I’m at that stage in life where buying a minivan is becoming more and more attractive. Not going to be my daily driver, so not looking to lease/buy new or spend $30k+ on one.
Did some research and stumbled across the MB R350. On paper, it looks great to me. Specifically the 2011-2012 BlueTec is really intriguing. Went on a few MB forums and saw some of the common problems with these 10+ year old vehicles. Wondering if anyone here has any first-hand experience?
Yes we have one. It’s at 230,000 miles now. It’s held up well try to get one with service records. We’ve had to do shocks, control arms, standard wear and tear. AC system needs replacing and it doesn’t cool properly so it’s suited for year round cool weather and it’s super expensive for parts and labor to get to it. The trunk doesn’t stay open probably the support giving out. Paint has seen better days so it does fade on these cars. Otherwise great car. It’s truly a do it all family hauler I miss that MB doesn’t make something like this with easy entry and exit from a height perspective. The back doors are super heavy and long so very difficult for the kids to open and close compared to a minivan.
The air shocks were mentioned in essentially every post on the forum. There seemed to be a consensus they need to be replaced every 60-70k miles. Has that been your experience? Do you recall what your repair bills looked like?
I planned on putting a few thousand dollars into the vehicle if I end up getting one (replacing radio/entertainment system, fixing odds and ends). Overall, if I could find one with good records and relatively low miles, would you recommend purchasing it?
In terms of people and cargo carrying capacity it’s useless compared to an actual minivan like a Sienna or Odyssey.
Get whatever Sienna fits in your budget (PPI obviously) and call it a day. Most reliable minivan, hands down.
My parents had one. It was a comfortable car but it needed lots of love after 100K. If you can find one that was well taken care of, get it!
My mom had one when it first came out, maybe around 2005? It was a nice car though she didn’t keep it long. I remember driving it through a snow storm that lasted hours and it did great.
My uncle later bought a used one, I think an R500. The air suspension crapped the bed soon after and it was an expensive fix.
I think they were glorified Chrysler Pacificas (before the Pacifica was a van)
That generation of siblings (ML/GL/R) had the 7 seven speed that would need a replacement valvebody on the transmission. Everything else was typical MB service interval and failure points. The 350 should have non-air suspension as the volume seller. The 500s were air ride standard.
I remember the R/ML/GL were the original EQs, 25% off brand new.
Got my brother one when I was with MB, they were dirt cheap back then, he’s still running it as a 4th car w/ 200k+. As others have mentioned, it will nickel and dime you so be prepared especially if you’re dealer servicing, labor rates are approaching / over $200hr.
Personally, I’d seek out an odyssey or sienna as they’re likely more reliable and less expensive to service.
Thank you for your input- the Honda and Toyota are options as well. They seem to have held their value much better. Can you speak on the fuel economy of the R350? The diesels I’ve had return much better economy than reported.