The Thomas J

Where is this dealer located? At that price People will flock to him in droves with fists full of money.

Nuru

Yep, that would attract a ton of S-class owners, especially those who do not use their car as a daily driver.

natcahd

NAS... try Jeffrey, has very good prices. He doesn't add a ton to MBs prices.

Jeffrey M Santos
262-821-5000 ext. 349
jsantos@mbofelmbrook.com

DaveW68

I use my car as a daily driver and will likely be way under on miles if I keep mine the full 7 years I have the warranty for.

Nuru

I would not be able to do it if I used my car as a daily driver, based on my commute

NaslundStarmine

Thanks, will do.

NaslundStarmine

It really is amazing how incredibly spartan the E-class is compared to an S-class...motor in an E-class feels like a sewing machine....

Mike5215

It's a boring mid sized family sedan that Hyundai has no trouble competing with. The E, not the S, is the target for Genesis and Equus. They're packaging a near S Class level of equipment and size squarely in the E Class price range. The new E promises to fix that.

NaslundStarmine

The top of the line Genesis is a pretty sweet automobile...

DaveW68

On this point you and I agree 100%.

Mike5215

If I were cross shopping the Lexus it would be attractive just based on ride and content. To me, having driven them back to back against the S, both builders have a similar approach to a luxury car ride:

Massive amounts of sound deadening and a soft, loose suspension. The S rides gently as well, but there's something about the nature of the suspension rebound you get with air that makes the car tighten up almost instantly when needed. The Lexus and Hyundai float, roll, pitch and wallow like an old Buick.

Then there's the matter of content versus execution of the content. Lexus & Hyundai work from a focus group checklist, so the expected goodies are all there, but each individual feature is executed cheaply IMO.

DaveW68

I don't have any personal experience with the Genesis, but regarding Lexus I have to disagree with you. I really don't think there is anything that is executed cheaply in Lexus cars. In fact, other than the S-class beating out the LS460....mostly due to heft and some feature content (through expensive options), all other Lexus models beat all other Benz competitors in just about every way with feature content, ride, comfort, electronics, and luxury. Where Benz kicks the crap out of Lexus is the AMG line vs F-Sport.

superpop

I looked at a 2013 LS and it was nice, just too plain vanilla looking with regard to styling. Felt like a really nice super sized Camry.

2014CL600

The answer would be, "Buy the warranty". I bought the 2011 CL550 in Borolo red for my friend with 7K miles and the warranty company that I used was 5 additional years and 50K miles extra. When the car was bought it was the exact date the car was put into service 4 years prior, so I was able to get the warranty for 2.400.00. Well, the car came and it had no sound through the infotainment system, none of the audio on any of the electronics worked. I had to wait 1K miles and 1 month but that was fine. I had given my friend the car and he was out of town for 4 months anyway. When he got back he drove the car on a few little trips and racked up the miles. He took the car to the dealership on Tuesday last. They called in less than an hour said they found the problem and told him the total was 2,472.00 for part, labor and diagnostic. They put it in and the extended warranty company paid all but the 100.00 deductible and he was very happy. It paid for itself in one visit. Now, he will not have to worry as anything else that they pay for is a gift. He said even before he took it in, if they even pay for 3/4ths of the repair, he would be happy. They paid it all. 1 hour labor, 1/2 hour diagnostic and the part 2,200.00. I only paid 2,200 for the warranty. So, if your going to buy one buy a good extended warranty. It will pay off in the end and it is very necessary! Update, just a few minutes ago, he called to tell me his Keyless go wasn't working. My car had the same issue but was covered because it is still under the factory warranty. I looked up the price of the part, it retails for 900.00 and 1/2 hour to diagnose and 1 hour to install. So, that bill will cost him 100.00 and they will end up paying 1,300.00. That part has to be special ordered because its VIN specific and is pre-programmed from the factory and it had an updated part number. I am guessing they were having a lot of the Keyless modules go out. His car only has 8K miles and now every little electronic part is taking a crap. The warranty is like health insurance, if you don't have it, you could be left holding a very large bill and that these are the big ticket items. Transmission, engine, transfer case, air pump, air bags you name it.
Remember this isn't a quality built Lexus LS, these Mercedes are know for failures (mostly electronics). If I owned an LS, I wouldn't need an extended warranty.

