Mercedes S class. Good shed buy or potential disaster?
Discussion
Hi all;
I have been looking at the Mercedes S class and would value others opinion on the potential for disaster with these.
What are the common problems and the likely costs. I have done a little research on the common consumerables such as brake pads/discs, tyres etc and the prices don't seem too bad. Am I correct in thinking that it is the suspension system and the electrics that have the biggest costs if they break?
Any help from people who have experienced running one of these would be appreciated.
Thanks.
I have been looking at the Mercedes S class and would value others opinion on the potential for disaster with these.
What are the common problems and the likely costs. I have done a little research on the common consumerables such as brake pads/discs, tyres etc and the prices don't seem too bad. Am I correct in thinking that it is the suspension system and the electrics that have the biggest costs if they break?
Any help from people who have experienced running one of these would be appreciated.
Thanks.
S class saloon, 2001 to 2004 probably, anywhere around 100,000 miles. The reason for the curiosity is the prices I have seen them advertised for, they appear to be a hell of a lot of car for the money but I am sure that it is probably too good to be true with the regard to being a money pit. After all, they were a £80000+ car new, just interested if they could be bought and run without bankrupting me.
Look at your thread title take away the question mark and you have the answer. They DO make an excellent shed buy, they CAN be a potential disaster.
I bought a nine year old W210 E Class Estate 4 years ago for £3K. It gets a big service and MOT annually with an oil change every six months. Nothing's broke so far but running costs have fallen into a pattern of a several hundred pound service/mot then an approximately couple of hundred pound service/mot every alternate year. So far I think I've been lucky and with four reliable years out of a big comfortable hard working car. If it died tomorrow I'd walk away feeling I've had my money's worth. That said I could replace it tomorrow with a fresher example and have something fail leaving me in a world of s
t within a month or two of purchase. You pays your money and you rolls the dice.
I bought a nine year old W210 E Class Estate 4 years ago for £3K. It gets a big service and MOT annually with an oil change every six months. Nothing's broke so far but running costs have fallen into a pattern of a several hundred pound service/mot then an approximately couple of hundred pound service/mot every alternate year. So far I think I've been lucky and with four reliable years out of a big comfortable hard working car. If it died tomorrow I'd walk away feeling I've had my money's worth. That said I could replace it tomorrow with a fresher example and have something fail leaving me in a world of s
t within a month or two of purchase. You pays your money and you rolls the dice.Tannedbaldhead said:
You pays your money and you rolls the dice.
I've also looked at S class because value is stunning in the used market. Looks wholly viable to me although it will never be a cheap car to run - but just think of the depreciation you're avoiding on a new one! Fantastic used buy for regular mega-miles use. Make sure you've got £500 in a jar on the mantelpiece to help with any unexpected bills. Unfortunately I really need an estate car which pushes me in other directions.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Tannedbaldhead said:
You pays your money and you rolls the dice.
I've also looked at S class because value is stunning in the used market. Looks wholly viable to me although it will never be a cheap car to run - but just think of the depreciation you're avoiding on a new one! Fantastic used buy for regular mega-miles use. Make sure you've got £500 in a jar on the mantelpiece to help with any unexpected bills. Unfortunately I really need an estate car which pushes me in other directions.
. That said, I want to run mine till it's done. Have a feeling I'm going to have it for a while. Just to revise what I said earlier, probably looking at a 2000/2001 car as doesn't a later, post 2001, car attract the heavier taxation.
As has been suggested, electrical issues could be a problem due to their complexity but I was also under the impression that the suspension on these was a major factor if it were to go wrong.
Thanks for the replies so far, would love to hear from someone who is/has run one of these or similar.
As has been suggested, electrical issues could be a problem due to their complexity but I was also under the impression that the suspension on these was a major factor if it were to go wrong.
Thanks for the replies so far, would love to hear from someone who is/has run one of these or similar.
I had one - a 99 s320 run for 3 years and about 55k mikes - and would again. It's a lovely car, fantastic value for money and ok to maintain if you can find a decent specialist.
They do rust, the air suspension plays up every now and again and the dash goes on the blink. Last two are not that expensive to sort, but chasing rust around the body could get frustrating. I didn't find the electrics to be unreliable.
I preferred it to the later S Class; it looked nicer and the ride seemed better, plus it was a massive bargain, especially compared to newish Mercs.... It does look a bit like you've taken up mini-cabbing, but better that than drug dealing in a 7 series I suppose.
They do rust, the air suspension plays up every now and again and the dash goes on the blink. Last two are not that expensive to sort, but chasing rust around the body could get frustrating. I didn't find the electrics to be unreliable.
I preferred it to the later S Class; it looked nicer and the ride seemed better, plus it was a massive bargain, especially compared to newish Mercs.... It does look a bit like you've taken up mini-cabbing, but better that than drug dealing in a 7 series I suppose.
chv01823 said:
I had one - a 99 s320 run for 3 years and about 55k mikes - and would again. It's a lovely car, fantastic value for money and ok to maintain if you can find a decent specialist.
They do rust, the air suspension plays up every now and again and the dash goes on the blink. Last two are not that expensive to sort, but chasing rust around the body could get frustrating. I didn't find the electrics to be unreliable.
I preferred it to the later S Class; it looked nicer and the ride seemed better, plus it was a massive bargain, especially compared to newish Mercs.... It does look a bit like you've taken up mini-cabbing, but better that than drug dealing in a 7 series I suppose.
where are all these S Class cabs?They do rust, the air suspension plays up every now and again and the dash goes on the blink. Last two are not that expensive to sort, but chasing rust around the body could get frustrating. I didn't find the electrics to be unreliable.
I preferred it to the later S Class; it looked nicer and the ride seemed better, plus it was a massive bargain, especially compared to newish Mercs.... It does look a bit like you've taken up mini-cabbing, but better that than drug dealing in a 7 series I suppose.
They are parked outside every nightspot all over London's West end offering to 'take you' (literally). Usually the door staff and the driver are part of the 'service' I always stick to black cabs personally. £20 for a five minute journey in a ten year old S class driven by a smartly dressed African driver is not good value in my opinion, not to mention they are operating illegally.
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