Hello,

I have my eyes on a 2010 S550 with about 80k Miles. The car is in immaculate condition. I am just worried of high repair costs that are heading my way. Is this particular year/model known for having problems? Any owners out there that can give me some feedback?? Anything would help, thank you!

 

I have a 2010 with 83k, and it was at 43k when I bought it. So far it's needed a cam sensor replaced, an AC control module replaced, and a starter. I have it under CPO so nothing out of pocket. I'd say it's a reliable car but repair costs can be heart stopping. If you can find a 3rd party warranty company who is okay with the miles I'd feel comfortable with the buy. Otherwise, it's a big gamble.

 

For what he'd pay to throw a warranty on that thing, he'd likely be better off buying a much lower mileage car where the warranty cost is much more affordable.

 

I love my s550. Im sure most members on here will tell you to make sure buy a warranty. Do not get Warranty Direct. Yes once something happens to your vehicle the repair cost will be high. Its a luxury vehicle your buying so prices are outrageous once something goes wrong. Just make sure you get a car fax. Look over the car really well and make you test out everything before you buy. The air shocks will end up going out on you as well as the suspension noises will eventually happen. Good luck on your purchase.

 

Thank you for the input, nice looking s550 too! Unfortunately the one i'm looking at is not CPO, so those costs can rack up quick. It's priced just under 30k which I think is a very good price for the car and the condition it is in.

 

That's what i'm afraid of, the air shocks and suspension, but thank you

 

If it makes any difference, I don't plan on putting more than 20k miles on it before selling it again.. But I guess a lot can happen in 20k miles

 

air shocks can be alot cheaper if you buy them on your own. there are alot of companies that carry them now. so you dont have to go thru mercedes. arnott has some and even ebay has some for $300. the suspension pieces as well that go out like ball joints and stuff. you can find deals online and save hundreds of dollars. once you get in the s550 and spend a day or 2 driving it you will love it.

 

Yeah, and 80k to 100k is prime Airmatic failure turf. Plus plans change and you may want to hold onto it past 100k. I believe 2012's are still CPO, not sure what they're going for but great cars with the TTV8 engine. CPO extra warranty gives you a total of three years from purchase and unlimited miles for another $4500, so if you can find one with higher than average miles (which drops the price) you can drive it worry free for three years.

 

If you go onto the MB website, you can search CPO cars. There are CPO S550's starting from $32k. I'd consider that before looking at a non-warranty 80k mile car.

 

Compared to other things that will break down as time flies, airshocks and suspension are relatively not that bad to replace. like someone mentioned, you can source remanufactured ones from arnott or eBay and you will be fine. Its the tiny other parts that break down one by one you have to worry about. But to be honest, at 80k miles, i think you are still somewhat safe. The car is not that old for most important parts to start breaking down. give or take another 3-4years and 50k more miles and you can expect more random breakdowns of parts.
This of course somewhat depends on how the last 80k miles on it now were accumulated. In essence, the history and past maintenance of the car matters.

 

My feelings on it all is what the hell go for it. If you really love the car and it all checks out 80k shouldn't be a problem I think.

I had a 2000 S500, 2003 S55 AMG and now a 2007 S65 AMG and yes they do have there quirks and issues but they are fantastic well built automobiles! I also did NOT have or buy a warranty on any of these cars.

That being said I am mentally prepared to pay out cash if needed to repair my MB but I am cool with that. I LOVE my car and I am so happy I finally have my dream car and couldn't be happier!
Good luck man.
Johan

 

I had a totally different experience (but a similar chronology):2006 S500 CPO, had it from 42k to 106k miles, $13k in warranty repairs including Airmatic, engine mounts, leaking rear main over the first two years, then a $6000 tranny replacement after CPO expired. 2004 S430, had it from 30k to 60k miles, $6k in warranty repairs including Airmatic, engine mounts, transmission mount, rear diff, also under an EasyCare warranty. Both beautiful cars, complete MB maintenance and service histories. My current 2010 CPO has been much better, around $3k in warranty work in two years.

Writing it all down makes it look like the cars were nightmares but just the opposite. I love them even when they are misbehaving. I would have loved them a LOT less if I was paying out for those repairs though.

 

I would strongly recommend that a visit to the MB site as advised by Dave in post #10 is a very good idea. Get CPO'ed car if you are worried about repairs at all. At least you can get an extended warranty, which will cover the costs of warrantied repairs.

