Mercedes-Benz or old BMW - which to choose?

Any Mercedes-Benz and BMW fan is convinced that his car (or the one he wants to buy) is the best, most reliable and most hassle-free. Over the years, the rivalry between the two brands has continued, and the debate over who makes the best cars has grown fierce.

Experts from Car Price, a company that rates used cars, are now embroiled in a dispute. They collected data on more than 16 machines from both manufacturers that passed through their hands. Their analysis included 000 Mercedes cars and 8518 BMWs of not only the latest generations, but also previous generations.

Main categories

The car was evaluated by 500 points. The data is then systematized, and the machine receives a number of points in 4 categories:

• Body;
• Salon;
• Technical condition;
• Associated factors.

 Each unit could score a maximum of 20 points, and this will be a sign that the car is in perfect condition.

When typing the first 3 parameters, Mercedes wins on average, which takes 15 out of 11 possible points (“Body” - 2,98, “Salon” - 4,07 and “Technical Condition” - 3,95), while BMW the result is 10 ("Body" - 91, "Salon" - 3,02 and "Technical condition" - 4,03). The difference is minimal, so the experts show what happens with different models.

Comparison of SUVs

Among Mercedes cars, the ML SUV won, which in 2015 was called the GLE. Cars produced in the period 2011-2015 are gaining 12,62 points, and after 2015 - 13,40. The competitor in this class is the BMW X5, which scored 12,48 (2010-2013) and 13,11 (after 2013).

The Bavarians are taking revenge on business sedans.

For the 5-Series (2013-2017), the rating is 12,80 versus 12,57 for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (2013-2016). In older cars (5 to 10 years old) the two models are almost equal - 10,2 for the BMW 5-Series versus 10,1 for the E-Class from Mercedes. Here, experts note that Mercedes wins in terms of technical condition, but as for the body and interior, the model lags behind.

Among executive sedans, the BMW 7-Series (post-2015) scores 13,25 points, while the Mercedes S-Class (2013-2017) scores 12,99. In two models aged 5 to 10 years, the ratio changes - 12,73 for a limousine from Stuttgart versus 12,72 for a limousine from Munich. In this case, the S-Class wins mainly due to the best technical condition.

Сonclusion

It should be borne in mind that the price of a car does not always indicate its satisfactory or perfect condition. Moreover, it does not indicate which car is better. In the secondary market, this rule does not work. Often, sellers do not start from the state of the car, but from the year of manufacture and external gloss.

Experts remind the rule that when buying a used car the buyer will be successful. In general, it is a complete lottery in which you can both win and lose. Separately, we told some advice when buying a car on the aftermarket.