[Tryman]

Were you me:

I'll try to be as brief as possible (he says). Im 60 ish yr old guy. I own a 2003 G35 (beautiful blue, 191K miles) and a 2007 Porsche C4S 911. The G35 has been the best car I've ever had, hands down. The 911 is a secondary driver. My bones and my wife are appreciating a little more luxury. She drives an Audi Q5.

Right now, money is not a big factor (but, it IS money). In addition, I really don't need "sporty", I drive my car to work and to the liquor store. I really don't care about g forces, feel of the road, obstacle courses, etc. I do appreciate 0-60 times however.

I'm trying to decide: Trade in the 911 for a Q50 hybrid sport (all bells, etc) or a Benz E350. I've driven both. The MB is nice, expensive, and comfy. The Q50 is as everyone here knows is da bomb. It's an uber G35. Not as plush, but more sporty. So, the 350 or the Q50? I suspect the next car will be a 10 year driver, after that I'll be slurping applesauce through a straw, so I won't care. What I do want is reliability. I don't want to have to spend a fortune in year 8 on a new transmission or something.

I also want to be the cool granddad. Not ready to give that up yet.

All serious and snarky comments appreciated.

(as an aside. I will NEVER get rid of the G35).

Best....

 

[chris2k5]

Your current G35 drives more plush than a Q50 Sport?!

I thought the 2003-2006 G35's drove pretty harsh even compared to the 2007-2013 G35/G37's!

 

[Tryman]

Sorry,

mea culpa

No, the Benz is more plush than the Q50, by about 25% in my guestimation.

 

[JR69]

Wait...trade in the 911 CS4 for an Infiniti or Merc E series!??? No offense but you're crazy. A 911 is the type of car that you keep in the family for years

 

[Gandhi]

Out of warranty repairs will eat your breakfast (lunch and dinner) in German cars. If you plan on keeping any car for the next 10 years, do keep that in mind.

 

[SimpsonTide985]

OP,

Do you have the means and the time to go out and just test drive the E-class or have you done so already?

Out of warranty repairs will eat your breakfast (lunch and dinner) in German cars. If you plan on keeping any car for the next 10 years, do keep that in mind.

To be fair, when it comes to German cars, Benz is probably the best when it comes to maintenance and reliability.

 

[Gandhi]

Yes, but when you *do* need repairs on a Merc ...

 

[jkay]

My $.02, I drove the E350 and, while impressed with the luxury feel, I was underwhelmed by the driving dynamics. Felt disconnected from the road - exactly what you want in a luxury sedan but not a sports lux.

I also didn't car for the measly nav screen nor the interface. Overall, it's a great car that I would get my wife but I wouldn't be interested myself.

If you do go that route, make sure to pop for the upgraded lights. Second best to the Q's in my opinion. Standard lights just look, wel, standard

 

[SimpsonTide985]

Yes, but when you *do* need repairs on a Merc ...

Well yeah--I'm just saying, if you want to look at it strictly from that basis, you're probably going to have less of a headache versus the others...and historically, MB's dependability has been a bit more consistent than Infiniti's...if you want to take it there.

 

[In AWD We Trust]

Porsche 911...for an Infiniti...

 

[AWD Fan]

The 911 covers the cool grandad better than the Q ever could

I would be thinking of going from the G to the Q but the dollars will be real dollars

 

[JR69]

Porsche 911...for an Infiniti...

Sacrilege

 

[Q50Aggie]

Trade the G for the Q and keep the 911

 

[painintheneck]

Trade the G for the Q and keep the 911

this is the clear solution.

 

[Tryman]

Point taken...

 

[Tryman]

lol

 

[NTOwens]

Out of warranty repairs will eat your breakfast (lunch and dinner) in German cars. If you plan on keeping any car for the next 10 years, do keep that in mind.

Yes, but when you *do* need repairs on a Merc ...

I agree here


I don't want to advise for or against trading the 911 or G35.
That one my friend, you will have to make the tough decision.

The Q50 is as everyone here knows is da bomb......... I also want to be the cool granddad. Not ready to give that up yet.

I think any 60ish yo man that says " da bomb" is already pretty cool.
It's not really what the cool kids are saying these days, but maybe what your kids used to say, lol.
And I applaud you for wanting to be that guy.... because I hope when I'm over 60 - I can still be.

Have you considered the M? It might also fulfill your 0-60 rush and offer an even elevated level of ride comfort.
It won't be the hottest thing on the strip - for when you start cruising.... but it wouldn't be a bad bet.
It's also available in the Hybrid - and priced to deal these days.

Just a thought. Either way, I hope to see you as happy as possible, until the applesauce drips and weekly sponge baths become your high-point!

 

[Dezine]

I have been driving a 911 for over 25 years, and it is the only car I have always kept. Something else always got traded for the next new car. The Q I have on order will probably be as much fun, and have more miles put on it than my 911 will see for the rest of its life, there have been too many years/miles/races/ and corners I survived, taken at speeds far too fast to consider getting rid of it at this point.
Buy the Q, keep the 911 and drive it like a hooligan every now and again to justify owning it

 

[hej]

Your answers to a question like this are going to have a pretty obvious bias when asked on a forum dedicated to a certain brand or model. That said:

• Mercedes reliability = LOL. Yes, about 25+ years ago they were built like tanks. Now they're built like Chryslers. But the repairs are still priced like they were for tanks Seriously, I can't think of a worse non-exotic car to be buying if you care about reliability or out of warranty costs.
• It's a matter of opinion, but I think the Q50 is the best looking car on the road right now (in that price arena, obviously).
• InTouch may be heavily flawed, but the flaws are in software that can be fixed. Beyond that, the Q50 is king of the hill in terms of technology today.
• I base this on nothing but assumption, but I'm pretty sure the Q50 will eat the Merc in terms of performance.
• Having sat in a Q50, I expect that the Mercedes' interior would be "as good" at best. You can obviously be the judge of that yourself.

 

[lmtc89]

For your age, need, and financial situation, MB will be a much better choice~ Trust me. And in fact, you could consider S class, instead of E class.