 

I would recommend you move on, however, many of us here will be selling / trading these cars in with higher mileage and some lucky person will be the next rightful owner. If you love the car and willing to buy warranty or just take a gamble on repairs that's your call. Just keep in mind that you can negotiate the cost especially considering that you probably should invest in a warranty just for peace of mind.

What options does the car have and what's the color combo? Also does it have pano, amg sport package etc?

 

I share DRTYLNDY's sentiments. If you have the bank account to absorb unexpected repair costs then you should be fine. The way I see it, if you get a 2010 S550 for under $30K then you have already saved $70K in depreciation. Let's assume worst case you have $5K a year in maintenance, it would take 14 years for you to make up that difference. That is a small price to pay to own one of the world's best luxury sedans. Also have a look at the VMI from an MB Service Advisor. There may be things that have already been replaced or repaired in the past so you should not expect to have the same failure again, if at all. Overall, if you want it and have the money to maintain it, go for it.

 

Here's how I see it. You pay $30,000 for a car with a market value of $30,000. You're not ahead a nickel.

Now your $30,000 car needs a $6,000 transmission. You have to spend the money...the car is worthless without a transmission...and now you're into the $30,000 car for $36,000. It's not worth any more money just because it has a rebuilt tranny. If anything it's worth less.

While you're (potentially) putting $5000 a year into the car in repairs that add nothing to the value, it's also continuing to depreciate. If you keep it for three years, it will again depreciate by half. The real risk with these cars is how quickly you can get upside down in value vs investment.

For example, the 2006 S500. In 2011 that car was worth about $18k. It was worth $18k the day before the tranny went. It was worth $18k after I paid the shop $6000 and drove it home. It would have been worth it's weight in salvage and scrap metal had I not repaired it. Bad spot to find yourself in whether you have $6,000 laying around or not.

I say if you have the cash for a $30,000 car and $15,000 in potential repairs, ($45,000) then you easily have the $40,000 to spend on a nicer, fresher car with a CPO warranty and little potential downside.

It seems like there are two camps: the guys with warranties and the guys without warranties who haven't had to pay out of pocket for a major repair. Yet.

You never hear the CPO guys *****ing about how worthless or pointless the warranty was. Depending on the company most 3rd party warranty guys aren't complaining either.

You hear a lot of complaining from the other guys when a four figure repair pops up out of the blue.

You'll see them on the forum every day, begging for help to fix something cheaply because they can't afford to fix it right, and they really thought their $30,000 S Class was going to be more reliable because Mercedes built it.

I guess the potential downside is you pay more for the warranty than the warranty pays out in repairs, but for me at least over three S Class in ten years that hasn't been the case.

 

Thank you for all the help. It is truly interesting to hear all the different opinions. From what I heard the 2010+ Models seem a little less troublesome than the ones before. I will take it for a spin tomorrow and see what the feel is. I uploaded a picture below.

 

The 07-08 had a major transmission issue that was resolved by late 2008- 2009. In 2010 the car got a major facelift, lots of stuff standard that was previously a part of a higher level Premium package, like Massage Seats, Parktronic, Back Up Cam, the Multimedia interface, paddle shifters, tri color ambient lighting, LED lighting, etc.

For that reason 2010 + is generally more desirable pound for pound. In terms of reliability, all years have the potential to suck. Not all do, but many will.

I strongly agree with Dave. Find the nicest example of a CPO S Class you can afford. Add $4400 to the negotiated price to buy two years additional CPO (3 years total). Trade the car in three years, and enjoy it completely worry free the whole time.

 

Ahh these cars are easy to fall in love with. As others have said, fall in love with one where you can get three years of warranty. I started my affair a year ago with a MY11. For 44 large, I bought the car with 40k miles, one owner, 1 year for CPO and 2 years of extended warranty. I have been fairly trouble free in my first year of ownership but they did have to replace the seat heater, not a cheap or simple repair. I will also drop the car after the warranties are done. It is better to own one of these without having to worry about cost of repairs.

 

They trick you. The difference between buying an S Class in warranty versus buying one out of warranty is the difference between dating a stripper and marrying a stripper. One scenario is much more likely to end badly for you.

 

That's a great analogy.

