mcm

I'd go the E Class, the 5 series is the default for a few years now and the new one is too similar to the old. The E class is a smart design and the Mercedes brand seems to be on the up.

bmwguy

carsfan2 wrote: »

Watched that review yesterday!

Drove the s90 Volvo too. In isolation was nice but dealer was poor and didn't inspire confidence. Lacked knowledge of the car and its features.We both agreed the drive of the BMW and Mercedes was superior too.
The 5 series has better navscreen and instruments. The 5 is very common though.
There is 4 grand off the bmw for cars registered before end of June and apparently there will be no more offers in it after this as it has been a success in Ireland with quotas sold out, apparently stock hard to get. There is an 1100 euro price rise coming on it too apparently.

E class has 6 per cent off and this is the last offer that will be out too.
Exterior of the e nicer than the 5 in my opinion too.

Don't get too caught up in the 'for this week only' deals by the dealers. Some guys here have access to registration figures for different brands compared to other years. The offers may very well be extended. That said you seem ready to order so go with what you prefer. You will be happy with either. Maybe see which you can get a better deal on if you if you are undecided.

carsfan2

Not me buying, my 70 year old dad.
Normally I take what they say re offers with a grain of salt but both bmw dealers independently told the same story of being in Dublin last week for a meeting re 172 strategies and that the support for the 5 is going but staying for the other models already getting deals.
Merc guy said their offer over in July too but didn't know if there will be more.
I have a feeling he will go merc as prefers the overall look of it.
I don't think the resale values between the two will be much different really as there have been a lot of new e class sold too.

millington

Augeo wrote: »

I think the Mercedes will hold it's value better.
That aside 520d are very common now, the Merc is a rarer site on the roads.
I think the e class offers an almost exclusiveness that the 520d doesn't and can't.

I disagree. W211 E class are cheaper than E60 5 series and W212 E class are cheaper than F10 5 series so there is nothing to suggest the Merc would hold it's value better.

landmarkjohn

I am a BMW fan but I would go new Merc in this case. Your Dad will get a bit more of the courtesy and respect he deserves at his age in the Merc.

Could be any old mid management / commuter type driving the BMW Good luck.

Theboinkmaster

Who cars what's common? Test drive them both and see which you prefer...

I'd go 5 series personally.

Summer wind

Both of them are lovely cars but my vote is for the BMW. Changed my F10 for an A6 a couple of years ago but 14 months later I was back in an F10 again:)

cros13

Why not a 530e?

After all the tagline for any new diesel in terms of residuals should be: "past performance is not an indicator of future results"

There's also the full electric 4 Series GT on the way Q4 2018 / Q1 2019.

carsfan2

I had thought of 530e myself as I drive 330e and love it. It would have been my pick but he's not sold. There are availability issues too on one too.
He is getting 4K off the bmw if bought before end of June and there is a bmw price rise coming too so it would work out a fair bit more.
My dad is also not really an "early adapter".
His last few cars have been Mercedes but he kinda fancies a change. However I think the pull of the merc may be too strong as it's what he knows. interestingly the merc dealer admitted that until Mercedes Ireland came up with the discount offer pre orders were really poor and that since the initial flurry at the start of the year business has dropped off a cliff.

cros13

Mercedes has an E350e on the way in the next few months too.

To be frank, no new diesel is going to be worth much in a few years. Not with huge numbers of unwanted diesels being dumped on us from the UK market (due to diesel surcharges for congestion zones and removal of incentives) and more and more EVs coming in at price points which will directly compete.

Stallingrad

For once between these two there is very little in it. He wont go wrong with either. For a 70 year old I would expect seat comfort, visibility and ease of access would be important factors.

J.pilkington

As he is keeping it for a good few years I'd definitely go merc, Around 7+ year old 5 series seem to be popular with a strange class of drug dealer wannabe buyers with god like complexes who distastefully mod them (tints, terrible wheels, msport kits, lowered, fog lights 24/7, hid lights etc) and drive aggressively who badly let the model down. I suppose it's a factor of this age car becoming affordable to them.

Not saying all are but I see plenty of these idiots progressing from similar modified a4s to 520ds

carsfan2

I think people of his era see the Mercedes as the more traditional prestigious car and ultimately I guess this may be where he will go.
They are actually both very nice cars though.

cros13

cros13 wrote: »

Mercedes has an E350e on the way in the next few months too..............

