Cost used S550 vs E300 vs Subaru
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BMW 330i
MTrauman, since you’ve owned MBs for over 30 years you would probably know better than anyone. How many times have you had a repair that cost over $2,000? (Other than the gas tank). And what model had the problems? Thanks
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'25 S63 AMG E Performance, '26 CLE 53 AMG
I can even think back to 1995 when I had a 1987 300E. In 1995 I remember a difficult situation I had on the 300E. I remember spending over $2500 (in 1995) on fixing a leak in the air conditioning system. If one is going to have these cars outside of warranty one better be prepared for some much higher repair bills.
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AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Edmunds listed maintenance costs are literally impossible numbers on the S-Class. There is no way to have an annual maintenance of over $8k. Maintenance accounts for service and consumables (brakes, tires). The S550 is cheap on all those accounts. $2-3k would be pushing it at most.
If one disregards any warranty coverage whatsoever, only repairs could be expensive. The S550 has a relatively easy care engine, so suspension or electronic modules would be likely culprits.
Even MTrauman's listed suspension issue for $10k is one that could either be done for less via an Indy (assuming 4 struts/pump for approx. 40%) or via MB covering the parts costs. MB will cover partial repair costs on out-of-warranty cars if under 7 years 70k miles upon request. But for the sake of argument $5k+ for repairs are not a stretch.
If one disregards any warranty coverage whatsoever, only repairs could be expensive. The S550 has a relatively easy care engine, so suspension or electronic modules would be likely culprits.
Even MTrauman's listed suspension issue for $10k is one that could either be done for less via an Indy (assuming 4 struts/pump for approx. 40%) or via MB covering the parts costs. MB will cover partial repair costs on out-of-warranty cars if under 7 years 70k miles upon request. But for the sake of argument $5k+ for repairs are not a stretch.
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BMW 330i
I’ve owned a bmw so sounds like these costs aren’t too much different than that. For example one set of brakes was 1500 and had to do that twice. Also had a couple of 2-3 k repairs. I’m probably either going to get an E300 or an S550 so wondering given your actual experiences if the S550 will really be that much more to keep up than an E300. The problem is I drove an S550 and I have never experienced anything like it before! I can see why you guys are fanatics about these cars.
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From: Newcastle, WA
2019 S63 4Matic+, 2018 E400 Cabrio, wardens car.
A lot of the variance on maint seems to be based on your ability and desire to do the work yourself or paying someone to do the work. Dealer wanted over 2K to do my brakes on all 4 wheels. I did it myself for around 800 in parts and I did all new MB rotors, ceramic pads, all new HW and a fluid flush using MB fluid. Pretty easy to do and I knocked it out in a few hours on a Sat. I have an Indy for oil changes just because I do not want to deal with the mess of an oil change and most of the other maint items are very easy to do.
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2010 E350 4Matic
I’ve owned a bmw so sounds like these costs aren’t too much different than that. For example one set of brakes was 1500 and had to do that twice. Also had a couple of 2-3 k repairs. I’m probably either going to get an E300 or an S550 so wondering given your actual experiences if the S550 will really be that much more to keep up than an E300. The problem is I drove an S550 and I have never experienced anything like it before! I can see why you guys are fanatics about these cars.
Last edited by MBNUT1; Sep 25, 2019 at 09:42 PM.
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From: Newcastle, WA
2019 S63 4Matic+, 2018 E400 Cabrio, wardens car.
Extended warranties on these cars are nice but expensive. Think of an ELW as an insurance policy. If you are not OK with surprise repair bills than an ELW might make sense for you. Personally I am comfortable doing the basic wrenching myself and going to an indy for bigger stuff. These are fairly reliable cars at this point especially with low miles ( under 50K) so the odds are that you will not use any or all of the warranty but you never know. Same could be said for most any car though.
