Well, after the journey to find the S600, which I love, I have have been wondering is there a reason that I should go for an S65? I was thinking of the pros and cons.

I could sell the S550 and the S600 and buy an S65..but would it be worth it? Would it make more sense to just tune the S600 which would give me the same power or is there much more to the S65 than that vs the S600?

 

I think you need to chill out and get a hold on reality. There's more to life than Mercedes Benz. Family, friends, employment, etc. If none of those exist in your life, then you should probably go for it. Otherwise, enjoy what you have for a while.

 

Well, I have all of those. Cars and boating is just a hobby that keeps me busy during down time from friends, family and traveling. The 600 is great and I definitely enjoy it.

 

I say buy one. complete the trilogy.

 

To be honest, you should sell both w221 and get one nice CPO 2012+ s63 amg.

S65 is cool but probably you are looking at older ones which could possibly be headache if anything goes wrong and i dont think there is aftermarket warranty available for those.

You will not regret this buy.

 

Then it seems that you have A LOT of down time. To put your crazy idea into perspective for a moment....you stole your S600 at $23k or whatever it was. To find a similar S65 with similar miles and condition you are likely looking around $50k or higher. The S600 is 95% of what the S65 is. With a tune of under $1k, you can make it just as fast as the S65. Maintenance on the S65 is insanely expensive. To replace rotors and pads at all 4 corners is over $5k.....and you will certainly go through brakes faster on the S65, even if you don't drive it like you stole it. You've talked in depth about how you love the pampering ride and quietness of the S600. The S65 rides much harsher and is much louder....stock. And you'll never find a warranty for it. Chill out dude....and realize that there are proven drugs to deal with your ADHD.

 

That's what I was asking...about the s600 being basically the same as the s65 with a tune...minus the brakes/maint expense.

Yes, you are right about the 600..I agree with that...especially since my 600 is under warranty and I got a good deal.

 

The s65 has 125% of the engine the s600 has and is overall 200% the car the s600 is.

The s600 is a floaty boat with lazy transmission, imprecise suspension and steering and looks like the old man's car it truly was meant to be. No offense.

The s65 is better in every category of the above described by just a bit, but the end result is a far more rewarding experience.

If you going to go for the top dog- go for the top dog. Otherwise the doubt will always linger (or should I say fester).

Reliability is identical (average) and maintenance is comparable as the very expensive s65 rotors also wear twice as slow as the s600 rotors. I actually have a customer with s65 with over 100k miles still running on stock rotors. Your mileage will vary ofcourse.

The one differentiator as mentioned already is that you will not be able to get an aftermarket warranty for the amg

My 2 cents

 

Who is this guy? 125% of the engine? 6.0 vs 5.5....510 hp vs 604. Your math sucks. 200% of the car? It's the same friggen car, just more performance parts. The S65 is a nice car, but definitely not worth the insane prices when new.

An ECU and TCU tune for under $1k, along with a set of 20" rims and tires will make the car very similar in performance to the S65 with a much more comfortable ride. The AMG brakes are pointless unless you're tracking the car....which I bet 99% of S65 owners never do.

Stock vs stock, they are 2 different animals in purpose, yet have identical options (everything) and similar performing motors.

 

"that" guy has been on this forum for 10 years and has 5 times the number of technical posts you have now with that out of the way-

... let me rephrase it for you- every meaningful aspect of the car (engine, suspension, brakes, sound, looks) is a bit better on the s65 compared to the s600. at a great price as you mentioned, but price is not part of this discussion i think.

the result is however far greater than the sum of those improvements as a stock s65 drives nothing like a stock s600. trust me. i have driven prolly few dozens of both

sure, you can ecu/tcu the s600 and it will be as fast as an s65, but it will not be an s65 and will not sit on the road like one. even with more aggressive tires. also, you can add wheels/ tires, front and rear clip and proper exhaust and... you will have spent the difference between the s600 and the s65 and... you would still not have an s65 as a driving experience

so there you have it.

 

Id say stick to what you have.... the cost of maintaining the S65 is more expensive than maintaining both the S550 and S600 put together. I am doing a brake job and a front left control arm on my S63 today. I took it to the dealership as I don't want to void my aftermarket warranty. The entire job is costing $9700 CAD after my 10% discount.

 

Alex, I'm sure many of us appreciate your contributions to this board. You do seem to have more knowledge of these cars than the average browser of this board. But you come off with a certain brashness and your oft used hyperbole can be off putting. I certainly understand that the S65 is a different animal than the S600, but judging from the OP's posts about the S600's ride, he'd likely tire of the S65 very quickly. And based on the fact that he stole his current car, it would seem to be crazy to spend more than double to get an S65 that isn't as different you make it out to be.

The OP, like many other members of the board seems to be an attention seeker. He's a very nice guy and extremely polite, but why always ask other's opinions about what you should buy, do you like these wheels, etc? This thread seems out of place after he's expressed his love for his S600 and the way it drives. To push him towards making a decision he'll likely regret....as he seems to be easily influenced by the opinions of strangers, would be doing an injustice to the guy.

 

I'm not an attention seeker at all nor easily influenced. I actually go against the grain with just about everything I do. I just ask opinions on what people think keeps the w221 classy but still sporty since I am new to them and this board as most people have been on here longer than I have and have a lot more experience. If I was an attention seeker, I'd go drop 50k or something as a down payment on some exotic car and call it a day.

When I had my rovers and bimmers I could take them apart blindfolded, I started out the same way and then began helping and even meeting people to help them with things with their cars since I had so much experience with them. There were plenty of RR owners who hated that I plastidipped mine...but did I care? No, because it's what I liked and wanted to do and the last time I checked, they didnt pay for it.