From that article "The trip computer emphasised the limits of the E 350 e’s appeal. A 25-mile trip that began with the battery pack full and ended with it depleted saw the display reading 6.6 litres/100km, or 42.8mpg; numbers we would be confident the E 220 d could beat by a considerable margin without the need to find a charging point at the end of each journey"

Hybrid tech seems a great way for manufacturers to market 100+mpg vehicles but in reality the figures don't add up at all.......... much like diesels but to a greater extent.

millington

millington wrote: »

I disagree. W211 E class are cheaper than E60 5 series and W212 E class are cheaper than F10 5 series so there is nothing to suggest the Merc would hold it's value better.

Well there are twenty 2014 520ds on Carzone for an asking price under €24k, there's one E class.

bmwguy

Augeo wrote: »

Well there are twenty 2014 520ds on Carzone for an asking price under €24k, there's one E class.

Valid point to an extent. But they are only asking prices.
There are 213 520d from 2014 and only 77 e class. Bmw seems to have hammered the e class in sales in those years or else e class owners keep them longer but the numbers are significantly different for that not to be the case.
The current e class is a far far nicer car than in 2014. The BMW is only a small evolution in comparison.
I am still leaning towards the Merc in this case.

The sales reps seem fond of 520d now, and as mentioned, once they git 6+ years old the wannabe gangsters are too.

E class serves both of those groups

bmwguy

Augeo wrote: »

The sales reps seem fond of 520d now, and as mentioned, once they git 6+ years old the wannabe gangsters are too.

E class serves both of those groups

Have to admit I hadn't noticed scrotes driving them really. Although hard to spot these days. Most of the modified easily identifiable scrotemobiles seem to be gone.

See the odd horrific attempt at tarting up a nice car on the classified sites alright. There is a bright yellow e60 with a black roof must live near me. It is a horrible looking car. Base spec by the looks of it too. I would say it's a 520i.
16 inch wheels non m sport model with m badges on it and a big fat exhaust and tinted windows.
But I am sure carsfans dad won't be at that

carsfan2

Sales figures for the new e class are comparable to the BMW's this year where historically it would have been well outsold. I think both cars will be out on similar numbers in the future.
So in the future we may see both cars blinged up. The current e class in amg line on 20" alloys and tinted windows is already pretty gangsta style unlike the e class of old.
Anyway, I don't think these things concern my dad.
He wants comfort, ease of use and a dealer that will respond well if he has any issues.
At the end it will come down to personal preference now I guess.

Casati

He won't go to far wrong, but depreciation on these class of cars is really massive, it's easy to spend 10k a year in depreciation. Years ago this class of car would hold up to 70% of its value over three years but now you'd be lucky to get 50% back. Are they really worth that premium?

bazz26

Some people might get more enjoyment out of their car than just thinking about how much it depreciates.

Casati

bazz26 wrote: »

Some people might get more enjoyment out of their car than just thinking about how much it depreciates.

Fair point and I would be in that category myself

Reading about a poster with a BMW garage demanding payment for what was warranty work I think I'd go Merc shopping. In fairness the amount of horror stories with BMW's would really turn me off the brand

R.O.R

5 Series offer definitely ends at the end of June, and I'm sure it's 2 grand, not 4 grand.

Will have to take a 5 Series from stock at this stage if that's the way he's going.

carsfan2

I'm aware depreciation is big on these class of cars but he will keep the car 5/6 years and I can't see there being massive difference between the two over this period. at this stage in his life he is not losing any sleep over this.
As I said previously he wants a comfortable "prestige" car. I tried to see if he would look at a crossover style glc merc or Audi Q5 but he says those cars are driven by yummy mummy's and spend their lives blocking the footpaths at the school gate. His words not mine.

Bmw offered the 2k off but there is another 2k which is not officially being advertised which is for "conquest" sales from Mercedes.He can get this too. Car has to be registered before end of June.
All bmw 5 series offers are finishing then apparently and won't be repeated for 172.
One dealer has a shipment arriving before the end of the month.
He is not bothered about registering as 171 as won't make a difference in the long run.
Looking at the stats for the first 4 months there is nothing between the two models on terms of registered cars so both around in equal numbers.

bmwguy

Casati wrote: »

Fair point and I would be in that category myself

Reading about a poster with a BMW garage demanding payment for what was warranty work I think I'd go Merc shopping. In fairness the amount of horror stories with BMW's would really turn me off the brand

Reading about that (and other stories) has reinforced my belief of buying after all the depreciation has been done. Buy cheap and pay my maintenance whatever goes wrong. Stay away from main dealers and warranties, use my own trusted and reasonable Indy. Bmw in particular seem to be very bad at the moment with customer service but maybe it's just the amount of posters here that have them and ask about them.

