Hello I am the original owner of a fully loaded 2009 ClK350 cab and after gutted about how the car depreciated like 60% in its first 3 years, even when the car is such a solidily built vehicle, abs. zero issues after 90k miles and 12+ yrs, swore I will never buy a new Benz again.

So looking at used 2015-2016 s550 coupe, one of the best looking coupe ever imo - for around $50k-55k, approx 50k miles, all around the country. It has been tough so far to get the right color combination and the features i want around that price range.

So settling for interior beige/white/red/tan/brown with the options (almost fully loaded) and giving up on the Car's exterior color thinking I can spend an extra 3-4k and get it repainted (dark grey matt preferred) or wrapped. And getting it shipped from out of state. I have a few Qs to narrow down on a speicifc car. Would appreciate your responses.

Q1. Is it common to have most cars available to have 3-4+ owners for under 50-60k miles and is it a bad sign that something could be wrong with the car ?

2. Is the S550 2015 coupe (first release) a reliable, solid car with not too many issues - electrical, tech, mechanical ?

3. Average City & Average Freeway gas mileage 7 years later? A def. concern if gas goes north of $5-6 a gallon.

4. Owners with Night vision, do you use it often ?

5. Is it ok to consider a 2015/16 model with 90-100k miles if I am getting everything i want incl. Color combo & options. I would def. buy a ClK350 with that many miles knowing my car.

6. Is it easy to perform routine maintenance yourself like oil/filter changes, cabin/air filter or brakes, etc. I have been doing so on my clk350 for years now, even radiator flush n AC condenser, e6c.

7. Has anyone re-painted to a different color (light to dark) or wrapped. If so, what was the approx cost for a A+ job ?

8. The out ot state dealers are not agreeing to hold the car for a few days for me to fly there, inspect and either ship ot drive it back home. I even offered to pay 5k in deposit. They want a non- refundable deposit, which I lose if I do not buy the car in case I do not like some aspects or i sense something is wrong or 3rd party mechanic finds an issue.

Is this normal? If not how does it normally work ?

9. It is ok to buy from a non-MB dealership or from a no-name used car dealer ?

10. And last, can I buy extended MB warranty (not 3rd party) after i buy & get the car shipped?

Thanks again to the MBWorld community. You all have been awesome support all these years.

 

You should be able to get a car with 20 to 40k mi. You have to look at carfax and go to a dealer and ask to look at the master inquiry, which is all the service at all mb dealers since it was new. I would go see the car and take it to a dealer and have it inspected before I bought it. There are a whole lot of cars that get sent to auction because dealers dont want to sell 6 or 8 yr old cars. So they end up at car lots. You have to inspect them to know what condition they are in.
The 4.7 and the whole car is good. theres no big problems. You should get 24 mpg on the hwy. You can buy a after market warranty, but buy a big name insurer. Or dont buy one at all. They will cost about 5-7k for 3 yrs.
I would wrap a car if I had no choice. Painting is out of the question.

 

​​​Thank you for your inputs. If anyone can chine in on out of state purchase and how did you inspect the vehicle - inperson, 3rd party, etc. And how did you get the dealer to hold the vehicle, while you confirmed flights and flew there, etc. would be great to know.

I am currently looking at a 2015 s550 at less than 45k miles, almost fully loaded minus Night Vision n HUD (150k sticker) but with 4 previous owners, last 2 owners drove less than 3k miles and sold it. Negotiated price to 47k plus shipping n taces. Interior is my peferred choice but exterior color is not - white.

Online listing says 2 owners, hence I got interested, but carfax details showed 4.owners, which non-MB Dealer too later confirmed but unwilling to lower price or hold it for me for 2-3 days to fly down n test drive n nspect. They said I should trust them given they are such a big name in the central states and sell cars all over the US.

​​​​Concerned about owners 3 & 4 quick sale and dealer not willing hold w/o a non-refundable deposit. What should I do.

Thanks.

Should I avoid.

 

Sounds like one to avoid IMO, or at least move slowly. These cars don’t sell like hotcakes.

I would search for a reputable independent shop in that area and ask the salesman to drive the car over there. You’ll have to pay for it and spend your time on the phone with the shop so they’re on your side over the salesman’s.

Only at that time would I put down a non-refundable deposit.

Wrapping is an option for $3-4k, but usually light colored wraps look better. Dark wraps really show the “orange peel” in vinyl. Black vinyl does not look like black paint.

Repainting the car is a huge ordeal not just from a cost standpoint, but that someone will be disassembling and reassembling a lot on your car. It will be about double the cost of a wrap and usually takes a few weeks.

