sam99

Hello,
I have a mechanic that I trust and he advised me not to buy any type of car with a Turbo engine. So after a long search, I finally found a 2011 MB S550 which is the last year Mercedes Benz S class made NA (naturally aspirated), and in 2012 they started making 4.7 L Turbo engines.
The car I found has 50,000 miles on it and had regular maintenance at an MB official dealer and super clean. My mechanic said the newer S550 class with Turbo engines are guaranteed to have problems but the NA (naturally aspirated) engines have less trouble but they do have many issues.
I have a 2000 E320 with 205,000, miles on it and also a 2002 ML320 with 240,000 miles. I understand that 320 and 500 engines are bulletproof engines. I understand that the e350 engine is not the same as e320 and totally different engine.
So, I like to know if I will be facing lots of headaches if I get this 2011 S550 which I really like the look and also the ride.
I heard about the air shocks that once they go bad, probably around 120,000 miles, it will drain my wallet. But also the Lexus L460 air shocks at the Lexus dealer cost $8900 for all 4 of them.
Any experience or suggestion about the car that I'm going to buy is appreciated.
Buying this at CarMax and they told me about an extended warranty will cost me $4-$5K for another 50K miles or 5 years which I think many forums suggested to buy for peace of mind.

WHPH28

If I listened to everyone who said don't buy mercedes with a v12, don't buy a car with turbos, don't buy an S550, don't buy a range rover, don't buy a jaguar, and on and on and on, I'd be driving a 1987 ford escort.

There is a difference bewteen airmatic and abc suspension.

Search through the posts on here as every question you have is most likely answered several times and there are many "should I buy" type of posts. If you get a warranty, find out exactly what it covers and what it doesn't.

Good luck in your decision making.

BOTUS

my father's w211 e class is like a go kart, you can throw it about, almost enjoy driving it, the ride is better than airtragic, his seats are far less uncomfortable than the heated vent dynamic rubbish designed to fail ones and in general his doesn't car play up

my w221 is expensive and awful to drive with the worse seats of any car I have ever sat in

DaleB

Your trusted mechanic needs to step out of the 1980s.

We've owned several vehicles with turbos. Ford, Volvo, Mercedes, single turbos, twin turbos, inline six, V-6, V-12. They do get regular maintenance in accordance with manufacturer recommendations; they do not get pampered. I've never once had a single issue involving the engine internals or turbo system on any one of them. Ever. I would not hesitate to buy another vehicle with one or more turbochargers. In fact, the one vehicle we do own that lacks boost (a Toyota Highlander) very desperately needs it.

Arrie

I bought my 2013 S550 about a year ago. I was looking for one with the NA engine (2010-2011) but could not find one at that time.

If the car you are looking at has options you want I would buy it. My 2010 E550 has the same 5.5 L engine with 180000 (Highway) miles on it. I like that engine a lot.

sam99

Thank you for all your inputs which have helped me.
I spoke to a Sr. MB official dealer advisor about this matter. He said the low mileage in an older car is not that important since an old car will have its own problems due to age and sometimes could be like opening a can of worms.
He also said the older S550 NA (naturally aspirated) been having more problems than the newer Turbo engines which are more efficient and have fewer issues.
So I test drove a 2013 S550(Turbo engine) and loved the power and I think I'm going to buy it. This car has 105,000 miles on it but constant maintenance at an official MB dealer. ($20K)
I also found a clean and super low mile 2011 E550, but the E body and S body can't be compared.

Many of my friends who were MB owners for many years have brought Lexus LS460 and never had any problems with it even at high mileages, have tried to convince me to get a Lexus LS460.
I think Toyota engines are great but the joy that an MB, especially the S class gives you is not found in a Lexus which has no character.

BOTUS

the current crop of Mercedes engines are by far the least likely to reach high mileages...
whilst the dealer seems to have given sensible info, "oddly" it does lead you to buying one he sells, rather than an older on he won't have (now there's a surprise?).

the stop start pretend to save the planet feature all manu have jumped on, is a beautifully marketed stitch up. It has two purposes. 1) pretends to reduce the environmental load each manu's range gives 2) sells lots more cars (and actually creates far more pollution than stop start could ever have saved) And "remarkably" comes with other engineering changes weakening the once durable valve train mechanism. The cam chain is now a single roller made of cheese, designed to fail and trash the engine in no time at all. All rather unfortunate as "oddly" with start stop the valvetrain comes under a dramatic uplift in strain as it starts and stops.

Lease a better newer car and throw in a skip at 2 years (or at a stretch 3 years) - like the German brands have been designing them for the last 7 years....

sam99

Well, after test driving S550 NA and S550 Bi-Turbo and E550 NA, I found a one-owner 2014 CLS550 with 35,000 miles on it and bought it and just love it.
It has lots of torque and tuned a little different than S550, but both are 4.7 Bi-Turbo engines.
I did a test drive a Lexus LS460 and it was an insult to me.

BOTUS

Lexus' fixation with the appalling CVT boxes almost single handily must be keeping Mercedes alive.

if they were to fit a proper gearbox it would be no contest

tonylinc

Call me a snob, but the day I quit my Benzos and get a Lexus is the day I quit driving altogether. I admit, I haven't ever driven a Lexus. But, that will also never happen. Before I'd get a Lexus I would get a chevy or a ford. For the past thirty years the japanese cars have been trying to copy the benzos. I prefer the real thing. All my Mercedes are basically bulletproof, the most reliable and best cars I've owned. With the exception of the W221 S500 (2002). I currently own five Mercedes and a Maserati. Even the Maserati is amazingly reliable and trouble-free, (It's a 2004 hand built by Ferrari with 68K miles on it and never one moment of trouble) ... I must have the golden touch or something. My GL450 SUV did have an issue with a wheel speed sensor wire harness, but that was a factory recognized snafu where they had zip-tied the wires together too tightly, and when ordering new parts, Mercedes actually substituted a new wire harness in lieu of the part! knowing that this was the cause. Once fixed, of course, all was fine again.
Other than that... all these Benzos couldn't be better.

BOTUS

horse for courses

the first Lexus was a far better car than any Merc at the time and last 4 times as long
the Honda NSX was a far better car than any Ferrari (of its era)