Not my advice to OPs father btw but the stance I think I will continue with. Off topic though so I will, for 3rd time, recommended the Merc.

bazz26

Casati wrote: »

Fair point and I would be in that category myself

Reading about a poster with a BMW garage demanding payment for what was warranty work I think I'd go Merc shopping. In fairness the amount of horror stories with BMW's would really turn me off the brand

Do enough reading on the internet and you will find nightmare stories about most brands. At that rate you will be better off walking or getting a train or bus.

Casati

bmwguy wrote: »

Reading about that (and other stories) has reinforced my belief of buying after all the depreciation has been done. Buy cheap and pay my maintenance whatever goes wrong. Stay away from main dealers and warranties, use my own trusted and reasonable Indy. Bmw in particular seem to be very bad at the moment with customer service but maybe it's just the amount of posters here that have them and ask about them.

Unless you buy v old cars at a price you can scrap it if things goes wrong, I think it's v risky having a BMW out of warranty due to the cost of repair, even with an Indy - the parts prices are serious too. They seem to have invested tonnes of r&d in designing a batch of sensors when they should first be ensuring the basic compenents are reliable

bmwguy

Casati wrote: »

bmwguy wrote: »

Reading about that (and other stories) has reinforced my belief of buying after all the depreciation has been done.

Unless you buy v old cars at a price you can scrap it if things goes wrong, I think it's v risky having a BMW out of warranty due to the cost of repair, even with an Indy - the parts prices are serious too. They seem to have invested tonnes of r&d in designing a batch of sensors when they should first be ensuring the basic compenents are reliable

Had them since I was 24. I am 35 now. Never had big problems but I sourced carefully every time.

E36 318is, 2 x e46 318i, e39 530i and e39 525i now an e60 525i

Biggest Bill was for the 530i which was 500 for a reconditioned gearbox from UK which was fitted and the car is still going strong I know the guy I sold it to and the guy that bought it afterwards. But BMW didn't really have problems in those cars. New ones, not too mad about them. I will own a top notch e39 again some day.

carsfan2

I understand and appreciate arguments about buying new cars versus older.
I have had merc bmw and Audi myself.
Biggest nightmare was with a merc that was a complete rubbish car. Have had problems with Audi and BMW's too but never as bad. I think things can go wrong with any car and you can be unlucky. What is important is how problems are resolved if they arise.
Anyway he wants a new car and came down to these two.
The interior of the bmw with the tft instruments and large pro nav is way more impressive than the small Garmin nav screen in the merc and cheap looking instruments. I think merc will have to put the bigger nav screen in as standard to compete. It is almost 8 grand to get the full monty of screens in it. You need the full command system for the two screens.
The service pack on the bmw runs to 5 years as opposed to 3 on the merc. Surprisingly Volvo have no service pack.

subpar

Merc definitely.

collieno

carsfan2 wrote: »

I understand and appreciate arguments about buying new cars versus older.
I have had merc bmw and Audi myself.
Biggest nightmare was with a merc that was a complete rubbish car. Have had problems with Audi and BMW's too but never as bad. I think things can go wrong with any car and you can be unlucky. What is important is how problems are resolved if they arise.
Anyway he wants a new car and came down to these two.
The interior of the bmw with the tft instruments and large pro nav is way more impressive than the small Garmin nav screen in the merc and cheap looking instruments. I think merc will have to put the bigger nav screen in as standard to compete. It is almost 8 grand to get the full monty of screens in it. You need the full command system for the two screens.
The service pack on the bmw runs to 5 years as opposed to 3 on the merc. Surprisingly Volvo have no service pack.

The E Class is about to be upgraded to have larger screen as standard for the nav

DriveSkill

collieno wrote: »

The E Class is about to be upgraded to have larger screen as standard for the nav

Are you sure on this ? Any links ?

I agree the standard screen and sat nav is pretty cheap and poor looking, no live traffic either which kind of makes it pointless for commuters.

Was looking at the weekend and one other thing that struck me is a lot of the 161/162 cars are UK imports and the speedo is only in miles (no secondary km markings) small thing maybe but it's a deal breaker for me unless there was a significant discount (which there isn't :-) )

carsfan2

I'm pretty sure from previous posts I've seen that collieno is a merc salesman so should be accurate info.