I am currently considering purchasing a used S600. I was wondering what is the difference, if any, between the 07, 08, and 09 models of the S600.

Also, what would you say would be the projected resale value of this car? I was thinking if I were to purchase an 07 at around $85K today, it would be worth $30K in 4 years. Is that a reasonable approximation or is that too high/low?

Thanks

That sounds about right. That's what I am expecting mine to be worth in 4 to 5 years. I would get an 07 with low miles. The cars are holding up very well and I would not be afraid of a used one at all, especially with less than 25K miles on it. Get an extended warranty and enjoy. You're saving yourself close to $70K and still driving a great car. Sure, there are some small improvements on the newer cars but I don't think they are worth $30 to $70K more dollars. Just my .02 worth.

Keep in mind that you can't have the MBUSA extended warranty if you're not the original (first) owner. Many low mileage examples out there (some dealers still have 08's with zero miles in stock) Auction prices for the 2007's are roughly high 70's to very low 80's.

Really? Thanks for the heads up that means ill have to get an aftermarket warranty that I hopefully wont get screwed on -- However, I still feel like an S600 is a very good deal in the used car market -- I can probably get a used 07 with under 10k miles for around $78-85K and in 4-5 years the resale will be around $30K -- Which represents what I think to be a very very good deal in the used car market

Are you guys though thinking $30K would be too low on a S600? Because it seems like an S550 would have the same resale value on 4-5 years with 50-60K miles on it

@Trumpet -- Yea, there does not seem to be some major difference between the 07 and 09, so ill probably save and go with the 07.

I got a call from a dealer who buys lease returns directly from mercedes, he mentioned there was a 2007 S65 coming up this week which he thinks he could get for $100K. It has pretty much every option. I was interested, but am going to pass on it, if interested, send me a private message I can put you in contact with him.

Ext Color/Code: PEWTER - 723
Int Color/Code: BLK - 501

The one thing I haven't seen people mention is the new features that MBZ has planned for the 2009 models from spring 2009.

http://emercedesbenz.com/Nov08/12_00...ring_2009.html

To name a few...

Adaptive Highbeam Assist
Lane Keeping Assist:
Speed Limit Assist: a camera with an eye for traffic signs
ATTENTION ASSIST: drowsiness detection system

The one concern I have is that the S65 is actually a step down in terms of ride comfort and noise level. I'm not really interested in hearing a low rumble V12 or feeling every bump in the road with 35 series profile tires. Also my understanding is that the S65 has horrible turbo lag, and that it's quite a jarring experience when the turbos kick in around 2000 RPM

The ride in the s65 is terrific, it hugs the road...once you drive one the V12 it will be addictive..no turbo lag...just put the pedal down and all heck breaks loose...I drove as550 for 2 weeks as a loaner and they are different as night and day.

I think the hugging the road you refer to is part of the ABC, Active Body Control, which my S550 has. What about the interior noise level? The one S65 i've heard has a really nice loud growl when it starts up, but I'm not sure I want to listen to that everyday, especially since i do conference calls in my car..

It growls but the interior for normal driving is silent...the best part is when slowing down the engine revs and you can hear the engine..I promise it is intoxicating...the ABC is supposedly different in the AMG and the drive compared to the s550 is completely different..I would recommend that you at least test drive it to see what I mean.

I just got back driving and the kids in the backseat with massaging seats just love it...heck my wife loves it more than I.

Now that speaks volumes!

Amen brother !!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think that this is strictly true. After I bought my 06 E3504matic this year used from a private party, the dealership warranty guy was only too happy to offer to sell me a warranty for it. It was immaterial for me as the car came with an factory extended warranty already.

Loud growl, harsh ride, etc. are all relative. It may have all of these attributes, but it's still an S-Class and does what an S-Class is supposed to do.

Alright -- thanks for all the input

One last thing -- Im deciding between this and a Maserati Quattroporte from 06 -- Which one would you go for? I assume the exterior/preformance of a Maserati is greater but the interior of the S600 is much better -- Am I Correct in this?

I think the S600 V12 will outperform the Maserati in all categories. Even the executive GT doesn't come close to the 600. Also the merc is way more reliable down the road.

+1. Not even a contest.

You hear no engine noise whatsoever. People complain that the engine is too quiet even when under full acceleration. To hear that growl on startup you have to be outside the car. I sometimes leave my door open when starting the car just to hear it. Once you close the door you hear nothing.

Turbo lag is almost undetectable. The engine delivers 500 foot-pounds at 1,500 RPM. The ride is great. AMG recalibration of the ABC is significant. The AMG 5-speed is much more satisfying, in my opinion, at least with an engine that has this much torque. That much less time wasted shifting and it doesn't have to spend as much time computing, occasionally making a bad decision.

