newbie to buy a s320 or s420 need help
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8
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newbie to buy a s320 or s420 need help
newbie here in phx,az ,i want to pick some brains on your awesome cars. i am concerned with gas mileage and reliability of a vehicle ,looking for something 94-97 ,looking at price and maintanance costs,what i have to look for when i am test driving or checking on when inspecting .i really need as much help as possible ,please chime in with as many comments as possible everything really helps thanks 
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8
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what kind of maintanance? does anyone know how much a warranty would cost from one of these warranty companies ?i am looking for gas at 16-20 ,maybe more if im lucky 
so thanks ,hopefully i get more feedback
so thanks ,hopefully i get more feedback
Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 240
Likes: 1
From: Milford, CT
1987 300SDL aka the "Money Pit"
You have to have a money is no object view to own an S. I am only half kidding...
On a serious note if maintaince costs are a concern, think E320. The S is at the very top of MB's range and will cost according to keep on the road. Remember these were $90k cars new.
On a serious note if maintaince costs are a concern, think E320. The S is at the very top of MB's range and will cost according to keep on the road. Remember these were $90k cars new.
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: Houston, TX
Seriously, you have to want one of these cars for the driving experience. If you are concerned about reliability and gas mileage... you are in for a bitter ownership experience.
If you want to know the cost of an extended warranty, I suggest asking your local dealers what they are charging.
I cannot stress enough - if you are preoccupied with fuel economy - this is not the vehicle for you. The cars are gas guzzlers. They were very expensive new. No matter how cheap you buy it for today, you are maintaining a $90k to $130k (S600) automobile. Fuel economy was so far down on the list as to be a complete non-issue for the original purchaser. You had best take the same attitude.
Ongoing maintenance costs? Come on... anybody who can afford a $130k vehicle better be able to take care of the upkeep. That's why we find so many pristine examples on the used market today. Give it another 10 years though.... after a few of them suffer through (2nd and 3rd) owners who could afford the initial cost of entry, but couldn't pony up for the maintenance... that's when we'll start to see some terribly abused examples on the market. You can see it now with the Porsche 928 and Jaguar XJ-S, and to a lesser extent the BMW 8 series coupe.
Having said all that, if you absolutely must have a Mercedes, I will echo the advice to consider the lesser series ( C & E ). Perhaps even a Lexus or Infiniti.
All the best...
If you want to know the cost of an extended warranty, I suggest asking your local dealers what they are charging.
I cannot stress enough - if you are preoccupied with fuel economy - this is not the vehicle for you. The cars are gas guzzlers. They were very expensive new. No matter how cheap you buy it for today, you are maintaining a $90k to $130k (S600) automobile. Fuel economy was so far down on the list as to be a complete non-issue for the original purchaser. You had best take the same attitude.
Ongoing maintenance costs? Come on... anybody who can afford a $130k vehicle better be able to take care of the upkeep. That's why we find so many pristine examples on the used market today. Give it another 10 years though.... after a few of them suffer through (2nd and 3rd) owners who could afford the initial cost of entry, but couldn't pony up for the maintenance... that's when we'll start to see some terribly abused examples on the market. You can see it now with the Porsche 928 and Jaguar XJ-S, and to a lesser extent the BMW 8 series coupe.
Having said all that, if you absolutely must have a Mercedes, I will echo the advice to consider the lesser series ( C & E ). Perhaps even a Lexus or Infiniti.
All the best...
