Good morning, and welcome to another Shitbox Showdown! Today is all about sympathy for the Germans as we look at two very nice sedans that may or may not nickel-and-dime you to death. But first, let’s finish up yesterday’s Korean compacts:
Yep. I mean, not really, but yeah, kinda. If it were me, I’d take the Kia’s steelies and bolt them onto the Hyundai, because it’s a marginally better car but I hate its aftermarket wheels.
One of today’s vehicles comes to us from the number-three used car dealer in the greater Wilmington, NC area, our very own Stephen Walter Gossin. SWG has a good track record of re-homing rescued cars, but once in a while he has trouble moving one. We here at Shitbox Showdown can’t stand to see a good car languish, so we’re happy to give it some exposure. But this is by its nature a competition, so I must find a worthy opponent for it. As we all know from the old Sergio Leone westerns, the good guys wear white, and their adversaries are in black. So we’ll start with the challenger, and take a look at both cars: the good, the bad, and the potentially ugly.
2008 BMW 528i – $7,800
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0 liter dual overhead cam inline 6, six-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Vancouver, WA
Odometer reading: 103,000 miles
Runs/drives? Just fine
BMW’s 5 series is the iconic executive sedan. Whenever you think of a mid-level movie studio exec, or a corporate lawyer who just made junior partner, chances are you picture them driving a midsize BMW. And stereotypes and bad driving jokes aside, it is a hell of a nice sedan. The E60 generation saw some major and controversial styling changes under the direction of design chief Chris Bangle, but the bones remained the same: a tight, communicative chassis that also delivers a nice ride, a silky-smooth inline six, and just a touch more class and seriousness than the small BMWs.
Inside, the changes kept coming, and between the hated iDrive system that ushered in the era of the “infotainment system” (my least-favorite portmanteau) and the sharp-edged hoods over the dash that somehow manage to look Ford Focus-like, many traditionalists (myself included) consider this car the era in which we stopped caring about BMW. But BMW-like or not, it’s still a very nice car, and even though the toys are hard to access and control, they’re all there.
This 5er appears to be in excellent shape, with only 103,000 miles under its belt. The seller says it was a second car that was rarely driven, and now it’s time for it to go. The thing about BMWs, though, is that it’s in good shape and runs well now, but what about 5000 miles from now? What warning light is going to appear on the dash? It might be the “low oil” light, which BMW saw fit to install in place of a dipstick, which flies in the face of everything a DIY mechanic like me holds near and dear. This car marked a turning point in more than just styling; this is when BMW became a lot less owner-serviceable. Which means, if you want a used one, you need to be willing to fight the system, or have the means to pay someone else to do it.
2008 Mercedes-Benz C300 – $7,500
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0 liter dual overhead cam V6, five-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Leland, NC
Odometer reading: 154,000 miles
Runs/drives? Great!
Modern electronic frippery and complex solutions to simple problems don’t seem to faze our buddy S.W. Gossin, who took on this C-Class as a project, even though I thought he had sworn off the three-pointed star. Every time he thinks he’s out, apparently, they pull him back in. I’ve heard the saga of this car for a while now, and while it mostly involved issues with proprietary electronics from what I understand, and it’s all fixed now, this lovely white Benz has overstayed its welcome.
There’s no doubt that the W204 C-Class is a hell of a nice car, and an engineering masterpiece. Mercedes-Benz has always been a touch more conservative than their Bavarian rivals, and this car is a little more approachable than the BMWs of Bangle and beyond, just a bit more “normal” in its function. It does have an infotainment screen, but it pops up out of the dash and is controlled by a bank of normal buttons instead of a weird turny-clickwheel doohickey, and can be hidden away when you don’t need it. Under the hood is a 24 valve V6 which – I’m pretty sure – has a good old fashioned dipstick to check the oil level.
S.W. and his girlfriend bought this car together, and I believe it was meant to be for her to drive, but the fiasco with the ignition switch has soured her on it, and while it runs and drives perfectly now, they’re both over it. It happens; I’ve had cars that I fought with until everything was finally right, but by then I was just so tired of them I couldn’t enjoy them. But everything they fixed is one less thing the next owner has to worry about.
The jokes about German cars are getting a bit tired, but the fact remains that they are extremely complicated, often fussy machines that require increasingly complicated and proprietary means to service and repair. But they are also excellent cars to drive, very safe, and still have a reputation for solid build quality, reliability, and durability, as long as you meet them on their own terms. Think you have what it takes to tackle one of these beauties? Which one?
(Image credits: BMW – Craigslist seller; Mercedes – S.W. Gossin via Facebook)
Mercedes…would have voted BMW but no dipstick is totally & utterly damn asinine
Hey, two German cars that are actually fairly alright bets. The E60 528i features the very reliable N52 inline-six, and the car itself is pretty solid. The C300 likely falls outside of the engine range affected by subpar balance shaft gears and it’s a southern car so it probably doesn’t have subframe rot. I’m going 528i on this one since it’s a more comfortable yet still reliable car with a much nicer interior, but neither of these cars are objectively bad choices. With an eye on preventative maintenance, either one could hit 250,000 miles without completely bankrupting their owners.
The 5 series is all of that gens uglies without the crazy 10 cylinder that made you tolerate them. Benzo all the way here.
Sure it is a wallet drainer but I like the BMW over the C aka Cheap Class Merc.
Honestly I would buy a good example of one but this will do in a pinch.
