My F150 FX4 is paid off (plan to keep it) and I'm thinking about purchasing (or leasing) a car (4 door) since I've driven a truck since the early 90's.

I don't really know much about BMW or Mercedes but am thinking about treating myself to a nice car (probably a sedan). I've heard a little about the BMW M series for performance but that's all I know - right or wrong.

So I'm thinking of something sporty - no hatchback, etc.

How does BMW compare to Mercedes in general, or to something like the E450 4MATIC sedan?

I think an Audi R8 is out of reach for me.

Resale is important too if I buy vs. lease.

This will likely be a weekend / around the town car with an occasional trip between Dallas and Tulsa.

I thought I'd just throw this out here to the hive for some thoughts and impressions while I do some online research. I haven't really thought about a Corvette yet either. Something to consider I guess. I think I'm having a 2nd mid life crisis.

Thanks!

BMW vs Mercedes is really a "flavor" kind of thing. One of them will appeal to you, more than the other. Both are German, and both are really good cars.
I am a BMW guy. If going for a fun second car as you described, the M2 is hard to beat (even though it is a coupé, not a sedan). M4s are very nice sedans, but the M2 just has an edge to it that really separates it, IMHO.

If you lease, then you will have no worries when the lease is up and can consider leasing or buying another BMW, or moving to another manufacturer. I would suggest leasing your first BMW, just to see if it's truly something you can live with and want to explore further.

I bought my first (and only) BMW fresh off a 3-year lease for roughly 50% of its sticker price when new. I do my own maintenance/modifications, and enjoy doing so. It's the only way I could afford the car, at the time, was by doing my own work.

Good luck with your venture into German cars.

Take a look at the CPO programs both offer. There are good deals to be had with CPO cars that often include maintenance.

Go to dealers. Look, sit, test drive.

I had a 2006 M3 Convertible 6-speed, it was wonderful. I'd driven a couple of Mercedes too but the M3, well it was ME. Fun in the mountains with the top down in late summer/early fall with the colors.

I would second: LEASE a current generation CPO BMW. Great bang for the buck and low risk. Caveat: get the best warranty you can. Pay close attention to what is and what is not covered and their cost. I got burned on $1,600 struts that were considered wear and tear after 24k mikes. The BMW run flats and wheels are awesome. But very fragile and very expensive. (VERY). I wish I had gotten the additional Wheel, tire, windshield and head lamp damage warranties. Headlamps damaged by rocks are also stupid expensive.

Lexus has some nice options that won't be near as bad for service and maintennce long term. Lexus service treats you like royalty where my experience with the German makers is that it's your priveledge to do business with them.

BMW is more of a drivers (aka sporty) car and the Mercedes is more of a cruiser.

Both are good cars but I would give the reliability nod to the BMW.

(note I went from driving Corvettes to BMW's and haven't looked back).

If you are in FL,check out this dealership:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwiydCFtnSg

quote:

Originally posted by h2oys:
BMW is more of a drivers (aka sporty) car and the Mercedes is more of a cruiser.

Are you saying that after having driven ANY AMG M-B?

The C63, in three versions here in Yoorup, will make you sit up and take notice for sure.

The E63 will blow your socks off while you are sitting in them - the top version, with 604 BHP and FWD, is a monster.

Please excuse me for suggesting a hatchback, but my wife and I researched sporty MBZ and BMW options last year and settled on a BMW X3 M40i. It's not very big SUV wise, but has plenty of room for four or maybe five passengers, lots of storage space when needed and fast as all hell! It's very comfy and provides excellent driving characteristics, while not being crazy expensive. Ours is a 2019 355 hp version and gives us all the performance we need, but the 2020 versions can be bought or leased with engine specs up to 500 hp!!!

Check them out and see what you think. I don't think I've enjoyed owning a new car like this in decades!!!

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Go to dealers. Look, sit, test drive.

About the only way to figure out what one likes.

quote:

Originally posted by scsigs:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Go to dealers. Look, sit, test drive.

About the only way to figure out what one likes.

Yep. Until you test drive you won't see exactly how different BMW and MB cars are. And they absolutely are different. Personally, I love the MB C63 AMG S four door (and coupe). Insanely good car. If that's too small for you, drive the MB S550. Not as sporty, but an absolutely gorgeous drive with lots of space. And just a personal opinion, MB V8's make a noise like no other.

Between my grandmother and myself, we have had 10, about to be 11 with my dad.

