KaiserKruiser69

Hello all, I'm new to mbworld. I'm thinking about buying a 4matic W221 S class and wanted others opinions. I'm mostly looking at the S550 but am open to the diesels as well.

My biggest concern is reliability, I don't like taking my car to the shop every month for some do-dod breaking, it gets annoying especially since the closest competent euro shops are about an hour and a half away.

What are the pros and cons to going with the 5.5L NA V8 vs the 4.6L Bi-Turbo V8?

I'm located in southern Virginia and can get away with emissions deleting if the diesel is the best route.

I'm wanting to keep the price in the $25k or so range.

Thank you in advance

red996

Here's my experience. 2013 S550 4 matic bought with 80k miles. Now at 100k. Needed new tires. 1 CV boot. Vacuum pump leaked. Air box hoses.Timing chain cover. Full drive train service, which was front diff, rear diff, transmission/ transfer case fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid. Full paint correction. The front grill cracked. Unfortunately you can't go aftermarket with distronic. This was a 2 "owner" lease car. Services pending are spark plugs and coolant. This was a dealer maintained car. It's like all these rich people throw any toys. A ton of differed maintenance. If this was just a car to me I wouldn't own it. I did all this work myself because my hobby is cars. I wouldn't own this if I took it to a dealer. If you do the maintenance these are great cars. I am wondering if or when the air suspension will start to require attention. So far so good on that front. You need access to a MB star system to view some of the MB specific codes. You can get away with only so much with a standard code reader. The aftermarket has alot of parts available. You can diminish your ownership cost somewhat.

E55Greasemonkey

Mercedes
4matic
Diesel
All 3 above do not meet your requirements. I'd strongly suggest a Lexus, Toyota or Honda.

KaiserKruiser69

What about the gas 5.5L V8 and 4.6L Bi-Turbo V8? I've read about the some sprocket gear issue that effected early ones and am still trying to figure out which M273 motors are safe from this as well as what else these two motor options are prone to.

I prefer gas but am open to diesel if its a significantly more reliable and longer lasting motor.

E55Greasemonkey

I'd pick the 273 5.5L over the twin turbo. The 273 engine is very reliable past the idler gear production numbers. Google search 273 timing sprocket failure for more info about which years and engine serial numbers to avoid. The twin turbo V8 has some problems, such as burning and leaking coolant, timing chain stretch and burned exhaust valves and is much more complex including direct fuel injection vs. the 273 standard injectors. Stay far away from any MB diesel built after 2006. Just don't do it! The 221 chassis was pretty good, the 4matics weren't great, but I assume you need it for the snow. They tend to wear out front axles and have vibration issues, both at idle and while driving as well as transfer case chatter when the miles get up there. The 2wd is much more reliable. You also want to make sure the transmission service (fluid and filter change) was performed every 40k miles. Being your first Mercedes (?) , don't expect an ownership free of repairs. I own 5, and every one always needs something, but it's also a hobby for me, especially my two AMG cars. I love the way they drive, they are very safe, and I've been working on them for 18 years so I have an advantage in owning them. A friend of mine who is also a Mercedes tech drives a Toyota truck- because he says he doesn't want to work on a Mercedes all the time, FWIW.

KaiserKruiser69

Thank you for all the info, the only german car I've owned is a 2006 X3 and uhhh its not been trouble free but also not been horrible. Luckily in the 4 years and 50k miles or so I've had it its never left me stranded, never refused to start, never had to be towed and always went to the repair shop under its own power.

So far the only competition to the W221 I've test driven was a Lexus LS460. Oddly both the Lexus and the Mercedes were 2010, awd, NA V8, air suspension, black in black and the Lexus was the L lwb model so it was similar in size to the Mercedes. The Lexus was rather disappointing, it didn't feel like much of an upgrade to the 2015 Subaru outback Limited H6 I test drove. But the benz was amazing. I have test driven a few of the older E66 bmw 7 series but gave up when I couldn't find one that wasn't a pos regardless of the miles, Luckily I never bought one because high school me would've been ****ed.

I'm still gonna look at the Audi A8L with the supercharged 3.0L V6, I've heard alot of good about that motor and the 8 speed its hooked up to.

red996

My car is my first Mercedes. Owning an S class has always been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid and got to sit in a brand new W140. Good luck with your search and hopefully you will make the right decision.

MikeJ65

I bought the wife an '11 S550 4matic with the 273 engine, mainly because I thought it was a mature combination and the most reliable way to go (obviously not with the 4matic, but it is her winter car in snow country so that was a must). It was also a one owner, always dealer serviced, and with complete service records. I am an engineer and have worked in the automotive industry. If you saw some of the last minute engineering changes prior to launch or sat in a couple of new model launch meetings at an assembly plant, you would never buy a car/engine/transmission in it's first year. Of course, there are many that you shouldn't buy in year 2, 3, or 4 either, but by that time you know what you are getting.

Samdance

I have a 2012 S350 with 92K on it. There are not a ton of them out there but they are incredible highway cruisers. I just did a 1200 mile trip in mine and averaged 37 mpg, and I was cruising over 80 most of the time. It is very powerful, quiet, and comfortable to drive; it will cruise all day at 100+ with ease.

I have a great local mechanic that works on it and the only issue I have had with mine is the oil cooler seal leak that is common to these engines. In 6 years it has been no more expensive to maintain than my FJ Cruiser or my wife's Yukon. I will say that I do not have the AMG wheel/brake package which does lower the cost of service and repairs. All that said, these are sophisticated vehicles that were over $100K new and the parts costs can be high. The key is to NOT pay the dealer service rate which in my town is $180 per hour. My independent charges me $105.