 

It all depends on risk tolerance, your financial situation, your mechanical ability, and willingness to seek out and risk non-dealer alternative repairs for potential high dollar repairs.
I've gone the CPO route for some cars and "self-insured" on others. The tendency is that if you have a warranty, you agitate to have anything that even may be an issue addressed. On an Audi that I had they replaced mechatronics, then the torque converter as it "failed" immediately after (and due to) them messing with the transmission. The occasional shifting issue was just a feature of the car.
My experiences with aftermarket warranties have all been bad. One was a fidelity warranty that was transferred to me and repairs were rejected as wear items. The other was also transferred to me (back in the 90s)and they required a maintainance history which was incomplete and the claim was rejected.

I agree that the CPO route ensures a predictable cost. You are ignoring depreciation tradeoff as it relates to TCO (total cost of ownership).

So let's model this 2010 S550 80k miles $30k 36 months ownership, 10k miles per year. Let's assume the following was done:
Trans fluid change x 2 40k and 80k
Brakes rotors front/rear @ 60k
Motor, trans mounts done recently.
Serpentine belt already replaced.
New tires.
No warranty, sales tax 8%.
Base cost 30,000
Tax. 2400
Maintenance
Oil changes. 900 (6x 150)
Tires. 1200
Suspension. 2500 ( 1 air strut plus a control arm or so, alignment )
Other repairs 2500 ( Ac compressor/ air pump/ seat / modules/ oil leaks)
Interest cost estimate: (32,000 + 18000)/2 * 2% * 3 years = $1500
Total: $41000
Residual value : $17000
Projected Monthly cost : $666
The potential transmission repair would increase monthly costs by $166.
If you happen to not have to fix much you would save about $140 per month.

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Let's compare the newer car with 40k miles 36 month 30k miles
Assuming new tires
Brakes refreshed as per CPO
Trans fluid changed at 40k


Base cost $44,000
Tax. $ 3520
Tires 1200
Oil. 900
Interest cost estimate (44000-24000)/2 * .02 = 2000
Copay per repair 350 ( 50* 6)

Residual value 24000

Projected cost : $30000 / 36 months = $833 month

Note that these estimates are all seat of the pants estimates and you are welcome to use real numbers instead. I think they do represent ballpark estimates of some real costs to own.

So if you fix the transmission on the high mileage car, that would have paid for the nicer newer car. If you are able to manage down the cost of repairs, the non warranty car may cost less but at almost worst case the same, or even possibly a bit more.

Either way, you are far from the TCO of owning a less expensive car, but also far from the TCO of a new 2016 S550 for the same ownership period.

You could drive down TCO by finding a well maintained, well documented similar car with lower mileage for similar cost, or negotiating that car down to $28k if possible.

 

This depends on the warranty company and their clauses. I find that once people understand what items are not covered going in, they are less apt to complain if they run into an uncovered repair. It's always best to read the entire service contract (not the brochure that the dealer hands out) prior to making a decision on a non OEM service contract. Going with an exclusionary policy is the only way to go on a car as complicated as the S-class. You will also have to perform all of the maintenance according to the manufacturer. Most folks who have a repair that would normally be covered come back as rejected are put into the predicament because they didn't uphold their end of the bargain regarding following the maintenance schedule.


In my case, I was fortunate to find a policy through my credit union that has gone above and beyond with covering repairs. In the year that I've had my car, they have paid out more than 3 times what I paid for it....and I have 6 more years of coverage left. I have followed the maintenance schedule to a tee, plus I have all service records for the car since the day the original owner picked it up, so I know that there isn't any "gotcha" that can be pulled on me. But honestly, I really don't believe the prior maintenance history is an issue at all with my warranty as there aren't any clauses in the contract about it.


When purchasing an aftermarket warranty, the lower the miles, the cheaper the policy and more years of coverage you can get. This is the only way to purchase coverage once the car is out of the originally OEM warranty period or miles unless the car meets certifiable guidelines...which most higher mileage cars do not.


Bottom line, having coverage is the only thing that will give an owner piece of mind...especially if they don't have a lot of disposable cash to cover potentially very costly repairs.

 

If I sat down and calculated the true TCO on my S Class I'd friggin shoot myself. I have a perfectly good 2005 Camry that's paid for I could drive for the cost of basic maintenance, but the poor thing is growing cobwebs. I can't quite bring myself to walk past the S to get into the Camry.

I think no matter how you slice it, an S Class makes no sense as a rational decision. It's an emotional decision that your rational brain tries to justify and structure in the least stupid way possible. That's how I approach it. What's the least stupid way to buy this once $100,000 used car?