2017, 18k miles, $21K - should I buy?

[unevenload]

They installed charging stations at my wife's office and she joked we should get an EV so she can get a good parking space. We started looking into it and saw the B250E but they were all pretty far away. Recently one popped up on Carmax with free shipping to my area (Charlotte NC). We had it shipped and showed up for the test drive an it went 100 yards before the battery died. Odd that they didn't charge it but also odd that the charge was basically 0%. The car looks brand new and it would be just for commuting to work so range should be fine, especially with chargers at work. Here are my concerns:

I Googled the service schedule and it lists oil changes at every 5000 miles. Is that a typo? What maintenance is actually required?

I called two Mercedes dealerships nearby to ask about oil changes. They have not even heard of these cars. They say they they will work on any MB but that doesn't inspire confidence. Would being the only one around be a risk?

Compared to similar models and mileage available in CA this doesn't look like a great deal.

So, with that being said, what do you guys think? Would you bite or pass?

 

[JeffRay]

mr. & ms. unevenload,

Hi there. I have leased a 2014 and now lease a 2017 which is going back this September. Here are my thoughts, other members will surely chime in:

1. This is a perfect commuter car, especially if there is a charger at work and really so if you have a home charger/garage. The daily commute should be 30 miles each way or less even though the range can be 90 plus in best conditions or maybe 70ish on those frigid days each year in NC.

2. There are a couple of members who live in NC and hopefully, they will let you know of their dealer. Since so few of these were made and even fewer that made it outside the west coast or FL, most MB dealers have never seen. In the case where there is a problem, they will contact MBUSA for the fix which of course takes time. This happened to me I use a Mercedes owned dealer in NYC. There are only two B250e at my dealer. Since there is no ICE motor, there is no oil to change. It does need an annual battery inspection to maintain the 8 year warranty on that critical part.

3. Ask to see the service record with special attention to MB agreeing that the battery warranty is intact as all annual inspections have been made. If not, you don't want to buy this unit.

4. Ask about an extended warranty that covers the electric motor and components. If they don't have one, you don't want to buy this unit. 18K miles isn't a lot but you don't want to own one of these without a warranty that covers the key parts here, the electric motor and battery. The standard extended warranty does not cover the electric motor, only the special one does.

5. Assuming you are still reading this, you must be still thinking about this. I would feel a lot better if you got this car for under $17K. They are basically asking you for full retail as my lease buyout is $21K. They probably acquired it for under $15K and maybe spent some money on new tires.

Wait for others to chime in. Highly doubt that the car will be bought right away. If it does, CarMax can ship you another from their network.

 

[Punkdr]

Hi folks I am in the same situation, this is what I have discovered.

You can definitely beat CarMaxs price and selection...it’s hard to beat their convenience.

I am in the process of closing on a 2017 model that was sold in 2018...this is the best scenario as the warranty clock starts ticking at the time of purchase, so this car still has 2 yrs left on the original warranty. The car is eligible for 3 yr extended warranty, so can get a total of 5yrs of factory warranty. If you buy a factory warranty you can get it from any Mercedes dealer, and the price varies widely....but if you shop around it can be had for a similar price to the Carmax top of the line five year warranty with a 500 deductible.

Most of these cars are in California, and I am not, so I ordered an online inspection(not helpful for battery evaluation). $200, arrange for shipping $600. And spend a dozen hours on the phone arranging everything.

Having said that, I will have a car that has 5yrs of manufacturers warranty, under 13k miles, with a leather non black interior(one of my asks) for just under 21k plus tax. I figure this is around 2k less than the CarMax price...

But if CarMax has a car I really liked I would probably save myself the hassle and just get that. My guess is that CarMax warranty is probably one of the non manufacturer warranty that is likely to pull through if/when needed.

Hope some of this info will help.

Good luck!

 

[unevenload]

This has taken a while to sort out. Carmax wants more than the bank will finance but that is ok. I went to a local MB dealership and had them pull up the service records. The only thing ever done to the car was to have some brake fluid added. There is no record of the annual battery checks so I would assume it is no longer under warranty. The MB service coordinator said "8 years is 8 years" but that didn't really inspire confidence. Between Carmax and MB not really knowing what is going on with the warranty (and not really caring to investigate) I think the wise decision might be to take a pass. Is anybody out there friends with a service adviser that could tell me for sure if the car is under warranty? I would be happy to provide the VIN number.

 

[JeffRay]

For sure, no annual battery inspection, no warranty on battery. The rest of the car is covered by the basic warranty from date of first purchase. At the indicated price and mileage, I would keep looking. For example, my 2017 will be coming off lease later this year, about 10K miles with intact warranty, unused original OEM run flats. Wait for it.

