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This will probably be (one of my) last post(s), I am saying goodbye to my W221 and it's awesome community
After 4 years of W221 ownership I threw in the towel and traded my 2009 W221 for a 2018 Range Rover Velar. I got $8k for the trade in (125k miles, with a few rough edges), the Velar with 30k miles and 3 years of CPO warranty was $55k
I got the W221 in 2017 with ~90k miles for $20k, here are all the things that needed to be replaced since (besides normal wear & tear and normal maintenance)
ABC pump
both front ABC struts
alternator
engine mounts
transmission mounts
starter
pulleys
right control arm
front wheel speed sensors
I really enjoyed driving the car, the smooth ride, the rear legroom, but at the end I was just worried about its reliability and if it would start at all (I never was really able to completely fix the battery drain issue, I was just able to slow it down). The car was also a magnet for every nail on the road. Basically at this point I was just wondering what expensive item would break next (transmission, sunroof, you name it).
The Joeyauto CarPlay adapter is sold, but I got a few things left that I would like to get out of my garage (no reasonable offer refused):
OEM Mercedes roof rack (used exactly 4 times to bring a Christmas tree home), can be shipped, make me an offer
full sized spare tire (Michelin A/S3 on OEM rim with TPMS sensor) used for 500 miles to drive home from San Diego, no sense in shipping it
OEM pre-facelift taillights (andorite grey), you can have them for free, just pay shipping
Now to the new car: There are three cars, where nobody will question your choice of car:
Sportscar: Porsche 911 (check, I got 2 of those, 1 air-cooled, 1 water-cooled)
Luxury sedan: Mercedes S-class (check, well I had mine for 4 years)
Seriously off-road capable Luxury SUV: Range Rover (my new ride)
After 2 weeks of ownership I can say that I love it, but here is what I miss from the W221:
the ABC suspension is much smoother than the Velar's air suspension, but it's a SUV after all
rear legroom is good, but not as spacious as in the W221
the awesome community, looks like there's not a lot of DIY going on with Range Rovers
Cheers
Chris
Last edited by Hatzenbach; Sep 5, 2021 at 12:05 PM.
2007 S600, 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8, 2000 C5 Corvette, 2017 Mustang GT, 2023 300C, and a 2019 Lincoln
It is unfortunate but true that high mileage W221s don't have much resale value. I think they are great platforms to acquire at low-ball prices but you will need to repair and maintain the multiple expensive systems like ABC, Fuel injection, turbos, engine mounts, and sunroof. Still, I think for the total cost of ownership and operation; it is one of the finest cars in the World. Enjoy the RR; but keep your eyes peeled for a more modern S Class as a weekend car. Maybe an S Coupe. Always a V12.
Nice range sir, still a head turner! What am I missing on the trade in? Or was there something big wrong with it? Sounds like a low ball offer 8k.
Thank you!
A couple things: my daughter rear-ended someone on the highway and the "safe-brake assist" didn't slow down the car enough (the Subaru that she hit, literally only had a scratch). But unfortunately the front of the hood has two (small) dents to both sides of the grille (the grille also got smashed but that was easily replaced by me).
Before I bought the car it had a dent patched on the rear quarter panel. This fix now started to bubble.
I could have had these issues fixed for several hundred (or probably thousands) of dollars, or just take the hit during trade in, which I figured was the easier way.
The KBB trade in for a "good" car is ~ $9.5k. And with the issues below I figured that the price was fair.
It is unfortunate but true that high mileage W221s don't have much resale value. I think they are great platforms to acquire at low-ball prices but you will need to repair and maintain the multiple expensive systems like ABC, Fuel injection, turbos, engine mounts, and sunroof. Still, I think for the total cost of ownership and operation; it is one of the finest cars in the World. Enjoy the RR; but keep your eyes peeled for a more modern S Class as a weekend car. Maybe an S Coupe. Always a V12.
Thanks, well I already have two 911 for the weekend, but yes, the one thing I regretted after getting the W221 was NOT getting a V12
This will probably be (one of my) last post(s), I am saying goodbye to my W221 and it's awesome community
After 4 years of W221 ownership I threw in the towel and traded my 2009 W221 for a 2018 Range Rover Velar. I got $8k for the trade in (125k miles, with a few rough edges), the Velar with 30k miles and 3 years of CPO warranty was $55k
I got the W221 in 2017 with ~90k miles for $20k, here are all the things that needed to be replaced since (besides normal wear & tear and normal maintenance)
ABC pump
both front ABC struts
alternator
engine mounts
transmission mounts
starter
pulleys
right control arm
front wheel speed sensors
I really enjoyed driving the car, the smooth ride, the rear legroom, but at the end I was just worried about its reliability and if it would start at all (I never was really able to completely fix the battery drain issue, I was just able to slow it down). The car was also a magnet for every nail on the road. Basically at this point I was just wondering what expensive item would break next (transmission, sunroof, you name it).
The Joeyauto CarPlay adapter is sold, but I got a few things left that I would like to get out of my garage (no reasonable offer refused):
OEM Mercedes roof rack (used exactly 4 times to bring a Christmas tree home), can be shipped, make me an offer
full sized spare tire (Michelin A/S3 on OEM rim with TPMS sensor) used for 500 miles to drive home from San Diego, no sense in shipping it
OEM pre-facelift taillights (andorite grey), you can have them for free, just pay shipping
Now to the new car: There are three cars, where nobody will question your choice of car:
Sportscar: Porsche 911 (check, I got 2 of those, 1 air-cooled, 1 water-cooled)
Luxury sedan: Mercedes S-class (check, well I had mine for 4 years)
Seriously off-road capable Luxury SUV: Range Rover (my new ride)
After 2 weeks of ownership I can say that I love it, but here is what I miss from the W221:
the ABC suspension is much smoother than the Velar's air suspension, but it's a SUV after all
rear legroom is good, but not as spacious as in the W221
the awesome community, looks like there's not a lot of DIY going on with Range Rovers
Cheers
Chris
Good luck with the Range Rover. I will not call it a RR as the real RR guys might get mad...
These SUVs look nice but in the past English cars had a bit of bad reputation on quality. I hope it has improved...a lot...
I agree, no need to say goodbye , I don't have a Mercedes-Benz (missing my W212 ) but still hang around here because I love Mercedes-Benz World Forums .
I trust your new ride will serve you well
Apple CarPlay box and the taillights are gone
I still would like to get the following things out of my garage:
* iCarsoft MBII scanner
* roof rack
* full size spare (wheel & tire & TPMS sensor)
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