lower14

There's a 2007 S660 for sale locally for what looks like a reasonable price (just under $40,000 with 67k miles). What are some of the things I should at least be cognizant of while buying an older S-class? Is an extended warranty a good idea, and, if so, what's the market rate for this?

Thanks in advance.

L14

canes85

WARRANTY is a must! It's gonna be tough though due to the mileage.
A full inspection, & service history is needed too, go luck

Jason B

Be careful, that's the first model year and there a tons of tsb's for that year and they probably weren't done. Head on over to the w222 (2014) S class forum to see the issue with that first year model

Mike5215

I've never heard of an S660. Maybe an S 600? All S Class suffer from the same syndrome. They're terrific, addictive cars when they're running right, but when things go bad they can go bad in a very big way. You could easily buy the car for $40k and put another $20k in it in repairs. Then you have $60k in a car that's worth less than the $40k you paid for it.

Expect a reputable warranty company to be in the $15,000 to $18,000 range on that car, and you'll probably find that was a bargain once the repair bills start coming in. Personally I wouldn't touch that car at any price. How about a newer S550, ideally a CPO car?

Jason B

Mike, are you saying an aftermarket warranty is $15,000??? The Mercedes warranty then is the best deal out there.

Mike5215

I was looking at a 2008 CL550 with 40k miles, same drivetrain as our cars, and Mercury and EasyCare quoted $12k and $15k respectively for a premium level 4 year/48k mile warranty. I'm guessing that a 600 with the twin turbo V12 will be at least $15k to $18k. Yeah, the CPO is a bargain. I've never lost money on one, plus you get first rate service at the dealer without having to haggle with the warranty company over every single repair.

lower14

Thanks for the advice, gentlemen. Yes, I mis-typed - this is an S600. I think I'll look elsewhere; sounds like too much risk in the first model year of the new style.

malahhaor

not necessarily.
See if the car has maintenance records and see if it has been back for repairs much. Take VIN to dealer they can tell you if the car had bulletin updates.
There are 10 cars working just fine for every one that screams bloody murder on the web.
Check with a couple dealers on price of extended warranty. Those prices seem to be ridiculously high.
07 S600 engine and trans has been around since 03 or so. its not the first year model. The suspension has also been around for a while. whats new in 07 is the body and remaining electronics which haven’t been causing that many issues. Most issues with o7 s class was in 550 engine and 7G trans.

malahhaor

double post, sorry

Mike5215

Better yet, go to the CL forum and read the horror stories on that drivetrain for yourself. Common areas of failure later in the car's life are the ignition coil packs, the turbos, ABC, Airmatic. A good friend of mine has been a service adviser for MB for six years. Every once in awhile I'll be in getting my car serviced and a 600 will be either in service or on the lot and I'll be drooling over it. He'll just shake his head "no".

steveb9771

The maintenance costs for the S600 can be considerably higher than for the S550.
Check when the spark plugs need to be replaced and the expected cost.
Have a dealer check the VIN number to see if all TSBs have been done.

As an example of potential costs-- If the seat air bladders leak, it can run as much as $6000 to repair both front seats.

Mike5215

Sometines you pull a service history on a mid mileage car that looks great...nothing major, just regular service visits. It may be you've gotten lucky and found a car that doesn't break, but the more likely reason is that the car hasn't quite gotten into the 60k to 80k band where all the major **** stats falling apary. If' you're buying at 50K mikes, you'll be right in the sweet spot.

Better to look at cars with higher mileage that have already had all the big stuff fixed.

wilassasin

Those warranty prices are insane. For aftermarket try paragon they are reasonable and very good.

Mike5215

You get what you pay for with aftermarket warranties. Whenever you're buying one, ask to see the contract, not just the sales brochure or the F&I guy's pitch. Go to the last page (it'll be in very small, grey print) and find the section labeled "EXCLUSIONS". The warranty will not cover anything related to anything in that section. With a Benz you want that list to be as short as possible.