 

[hallcp]

Just my 2-cents, but I wouldn't worry about the battery. The Achille's heel of the B-Class seems to be drive train failure at between 30-40k miles. It would be nice if you were under warranty until you hit 40k... nobody knows if all cars are affected or only certain ones!

On the coldest days here in Raleigh, NC mine displays only 62 miles range, but on a perfect spring day I have seen as high as 105 ! All this on a 2014 car with about 30k miles. I bought the car used in January last year. Typical range is about 85 miles if I had to pick a single number.

Just a note, Maryland also got these cars as they signed on with California's EV regulations. My dealer in Raleigh had only seen one B-Class before mine, but they have been game about making repairs (coolant pump) and seem to have access to the factory HQ when they need advice. I bought an electronic copy of the Mercedes-Benz service manual off eBay and it appears to include ALL model cars, including ours and the Smart. So the techs have the info.

Be sure to check http://cargurus.com, my car had made it's way to a used car dealer in Raleigh from it's origins in Maryland and I spotted it on Car gurus.

The car is wonderful!

 

[oilerlord]

RE your concerns:

I Googled the service schedule and it lists oil changes at every 5000 miles. Is that a typo? What maintenance is actually required?

Yes, obviously oil changes aren't applicable to an electric car. With my 2014 model, I've only changed the battery desiccant cartridge (because there isn't an authorized MB electric dealership within 1000 miles of where I live to do this). I also changed the 12V battery a few weeks ago. Other than replacing tires, that's all I've had to do.

I called two Mercedes dealerships nearby to ask about oil changes. They have not even heard of these cars. They say they they will work on any MB but that doesn't inspire confidence. Would being the only one around be a risk?

To my previous point, I'm flying without a parachute. I went with the assumption that EV's are reliable. The B has been incredibly so. Keep in mind that aside from all the electric bits - it's the same car as the B-class gasoline version. I did have to replace the hose to the rear window washer, because I didn't realize the car initially came with washer fluid that was't rated to -30C, until the hose cracked. The local MB dealership had no issue fixing that for me.

Compared to similar models and mileage available in CA this doesn't look like a great deal.

I haven't shopped around for a while, but $21K sounds on the high side. My car was 2 years old with 6K miles when I bought it. I paid a bit less than that.

 

[oilerlord]

I'll also mention as of today, my B has 47,358 miles on it. I have noticed some battery degradation but that is to be expected - especially in winter. At -20C, (and with the heater ON), the car at best has about a 40 mile range. In summer, my B is still at around 90-95 miles. Regardless of the season, it's still the perfect grocery-getter / short commuter car for us.

And regarding that "Achilles heel" about drive train failures...as much as I sympathize with the handful of people that have actually experienced this, the chances it will happen with a 2017 car are remote, and would be covered under warranty regardless. I have no idea why people keep bringing up what is essentially a non-issue. All this does is cast doubt and dissuades people from buying what is otherwise a fantastic vehicle.

 

[FordAnglia]

In summer, my B is still at around 90-95 miles.

Are you getting 90-95 miles range with the range extender? From the MB Operator's Manual:
RANGE PLUS
If you activate RANGE PLUS, the operating window
of the battery will be extended at the next
charging process. An extended driving range will
be available to you for the next journey.
Using RANGE PLUS shortens the service life of
the battery.

I have only used it once as a learning experience. For non-Range Plus charging I often see the dashboard range display go well beyond the expected 84 miles, but it corrects itself within a few miles of driving.

And regarding that "Achilles heel" about drive train failures...as much as I sympathize with the handful of people that have actually experienced this, the chances it will happen with a 2017 car are remote, and would be covered under warranty regardless. I have no idea why people keep bringing up what is essentially a non-issue. All this does is cast doubt and dissuades people from buying what is otherwise a fantastic vehicle.

Well said!

Peter,

 

[oilerlord]

Hey Peter,

My car doesn't have the range-extender option - not that I'd ever use it anyway. A goal of mine is to see if I can get the car to 100K miles, and still have at least 70-80 miles of range in summer. By then, I could see the car only capable of around 30 miles in extreme cold. At that point, it becomes a question of dumping the car for around $5,000 - $8,000 or looking into getting a newer battery with low cycles on it from an auto wrecker and/or refurbish the one I have for a reasonable cost.

 

[FordAnglia]

My car doesn't have the range-extender option - not that I'd ever use it anyway.

I didn't know the RANGE PLUS feature was a factory installed option. Does your center console have blank buttons?

