ctoivola

Hi everyone,

New on the forum. I have always bought new or leased before, but decided to take the leap and pay cash for a used car.

So far, I have been looking at buying a 2010-2013 S-class preferably with low miles, no more than 30k miles. Will probably not drive a lot. Last few years Ive been putting 6-8k per year since I mostly walk to work.

I am wondering what I am in for with overall maintenance costs. I SUCK with cars, and I am scared it will be more expensive to own than Japanese cars (owned 2 acuras, 1 toyota, 1 honda before).

What is the general consensus regarding the 2010-2013 S-class within segment? Also looking at either a Lexus LS460 or BMW 740 with same year/mileage. So far, I have mostly heard TERRIBLE things about BMW from previous owners.

Thanks for your time people!

All the best,

Christian

mercedesbenzs55

Welcome to the forum!

If you cannot do you own work it will be much more than a Toyota/Honda.

Even at 30k things can creep up.

Like Mike and Dave always Rave, Get a CPO w/ warranty. Then you should be fine during the life of the warranty.

I'm sure other members will have more in depth advice.

alx

You are not the dyi type? Get a car with good factory or aftermarket warranty. Or get the Lexus.

A used high end Benz out of warranty is not for the faint of heart. It can be rewarding but you need to know off the top of your head what is the difference between online and offline scn coding lol...

1bad540

hahahaha you've had Toyota and Honda and now considering a used high end German flagship! def get one with a warty.

Quadcammer

just don't.

If you're this stressed before you buy it, think about owning it for 5 or more years. You'll be sweating $X,XXX repairs, shady dealers, etc.

Get a lexus...seriously.

DaveW68

I completely disagree with this assessment. If he were to purchase CPO (extend it to the full 3 years) or were to purchase one with a very good after-market warranty where he might be able to get more years of coverage, then he should not hesitate to buy it. My dealer experience with my local MB dealer for service has been absolutely top notch and just as good as the experiences I had when I owned my previous 5 Lexus'. The 2013 S-class has a lot more technology, is faster, more of a driver's car (especially with ABC), and has more available features than a 2013 LS460.

If you like it, then buy it....but with the warranty only. The key is to only own it for as long as you can obtain warranty coverage....as these cars will frustrate the hell out of you if you have to pay out of pocket for the repairs.

Also, get the 2012 or 2013 with the V8 bi-turbo motor. More power and more efficient than the previous NA S550's.

ctoivola

Thanks for the input everyone. To be fair, I owned a 4 year old ML with 40k miles right after college and loved the car but sold it within 2-3 years.. Loved it and never had problems.

I'm thinking of paying for extended warranty through a dealership, but all the certified preowned that I have come across seem too pricy. And don't get me wrong: I don't mind doing stuff myself (Im computer/learning savvy)..

It also sounds like the LS would be the next runner up.

Thanks again!

shak

If you are planning to keep the car over 100k, go with LS460.

Nashville

with the cash youre going to drop on a 2013 S550 why not do a one pay lease on a brand new S550? call it a 3 year test drive and if you dont like it - turn the lease in.

Speedriven1

This.

xpl0sive

I don't know how much a 2013 S class in the US is going for, but if it were me, I would not drop $50k on a vehicle to drive it 6k miles a year.Depreciation in huge on these cars, so your $50k "investment" would be worth around $30k when you're looking to sell it. I would much rather invest that $50k into a safe mutual fund/whatever you guys call them in the US. If you can find one with even a 5% return, you'll be better off by leasing a new car at 3% and using the lease for a tax write off.

DaveW68

Oh crap!!! We're going back into investment advice!!

MrRat

Very few cars are investments. Most will depreciate to some minimal value. A good friend of mine bought and used a few year old Lexus LS until it was dead. He did have to have it repaired and the trim did not hold up that well.

