FastWayToGo

Hello everyone,

Nice to see such great community here. Glad to be a part of it. My story is an easy one. When I was a kid my dad owned a Benz, we loved it. I loved what the car felt like, the emblems, the guts .... I "get" it, :-) and the feeling stayed with me.

So now in a latter part of 2008 - I'm looking to trade up from my '96 Collectors Vette (plus Cash) into a nice 430 or 500 series. I have a family now with a great little guy and I'd like a car that we can all use. I have a nice weekend sport car and I understand maintenance and caring for a good vehicle.

So, This is my first post and with a chance of everyone screaming for "search the threads" I'd like to ask a BASIC run down of which years are nice to look for. Looking for something from 2001 to 2006. The engine power, etc etc I can search myself .... just looking for opinions from owners. The basic well known facts about improvements.

Also, are there any special maintenance routines that these vehicles should go through every year.

From little knowledge I have so far - 2003 seems to be a nice year with up-grades. Looking in the $18-25K range/ @40-55K Mile wise. THANKS in advance. I'll be checking the thread and once again, nice to join the forum.

Best wishes,
Mike

whoover

2004 and later is the best bet. There were a lot of improvements in 2004, especially in COMAND (nav, audio, etc.). It's the first year of DVD-based NAV for example. The 2004-2006 models seem the most reliable also.

4matic

i would have to agree with above...2004 and up would be great...great year for benz...but anyways...i dont know if you will be driving in the winter or where you are...but having a luxury car with all wheel drive, 4matic, is a hugeee plus...my S is a 2004 S430 4matic, and i love it to death...its quick...nice to look at and extremely comfortable...haha it seems as if...you..."get" what we are all about here and understand the feelings we have about our Benz's...some people dont....but thats usually because they dont want to get it or because they havent had the experience...welcome to the forum and good luck with your search...as long as you take care of your ride...itll take care of you for years

Skylaw

You might find http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w220...-look-out.html to be helpful; also https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w220/124317-comparison-00-05-w220.html

The latter link compares an '05 with a '00; the '03 was an improvement over the '00, but still shared the same D2B fiber optics bus. It had a wide-screen COMAND, but one that was still CD-based. Its phone system was older, but can be upgraded.

The '04 upgraded the fiber optics to the faster MOST system, and as whoover pointed out, a DVD-based nav system that is much more convenient than the CD system. Finding map updates for the CD-based systems is increasingly difficult, while the DVD based systems are still supported. The phone system in the '04 is more advanced than the '03, but is still not as advanced as the '05s and later. For a brief rundown, see http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w220...5-s500-4m.html and for more detail on phone systems see https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...77#post2788377

Mine is a 4matic, by the way, and I love it.

As to differences between the S500 and the S430, aside from engine size/horsepower, through the '03 model year the S500 offered as standard equipment many of the things available only as an option on the S430; and some S500 options were just not available on the S430. In addition, the leather was better quality in the S500, and the wood trim is different (and in my personal opinion, nicer).

From the '04 model year on, Mercedes began making virtually all of the standard equipment and options on the S500 at least available as options on on the S430 - although I believe the wood trim still differed. Once you begin looking at individual years, you can check the model year overviews on the MBUSA website to compare specifics as to what was standard and what was optional between thee two in a given year.

Even without all the options available in the earlier years, the S430 is hardly "stripped" compared to the S500. Many of the options not available for the S430 weren't ordered frequently for the S500, either.

DrJfrmLA

One important change (I think) in the '04 was the new 7-speed transmission. The extra two gears give both quicker acceleration and better gas mileage. At 80 mph, my S430 is loafing along at fewer than 2,000 rpm. I'm averaging 22 mpg in mixed driving and my highway mileage is north of 26. With the price of premium fuel what it is, that's a plus. According to road tests I have seen, the 7-speed is nearly a second quicker to 60 than the 5-speed. Too, the '04 and later models do not seem to have any of the airmatic problems that plague the earlier models, plus they have the new headlight assemblies. You can buy earlier ones a lot cheaper, but there is a reason for that.

#1dad408

bump to 2004 and up Welcome to the family of benz owners

whoover

Yes, the 2004 model year also introduced the 7-speed. Good point.

Speaking of Airmatic, if you are at all concerned with performance and, especially, handling it is important for you to at least test drive a car with ABC. This hydraulic suspension replaces the pneumatic Airmatic on S55, S600 and S65 models but was available as an option on other models.

Obviously a car this heavy will never handle like a 'vette, but ABC so improves the dynamic characteristics of the chassis and so reduces body roll that I cannot imagine being without it. This is a personal decision of course and I don't mean to dis people who quite reasonably prefer Airmatic. The tauter ride might strike some as less comfortable, although I find the Airmatic ride way too soft and floaty. And some people have driving styles, less aggressive than mine, where body lean is not an issue. My wife resigned herself many years ago to the knowledge that I would never grow out of the need to take a cloverleaf at 65 (hey, did you see the speed limit change?) but I am not especially proud of my problem. (Also, if you decide on four-wheel drive, 4MATIC is not available with ABC.)

While most S500s probably have Airmatic, there are enough ABC cars around for you to at least test drive one to see for yourself. If all else fails, test drive an S55, but be prepared to be spoiled for anything else. Even if you decide Airmatic is fine for your driving style, you should experience both before buying.

AH1W-COBRA

add another 10k to what you are considering spending,so $35k and consider buying from authorized MB dealer and get a starmark CPO car.get the warranty extension 24months-100,000 miles.im sure you can find a 04-05 beautiful car in the 35k range.im simply trying to make your "first" purchase of one of the most expensive luxury/performance sedans in the world a good one.your wife,baby and yourself will thank god that you are covered by a warranty when somthing if anything at all goes wrong,i promise you that you arent aware how expensive the "S" platform can be to troubleshoot,repair if somthing goes bad.We LOVE! our S class and will never drive anything less,im hoping that you will feel the same after buying one.after driving the car for the 24 months of warranty covered ownership you feel that you have bought a reliable and well maintained car than keep it for a very long time and maintain every aspect of the car that your skill and tooling will allow you to do.Life is short,go and get your S-500 now and start realizing how fantastic/fun driving one is.

FastWayToGo

Hello everyone,

Thank you very very much for your kind replies. I value your opinion. Yes, I am aware that you can get into the S class at sometimes a lower price ticket, but for a reason.

Anyone else that can offer any opinions is much appreciated. I'll be checking the forum.

Best,
Mike.

DrJfrmLA

I agree that ABC is generally preferable to airmatic, but it's not all that common except as standard equipment on the models Whooever mentioned (remember we're talking used cars, so we take what's on the market). Airmatic is adjustable, and I keep mine set one click "stiff" which controls body lean pretty well in most circumstances. Two clicks will get you a bone-jarring stiffness under most conditions, but reduces body lean nearly to zero. You'll run out of tire long before you run out of suspension. You can set it on-the-fly, so an interesting cloverleaf can be had at speed then you can soften the ride if you like. The on-the-fly feature is particularly useful for those pesky rice-burners who chase you onto a cloverleaf thinking to make you look bad.

Skylaw

Whoover makes a good point on the 7 speed transmission - but if you go 4matic, it only comes with the 5-speed - and as he pointed out, it is not available with ABC.

ABC is truly a great suspension. However, my 4Matic with Airmatic is stiffer than my RWD was - and I have no problem finding a good ride with the three stiffness selections available.

There are things ABC does that my Airmatic just won't do. Whoover is right, you should drive it - but the feel of the road with the 4matic is just something I won't give up. Drive that too.