Here's mine:

Notice one blank - I don't have the PARKTRONIC self-parking option.
A quick nod to the Super Bowl Ad "Smaht Pahk" "You Can Pahk Yah Cah at the Hahbah"

https://youtu.be/85iRQdjCzj0

A goal of mine is to see if I can get the car to 100K miles, and still have at least 70-80 miles of range in summer.

Today that's my goal, too! When the HOV sticker expires (Jan. 1, 2022) I'll revisit it.

Peter,

 

[oilerlord]

I think MB started including Range Plus on 2015 and later model years. My 2014 doesn't have it / no button on the dash. If you're also shooting for 100K, you won't want to use it.

 

[FordAnglia]

I think MB started including Range Plus on 2015 and later model years. My 2014 doesn't have it / no button on the dash. If you're also shooting for 100K, you won't want to use it.

Good point! I try to keep my B250e charged between 25% and 75%. Easy to know as the Battery gauge is scaled 0 -100 with 25, 50, 75 markers.

Today I topped off at work, because an EV slot sat empty when I arrived. Friday and Monday are our busy days, but all eight EV chargers see daily occupancy - can't say no to a company perk of free charging!

Interestingly my vehicle had shut off charging when I unplugged, and now displays 98 Miles range. I didn't use the RANGE PLUS button. I expect the range to drop quickly as I drive later today. Not really sure if the high voltage battery is charged to 98%, or if the range gauge is in error.

Peter,

 

[JeffRay]

Hey folks,

My leased 2014 did not have RE but my leased 2017 had it as standard. My recollection is that it was a factory installed option in 2014 but became standard in 2015 or 2016 model year.

Since I drive so few miles each month, around 400 miles, and it is a pain to charge in an urban area, I always punch the RE button to get an extra 12.5% top up. Like those with workplace chargers, I always plug in for 4+ hours on a pokey 120v outlet to top up. When parking in a commercial lot, I look for commercial chargers and ask what the upcharge is. Yesterday, the lot charges $10 for the privilege of plugging into a Chargepoint, which cost $0.49 per kWh. I was in a rush so did not plug in but will in the future if parking for 3-4 hours. Such is life in an urban commute EV without the benefit of a home garage or a L2 charger at work. Works for me as my daily commute is 16 miles total. In the winter, I have to charge up to max 112.5% every 4 days while in the summer, it is every 7 days. There are chargers at JFK airport which I have to check out for my overnight trips.

From a battery longevity viewpoint, I have read that it is not recommended to charge the battery using RE all the time as it will degrade the battery faster. Similar to the approach of only fast charging batteries up to 80% then throttling down. I am no expert but watch too many youtube videos. There are some posts on this forum as well. As my mileage is so low, my guess is that the damage to my battery is minimal so I don't consider it to be an obstacle to buying mine off lease.

OK, rambling so that's all folks.

 

[JeffRay]

I checked my lease contract and it seems as if my memory was faulty. As a point of reference, the lease purchase option on my 2017 B250e at the end of September is $18K+. This gives you all an idea of the dealers cost although I am told our cars go to auction where they might go for as low as $15K.

In my case, in seven months time, I will have a total of roughly 11K miles of urban driving delivered with unused original OEM run flats unmounted as I have all season Michelins on mine for a smoother ride and better traction on wet roads. Base version with heated seats. I don't use all the gizmos on this urban getabout. Car runs great with occasional charging hiccups that may be attributable to user or charging station error.

If I can get them down to $15K, I might buy it off lease and keep it. If not, will return and trust it will find a warm weather home.

 

[chuckh007]

Again, good question. Wifes 2014 car has 14K miles and probably can get at least $10K in trade . However I found a fully loaded 2017 ( including Parktronic) for $15K ....net. purchase is $5K plus tax and license. Would you make the switch ??

 

[JeffRay]

Chuck007,

I would consider making an upgrade if:

1. An MB dealer can certify that the 2017 has undergone the annual battery check so the battery is covered under warranty.

2. I reread your prior post so the 2014 has a remanufactured DU under warranty. So . . . .

3. If you could really use the range extender for an extra 12.5% in range and use the parktronic.

4. If the extended warranty you got on the 2014 is expiring.

I would consider staying as is if:

1. Your wife loves her 2014 despite the past problem.

2. The 2014 has been trouble free since its repair.

3. Can spend the $5k on something else nice.

4. You can't get the $10k for a lightly used 2014.

5. Parts are getting hard to come.

I had a leased fully loaded 2014 except no range extender and then leased a 2017 bare bones with range extender. Even though all EV owners have a bit of tech head in them, I don't miss the do dads enough as mine is strictly a drive to work and grocery shopping getabout.