the 430 and 500 as value is ludicrous. you are not buying hondas. also if you want to know the difference between the two just get a brochure. here are the differences:

430 does not get xenon lights
430 has crappy looking calyptus wood
430 does not come with heated seats
430 does not get nappa leather
430 cannot have 4 place dynamic multicontour seats

this is taken directly from the 2003 s class brochure.

also from mercedes benz usa: mb DOES NOT honor canadian warranties in the us and does not recommend purchase of canadian market vehicles for use in the usa.

debadging and silly huge rims and crap like that only bring down the image of mb. its very low rent.

 

When I purchased my current S430, I also test drove a basic S500. I could not tell any difference in power, and I wouldn't expect much difference since the S500 only has 27 additional horsepower. The paticular S500 I test drove only had a CD changer as an option, and the dealer told me they would sell either car to me for the same price. I took the S430 since I thought between the two, the S430 was more nicely equipped with additional options. Additionally the S430 did not have the $1,000 gas guzzler tax that no buyer gets credit for on a trade in.

I also saw several S430s with sticker prices in excess of $85,000. If money was no issue I would have ordered an S500 with the same options I got on my S430. However, for one to say an S 430 is a lesser car is not always right. There are definately some S500s driving around with fewer options.

 

digital_b,

What do you consider "silly huge rims"? 18", 19" or 20"+?

 

ok ok now I have to be pedantic.
the s430 actually depreciates 40.8% vs 38.6 % for the 500 based on original value. So therefore the 430 does depreciate "more".


On the the flip side the 430 will get better feul economy and be marginally less to insure than the 500, so total cost of ownership/operation will probably be a wash.


The better question is "which is the better value, an S430 4-matic vs a rear wheel only S500?" In New England, I'll take the S430 4 matic.

 

i got a 2000 s430 with factory xenons

 

"debadging and silly huge rims and crap like that only bring down the image of mb. its very low rent."

Digital_B,
You can get xenons, heated & multi-contour seats in an S430.

I'm not as concerned with the image of mb as my own image.
ps: on Sundays I go to church more often than my mb dealer...
pss: analog has warmer tones

 

S 500 has about $2400 in items that are upgrades on the s 430 better headlights, nappa leather seats, heated front seats and bigger brakes. S 500 also depreciates less and has better residual value.

I just purchased an s 500 4 matic and will take delivery next week. Coming off of a 2001 740 iL. S 500 has great seats, great luxury/sport driving car. Only negative points lousy cup holders, trunk could be bigger (can't fit my long putter in)

 

Interesting thread.

From a 2nd hand perspective, I just paid a deposit on a 99 S430 today, after having looked at an 01 S320LWB and 00 S500.

The difference in performance was seemed very little on the test drives (didn't go above 80mph), both the V8s were silky smooth and powerful and even the 320 was pretty good.

At the end of the day the 430 had best spec
6 CD autochanger in boot
Closing aid for doors
****pit Management and Navigation Display (COMAND)
Heated Dynamic massaging multi-contour seats
Electric glass sunroof
Heated Heated screen wash system
Infrared protective glass
Linguatronic
Walnut wood trim
Xenon headlamps

The S500 didn't have the Massage Seats, CD auto changer or the glass and the S430 was cheaper with slightly lower mileage and it's in nearly new condition. The cost of having the badge value of an "S500" at this level was only a few thousand, but I'd just rather have a comfortable butt in those lovely massage seats .

I have to say that really any S class is an amazingly good car. We needed a third car with lots of room for 4 on long journeys, originally about 3 weeks ago I bought a 2nd hand 00 ML430 as it had lots of room, a huge boot and the off road ability would have been handy for the odd bit of fishing or shooting, it's a good car but its handling was too poor to maintain decent speeds safely and comfortably on twisty roads and it was a wee bit tiring for sustained high speed cruising as the steering is a wee bit vague and needs correcting quite a bit, its still good for an SUV just a too big a difference from our other cars. When I drove the S class cars I couldn't belive how good the combination of ride comfort and handling was, they have lots of room, great seats and the S430 has pretty good performance.

If buying from new I would be tempted by the s500, not so much for badge or performance, but because you don't tend to get money spent on options back, so unless the S430 had most things you wanted the S500 may make more sense. The poor soul who owned the car we are buying from new spent quite a bit on options and I'll bet when he traded it thet gave him a price for a basic car , bad for him, good for us.

 

I just purchased an s500 4 matic. The only option I wanted was the 6 disc truck mounted cd changer.

The basic s 500 is very complete. For northern climates the 4 matic is a nice feature. Great driving car. In buying new I felt the s 500 would depreciate less than the s 430. Both are great cars - the extra oomph and standard features in the s 500 (plus the dealer gave me a great price) made the decision.

Early on I was tempted by the BMW 740 but problems with the i drive, uncomfortable seats, strange design of the back end and front lights and problems with the battery (goes dead after 7-10 days unless the car is driven) made me cross it off the list.

 

i thought they had the 420 back in 99, and the 430 introduced in 2000, or is that only in the us?

 

In the states I think motor companies seem to put the model year as the next year, i.e. in 1999 they launched the 2000 model year S class ?

In the Uk they just say it's a 99 on a whatever plate in this case its a W220 S430 a "V" plate (our number plates have a letter which represents roughly the age of a car, changes twice a year in march and september so 99 cars plates started with the letter T registered new from 1st March 99 or V registered new from 1st Sept 99)

 

I did not say you could not get the STANDARD items of an s 500 on a 430. I didnt imply that anyone bought a car to impress anyone. tacky though is tacky. since not even amg benzes come with wheel options over 18 inches [see your brochure] you can consider whatever you want for rims but you probably arent better than amg engineers in deciding what is best. no one cares about the perception of 70 hp. I seriously doubt anyone buys a car like this for that reason. if they did they would get the v12 or the s55. its not like the 430 sucks which I never implied. its just IN MY OPINION not the car the s500 is in its base form. some dont like extras. I do.