E43/53 Reliability & Running Costs?

[Chrispee]

I'm starting my search for a new car to replace my current estate and the S213 E43/53 has come on to my radar.

I'm looking for any feedback of the reliability of either the V6 E43 or straight 6 E53 and what running costs are like for either/both?

Would appreciate any experiences on the W/S213 in general

Thanks

[Faszination76]

The 213 is all round a very nice place to be. Fit and finish is excellent, quality materials etc. Any reason you’re not considering a S213 E63/S?

Probably the best all round performance car Merc ever produced.

[Chrispee]

Faszination76 said:

The 213 is all round a very nice place to be. Fit and finish is excellent, quality materials etc. Any reason you’re not considering a S213 E63/S?

Probably the best all round performance car Merc ever produced.

In all honesty cost/need. My budget doesn't stretch to this generation E63 and I'm not sure I could stomach the running costs - I'm looking for a larger petrol estate and that narrows the pool considerably given most are diesels which don't really suit my usage. I figured a 43/53 might be a good intermediate with plenty of poke and a characterful engine but a little more affordable to use as a daily. Also considering something like a 540i touring, higher powered Volvo V90's to give a flavour of what I'm looking for.

[Sitoni]

I have an E43. Had it for a year now. Very happy with it. It’s a bit of a ‘grower’. First impressions when I got it were this is nice but as time has passed I like it even more. It does everything. It’s a real Jekyll and Hyde car. Seats a family of 5 in comfort mode like a normal e class. Even manages 35 mpg on a 70 mph cruise. Then switch to sport or sport plus mode and it has the other side to it. It is usefully quicker than most hot hatches. It feels 400 bhp but is no M5 beater. My long term average with a mix of motorway blasts and London commuting is 26 mpg. Nothing gone wrong in one year apart from a cv boot which cost £60. Just about to have a B service though so let’s hope that’s not too bad!

[Sitoni]

Oh and by the way aim for the Premium plus pack with digital dash and 20 inch alloys - the right colour and the wheels gives it real presence certainly over a standard e class (which can be a bit uber exec looking).

[Dewi 2]

Chrispee said:

- I'm looking for a larger petrol estate and that narrows the pool considerably given most are diesels, which don't really suit my usage.

When I began looking for a used W213 petrol, I was amazed (as you say) that almost all of them are still sold with diesel engines.
I thought the government had done a reverse J turn, with their advice to buy diesel.
Presumably that continuing demand is from high mileage users. I cannot think of any other benefits. I have recently noticed a number of 3 year olds coming on sale, all having mileages over 50,000.

I wanted comfort and quietness, because I already have a V8 sports car, which provides a completely contrasting driving exprience, so although the 3 litre inline 6 cylinder would have been my ideal choice of engine, the AMG model comes with sporty characteristics (for the UK market, is the only model available with that engine).

I was very lucky though. A petrol model just two years old, at just half the price of a new W214 became available at a main dealer.
If someone here, bought a new E Class from the Southport main dealer and only drove 4,000 miles, then thank you.

[Tall_Blk]

I had a E53 wagon for the past 3 years and absolutely love it. I had the E220d before that but didn’t gel with it and I felt the E63 will be too dramatic and costly to run daily.

I drive mine daily averaging 15000 miles a year and only cost me servicing and tyres. I’ve been considering its replacement lately and I keep homing in on replacing it with the same car and engine. My recommendation, go for it.

[Chrispee]

Thanks for the input all, I will definitely keep a 43/53 estate on my long list to look at. Budget says more likely an E43 if I can find the right spec/history

Assume premium plus is the one to go for? I'm ideally looking for adaptive cruise as well but it's not a deal breaker

Anything else I should know?

[BEARDYB0Y]

Both 43 and 53 are brilliant! 43 is slightly sportier, the 53 is slightly smoother, more motorway cruiser. Depends on what you prefer/your use case.

The 43 did have some weird specs though. I remember seeing a fair few high spec cars without the digital dash for some reason. The digi dash is all part of that cars allure so its well worth trying to find one with the "command online" system and dual screens.

Adaptive cruise is rare but worth it. It always amazed me how few people wanted that option though, id struggle without now.

Edited by BEARDYB0Y on Monday 17th March 22:38