As far as this thread...I was looking at S65's online and started thinking about ownership and getting opinions on it since I have 2 cars that I could easily sell and pay cash for an S65 around 50k or so and not have to come out of pocket.

I'm all about helping people with cars and if it's a car I don't know a great deal about, I ask...if it's something I know a lot about, I help which is the reason I join forums...to gain and give knowledge not shoot people down and argue. I don't judge other people or what they do to their cars and I only give my opinion if they are asking for it.

I didn't mean for this to turn in to a battle or back and forth about who is right or who is wrong etc. Just "opinions".

I have had many, many, many cars as I am sure many people have...as I said this is a hobby and I nor anyone that I know sees anything wrong with it. Some people golf, some people fly planes, some people sit home and do nothing...I buy cars and work on them as I have since I was 16 and always will. I have many friends who are doctors, lawyers, politicians on capitol hill ( I can say they don't work as hard as I used to work with them), etc and I think they all work too much and it consumes them and they need to get out and enjoy life, but I don't tell them that because it's what they enjoy doing and that keeps them happy. There could be several "bad" things I could be doing with my time so I don't think investing in cars is a bad thing nor deciding to buy one today and sell it tomorrow and buy something else...it's material...it comes and goes.

 

What i have found over the years on forums is that it sometimes becomes a game of politics; old members vs new members, experienced vs non-experienced, those that know it all vs those that will ask same questions a million times etc. It will always be this way.
Its all part of the fun of joining an online forum.

In my opinion, what you ultimately do with your money is no mans business. But if you have the s550 and s600 and still yearn for a s65, then it means the s600 is not all you imagined it to be with regards to satisfying yourself. Like Alex said, If you can afford the s65, go for it. you only live once.But like Dave also advised, be mindful of the fact that you could be jumping into a potential moneypit.

 

I agree...that's why I don't get offended by anything online...I'm a 32 year old fortunate, laid back guy with a great life and a love for cars...I could be doing worse. ;-) I'm extremely humble and I surely don't brag to anyone about anything...especially material things because they can be gone in an instant. I have an S600 but that doesnt mean it makes me any better than someone with an S550 or anything else.

It's a shame that most people driving sclasses dont even acknowledge other drivers of the same car but I can pull next to other brands and people always want to talk...glad im not uptight and snobby.

If I wanted a car payment I could put 50k on a newer or new sclass, or put 50k down on something crazy like a used lambo or ferrari if I wanted something downright quick but my wife has instilled in me that if I can't pay cash for something, I don't need it.

Maint. would not be a big issues because I don't have any car payments....so if there was an issue, it's not like I am paying a car payment and still fixing something, ya know?

I'm not selling any stock, going in to any debt etc to buy a car. There is nothing wrong with having a car payment at all and if I wasn't married, I would probably have a big one to pay per month.

 

...and yes...I appreciate all opinions regardless if they are negative or positive. I asked Dave several questions before I got the 600 since he was the only one one here that I saw had a 600. I haven't seen anyone with an S65 for opinions.

I have seen many posts by alx also and I am not sure if he is a mercedes tech or what but he seems to have a broad knowledge of the brand as far as the tech side of it from what I have seen.

 

IMHO - tune the 600. It will get you the s65 hp without the expensive s65 attributes. If I had thought it out more at the time, I would have looked for a 600 instead of my s63. The 63 in comfort rides like a 600 in sport mode. The brakes are such overkill and are one of the dumbest things ever. ( at 27k, I am at the lifespan indicators on the front rotors but have 70% oem pad life left ?? ) Tune it, facelift it, drop it 3/4", do the Quad exhaust and still be in it for 1/2 the cost of the 65.

 

 

As an S65 owner who has not driven an S600, I'll chime in a little bit. Honestly, didn't read the flaming parts of this thread so just take this for what it is.

I agree, tuning the S600 makes sense and it was my first inclination as a recommendation.

However, the most amazing thing about the S65 is how it handles like a much smaller car. The handling totally belies the size and weight of the vehicle. Only in racing a heavily modified Subrau WRX on some twisty bits did I notice the weight and we were really hauling.

So, I'd say that it comes down to whether you want straight line speed or handling. If you're a straight-line guy, tune the S600, if you're looking for better handling at a cost of engine noise and ride, go with the S65.

On smooth roads the S65 is butter, but on washboard surfaces and bumpy roads, it's not an S600 or even a S400 hybrid in terms of ride.

 

For the price difference, he could go buy the WRX too and have the best of both worlds

 

I hope this isn't taken as derogatory because it is not intended that way at all. I see this whole issue not so much about the cars as about the process and pleasure of buying things because I'm guilty of the same and have been for years. It's easy to go overboard on such things because searching, researching and eventually acquiring is a bit of a thrill, is it not?

Over the years, call it getting wiser or senile, I've learned to just slow it down a bit and take some time to enjoy the item for whatever it is rather than feeding the addiction to make another purchase after the thrill of the last purchase wanes as it inevitably will. jm2c

On the other hand if what you really want is an enabler, well I can make a pretty strong case for that too.

 

The S65 is top dog for a reason, and a rare beast. I say at least test drive the S65, especially since you already know the handling characteristics and driving experience of the 600, and see how it appeals to your irrational impulsive side...you know, the part of you responsible for anything daring and fun you've ever done in your life. It may not impress you at all...vs the 600 it may seem a little too harsh and unrefined, or it may really get under your skin. Either way you could stop wondering. I say go hunt one down and let us know what happens.

 

Well said Mike

 

Good Idea. I am going to find one to test drive. There is one not too far from me so I will try to schedule something in the next day or two and see how it goes.

 

Thank you for your first hand experience and input.