My grandmother had 7 S-Class from 1989-2015 model years
I've had a C, 'E', and S-class
And my dad is picking up a '72 280SE.

For your purposes, the newer relates, obviously.

My current DD is a 2015 C300 RWD Sport pkg.
It's a fairly stiff car, so keep that in mind if you're wanting a comfortable cruiser. I'm not sure how big of a change the sport pkg makes on the E-class.
Also, the original Continental runflat tires that came on the C were terrible. They were brand new when I bought it, and within 16k miles, the rears were on the wear bars. At ~$1,300 to replace, I went with a non-runflat tire, which lasted much longer, and was more comfortable.

That said, the 4cyl turbo in mine can do 36mpg on the highway & still has enough power to be playful.

The E350 will be a non-turbo V6. E300 uses the same turbo 4 as the C, and the E400/450 is a bi-turbo V6.

Value wise, I wouldn't suggest a C, I bought mine as a CPO 2 years ago for about 54% of original MSRP with 16k miles on it. It's since dropped even further in value to about 35% of original MSRP.

I would think that the E-class probably fares best with depreciation. IIRC, when my grandmother sold her fairly loaded 2015 S550 earlier this year, she got about 35-40% of MSRP, with only 40k miles on it.

Mercedes CPO warranty adds a year to the factory warranty, with unlimited mileage. But, it doesn't cover everything that the 4yr factory warranty covers.

Hindsight, maybe I'd have been better served with an E, but I still love the way my C drives. Main problem now, is that we have kid #3 on the way & there's no way they'll all fit in the back seat (2 in carseats).

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:

quote:

Originally posted by scsigs:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Go to dealers. Look, sit, test drive.

About the only way to figure out what one likes.

Yep. Until you test drive you won't see exactly how different BMW and MB cars are. And they absolutely are different. Personally, I love the MB C63 AMG S four door (and coupe). Insanely good car. If that's too small for you, drive the MB S550. Not as sporty, but an absolutely gorgeous drive with lots of space. And just a personal opinion, MB V8's make a noise like no other.

Adding to this. The S550 is quite rapid for its size/weight.
It's also the most comfortable car I've ever driven, though I never put too many miles on my grandmother's.
I did get in 4 1,700 mile trips in her '07 S550, which wasn't quite the mile-muncher that the newer ones are.

May or may not be able to confirm that at 100mph, you can whisper, the car's so quiet.
And it gets to triple-digit speeds in a hurry. On the autobahn, of course

How long do you plan to keep the car?

Both are going to cause you to go into shock the first time you need to have service performed outside of warranty!

You'll decide by test driving (I hope). One thing I note is that you don't see a lot of older BMWs on the road. On the other hand, Mercedes are used in third-world "s-hole countries" as taxis because they are so damn reliable.

Neal Boortz used to say BMWs are for those who can't afford a Mercedes. Haha. I've had both. The Mercedes was better about details and finish. Trouble is that when they go down, they go down big. Once out of warranty the cost to maintain/ repair motivates most to sell at considerably lost value. Not a big deal if you have the money and don't mind spending it. We decided we'd rather spend our on assets that increase in value so we went back to Toyotas and diverted the remainder to that end. This, of course is anecdotal.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Lexus has some nice options that won't be near as bad for service and maintennce long term. Lexus service treats you like royalty where my experience with the German makers is that it's your priveledge to do business with them.

I'll second this. Lexus is one of the few cars they don't recommend an extended warranty for because they are so trouble free.

BMW, Buy More Warranty, Bring More Waumpum, Broke My Wallet... Great cars, M series are super fast, and as a group, not exactly inexpensive to maintain, lease it and for no longer than the term of the warranty then give it back, same for Land Rover and Jag...

Mercedes is a superb vehicle, and it shares some of the same issues as the BMW which is once the warranty ends the pain begins.

The suggestion to look at Lexus is a good idea, they offer options for luxury and performance at a much reduced cost for operations.

Having said that, be unique, go with the Audi...

quote:

Originally posted by mcgivern:

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
Lexus has some nice options that won't be near as bad for service and maintennce long term. Lexus service treats you like royalty where my experience with the German makers is that it's your priveledge to do business with them.

I'll second this. Lexus is one of the few cars they don't recommend an extended warranty for because they are so trouble free.

A GS could fit the OPs need.
Coworker has a '07 GS350 that still runs great & splits DD duty with her 2017 Audi A6.

A newer GS350 F-Sport, or for a bit more $$ A GS-F could be a good long-term car.