genealogyxie

Hi guys,

So I'm interested in getting a comfortable, quiet, and safe car that's less likely to self destruct than a BMW might (lol)

I'm considering a 2007 Mercedes S class with ventilated seats and the backup camera

What's the average repair cost I should expect - I'm not some broke fool that will have to sell my laptop just to cover a $10,000 repair bill, so I'm wondering, what the average amount of repair bills I will see in 8000 miles of 80% highway driving assuming I take it to a trusted indy mechanic?

Should I get a 2007 S550 with about 130,000 miles on them but with only one owner, well maintained, for only about $20,000
Or would I be better off getting something with few miles but $10000 more and multiple owners?

Or should I just get an 2006 Audi A8 or 2007 Lexus LS460 instead?

Quadcammer

depends on a lot of things, the most important of which is whether you want to use a dealer or independent.

If you use the dealer, I'd budget about $3,000 per year. Most little things are under $500 but if you need suspension repair or new motor mounts (both of which are common), you'll be seeing a four figure bill.

If you use an indy, probably more like $2,000 per year.

Any individual year may be higher or lower, but on average, i find that sufficient.

Atcpup

Welcome to the forums which has a great search feature! I pulled a few for you below as this topic has been covered many times.....

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...uspension.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...7-s-550-a.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...-problems.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...7-mb-s550.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...d-07-s550.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...-look-out.html

There are many more, happy reading!

natcahd

ATC...u jumped right on it...lol...This question seems to need a Sticky at top with others Sticky's.

Hd

Mike5215

If you're contemplating the Audi or Lexus don't drive the S Class first. Especially the Lexus. The Toyota oozes from that car. I don't understand how they command their price. The A8 is a nice piece but not especially comfortable. Good tech and a very cool interior design though. I own two Audis, a 2012 A5 and a 2014 Q7, neither of which I drive unless I need to haul something in the Q7 to the dump. My 2010 S550 is the only car in the family fleet that gets garage priority.

The relative risk of unexpected large and/or frequent repairs is present of course in high mileage cars in general, and high end German cars in particular. I personally wouldn't touch the 130k mile car unless my brother-in-law was a Mercedes tech. I'd spend the extra money for the cleanest, low mileage S in the price range.

genealogyxie

Wow $2000 per year sounds pretty high - I thought maybe 10% of owners get $7000 in repairs and 50% of owners get $3000 after 5 years? How does that compare to the Audi A8?

How much do you think an 2007 E320 Bluetec would be in repairs in 5 years? Also, do you think the E320 or a Lexus LS or ES can be just a quiet as the S class with a full Dynamat install? Even the LS I tested was pretty noisy on the highway, esp. at 90mph, maybe due to bad aerodynamics?
And thanks for the help guys

Larry1979

S Class cars are expensive to maintain period! A 100K+ car will always be expensive regardless of how much you pay for it. The 2007 S Class has been very problematic historically. There are several threads regarding all the maintenance woes of the 2007 model year in particular. A previous poster listed a few threads on the subject. I would not buy a high mileage car and would not buy one that didn't qualify for a warranty. In 2014 I would look for a 2010 or better with the lowest mileage possible. Paying next to nothing for a high mileage car will cost you more in the long run. One repair on am S Class will set you back 1 easily. If your funds won't allow you to get a newer S Class or whatever car you decide, it might be wiser to save until you can do so. I've seen people spend over 7K in repairs within 5 months. When buying used, you never know if previous owner(s) followed maintenance schedule. Hope this helps.

genealogyxie

But would it still be that high even if the previous owner says he only had to replace a fuel pump or something (so <$2000 in 100,000 miles and 7 years)

How much would an 2007 E320 Bluetec cost per year with 8000 miles/year and would Dynamat would be able to get the E320 as quiet as the S class at 70mph?

Mike5215

Yeah, if you can't swing the cost of a CPO car and the extended warranty you probably can't swing the repair costs associated with a high mileage 07. As far as the Lexus goes, it's not in the same league. I realize it's marketed as an almost as good luxury car at two thirds the price, but it's a tub with a thin veneer of cheap leather and processed wood. It drives like a Buick, wallows on the road and seems tailored specifically for the over 60 set.

