Advice for 7 Series to W220 buyer
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Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Canton, Ohio
2001 BMW 740i
Advice for 7 Series to W220 buyer
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!
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!
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 4,278
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From: San Jose area
'19 E63S sedan
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!
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!
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.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 5
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From: Canton, Ohio
2001 BMW 740i
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?
Last edited by iansanderson; Feb 22, 2008 at 12:22 PM.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 5
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From: Canton, Ohio
2001 BMW 740i
Could I ask why you think I would be happier with a 745?
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MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Vancouver BC
Flying Spur
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?
Could I ask why you think I would be happier with a 745?
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: San Jose area
'19 E63S sedan
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.
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Mercedes-Benz w124
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.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 508
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From: california high desert
2003 S500, 03 C240, 03 E320, 03 tahoe
2003 S-500 sport edition
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.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: california high desert
2003 S500, 03 C240, 03 E320, 03 tahoe
try to get a sport edition
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
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From: Vancouver BC
Flying Spur
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!
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From: Vancouver BC
Flying Spur
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...
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From: OC
AMG E55, Stage 1, Strait Pipe from Primary Cats
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...
750 >S500
I would stay far away from the 745, 750's are much better.
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: San Jose area
'19 E63S sedan
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.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 508
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From: california high desert
2003 S500, 03 C240, 03 E320, 03 tahoe
wow,smacked again.with nothing but accurate info
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.
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2008
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2001 BMW 740iL
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.
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'19 G63 Ed 1,'18 M5, '16 G63,'12 458 , '11 E63, Brabus SL55-K8, '10 S63, '94 E500 "Wolf", '91 560SEC
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.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 508
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From: california high desert
2003 S500, 03 C240, 03 E320, 03 tahoe
someones watching over you!
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.
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From: Florida
03 S55 AMG
03 S55
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.
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From: L.A., CA
'08 M5, '10 Land Cruiser
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.
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From: L.A., CA
'08 M5, '10 Land Cruiser