Carpets faded, leather looked bad, plastics faded, wheels peeled and leaked air, paint on sun facing surfaces went flat, instrumentation failed, Ac leaked and failed, drivers seat became stuck, steering rack leaked, he let the power steering pump leak for a while and it killed his alternator, the suspension bushings needed to be redone repeatedly.
Seat padding deteriorated, subwoofer rotted out, climate display went away.
He did have it for a while, from something like 70k to about 200k. The transmission fluid was never changed and it was never a problem, but the point is that the pleasure of the original car was long gone.
It was put to rest when part of the engine block corroded away and basically it needed some aluminum welding or a new motor.
So will the Lexus hold up better than the Mercedes?
Go look at a used 10 year old Mercedes S and a used 10 year old Lexus LS and see what they look like and drive like.

Also know that you are not investing $50,000, you are spending $50,000. (Or whatever amount).

A look on the Mercedes CPO site shows there are quite a few cars available with low mileage at or under $50k. There is a relationship between equipment levels, mileage, condition and price.
My experience is the dealers extensively replace anything that might need it. So batteries, brakes, bushings, control arms, etc etc are replaced to bring things up to spec. Ask for a copy of the VMI and you can see everything that was done. With a very low mileage car, likely that will be less evident.

I think you should drive a few cars and see what you prefer.

superpop

I was in the same boat last year. Always drove Toyotas and they never let me down. Contrary to what everyone says, they depreciate pretty bad as well because you pay a premium for them. I traded in my 2013 Tundra for a 2012 S550 4Matic with 26K miles. Paid around 43K and spent another 3K on an extended MB Warranty. that covers me for 3 more years or 75K miles total. with 4000 trouble free miles I love the S. It is a drivers car and for me I was just tired of driving a truck. It is quieter than my full size Tundra with full cab dynamat and can be set up to ride like you are sitting on a lazee boy recliner on long road trips. I will sell mine for probably low 30s in three years just before the warranty is up so total cost is around 4-5K per year plus gas, insurance and oil changes and any routine maint. I can do brakes myself so maint should be reasonable. Who knows though, I may jut keep it. For me it is an expense I do not mind paying and it makes me grin every time I drive it.

The Thomas J

OP, a 2013 S class overall is a good car. by 2012 all the bugs were worked out of previous years models. All of the 13's are coming off lease now and were most likely decently maintained. Get the Extended warranty and enjoy the car.

Oneworld

I bought a 2013 in December with 17,500 miles from a dealer that was CPO----look for one that was originally bought in the 2nd half of 2013 because that's when the manufacturer's warranty starts. With the remainder of the manufacturer's warranty, the 1 year CPO warranty, and the purchase of a 4 year Extended Warranty----I have a full warranty thru July 2020. This was a big splurge for me---I have about $65k all-in----including taxes and warranty.

Bluemax

Did almost the same. 2013 S550 fully loaded CPO with 17k miles. 58k all in.
It's worth buying a S class that has a warranty. I almost bought one without a factory warranty and the parts cost alone for these cars will kill you otherwise. Not to mention the labor cost if you can not due the work yourself.

Nuru

Only Buy With A Warranty (OBWAW)!

mercedesbenzs55

OBWAW!

MonroeHandyMan

I definitely agree on the part regarding an extended warranty if you are not mechanically inclined. It's a trade off. Do you want a rock steady fancy Toyota with the heart of a Camry?Or a car that will need some maintanence, but will keep your interest and have you smiling with pride on a daily basis?

I looked at the Lexus after owning German cars for years and I am sorry, they are nice cars, but they just don't have the spirit a German luxury sedan has by any means. German cars are such an inviting drive and you become one with that steering wheel. I found the Lexus comfortable, but boring with no excitement what so ever. Lexus is dying out for a reason. It was a trend for a minute just like Volvo was. There are no Lexus dealers anywhere around me any longer. They went out and the Germans came in. Mercedes and BMW are thriving in NY.

Quadcammer

my god this is mindless bull****.

spirit of a german sedan? wtf does that mean.

