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 it. I'm on my 2nd full size RR...love it. very versatile. Enjoy it.

 

You'll be back.

 

Thanks for posting the ownership history. Good luck with the RR!

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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

 

No need to say goodbye, former W221 owner and new owner of Land Rover Range Rover. The MB World community is one of the best out there!

 

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...

 

Good Luck. I think you will be back in a Benz sooner than you think.

 

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)