zpeedy88

i got approved on this deal

http://www.drivenauto.net/detail-2001-mercedes~benz-s~class-s430_4dr_sdn_4_3l-used-6993643.html

there is the carfax report on that thing by the way...

ok my question is...

should i buy it??? im a take care of it really nice.. im not going to abuse it... but i dont have too much money to buy a new one.. will this car be ok for me??? how reliable is it??

what should i check??? i went there to see it.. it was really nice.. didnt test drive it tho.. it was on.. and hit the airmatic system button.. and i heard a noise.. but i didnt felt like the car raising up.. i just did a quicki im not sure.. is that normal?? like u dont notice its getting up?? it was that low the car..

is the suspension problems really expensive??? is there a way so i can get it cheaper and how much if the suspension problems happens to me??? what other problems should i look for???

any more tips??


oh wait.. they have a 2002 c32 http://www.drivenauto.net/detail-200...d-7128616.html is this more reliable??? but i really diggind the s500

thanks for everything in advance

tusabes

Just because the price is $8000 you need to remember this was a $80k cR and still has the repair costs that come with owning a $80k car. Many people here spend $1-3G per tear in repairs and maintenance .

At the very least you must get an independent Mercedes mechanic to perform a thorough prepurchase inspection. If the dealer won't permit this, walk away

Also you mentioned you were "approved" so I assume you are financing this $8000 car. It sounds like you won't be able to financially handle the first large repair bill (4 figure repair bills are the norm for an sclass) and your ownership experience will be unhappy. These cars are cheap now precisely because they are very expensive to keep running

zpeedy88

i can deal with 1 grand- 1500 repair bills on a yearly basis... this cars seems pretty good.. i havent drive it tho...

yeah im getting it financed.. i know its costly to upkeep this babys.. but i always wanted a mercedes


oh here is this car too another mercedes but another model for same price..

http://www.drivenauto.net/detail-200...d-7128616.html

is the 01 s500 that problematic??? is it like a nightmare?? i will baby this thing.. plus i have some knowledge and i could do some dyi work

ShangoAshe

Totally agree with you on this one.

If you can barely afford this car I would suggest you to stay away from it because it'll become very costly to maintain! good luck!

tusabes

It's not a nightmare, but both these cars, the c32 and s500 do have problem areas you can't spot as a novice buyer

you MUST I repeat MUST have it inspected by a specialist who knows these cars. You might be buying a car that needs no work or a car that needs $5000 of work as soon as you drive it off the lot, it is very hard to tell since most Mercedes still look so nice you assume it's perfect.

zpeedy88

how can i check this baby??? i know im buying something expesive and it will be expensive to maintain... i dont know any specialist... or anyone that could do it..

you can check the car.. there is the carfax link in there too...

have any clues so i can look?? i know im gonna spend some cash sooner or later and im gonna deal with it.. but is it really more than 1500 dollars a year to main tain this car??

ShangoAshe

bring it to mercedes or an indy shop that knows mercedes inside and out. Little things add up and trust me even if you "baby" the car when **** happens it happens...

zpeedy88

whats the biggest most expensive repairs on this baby?? the airmatic things?? what if i get an arrnot airmatic conversion kit to avoid any suspension problem??? other than that any other expensive problems the s430 might have??

i can deal with the expensive maintanace like 100 dollar oil change etc..

tusabes

Carfax does not count as an inspection . The only thing carfax is good for is weeding out cars with obvious past problems .

Saying you don't know anyone who inspects is not a reason to skip inspection . This site and benzworld gave lists of mechanics with mb specialization in your area

An airmatic failure can be $2-3k for new valve blocks and struts and labor. Transmission can be $4-6k. You may have a year with $5k in repairs and two years with $300 in repairs, you are not thinking rationally if you assume you won't need to spend much more than $1.5k per year.

zpeedy88

so this s430 have transmission problems too??? as i see.. it has very good record... but the mainly problems in this s430 are the airmatic system right?? is the more expensive and troublematic right?? for 1400 i can do a spring conversion.. i will not mind if its not a air suspension anymore.. so i could avoid future problems too..

other than suspensions.. these cars have some bad transmissions as well??

tusabes

You are buying s car with over 100k miles so anything can fail at anytime. My transmission lasted till 190k but yours might go out at 130k, or next week... there is simply no way to predict without inspection.

Take a look at this thread,
https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...y-shocked.html

The guy spent $13,000 in one year on repairs. That is unusually High but it can and does happen . Another person in that thread mentioned spending just $1400 total over 4 years. The point is you need to be prepared to handle the upkeep of a $80k car, and if it turns out cheap you got lucky. otherwise you will hate the car at It's first large repair bill

Fraser

Based in what you've said I wouldn't buy it, or any 220. A cheap Mercedes is the most expensive car you'll own....

It seems like you're very tempted by the thought of a cheap S Class and you'll figure out the rest of the costs somehow. That's the wrong way of handling ownership of a car like this. Start saving and in 18 mos time get yourself a much more reliable later model.

Supergenius40

If you don't have the 8k to buy it fully then don't buy it. To repair the struats, ball joints and control arms could cost you half of what you paid for the car. Labor is $95 to $150 per hour...an average job could be two or three hours.

But as a wise man once told me, "groan people do what they want to do". If you want it, go for it but you've been warned.