Become one with the steering wheel? Are you high or something? what the hell are you talking about.

as for your "lexus dying out" bull****, lets have a look at those sales figures

Luxury car sales in the United States in 2015

1) BMW - 346,023 - up 1.8 percent
2) Lexus - 344,601 - up 10.7 percent
3) Mercedes-Benz - 343,088 - up 3.8 percent
4) Audi - 202,202 - up 11.1 percent
5) Acura - 177,165 - up 5.6 percent
6) Cadillac - 175,267 - up 2.6 percent
7) Infiniti - 133,498 - up 13.8 percent
8) Lincoln - 101,227 - up 7.1 percent
9) Land Rover - 70,582 - up 37 percent
10) Volvo - 70,047 - up 24.3 percent
11) Porsche - 51,756 - up 10.1 percent
12) Jaguar - 14,466 - down 8 percent
13) Maserati - 11,697 - down 9.6 percent
14) Bentley - 2,686 - down 10.6 percent
15) Rolls-Royce - 1,140 - up 2.6 percent

2nd place and up 10.7%. really fading huh.

I guess podunk NY doesn't represent the market as a whole, huh?

DaveW68

OUCH!!

I've owned 5 Lexus' and will confirm that they are great cars. And for high priced luxury cars, they hold their value better than most in that segment.

That said, you can definitely feel the difference between an S-class and and LS460. The Benz just has a much more solid and substantial feel to it. You can tell the difference in a German build car vs an Asian car. The S is built like a brick sh*thouse, while the Lexus is built like a high end Camry. The Lexus is loaded with lots of bits from other Toyota models and it shows in their styling, materials, buttons, etc. Lots of plastic in the Lexus cars, but over all, executed very nicely. IMO, an S-class that is 4-5+ years old has a lot more value than a comparable Lexus, as the Benz has depreciated more and can be had for about the same price as the used Lexus. The Lexus will definitely have less ownership costs as everything is a lot cheaper than Benz with most parts coming out of the Toyota parts bin. Extended warranties are also much cheaper and can be purchased for longer terms as their reliability is much higher with cheaper parts and maintenance costs.

So far for me, with about 16 months of ownership experience in my S600, the dealer experience has been every bit as good as I had with Lexus. It's just that I'm much more of a frequent flyer to the dealership for warranty repairs as opposed to Lexus which didn't have all of the issues. Maintenance costs are also a lot higher. But my car has a lot more features than any Lexus LS, so it has more stuff that can break. If I didn't have a warranty, this car would be killing me. Fortunately I was able to obtain great coverage, which has been saving my ***. NEVER buy one of these cars without warranty coverage unless you have very deep pockets and money means nothing to you.

Lastly, I find the current Lexus L-finesse styling very ugly, so I wouldn't be considering any of their current models.

MrRat

From July 2014:
The Toyota luxury brand’s flagship sedan was down 19.7% through May, while the Mercedes-Benz S-Class was up 81.8%, leading the segment.

http://m.wardsauto.com/industry/lexu...a-model-s-grow

The LS is not terrible, it's just a Japanese Buick. Quiet, soft, reliable.

I do think the interior and exterior finish does not wear as well as the Mercedes. On the other hand, transmission issues seem less frequently reported on the LS.

On my own relatively old S550, over my 8 months of ownership, I've had it to the dealer twice to provision the mbrace system, (with one time having them add an aux input), and one time for an "A" service. I've personally replaced the wiper blades and a serpentine belt.

I'm not sure how long my "luck" will hold out and during my ownership stint but I expect to have to replace an air strut within the next 28 months of expected ownership. That should take me from 67,000 to 95,000 miles.

Expected value in 28 months @ 95,000 miles is $13,000, netting out to approximately $350/month.

MonroeHandyMan

Here we go again with another close minded fool who does not respect an opinion different from their own. You can message me anytime and we can meet in person if you want to continue with your insults. See how tough you are with your mouth then! Otherwise keep your insults to yourself! Your playing with the wrong one!

I have owned many luxury cars, most being German and you do feel as if you become a part of the car as you can feel what is going on. The car communicates with you through the steering for the mindless idiot above who is clueless. This makes the car more inspiring to drive, again for the idiot above. Lexus lacks this feel. Steering in my opinion is numb and not very responsive, feels like a Camry. And I dont know where you got those figures from because here in NY, Lexus is a dying breed.

MonroeHandyMan

Agreed!