mercar

I am looking at two cars. Both 2002.

S430 is a single owner with 75K miles for $8500, a private sale (has sports package. Yet to see the car and its condition).

The other is S55 AMG with 135K miles on it from BMW dealer for $8900. I have seen the car few days back when it was listed for $12000. The dealer reduced the price today. It is in a good condition. According to carfax has been on sale since August.

Which is a better buy ? I think S430 with sports package and lower mileage is no brainer. Any reason S55 might be a better choice with its high mileage ?

mercar

Took a look at S430. Cosmetically it is in fair condition with usual wear and tear on the body. Sending it for PPI. Will see what mechanic has to say.

Will drive S55 later today.

babyman1737

PPI's are excellent for these cars, and hilarious to look at.

Watch out if one has an infamous cracked sunvisor bezel, that'll be like $500. Be expected to see probably AT LEAST $5k in suggested repairs, maybe double for the S55 with ABC suspension?

At least you'll know what you're up against. I'm just trying to soften the blow.

Drive both, value seems equal on each of them. The AMG will require higher maintenance costs. Go with your gut feel on each.

tusabes

Id avoid the s55 because of ABC

mercar

Thanks guys! I finally pulled the plug and bought S55 home. It was no comparison after driving both the cars. The PPI was just over 3K for S340. Mostly regular stuff.

The dealership had already done the inspection on S55 and the suggestions for ABC were already on it with a couple of valve leaks. Dealership quoted about $2.5K to fix it. They let me take the car to my mechanic for inspection. He can probably help me fix the same for much lesser cost.

I am not at all familiar with S55 or S430. My very first buy. Didn't know what I am getting into and that ABC is such a common problem My rear driver side strut assembly needs a fix (replacement I guess).

I went with my gut feel. The dealership had lowered the price by 3K over night and were ready to send it to auction. Given I got it for such a low cost, I don't mind putting in two grand for repairs. What should I be watching out for in future ??

The drive is great. Drove around 100 miles today. I guess it is going to be an adventure in terms of maintenance

Quadcammer

well congrats on the purchase, but I think you may be in for a world of pain.

Do a search for s55 operating costs or rondo cap.

I think he paid $15k in maintenance over 3 years on an NA s55.

Basically, the most expensive car you can buy is a cheap mercedes (s class especially)

mercar

I plan to keep it for two years. I budgeted the costs for repair plus any future costs at $3K/year. Fortunately I have good Mercedes mechanics whom I known for 10+ years.

Are the operating costs high for S55 or the S-class in general? Are they prone to more frequent failures or these are more normal maintenance costs ?

tusabes

s430 and s500 with airmatic are much less costly than s55 or s600 in terms of operating costs.

Its not maintenance , its failure items which are much more common on ABC cars

the ABC is the costliest problem area on s55 and s600. It can be $3k here, $6k there, people have spent $15k+ just on suspension work

the s600 , particularly the pre turbo models have several issues and should be avoided completely unless youre a mechanic, and the turbo v12 cars have expensive coil pack failures. that dont happen on the v8s

Edward993

2014 E350 just clicked off 57k miles.
Totally trouble free, and hope it stays that way as we're now off warranty! It's my wife's car, but I drive it on trips and errands together. What a great car ...LOVE it! And is also stellar tourer that gobs up highway miles in total comfort!

Edward

Tmbenz

2016 E400 coupe 15,000 miles

drjohn08318

Why not consider an extended warranty from Carshield? With 57K miles, you’d be eligible for a very comprehensive plan. Although I still have 2 years remaining on the new car warranty, I just purchased a Diamond plan for $109/month. It’s a month to month plan, so you can drop it any time.