1995 Mercedes-Benz Vito 110D 2.3L turbo diesel from North America
Summary:
Worst Piece of Crap Money Hole Ever
Faults:
Almost Everything.
The DMV took 4 weeks to clear I could drive the van. One has never been put on the road in NY before.
Bad Exhaust system.
Alternator.
Radiator.
A/C.
Transmission not shifting properly.
All sensors, switched, ect.
Gas Tank.
Seats have incredible wear.
Windows Rolling them selfs up and down even after new switches.
Doors lock when you turn the ignition off.
Speedometer in MPH needed to be installed.
General Comments:
When I was on vacation in Boston I seen this van for $500. It was like a dream $500 for a Mercedes. Well I bought it, it starts up and the engine sputters a little. I buy a tow-dolly and tow it home to Ny with my caravan. I get home and finally after getting it on the road it get it to a garage. Well they had no clue what to do they told me to take it to the Mercedes dealership.
So I drive the van spitting and sputtering 330 miles to the nearest dealership. The first guy I talked to was like what the heck is that thing. They finally got info about the engine and got it in the garage. They preformed a tune up on it and told me I would half to wait up to a month for the parts to come in.
The parts come in and there installed, when they handed me the bill I almost fainted. $7,500, I suddenly had to get this money out of nowhere. I had no choice, but to get a loan with Mercedes.
I can finally leave. I get in the van and start it and it sounded like a dream. I get on the interstate and found myself going 90mph all the way home. When you push the gas the thing went.
It's a month later and now the transmission isn't shifting right. At first I thought I couldn't get out of 1nd gear, but it finally shifted at 4,500rpm. 2nd gear won't shift until the redline.
Now I am use to driving my car hard and I notice the tachometer is no longer shifting at the redline on hard acceleration its actually going past it. When the needle reaches the redline this yellow caution sign starts blinking.
I had a plan to catch and the closest big airport is where the Mercedes dealer is. So off I got on another 330 mile trip. When I turned on the Interstate I floored it and left it there. In 1st and second gear the the tachometer went past the end of the red line and the engine was making a tremendous roaring sound.
I stayed at 129MPH the whole way. I think the shut off is 130. It really was a Mercedes Experience.
A year later that van had lost almost all its power. In 1st gear at 5,000rpm it couldn't make it to 15.
They body is starting to fall apart. The passenger door no longer works. The sliding door leans half way out when opened. The cheap plastic everywhere is cracking. When going on short drivers even a few miles the van would stall then it would be like the transmission would be stuck in park.
Now the acceleration is so bad I half to hold the brakes and rev the engine to get going.
I go out and started it one morning and there was a loud clink then whinnying noises. I put it in drive and crunck. I try driving to work, but I could only get going 3mph I had to call in.
I put my old rusty raged out '88 Caravan with 265,000 miles back on the road and towed the vito back to the dealer. They told me an estimate to fix it would be $3,500. I said screw it and they agreed to take the van for what I owed them. Well that didn't happen they dropped the loan, but never took the van. So its sits in my yard for sale for $250, no ones even looked at it in 1 year.
The one last thing I would like to do is hit that caution light with a hammer in never stopped blinking.
Today I still drive my Grand Caravan. I Have owned it since it was new and it still has all original parts. Except an 02 sensor and water pump. The van is still going strong with 319,000miles.
Daimler is the worst thing to happen to Chrysler, good thing they split.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 16th September, 2007
17th Sep 2007, 09:44
I would not say that Mercedes was a bad thing for Chrysler. That partnership was doomed from the start because they are two completely different companies that build products for opposing ends of the market.
You had a bad experience because you bought a weird, obviously "grey market" vehicle that no one here in the U.S. is familiar with. That's what happens when you buy a Mercedes for $500 that was not even intended for this market. Also, taking such an unknown model to the Mercedes dealer is a fine way to set yourself up for $7,500 bills and the like.
It's obvious that you like minivans, so next time try a Honda, Toyota, or another Dodge since you seem to know how to make them last.