Originally Posted by pezzy669
Steering lock is a PITA and comes up with ZERO warning and leaves you 100% stranded. Mine. ('09 C300) ultimately ended up needing a steering lock, ignition switch and a new key to get back to running status. Going through extended warranty it ended up taking almost a month to fix because the MB indy I had it at had to fix one part at a time to see if that would fix it before getting authorization to fix next component. I understand MB dealership just replace all 3 pieces at once and won't just replace one part at a time. Yes a very expensive problem - after what extended warranty paid for all 3 I think I was still out of pocket ~$600-700.
Mine also had the dreaded startup rod bearing knock, never tried to have it addressed as I know extended warranty company would have not paid a dime for it. Still kind of embarrassing to have a Mercedes knocking away for 3-5 seconds on starts. Mercedes passed it off as normal unless owners complained loud enough - it affected both the 3.0 and 3.5. It sounds horrific when it happens.
One other thing to note is I believe some of the earlier '08's still had the improperly forged (soft) balance shaft gears that will throw off the timing and ultimately allow the timing chain to jump teeth. My '09 was fortunately out of the affected range so never really followed if MB ever agreed to repairs but there were multiple class action lawsuits on the issue.
The steering lock issue wasn't that common on the E-350, basically the cheaper models tended to have more problems. Rod bearing knock wasn't common on the 3.5 either, at least on the E-350. Balance shaft affected all 2006 models and some early 2007 models. You'd have to check the serial number of the engine once you decode the vin. All the E-350's I ever looked at, the engine number for the balance shaft was after 9/2006 so only the first few months on 2007 had the bad ones. The lawsuits were limited, there was only a limited time to apply and I believe they're all expired by now. No additional coverage for it. People still pop by the Mercedes forum asking about those tell tale CEL numbers and their mileage can be at 100-160k. The M272 also has intake manifold problems, the flaps that control the intake runners from long/short runners get gummed up and either get stuck or break off eventually causing engine damage. That typically happens in the 100-140k range so this unicorn is probably fine from that problem for a while.
Originally Posted by bachman
The unicorn title is a hint. Specific car / specific customer.
There is the Save the Manuals contingent, a crowd of driving enthusiasts that search stick shift cars or trucks and its the only thing they want. VW had a slew of sales just based on the option one could order a new car spec'd as 6mt. Station wagons (Sportwagens) mind you !!
I don't think the group is so small that owners get stuck with sticks they can't sell. I do think it's somewhat regional as per popularity or demand and I'd guess certain up-brand nameplates get attention or a following. With any luck, we can get an update later on as to the interest in that car and how long it takes to move, asking versus sell etc....
Is there Zillow for cars ?
All I'm saying is that the book value of a car with the automatic which stickers for more as it as an additional cost option was in the 8-10k range. A stick did sell for 12k on eBay but if you apply the greater fool theory, eventually you run out of fools. But maybe there's one out there that's willing to pay several thousand over what a used automatic would go for. All it takes is one.