T.H.Carrera

Can you provide details about the warranty please?

2014CL600

Yes, for my CL 600 I bought it from a company called AUTOPOM for 1,600.00 (7 additional years 60K miles w/200.00 deductible). The CL 550 because it was a 4-matic was more (made NO sense to me but they said it was because it was an all wheel drive) the joke is on them, they have no idea that the 600 cost double to repair than a 550. Anyway, the 11 CL 550 was 2,475.00 with 100.00 deductible and that company was a ROYAL family warranty company, as was the Autopom that is here in Ca that I used for the 600. I found Autopom was the best price but only offers a 200.00 deductible (no big deal), CA has different laws regarding extended warranties, they must be called "Insurance" only in CA.
The name of the one used for the 550 was called Carchex. I went by what Pat Goss had said about them. He gives them the best rating of all the companies. I understand that if you get the Platinum bumper to bumper most everything is covered and its an exclusionary policy and that is the only one to have.

Mike5215

Now that you've had your 2007 S, go back and sit in a 10 year old Lexus. Let me know how eager you'd be to trade.

Oh my God how I wish Lexus, or Infiniti, or Acura, or Audi, or Jaguar or even BMW could build a full size luxury sedan that would get me off this S Class merry go round I've been on for the past decade.

I try.. I drive them all and I'm excited about the prospect of getting something different. I love how they look on the outside. Once I get inside, and get them on the road, can't do it.

Almost went for that 640 coupe but by the time I built it out I was looking at 222 money. Someday though...

2014CL600

I thought this post was about warranty, how did you guys get off on this subject? Maybe move the conversation to another post.

DaveW68

My point was mostly about the non S Benz models. The LS does hold up very well over the long run....just like the GS, ES, IS, and others. Like any car, it depends on how well the owner has cared for it. I have a feeling that Benz owners take care of their cars more because the frequent visits for service force them to. Lexus is well known for their reliability, so I'm guessing that they see far less service visits....thus many of the small details get overlooked. There is no doubt that the S-class has a higher level of engineering and solidity in them than the LS (excluding the 220). But the LS is no slouch and competes very well against the S Class. My guess would be that an equal mileage 2007 LWB LS460 would look very close in quality to a 2007 S550 if they were equally cared for.


Once you get to our age, you can throw your attention span out the window. But I agree....let's get back on topic here! What do you think about my AMG knock-off wheels?

NaslundStarmine

I also have a 2005 LS430 (81k miles) which I daily drive and it is a helluva car. I actually like the '05/'06 430's better than the next couple of iterations of body style. In fact, I may know where 2 pristine examples are lurking if anyone wants one

Mike5215

I dunno. Those older Lexus smell like an old mans *****. I know this because I'm an old man and I know how my ***** smell. A used S smells like a beautiful leather satchel that has been rubbed with fine balms and liniments.

Also I think your knock off wheels may explode and kill you, and that would not be covered under warranty.

See, I brought it back around to the OPs question.

MBNUT1

This thread forces me to try to accept the fact that Mercedes are no longer my father's Mercedes. At that time one the main reasons that you bought a Mercedes is that they were reliable and durable. The old saying was that if properly maintained they would run forever. Now apparently everyone (myself included) is terrified (rightfully so) of the realistic prospects of the long term ownership costs.

This is a far cry from you paid more up front but were rewarded over the long haul by robustness. It's a shame really...

Mike5215

True. Around 2000 they started trying to replace heft and mass as a safety feature with technology. That obstensibly would allow them to build a car that was lighter, more fuel efficient (an ever increasing standard) and just as safe thanks to all the brains both to avoid accidents and to make them more survivable (Pre-safe).

The net result was a very complicated machine with multiple interdependent microprocessors. Complexity costs more.

MBNUT1

You are a major league audiophile. Can you build a stereo system that is more reliable than Mercedes systems appear to be?

Mike5215

Yes, as long as you don't need it to transport your family thousands of miles a year and keep them alive in an accident.