jaworks3d

I am currently hunting for an S550 w/ AMG sport package for my soon to be wife as a wedding gift. It's good looking, well performing, and it's safe enough for our 4 month old baby girl.

Problem is I can't find one! The only S550s available around my area are the base model. Also I can't do the 2010-up version because it exceeds my budget.

We can deal with the base's insurance rates, but are the insurance rates for the Sport any higher than the base due to the fact that it's less common?

OR

Should I just buy the base model without the AMG Sport Package and slap on the AMG looks later?

I have some time to get this done, so their is no real hurry. Even though I want do get this over-with.

Tito TW

What's your budget?

jaworks3d

$30,000 max, its a big jump in price, but both me & her are going to pitch in.

I've seen a few S550s close to 25,000

Tito TW

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Ben...m=151906460342

sfcparker09

You live in New York I have seen a lot of s550 in Brooklyn. My buddy got an 07 S550 4matic AMG package for 25k with panorama roof. But look down in Northern VA its a lot. I went to FL to get mine. 09 with 30k miles on it. If you get one get 4matic for the snow base model is rear wheel drive

jaworks3d

HOLY...that's a 2010! (obviously)
if I can get this or something similar, that'll be great!

ebay is my new friend!
and I guess you can't trust kbb.com!

Tito TW

I found mine in Texas lol and I'm from Florida

jaworks3d

Yep, these Buffalo winters can get very brutal, very fast

jaworks3d

^S550s are not common in my area, but we do have a large swarm of E350s.

xxfightclubxx

i live in houston and you can find them pretty easily here. 30k budget for sure you can find something you want.

jaworks3d

Guys, I really appreciate the guidance, my Fiancee is going to flip when she finds out about a 2010 being possible!

Mike5215

Newlywed with an infant and a $30k budget, I'm going to sound like your Dad here but the S Class is a bad idea. You want reliability and easy handling in winter conditions, especially if your wife will be hauling your new baby in it. Any S you can buy for $30k is going to be high mileage, ineligible for warranty and a ticking time bomb for your family budget when stuff starts breaking,

To answer your question, the AMG appearance package is 4 body pieces and 19" or 20" wheels and should not affect your insurance vs a non AMG car.

But if you have your heart set on one, I have a Florida 2010 S550 AMG Sport with 84k miles, Pano Roof, Night View, Massage heated and cooled seats, rear spoiler, quad exhaust, staggered S63 20" wheels. New tires, just did the brakes and a transmission service two weeks ago. It has a 100% MB only service history with every recommended service performed.

Still has another full year of CPO factory warranty. Clean Carfax, 2nd owner.































$32,500, includes transferable CPO warranty until 135000 miles or 12 months.

DaveW68

That car has 88k miles....not a good plan at all. Nobody will warranty that car either. You need to search for a low mileage older model. There are lots of 2008 & 2009 models available with under 40k miles in the $30k price range. You just may have to travel a little bit to get one. Check cars.com. The lower the mileage, the cheaper the warranty cost. And you will need to choose a good aftermarket warranty company with exclusionary coverage. With a tight budget, a warranty is an absolute must as these cars can kill your budget when things break.....and they certainly will.

jaworks3d

Thanks for bringing me back to planet earth, I got a little too excited for a moment.

I just talked to my Fiancee about some alternatives. How does a M Class sound? This ML550 looks pretty reasonable.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Ben...m=381484417775

superpop

You get a much newer rig with an M Class, and you are going to want something higher up, trust me. After hoisting a car seat for a year you will understand the draw of an SUV. Agreed that maint on the S can be a nightmare, you do not need that with a new baby.

jaworks3d

Back to square one, I just redid all calculations and factored in all income vs. expenses we would have to pay for an S Class. Turns out we could do it, but just barely. Plus other expenses like if she were to back into something or damage any other part.

However the numbers are significantly lower for the M Class, the only thing that would be higher is fuel, but everything else being lower compensates for that drawback.

Another thing is that Buffalo winters suck, an ML550 w/ 4Matic will be far more superior in the snow than an S550 with 4Matic. Good point Mike5215.

Unfortunately there's a catch. if we buy an M, we will have 3 cars. our condo's owner only allows 2 cars. So that means I'll have to let my Jag go, that's not going to be easy for me to do but if I have to, family needs come before toys.

1bad540

sounds like you cant afford it. sorry to be bearer of bad news. That being said my friend has a perfect condition black s550 amg w 19k miles that he would prob let go of.

jaworks3d

Yeah, after calculating everything and factoring in maintenance costs. an S class is too expensive at the current moment. We've decided on an M or a GLK. Maybe an S will be possible in a few years.

Mike5215

I have a 2015 GLK now as a loaner and there's a lot I like about it. The ride, maybe because it's got so much suspension travel and taller sidewalls, is much closer to the S than to the C upon which it's based. Very comfortable. Not great for throwing it around in the corners but really neither is the S.

Interior materials, coming from an S, are obviously down market, especially with the fake MBTex leatherette, but the seats are decent and with premium leather would be fine.

Surprisingly, the base, non Harman/Kardon audio is flat out terrific. I don't know if it's the nature of the interior volume or what but it completely blows away the stock system in the W221. Really punchy, clean and loud. I'm a total audio snob and I would not touch a thing in the GLK.

I think a loaded up CPO GLK 4Matic would be a great choice. The S Class is for old guys like us with more money than brains, who are bad at math and don't care.

WHPH28

The ML350's and ML550's are pretty nice. You can get one for well under 30k. I just looked online and see plenty of 2011-2013 ML's with under 30k miles for $26-31k....and remember...it's very easy to talk down the price.

Like everyone said...don't set yourself up with an S class. Granted...everyone has different stories about their reliability and problems. I drive all my cars up and down the coast from as far north as NY down to FL....always been good to me on the road.

Investigate...there are several brands out there. Just get what you can afford and hopefully with a warranty.

I see you have a Jaguar...I just added an 11 XJL a few weeks ago down in FL...loving it so far. :-)

Oh...don't be afraid to travel to get a good deal. I buy my cars out of FL. Quick flight down in the morning and a nice drive back the same day.

WHPH28

I'm young and plenty of brains lol, good at math...when it comes to money at least lol

MrRat

2011 BMW X3 35i. Pleasant sporty-ish SUV that you can cheaply mod to run with the XJR.
I see one at Reading BMW in a quick look on cars.com asking 24k with reasonable miles.

WHPH28

the X3 and GLK just look so............honestly, I always call them women cars...same with the range rover evoque. My wife says there are no "women" cars but to me some cars just look like they should not be driven by men. :-/

MrRat

One utility vehicle and one fun one is nice. To that end:
http://www.texasdirectauto.com/for-s...A29908S710238/

WHPH28

Some days I think, should I have bought a 911 instead of the Jag like I started to do lol. Maybe in the Spring I'll sell the Jag and get the 911 4s.