Since it's a Toyota the reliability is probably good.

The S Class's quiet and composed ride is not a matter of Mercedes stuffing in a bunch of sound deadening material. They accomplish it with a lot of engineering, and a complex active pneumatic suspension. You can't get a Lexus to ride like a big Benz.

However, if you can't swing a clean CPO S Class right now and you want a comfortable cruiser, I'd look at the Genesis or a CPO Equus instead of the Lexus.

Larry1979

Yes maintenance costs will still be high regardless if previous owner said he spent less than $2K or about $2K in 7 years and 100K miles. I would say he was very fortunate but now the car is getting of the age and mileage where things start breaking down no matter the quality of the car. Brakes and rotors will cost you almost $2K alone.

As mentioned before, you will not be able to make a Lexus, Audi, or any other car ride like an S Class. It's all in the engineering. Get a low mileage CPO car, do not get an S Class out of warranty. You were given a decent alternative with the Genesis or Equus. Personally the Equus imitated several cars and is not very original. I have never driven one, some swear it's a good car. Definitely a cheaper alternative. S Classes start at over $100K for a reason. Maintenance costs remain that of a $100K car no matter the purchase price and they must be maintained properly or you will be frustrated throughout your total time of ownership. You may be able to skip recommended maintenance on other brands and get away with it but not on an S Class. You won't be able to make the Bluetec sound like the S550 but the Bluetec isn't a bad car either. Still a Mercedes and repairs are costly.

Mike5215

I promise you the previous owner spent more than $2,000 over 7 years and 100k miles. It's not going to show up on a CarFax or an MB internal report unless the work was done at a MB dealer. But if that is true, then a whole bunch of stuff that should have failed and been replaced by now hasn't.

Nobody here can tell you how much it's going to cost to maintain any car over any period of time. It's like asking us that if you have unprotected sex with your wife for six months how likely is she to get pregnant?

Atcpup

Here is another link from another site. Several with well over 100k with relatively few problems. It seems to be one of the better S classes ever built.

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w221...club-whos.html

Jason B

Let's put it this way.. You WILL spend much, much more if you didn't know about these forums. For ex, a leaking airmatic strut, etc, dealer will charge well over $1k to replace and install one of them. Aprox. My point is, educated forum members now know we can get one for $400 and have an Indy shop install it with a 3 year warranty on the part, when the dealer gives 1 year.

This forum will save you thousands!

Atcpup

+1

Nuru

Seems that with any of the high mileage cars, stop and go traffic experiences are where things like moto mounts, drivetrain, smaller wear parts get the most work/stress. The 8k per year that you are driving is that all, mostly, or no highway miles?

Also I whole heartedly agree with those who say get a low mileage S-Class with a factory and CPO warranty. I did and that is the only way I would get an S-Class, and I chose the oil burner as I expect its engine to be a bit tougher with regards to long-term reliability than any of the gas engined models. The rest of the car body, electronics, etc. components and systems, are essentially the same.

genealogyxie

8000 miles with at least 70% highway miles. Mostly interstate actually, but many times I'll drive it maybe 2 miles with some buddies to grab some food or something. So maybe 200 trips 2 miles long each year and that's pretty much it. Sometimes it's going to sit for a week or two without being started though.

I'm guessing most members are saying that I'll get maybe 10 small repairs that average $1000 each over 5 years?

Does anyone know any reputable third party warranty companies?

Mike5215

Your local credit union (in addition to financing) will likely have a 3rd party warranty available. Mercury is a decent one, or Mile One, or EasyCare, although EC is typically sold via dealers. I think someone here recommended USAA.

The top packages on an S (as close to factory bumper-to-bumper) is going to be expensive, like in the $8k to $12k range. You can choose less comprehensive packages to use more like catastrophic coverage for $3k to $5k. If you're wondering why so much, their underwriting department hasn't been as fortunate in insuring the reliability of the S Class as all those owners who go 150,000 miles with just oil changes and tires.

Larry1979

The USAA warranty is very good if you're eligible i.e. military, ex-military, military dependent. I've had no problems what soever with USAA. I hear the Carmax Maxcare warranty is good as well. Would definitely choose USAA over Carmax.