528 for me. I love a smooth I6, and I’ve had 5 BMWs (including a 250,000 mile E30 325i) and no Mercedes.
I have a similar dipstickless 3.0 I6 in my 2007 Z4 Coupe, but mine is 30,000 miles closer to death. That death is not delayed by having to run the engine for long enough to warm up until the button will let you measure the level. Every oil change is new bearings roulette. Screw you BMW.
Also why isn’t it badged 530? Screw you BMW.
Mine leaks oil out of somewhere expensive, and the brake dust shield just rusted through and now rattles around loose behind the brake disk. Screw you BMW.
I should have voted Mercedes. I think it’s Stockholm Syndrome.
The Benz takes the day for me, but only because of the SWG connection. Any other seller claiming they fixed everything only to sell the car would raise all kinds of red flags for me. Our friend of the site isn’t going to sully his reputation by handing a basket case off to some unsuspecting rube. Though the BMW’s quasi-serviceable motor and infotainment system designed by the Devil are pretty good reasons to pick the Benz on their own.
I think I’m going to write an upcoming piece on this rescue.
Reupholstered drivers seat, new brakes, trans valve body & service, Electronic Ignition Switch (EIS) & Electronic Steering Lock (ESL), tires, side view mirror, exhaust work, etc., with all receipts included.
…and that was all just in 12mo of ownership.
Just like Mark said, once you go through all that, you feel a little burned.
Thanks for the kind words!
A write up on that Benz would be great. It’s prevailing knowledge among enthusiasts that nothing costs more than a cheap Mercedes, so a walkthrough of what you had to do to make the car whole again sounds very interesting.
Huge thanks to Mark for featuring the C300 today!
I’m going to mail him a box of wood screws and washers to ensure maximum longevity for his K1500 as a thank you. Seriously though, he’s awesome.
https://jalopnik.com/why-this-ex-forest-service-chevy-k1500-may-be-the-perfe-1844339625
Both are a terrible idea, but the tan interior tips it for me on this one.
Benz all day. Mark, you should do a “BMW v BMW” showdown and make us choose one!
I do shit on BMW a lot. I had a really bad experience with an E46 a few years ago that colored my opinion of the brand, possibly unfairly. Someday I’ll do a showdown between two BMWs I actually like…. but they’ll both be a couple decades older than this one.
Sorry, SWG. I6>V6, even when both are backed by autotragic transmissions.
I love an I6 as well. Total agreement there.
When car shopping with the GF, the “cute” factor trumps all.
The $5K in repairs this thing immediately soaked us for turned out to be not the cutest.
I6 FTW
Gun to my head it’s the Benz. Why? I flipped a coin. I honestly wouldn’t want either one.
I’ll take the tan interior and working turn signals 😛
“S.W. and his girlfriend bought this car together, and I believe it was meant to be for her to drive, but the fiasco with the ignition switch has soured her on it, and while it runs and drives perfectly now, they’re both over it.”
Not to cast any doubt on Mr. Gossin’s honesty, but this kind of story usually raises alarm bells for me. The BMW is uglier by a mile, but it’s my pick.
I dumped $5K into this thing; most of that amount from a high interest rate loan from DT.
The ignition switch speaks to the PCM, TCM, security and BCM. New software is VIN coded and can only be obtained from MB.
Not the most fun.
I have a lot more faith that the Benz will be reliable(ish) for the long haul. Instead, whatever you pay for the BMW at 103K is just the down payment. I know enough to know that’s the mileage territory where things start going wrong, falling like a row of dominos, except the dominos are stacks of cash.
This is a no-brainer. I prefer the light interior and a dipstick. I would like the inline 6 of the BMW, but no. Benz for me today.
If I’m forced to buy one, the Merc. If I have a choice, I’ll walk.. because that’s where I’m going to end up anyway.
Benz. Out of all of Bangle’s infamous designs I personally think the E60 is one of the most egregious. It was a hideous car when it was new and it’s aged like milk. I have no idea why BMW goes with the MORE IS MORE/never stop designing approach seemingly every 10 or so years after a period of elegant restraint in between. I hope the elegant restraint phase comes back soon and the buck teeth go the way of the dodo.
This is also a pretty good era of Benz and their interiors from this time period are really, really nice. My family used to have an E class diesel from around this time and it was a treat to road trip in.
Being in Florida, I’ll take the white car. Then I’ll sell it as soon as possible.
Neither of these do anything for me. One gen newer BMW and I’d be on that. The tri-stars don’t do anything for me until you get all the way back to the 80s at the earliest.
Honestly, also the Merc cause Gossin has already been futzing with it.
My man!
Both of these are a huge gamble, but I see the Merc as safer because-
1. Merc has slightly more conservative engineering than BMW, which means slightly less Teuton-craziness.
2. A C is equivalent to a 3, while a 5 is equivalent to an E. So a C is more common and down-market than a 5, and might be slightly less Teuton-crazy.
3. I prefer light-colored interiors.
I’ll take the fraulein in white.
Patron color of hope.
BMW just because it isn’t white. I have a history with white cars.
It might have been the wording and the writing, but the Mercedes definitely seems the best choice. I’d still be embarrassed to be seen in it, though…
Neither.
I want nothing to do with older German cars. These are both a terrible idea that would lead to financial ruin.
Benz all the way. The bimmer is one of their ugliest models IMO
I voted for the Benz. Better the devil you know (by proxy) than the devil you don’t.