Love Hate
Actually, from what I can tell, Benzes are less troublesome than VW's. I know that everyones' experiences are different, but my B4 has eaten me out of house and home, although the MAJOR components are reliable. I am now conducting an interesting experiment: which car costs more to own, E300 turbodiesel, or B5 Passat? As of tomorrow about noon, the Passat will be ahead (ie costs more to own). Although I have only put 50,000 miles on it, the Benz, in 10 years, has had the following issues: 1 power window regulator; problem with seatbelt sensor; new glow plugs. End of story... My B5 is WAY ahead on headaches; don't even ask about the B4. As far as Mazdas are concerned, if ANY of the Japanese manufacturers I respect (Mazda, Subaru, Nissan) had offered DIESELS in this country...NONE of my 3 German cars would have ever been bought...............