Used Mercedes S Class purchase, why so worrying?
Discussion
OK, i guess that makes sense with the gadgets. The thing is though my father had a 2006 Corvette fully loaded and it did 200,000+ miles before it's first significant failure. Other than routine maintenance and the big interest in fuel of course it was a pussy cat to run. Even the air filter lasted 30,000 miles and the plugs 40,000 miles. I don't see why a car as well made as an S Class should be, needs to go wrong or need loads of looking after. Not for 20 years anyway in my book.
Does anyone know the year at which it's better to buy one after, as in when was it made much better during it's timeline? Or a year or model to avoid?
Does anyone know the year at which it's better to buy one after, as in when was it made much better during it's timeline? Or a year or model to avoid?
I like the idea of buying a lightly used on of these and keeping it indefinitely. My concern is less about issues but more the risk of getting a clocked one. Loads of them are used as exec taxis these days and it’s pretty common knowledge that some of them are subjected to mileage adjustments to preserve value. As the interiors wear so well it can make it much harder to spot.
Always had that pre conceived idea that S Class models were troublesome.
I am motor trade and sell used cars. Ive sold 6/7 S Class in the past 12 month. All between 3/5 year old. Had one back for an EML which turned out to be a main dealer software update.
Bloody great cars, I personally used one of them for a while and absolutely loved it. They really aren't all that bad at all.
I am motor trade and sell used cars. Ive sold 6/7 S Class in the past 12 month. All between 3/5 year old. Had one back for an EML which turned out to be a main dealer software update.
Bloody great cars, I personally used one of them for a while and absolutely loved it. They really aren't all that bad at all.
No specific year/model to avoid from my research over the years.
I've had 2, one 320cdi of 2007 vintage, the other a 2012 350d lwb - nothing significant went wrong with either during my ownership, over and above routine maintenance items. The 2012 car was an ex-chauffeur car (company I used to drive for) and I sold it with 265k on the Odo. If you covered the Odo it would have easily passed for a 60/80k example.
I will 100% have another, hopefully sooner rather than later. It will probably be a 2015/16 car, definitely in LWB SE-line trim, not AMG-line.
We seem to have an aversion to barges in this country compared to the rest of Europe for whatever reason, which is why they make a brilliant value used buy.
Cheers,
Chris
I've had 2, one 320cdi of 2007 vintage, the other a 2012 350d lwb - nothing significant went wrong with either during my ownership, over and above routine maintenance items. The 2012 car was an ex-chauffeur car (company I used to drive for) and I sold it with 265k on the Odo. If you covered the Odo it would have easily passed for a 60/80k example.
I will 100% have another, hopefully sooner rather than later. It will probably be a 2015/16 car, definitely in LWB SE-line trim, not AMG-line.
We seem to have an aversion to barges in this country compared to the rest of Europe for whatever reason, which is why they make a brilliant value used buy.
Cheers,
Chris
I ran an s500 on a shoestring and it wasnt too hard. There is a mercedes specialist scrapyard about 20miles from me so got the majority of my replacements there, the suspension had 2 leaking struts which I got new from France for about 250 and most things were easily repaired. Sold it at over 200k due to it cutting out due to a problem with the instrument binnacle that I just couldn't be arsed tracing when I fancied some new metal instead.
I think the thing to remember is, far more people will post about issues online than praise.
It is an expensive, luxury car. So repair costs will be higher when bits do go wrong. If you are prepared for the potential for wear items to need replacing, or bigger ticket items that may well cost a good chunk more than another brand of car, then you may as well give it a go!
I doubt they are any worse than comparable cars on the whole. But they are complicated, luxury cars.
It is an expensive, luxury car. So repair costs will be higher when bits do go wrong. If you are prepared for the potential for wear items to need replacing, or bigger ticket items that may well cost a good chunk more than another brand of car, then you may as well give it a go!
I doubt they are any worse than comparable cars on the whole. But they are complicated, luxury cars.
BroadsRS6 said:
OK, i guess that makes sense with the gadgets. The thing is though my father had a 2006 Corvette fully loaded and it did 200,000+ miles before it's first significant failure. Other than routine maintenance and the big interest in fuel of course it was a pussy cat to run. Even the air filter lasted 30,000 miles and the plugs 40,000 miles. I don't see why a car as well made as an S Class should be, needs to go wrong or need loads of looking after. Not for 20 years anyway in my book.
Does anyone know the year at which it's better to buy one after, as in when was it made much better during it's timeline? Or a year or model to avoid?
