TAR

Am considering the purchase of a W221 S350, and would like to hear from owners of this model what their real life, real world ownership experience has been. Model reliability, drivetrain issues, component reliability are of major concern. Leaks? Any chronic problems not resolved to your do satisfaction by your dealership?

TIA.

DaveW68

The search function is your friend.

Mike5215

Nope, just the usual gas, oil and tires. About as worry free as a Camry. But seriously, the potential issues are too numerous to list. Buy low mileage with a warranty, or set aside about $2500 per year (plus regular maintenance...another grand or so) and you'll be fine. Personally I've owned three and STRONGLY recommend a good warranty or CPO.

W140 Lover

I personally don't recommend getting a diesel S class as they are actual harder to maintain then a gas one. I've considered about a 350 before but went for the 550 instead because when diesel gets struck with problems, it's a nightmare.

marthyh

Still one of the best limo's on the globe even thought being designed in the early 2000's.
What should say something :the W222 is on W221 platform.

Its ride is to no equal for modern cars or almost as mushy and comfortable as a full size 70's US sedan but with much much greater driving characteristics.

And yes its kind of expensive to own etc. also dependant on how technically inclined you are, to do own maintenance and repair.

Mike5215

Think of buying a used S class like marrying a high-end call girl. You know it's wrong and it's going to end up costing you a fortune but the sex is so hot you can't help yourself.

I'll say this, and the guys here know what I'm talking about. There are moments with the S, when you're sluicing through traffic like a warm knife in butter, in this envelope of serenity and comfort, and steering with just the pads of your fingertips, that I've yet to be able to replicate in any other car.

mrbobby

Enough sex talk Mike. Stop or you'll end up with half an erection.

Mike5215

I know. And it takes twice as long to beat off too. My wife likes it because I can go so long now I usually get tired and give up before I finish. No mess!

W140 Lover

W221 S class suspension is absolutely soft, cushiony, and luxurious.
Sometimes I see my W221 as a Hot trophy wife that I bang every night for hours and hours, then she makes me a sandwich and pours me a drink after, and still snuggles with me.

Atcpup

You had me going until the snuggle part.....

W140 Lover

Why's that?

Jason B

LOL!

Jason B

That is true. First hand experience on that one.

Prochambers

The thread went from Used Car Shopping to Bang and Snuggle. Lol!

Mike5215

Yeah. Replace "and then snuggles" with "and then stops talking for an hour" and we're back on the same page.

W140 Lover

She snuggles and asks for more what do you want me to say

DaveW68

You and your wife must still be young.

W140 Lover

Mike5215

My wife asks for more too, mainly because half of my dick doesn't work.

TAR

Okay guys, I enjoyed all the sex talk but would like to redirect your attention to the questions that I originally posed.

I am very familiar with the W221 chassis as am currently an owner of one. My focus now is on the option of opting for a diesel iteration of the W221 chassis vs the less energy efficient S550 model. I appreciate the quality of the ride, the fit and finish. What I am trying to reconcile is the quality of the diesel engine and its inherent efficiencies and deficiencies, in comparison to the gas aspirated engine.

One thing that is clear to me is that there are two forces present that are driving down the desirability of owning any Benz that is not covered by a warranty and directly affecting the "previously owned" market. The first force is time, and is what it is. The second, and more elusive, force is the fact that reliability and costs associated with maintaining cars as feature ladened as Benzes make ownership a short-term relationship, and difficult to commit to extend beyond the term of a warranty. If my assessment is anywhere close to being correct, then I think that the "previously owned" market is highly speculative and is need of a serious correction. After all, the secondary, "previously owned"market is subject to market pressures that includes the consideration of reliability and cost of ownership.

Back to my original question. What are the real life experiences of the S350 model? It might be useful if, when you reply, you state if you are an owner or a lessee, as it seems that one's expectations of ownership are tempered by the amount of skin you have in the game.

TIA

DaveW68

Not a lot of S350 owners that frequent this board....at least not compared to the gas models. You might want to change the thread name to "S350 diesel ownership experiences sought". Otherwise you may see your thread digress even more as the frequent comedy contributors will likely stay on their current path.

W140 Lover

As I was saying earlier... Why not get a S550 or S400 Hybrid? A Diesel not all that great when it comes up to repairs and also they are expensive second hand then gas used models. I heard mercedes diesel engines run good. But why did they get discontinued some point at the end for W221?
also I think theres a diesel part of this forum that may give you better info on diesels.

robohopar

I picked up a 2008 S550 with 84K miles...I now have 119k miles on it and about 30 months has passed by. Here are a list of items i've replaced so far

Both motor mounts (89k miles)
Transmission mount (90k miles)
alternator (92k miles)
starter battery (95k miles)
1 lower control arm (104k miles)
1 front air strut (104k miles)
Left motor mount, again (118k miles)
parking brake just stopped working...
...and i think thats about it.

I drive my car very hard, I've changed my front tires twice rears once(bought the car with new tires), brakes all around a couple times and a few oil changes.

My transmission is showing signs of slipping/hard shifting so I have plans on doing a transmission flush with filter..etc very soon, hopefully it smooths things out.

Engine runs STRONG and i'm very surprised in the overall shape of the car at almost 120k miles.

Good luck on your search and consider warranty unless you have access to parts at cost and have a shop access to work on your car...like me

W140 Lover

To be honest, it kinda pains me to hear so many replacements but they were needed but I think the hard driving is unnecessary for a 2 ton tank. But it's your car so you do whatever you want. It just hurts me lol. XDD

DaveW68

Robo....your avatar is very distracting. I find myself pretty much unable to read your posts as my eyes are pulled away from them for some reason.