iansanderson

Hi guys. I'm Ian and I'm 27. I've been a member for a while and have been seriously considering a W220 S Class. I currently have a 2001 740i which I love dearly, but it is getting high miles, and it's time to go before something else breaks. I don't have a ton of money beyond the car payment for maintenance and repairs, so that is definitely a concern going into this. I am concentrating my search on the more updated 2003 year with the widescreen nav. I'm not sure if this is the car for me, but here are my questions if you guys would like to help.

1. Which S should I be looking at? I really like my V8. Gas mileage sucks, but it is a pleasure to drive. S500 or S55 AMG or maybe an S600? What do you guys think? I have heard maintenance on the AMG is ridiculous.

2. With BMW, the factory warranty is 4 Yr. 50K miles. Then usually if you look you can find one with a Certified Pre-Owned warranty which covers you for an additional 2 or 3 years up to 100,000 miles. It's really nice to have. Does MB offer anything like this and is it hard to find on an S Class?

3. Should I just give up on finding an '03 with the Keyless-Go system?

4. Is there any site or reference about the options/packages that were available for the '03 S Classes? There are some things that I have now on my 7, that I would like on my new car like Park Distance Control and Rear Seat Heating.

4. Anyone have some general advice on what to look for when buying these used?

Thank you all in advance!

Sorry I can't post pictures yet!

ssonss1

imho i say go for a cpo 745li...ull be way happier...but if you want a 220...get a 03+s55 or s600

02S430

go to searchmercedes.com and it will tell you all the CPOs in all the dealers around you

whoover

1. It's really up to your budget. I wouldn't suggest owning any without a warranty. The www.mbusa.com site is the best site to see what the specs were. The Pre-owned section lets you explore by year. CPO is a good way to go to get a solid warranty for 100K miles and up to 7 years from original delivery date. Maintenance (and even repair) on AMG models is not substantially worse than the corresponding base model. An S600 and S65 AMG both need all 24 plugs changed at 60,000 miles. That will cost, but not much more for the S65. The only thing that costs more to maintain are the monster AMG brakes, but in the grand scheme of things it's not a huge deal.

2. Factory warranty is the same as BMW. CPO warranty is the way to go for a used car. It's called Starmark and the mbusa site will locate all Starmark cars in inventory nationwide.

3. Keyless Go is more likely found on V-12 models (S600 and S65), but it will be found on a fair number of S500 and S55s. The mbusa site will give you a sense. I prefer not to have it and was able to find an S65 without it, but it was unusual.

4. Again, the mbusa site shows the equipment by year.

other 4. CPO, CPO, CPO. It's expensive (some say a ripoff), but you don't want one of these cars with an extended warranty, and Mercedes stands by their own Starmark warranty pretty well.

Gondon

IF you can afford an S55 or S600(2003) Maintenice shouldnt be a problem.

iansanderson

Wow! Thanks for all of your help guys. I've heard there is some big money in the ABC system that sometimes is not covered? Oh and one more thing, is the double-insulating glass something I should look for? Also, is the CPO warranty transferable?

iansanderson

I am a big BMW fan and I have been looking into an 03 745i Sport but sometimes the car comes off as stodgy when I see one. It's not so much the bangle-butt, but the bloated look of it. I'm kind of in the middle with it.

Could I ask why you think I would be happier with a 745?

ssonss1

having both a 7 series and 220...the 7 is in another world...handling wise and feature wise...have you test drove both cars?...unless you want raw power (s55,600) i'd stick with a 745i/Li...but dont take my word for it..test drive them both and i gaurantee you will end up with a 7

abhatti55

I am in the same dilemma, may let go of the S for a 745. All the horror stories are keeping me away though.

whoover

ABC is one of those systems that must be covered if you want to sleep well. With the Starmark (Mercedes CPO) warranty, you will have no problems. True double-pane insulating glass was used on the W140 S-class but not the W220. There are no glass options to watch for. The CPO warranty is transferable to a private party. It is not transferable if you sell the car to a dealer. In some states you are entitled to a refund of any part of the add-on CPO warranty fees (for one or two year extra coverage) that you paid but did not use if you sell the car before the warranty is up without transferring it. I once got a refund in California but I know that not all states require it.