A N/A pushrod V8 is a very different engine to a Quad Cam Turbo charged diesel now both are very capable of doing 200k+ but the 3.0d will need more regular fettling, which may well be offset by the V8's need for fuel Does anyone know the year at which it's better to buy one after, as in when was it made much better during it's timeline? Or a year or model to avoid?
We are seriously looking at an S Class coupe as our next family car.
The chap we are thinking of using as a sourcing agent feels they simply don't stop depreciating. "Look at the old CLS" was a thought.
I get it but after driving one, S500, we both loved it. It was a 2017
Would we buy the saloon?
The chap we are thinking of using as a sourcing agent feels they simply don't stop depreciating. "Look at the old CLS" was a thought.
I get it but after driving one, S500, we both loved it. It was a 2017
Would we buy the saloon?
I’ve just paid £73(!) for a pair of front disks (incl. delivery) for my W221 (Blueprint by Bilstein).
This seems too cheap - is there massive oversupply in the parts industry right now with relatively few miles driven in the last year etc?
Next purchase will be control arms. Not super impressed that these need changing at 90,000miles, but they are only £150 for the front pair (I’ll just need someone to fit them for me).
You can run these cars quite economically when consumable parts are this inexpensive, but there will be times when you just need a specialist and you will be at their mercy.
I recently suffered rear Airmatic collapse which looked wallet-bending but it was just the rear height sensor (tricky to access without a ramp).
My local specialist rinsed me for £300 to replace the sensor which was probably double what it should have cost in parts and labour.
It would appear that once they get beyond 6 or so years old, nobody wants to pay much/any more for an S vs the equivalent high-spec E…
This seems too cheap - is there massive oversupply in the parts industry right now with relatively few miles driven in the last year etc?
Next purchase will be control arms. Not super impressed that these need changing at 90,000miles, but they are only £150 for the front pair (I’ll just need someone to fit them for me).
You can run these cars quite economically when consumable parts are this inexpensive, but there will be times when you just need a specialist and you will be at their mercy.
I recently suffered rear Airmatic collapse which looked wallet-bending but it was just the rear height sensor (tricky to access without a ramp).
My local specialist rinsed me for £300 to replace the sensor which was probably double what it should have cost in parts and labour.
It would appear that once they get beyond 6 or so years old, nobody wants to pay much/any more for an S vs the equivalent high-spec E…
Edited by Mogul on Monday 5th July 21:20
ZX10R NIN said:
BroadsRS6 said:
OK, i guess that makes sense with the gadgets. The thing is though my father had a 2006 Corvette fully loaded and it did 200,000+ miles before it's first significant failure. Other than routine maintenance and the big interest in fuel of course it was a pussy cat to run. Even the air filter lasted 30,000 miles and the plugs 40,000 miles. I don't see why a car as well made as an S Class should be, needs to go wrong or need loads of looking after. Not for 20 years anyway in my book.
Does anyone know the year at which it's better to buy one after, as in when was it made much better during it's timeline? Or a year or model to avoid?
A N/A pushrod V8 is a very different engine to a Quad Cam Turbo charged diesel now both are very capable of doing 200k+ but the 3.0d will need more regular fettling, which may well be offset by the V8's need for fuel Does anyone know the year at which it's better to buy one after, as in when was it made much better during it's timeline? Or a year or model to avoid?
Summit_Detailing said:
I
We seem to have an aversion to barges in this country compared to the rest of Europe for whatever reason, which is why they make a brilliant value used buy.
Cheers,
Chris
Main reason is we have an overcrowded country with a fast growing population and small roads never designed for huge cars. Plus parking places and house garages that suit a Golf at best, not a big cruiser.We seem to have an aversion to barges in this country compared to the rest of Europe for whatever reason, which is why they make a brilliant value used buy.
Cheers,
Chris
Ah, Merc parts tax! I once owned a ratty S reg A Class, I'd confidently predict that it was worth somewhere in the region of f'ck all. That didn't appear to have any bearing on the cost of parts when the (plastic) belt pulleys disintegrated. You couldn't buy the pulleys individually, you had to remortgage and purchase the entire assembly. It was many, many pounds (the local garage managed to successfully complete an adequate bodge 
). The car was well into banger territory, but that didn't seem to matter. I'd imagine S Class bits are the same, but with added price silliness?
And then there's the rust of course; I've seen negelcted and unloved W220s (99 onwards?) merrily rotting away, so presumably they didn't escape the cheap steel that Merc were so fond of in the early 00s?
). The car was well into banger territory, but that didn't seem to matter. I'd imagine S Class bits are the same, but with added price silliness?And then there's the rust of course; I've seen negelcted and unloved W220s (99 onwards?) merrily rotting away, so presumably they didn't escape the cheap steel that Merc were so fond of in the early 00s?
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