Owners' Stories

Great little car in a lot of ways. Excellent power. Terrific handling once one turns off the traction control. Stock it puts out 349hp. Issues: 1) MB is the only car manufacturer in the world that cannot make a decent lock actuator. Unlike the electric ones which work for twenty years, the vacuum units on the MB fail regularly. One has to drill out the pop rivets for the airbag to replace the driver's vacuum acuator. Plan to spend $500 to have a shop replace it. 2) The secondary air injector and its relay are very common failure items. Plan to spend $800 to $922 to have a shop replace them. 3) This monster eats rear tires. Six months or six thousand miles is acceptable according to the Costco in Poway, CA, Herb their service manager, and Jacob, the assistant buyer for tires nationwide. $1600 a set. 4) The air dam is low. It is in danger around many curbs and parking lot planters/wheel stops. $2200 with matching paint. 5) The transmission is harsh at 1500 rpm on many of these. 6) High maintenance costs and extremely high repair costs. 7) Brake pads are hard to replace (drift pin design) and the calipers do not come painted from the factory. 8) It is very hard to enjoy and retain a driver's license. If you have the budget, this car is a monster.