Gondon

s500>745
s500>750

760>s500

AMG_Fred

I've driven both an 03' s500 and my dad owns an 03' 745li. Both are great cars but sadly i'd give the edge to the bmw in this case as much as I love Mercedes. Oh and he hasn't taken the car in for anything other than basic maintenance.

AH1W-COBRA

The insulated glass is absolutely a option,iv'e got it and what a difference it makes when the sun is directly on you while you are in the car.

AH1W-COBRA

the sport edition has the front/rear/side styling pieces that most people like.look for a 2003 or newer,lot's of reasons for this.CPO from a MB dealer is a must.negotiate the additional 24 months 100,000 mile warranty at the point of sale,you cant add it later.AMG cars are beautiful but you cant be concerned with fuel efficiency at all.just keep filling it up and there is nothing not to like about the W-220 platforms.Absolutely go for the MB versus the BMW,I personally think that MB has a better balance of luxury and performance. bones

ssonss1

word of advice...if you do in fact want a 7...stay away from the 02's...all the horror stories u guys here are most likely 02's...had a 02 745i..nothing but problems...760Li now...still has its share but then again its nothing major...either car..the s or 7...warranty is a must!

ssonss1

ur comparison makes no sense...why is the s500 better than 750/745...then the 760 better than the s500...the only difference in the 745/50 vs 760 is the v-12 motor and suede headliner..also a few little things but not much...now if you compare v12 vs v12...the s600 has nothing on the 760..760 is a way better car...

Vader55

S500>745
750 >S500

I would stay far away from the 745, 750's are much better.

whoover

Infrared-reflective glass is standard. That's probably what you're talking about. But the double-pane insulated glass that was used on the W140 and dropped was very different. If you looked down into an opened window in a 1995 S500 you saw two sheets of glass with a vacuum gap. It was a great design, but too heavy, expensive and trouble-prone so it was replaced with reflective coatings and UV-screen lamination for the W220. But all of these have been standard designs.

AH1W-COBRA

It's great for me to be educated on theses cars.iv'e owned MB's for about 4 years and think i know it all!thanks for the accurate info on the uv glass and ill watch my threads when im giving advice.i hope someone isnt out there looking for double pane glass on the 2003 S-500. bones

ucbearcats

Early 745s (02 and 03) are pretty unreliable and BMW extended the warranty to 6 years 100k miles to help a little since they were that bad. I have read the same about early W220 also, but I'm not 100% positive about that. I have an 01 740iL and have had thoughts of switching to a W220 but probably won't, mainly because of the cost of the air ride in the MB scares me a little.

abhatti55

Went and test drove an '02 and '03 745i at the dealer yesterday. The '02 was pretty nice, but had a wheel shimmy. The '03 right when we got in gave some control module warning and the steering was crooked while driving. All in all guess the salesman was embarrased. I think i'll stay away, atleast from the early model years.

AH1W-COBRA

go get your S class,our dealership offered a $500 changed my mind clause,you wake up and dont like your decision within 48 hrs and you can return the vehicle at no cost other than the $500.also you have a standard option of bringing the car back and exchanging it for any other vehicle in their inventory for 5 days.MB's are such great vehicles the only challenge you will be faced with is how to make enough money to satisfy your desire for more expensive models.try to buy the one you really have allways wanted the first purchase,that way you wont be faced with upgrading simply based on cosmetics,power or options. bones

03MBAMGs

I bought my 03 S55 a little more than a year ago over 06 S430/500's. I LOVE my car. I'm a car NUT and though there are cars out there I like none enough to consider trading the S55. The exception being 07 S65 which I plan on buying in 2-3 years as it's replacement. I do well but not well enough to drop $190K on a car.

Carl Lassiter

All new cars lose value yet they're what I choose to buy but the 65-series drops so hard I'd find it too painful to buy one new as well.

Carl Lassiter

745 is so ugly though. Facelifted 750Li is great looking and can likely be had for not too much more.