Trumpet and S600ed

Why do you say that it is such a stark comparison? I am test driving the S600 tomorrow and maybe the Maserati tomorrow aswell, is it because of the performance of the S600? (Car and Driver said it could be as fast as a 911 Carerra and a Ferrari 612, not too convinced about that but we will see )

If you just look at the specs of both cars you will realize that the Maserati is comparable in numbers to say the S550 and not the 600. Its almost like comparing a 750LI to the S600, the Maserati I believe is a V8 400HP.

I just drove the Quattroporte last week. It has an extremely detailed interior and the exterior has grown on me as being very attractive and more rare than the S. That being said the Quattroporte was a snoozer on performance compared to the 600. Nothing compares to the rush of 612ftlbs of torque!!!!!
In addition the S is a much larger car if that is important. There are also a few electronic features missing on the Maser as well such as satellite radio.
The biggest problem of the Maser would be the transmission if your considering anything prior to an 08. Their "manumatic" is crap. Any mag review also has this complaint. In summary the S600 IMO is the best vehicle on the road. As you state picking one up for around 80k and resell in 4 years at about 30k I think is right on. Yes the spread on resale between the 550 and 600 will narrow over time but the 600 will always carry around a 5-10k premium in 4 years based on historic values of v-12.

Are you talking about the F1 transmission? Because I know from 06+ they had both the DuoSelect whatever transmission option and automatic

Will go test drive both today and report back if anyone's interested, thanks for all the help!

Yes Duoselect was no good. Especially in auto mode. I think the first year for the Automatic was 07 at earliest. The new F1 which I believe was first available in 08 is fantastic. If your serious you should ask the MB dealer to take a 600 over to the Maser dealer for a back to back comparo. Otherwise the Maser might feel adequate to you, but if you were used to the 600's extreme torque the Quatro likely would feel underpowered especially for the money.

Well I'm almost positive the Maserati had Automatic in 06, see below:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...3A1|240%3A1308

However, thats besides the point. I figure I can buy a Maserati at around $60-65K and resell it at the same price point as the Mercedes in 4 years (Buying an 06 Quattroporte and selling it at the going rate for 02s, which is probably around $30-35K looking at current resale values for the Granturismo GT) making the S600 around $15K more to own over those 4 years. Is that correct?

Also, I had to test drive an S63 today instead of the S65/S600 I wanted. 2 Questions:

Is an S65/S600 going to give me a huge boost over the ridiculous power I just experienced in the S63? I assume it will considering the S65 has 708lb-ft torque and the S600 612lb-ft, so it will be a huge jump.

Also, is the power jump from an S600 to an S65 great? Im wondering because the dealership will have to locate an S600 and I will have to test drive the S65, and im wondering if I will be test driving something much much more powerful than the S600 that I will probably end up purchasing at this rate, considering how blown away I was compared to the Maserati which looks less and less like even worthy of a test drive.

The S63 and S600 have similar peak horsepower ratings, but the delivery is very different. And the S65 is way very different. You really need to drive them all to see.

You might find the handling of the S600 a bit "sedan-like" after the S63. You won't sense much of that in an S65 (except a wee bit of understeer in comparison due to the heavier engine, although it tends to be masked by the adrenaline when you step on it). For this reason, I would not advise you to buy an S600 based on test-driving an S65.

Both V-12's have a responsiveness at any RPM that is missing in the S63, which really wants to be kept revved to stay in the power zone. The S65 has that in embarrassing amounts. Not only does it produce 738 ft-lbs, but it produces it from 2,000 RPM. It delivers the S600's peak torque barely off idle! Does it feel different? What would you think?

Of course, the stock 600 engine is a beast compared with anything else. But the AMG "feel" common the S63 and S65 is not part of the S600 experience, so make sure you test drive the model you order.

If you're at all considering an S65 and have the money, a slightly used S65 is the best bargain right now of all cars mentioned. They take the biggest hit from MSRP of all of the cars we've discussed so far , have the most power, and really the best deal. Very roomy, stylish, SERIOUS power, and will be the car you'll be most happy with. It was just out of my price range.

All cars mentioned aren't bad choices, just the W221 is so well built and seems to be very trouble free so far. Mine has 28000 miles on it and I love it more everyday. Only an idler pulley went out on me and it got fixed quickly.

I have to whole heartedly agree. Have driven all 3 : 600,63 and 65...the 600 v12 is great but is it more "sedan" like..the 63 is sporty but the v8 just did not do it...but I promise if you drive the 65 it is addictive..the power is insane..all 3 three are great cars..