 

2. beware of significant issues the M278 V8 is known for. Search this site. Cylinder scoring, valve and cylinder head problems, timing chains, coolant tubes and oil in harness.

3. don’t buy this car if $5/gallon gas is a concern

6. yes routine maintenance is not a big deal for experienced DIYers.

 

Avoid this particular car and avoid purchasing a car until 2024 if at all possible. BTW that vehicle you mentioned is about 10 grand over retail in my market in Florida. A dealer who will not hold a car for your inspection or send it over to a Mercedes dealer for a detailed inspection at your cost is to be avoided.

The forecast for European high line vehicles is tight for this year as the makers catch up to demand because of parts and because of tooling for the increase in electric offerings.

The other issue is the attitude of buyers of high line euro cars. One of two types buy S class style coupes and cabriolets. People leasing. With interest high that knocks leasing out of the park for most. People of high net worth. They are going to wait until we figure out the economy as they use mad money for these purchases.

IMO, people who have S coupes and Cabriolets are going to have to either go up to the Bentley level or down to the BMW 8 series level. Once either interest rates fall or the economy recovers (hopefully both) you will see S Class Coupes and Cabriolets coming on the market with low miles in a lot of cases.

I have a very nice 2018 E400 4matic Cabriolet with 22,000 miles. I am hoping I can move up to a 20’ or 21’ S560 Cabriolet in the summer of 2024. We bought the E400 in 2020 with 1,200 miles. Because it was under warranty Mercedes offered an extension of the factory warranty until March of 2025 for $3000.00. I am very glad I bought it. It is even better than the CPO warranty.

My larger point is, if you are a person an average means like I, and you wait until the market is right, you can have the car of your dreams. Be patient, get one with low miles, have it inspected by a Mercedes dealer and buy the extended warranty with your savings on the purchase. You will sleep worry free.

One last benefit to waiting. You will learn more about the cars and their available options. I for example, did not know that a designo interior was available in the E400 until after I had mine for a year. I would have held out for that. I also was unaware of the top problems in both the Cabriolet and the sunroof glass cracking on the coupe. It would have made my decision to purchase the warranty very easy. Although glass is not covered by the warranty so I would have avoided the coupe.

 

Sometimes the number of owners on CarFax is artificially inflated. If the owner converts from a lease to a loan for example it may show as a new owner.

If pre purchase inspection is not encouraged by seller I would be wary as they are hiding something. I just purchased an S65 coupe and the dealer had a 7 day no questions asked return policy which meant I did not have to take time off to go see the car. They were not hiding anything.

 

Keep in mind these are rare cars. I looked for 1 1/2 years before I found mine and I live in S. FL where there are tons of MB'S and MB dealers. So you can't be too picky.

 

As I am interested in one as well I appreciate the OP's thread and all the great advice provided!

Under the heading of questions, from watching reviews it seems that there is a pronounced exhaust note that is present in the coupe but not in the sedans. Is that actually the case or are they likely running the coupes in sport mode versus comfort for the sedans?

 

I believe all engines have inherent issues, it’s about how big are they/can they be fixed. M278 engine came with two different cylinder liners (silitec and nanoslide I believe). I think silitec is the earlier version and they did have problems but from what I know they were using nanoslide by the time the S550 coupe was released. Also read 2015 might have some wrist pin issues, not totally sure on that. Timing chain tensioner issue was resolved about the same time I think. I don’t know about any valve/cylinder head issues. Camshaft position sensors can leak oil into engine harness and wick to the ECM (one reason to stay away from high mileage cars 30k+). The sensors can be changed out with updated ones (DIY for $225). From what I have read the M278 is a pretty solid motor. I have two of them (E550/S550). I searched for 6 months and found my S550 a few weeks ago for $60k (foregoing a couple of options as I wanted everything).Lol. Night vision and Swarovski headlights had to be given up because the car had everything else inside and I drive the car from the inside. I felt that my color combo (black on black) w designo, all 4 packages, magic sky, 3d high end stereo, 20’s and flowing lines trim held more weight. It is hard to find your exact build cause they are a low production cars and you would want one with low miles, clean carfax, low number of owners, etc. but they are out there if your patient and follow the market. I agree with number of owners inflated on some cars. Seems like maybe some “owners” are actually dealers listed as “owners” cause of short span they have the car and low miles put on it before going to the next “owner” per carfax. I would never repaint because of cost, time and assembly. That dealer sounds very shady. Since they are no longer in production I would start searching/following now because waiting until 2024 there are going to be less of these cars with the low mileage and build that you could live with. Also a small chance they could appreciate down the road. It’s all a very maddening ordeal but at the end of you will be happy doing it. Owning one of these is a rarity I think. Seen 2 in Houston besides mine so far. Also I think 2015-2018 HUD is part of the Premium package and not a stand alone option like it is in 2019+, meaning no HUD = no massaging seats, no surround view, no heated front seats. I could be wrong but according to the S Class Coupe brochure that is how that package is listed. Color combo w/ designo was the first thing I looked for then got build sheets to see options included. I think color is the most important and have found black looks good and stands the test of time with regards to fading and staining. Good luck on your endeavors.

