engr_141

Hi All,

I am new here at this forum. Need suggestions from you guys, I am planning to buy S-class (2006-2009). Which will be the best option to buy, can you please mention ODO that is safe for a used car.

Thanks,

superpop

I would save up for something newer, you are looking at an 8-11 year old car, most of them have well north of 50K miles and maint costs could be very high. A warranty is your friend with these cars. I would not own one without it as an S550 can eat you alive with repair costs that quickly force you to put way more into the car than it will ever be worth, and or dumping it for a huge loss. Unless you are a mechanic, then it might make more sense.

engr_141

That is frightening.
I have some options like 2006-2009 with 150k-200k Kms for $13000-$16000.

How is the reliability after 200,000 kms.
I am not rich guy who can own this car but I love to drive some special cars so, I am evaluating that it will work for me or not.

The Thomas J

I see you drive the 2005 STS. I had the same year STS. The S class will ultimately have the same air suspension issues that your STS had. If I were you I would avoid the model years you are looking at and shoot for A 2010 and newer. The bugs were ironed out by 2010 and the quality continued to get better there after.

superpop

Run, do not walk away from those cars. You could spend 16K on the car and turn around within 2 years and spend that on fixes. and it would still be worth 16K if not less. Parts and repairs are still on a 100K car.

DRTYLNDY

Well I am on my 3rd S Class and have a 2007 S65 currently.
These cars are not at all as bad as some make them out to be I think.
ALL cars break down and if you bring them to the dealer it can get pricey. That being said it is not just MB dealers that are expensive, they all are now.
If you maintain a S Class it will treat you well. If you treat it poorly you will pay the price.
I love my car and if I had listened to all the nea sayers before I would never had the opportunity to enjoy what I have today. No regrets.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Johan

engr_141

Well said Johan. I also think same way.
Talking about used cars, other than maintaining it i strongly believe in luck also. Which drove used cars for years.

Mike5215

Unfortunately there's no maintenance for AirMatic, or any of the other dozens of unique electronic systems that go bad without warning and cost a fortune to repair or replace. You can (and should) adhere strictly to the maintenance schedule and still get bitten in the ***. Then again you could get lucky.

If you scan the various topics on this forum you'll find it full of pleas for help from guys who weren't lucky.

slcbbrown

I'm on my fourth, used S Class and have no complaints. I've bought 4 or 5 year old cars and traded them in with about 95k miles. I did keep the first one (2000 s430) till 150k. The only big aggravation involved the suspension on the s430. Half of that issue was actually my mechanic.

If you have a good, non-dealer mechanic available, things aren't bad. The other three S's were s550's-- 2007, 2010 and 2011. Regular service is not cheap. I figure $500 one year and $1,000 for the next. This doesn't include an average of two tires/year and a $300 battery every few years.

DaveW68

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...-thread-2.html

Go to post #37. I actually just had another repair for reprogramming of a window module that was $330 that I haven't added yet. My deductible was $100. My car just turned 44k miles. If you think you'll be money ahead by finding one cheap without available warranty coverage, think again. At the mileage you're considering, that car will likely bury you in repair costs, especially at that age. Take Superpop's advice. If you must have an S-class, spend more for a low mileage newer model and fork out the money for a warranty (exclusionary policy only). The $10k or so in extra cost for the car and the warranty will by money well spent....as you'll likely save a lot more than that just on repair costs. Plus you'll have a car worth more money when you're ready to trade it in. The W221 is completely over-engineered and had more stuff on it when it came out than any other car in the world. All of those systems cost a lot of money when they eventually go bad.

engr_141

Car with low mileage and newer model definitely gonna cost far way and for that I have to wait for some long time
now am thinking basically I am a poor guy but a car lover... haha

Jason B

You can do that yourself usually by holding the up or down button (forget which one) for 10 seconds and it will reset it,.

DaveW68

Incorrect. That was the first thing I tried. The dealer had to do a software update on the window module.

DaveW68

Most of us have been there in our lives. It's not that these cars aren't reliable. They actually are very reliable. The engines are rock solid and the car is built like a tank. It's just that certain systems are prone to fail as they age or accumulate miles. The worst and most expensive items seem to be the 7 speed trans, Airmatic, active seats, and COMAND failures. I'm sure there are some major items that I'm forgetting. And maintenance is super expensive too. An oil change will likely run you at least $130, brakes are around $500 or more per axle, and with the car's heavy weight, you'll burn through tires fairly quickly.

It's just good to be completely informed before making a purchase like this so you know what you're going to be in for before sticker shock hits you in the face.

Mike5215

But if you have the means, I highly recommend an S. No other car on the road (save maybe a Bentley) drives like an S. Believe me, I've looked