 

Not on a Mercedes-Benz S Class with 50K miles unfortunately, you'l be looking at anywhere from $5K-$8K.

 

Thank you @cfmistry. Good to learn about the wrap issue with darker colors.

I guess I will just be patient and wait for the right color combo to come along.

 

thank you Chassis for your inputs.

Is this M278 V8 engine in all model years and/or are the issues you mentioned resolved in 2016 or later years !?

Yeah north of $5-6 a gallon will be a concern. But hoping with so many electric car sales and only going up, gas prices are not going to go up or stay up for too long. Infact in some cases already, it costs more to charge than to fill-up. And this beautiful s550 coupe will be used for pleasure trips only and to make the Tesla owners sulk when they see my s550 interiors and their cheap plastic looking crap 😜. (Don't get me wrong, I am doing my part for the env. by also driving an electric Fiat 500e)

 

thank you ttuite for your valuable inputs. As you said, the key is patience but you know how it is, when you have made up your mind to buy one, that is the only thing on your mind . I have been eyeing this car for years but only recently made up my mind when I saw them come down to $50-55k.

Wow, at $47k, is it still 10k over? Anyway, when I insisted on them holding the car for inspection, they jacked up the price from retail 51k (discounted to 47k shipped + taxes) to 55k + taxes by adding in all sorts of misc fees incl. 2k in Dealer prep fees.

This was a Texas Houston dealer - Grubbs. So much for their word. So bummed about it but as you all suspect, something is fishy about them or the car.

And yes they confirmed 4 distinct individual owners. Not dealers or lease converts. It seems they changed their online listing from 2 to 3 owners, still not correct though. And carfax is still missing the Owner History all together.

 

Thank you Andy for sharing. If you do not mind, can you tell us which Dealership and if it was from out of state.

 

Thank you Wheatswake for your valuable inputs. Btw which year is your s550 and how many miles when you bought yours.

And you are right, HUD is part of Premium Pkg in 2015. I may have it confused with the Cabriolet (or some other model year monroney), which I am also considering.

Yes my current clk350 is a black, but i feel the dark grey or salinite grey or magnetite black looks the best on the s550 with dark tinted out glass and the 20' wheels. And a contrast interior. Get goose bumps, everytime

Yes worried if I wait too long, may never be able to find a decent s550 coupe/cab. Plus getting older by the day 😁.

Cheers all and thank you. Happy benzing.

 

I bought from Perfect Auto Collection in Ohio. I live in FL. Car was not perfect on arrival but honest enough and I kept and love it. Traded a 2020 GTR and they gave me the most for my trade as well. Would deal with them again.

 

Mine is 2017 with 20k miles when I got it a few weeks ago. In reference to the black color, I was referring to the interior color. I have tan/cashmere in my Tahoe and my wife has had white in her past Honda. Have watched both them fade and stain over the years. The black in my 2013 E550 coupe still looks great. I almost folded and got the saddle brown designo interior on the S550 but held out for black designo. Very happy I did. Just food for thought.
BTW the 2017 has the 4.7 motor with the 9G trans. Unlike any other year.

 

I am coming to this conclusion as well. I have seen a lot of used W222 with light interiors that look terrible due to discoloration and wear.

 

Are they ever going to bring this car back? Its the best mercedes ever made. S550 4matic is only missing an operable sun roof to vent the car, otherwise truly a gem of a car.

 

Your first paragraph is why I never buy a new any car lol. Depreciation is killer! Better off CPO or used. Who cares about upkeep if you can afford it. If you get a Pre Purchase Inspection it should be no issues. I have bought many cars from a non MB Dealer.

 

My advice. Stay away from any Benz especially one as complex as an S550 with that kind of mileage. You're going to spend a ton on maintenance, given it's a no-name dealer at that I foresee lots of issues.

I have night vision, I rarely turn it on. It does automatically kick on when it detects people and highlights them in red (I've yet to see an animal or have it catch one at night). Because I do a lot of highway driving I rarely get to see it kick on that often.

Frankly that whole setup sounds suspect. The dealer sounds pathetic and I would never give a non-refundable deposit to hold a vehicle. They're preying on you.