MB_Fahrer

Hello all, I have been attempting to figure out what car I want to purchase for about the last four months, and I think maybe I have finally made up my mind...sell my current cars and go find an S600. Now one more question: what do you all think of an '03-06 S600 versus an '03-06 S55/65 AMG? I doubt I can manage to pull together the funds for the S65 but it is a possibility... The S55 would work out no doubt and same with the S600. Yes I know the S65 blows the other cars out of the water when it comes to sheer performance but on a day to day basis how do these cars compare? Are maintenance costs very different for any of these cars? How about insurance? How about general practicality? (etc, etc, etc)

Thanks!
Rick

rondocap

The S65 is nice - but maybe a bit overkill, and likely not worth the extra cash unless you have it to spare.

Now, S600 vs S55 - it depends on what you want. I personally would choose the S55, because I think it's a bit more aggressive in every sense. The V8 throttle is more "alive", the AMG body kit, especially considering it has quad exhaust, is really nice.

Sure, the S600 has a few more interior niceties, but it's really not that major in my opinion. The extra rumble you get from the lively S55 is worth it, and it's an AMG.

DRTYLNDY

I ponder this everyday. Right now I have a S55 but I think maybe I should just get a S65. Then my sensible side reminds me that I already have 500hp and tq and I should just save the cash! The S600 seems very nice and fast but like stated earlier I like the slightly obnoxious sound and look of the S55. No matter what car you get I do not think you will be disappointed unless the ABC dies! Mine just did and cost me over 7K!!!

Reckless

IMO, get the S600 and save the extra cash for some other toy. The S65 is nice, I wish I had the upgraded suspension and nicer turbos... but its soo overkill that the real world differences are marginal considering how much more it is. Plus the S65 tends to be more problematic and expensive for a brake job.

I do believe in upgrading the S600 brakes which costs around $2200 if you do some drilling and go with the S55 brake kit (less noisy and less dust). The stock 600 brakes are lousy and almost useless at high speeds.

I prefer that the S600 silent but deadly speed. Once you do the ECU upgrade the car is awesomely fast but somehow the car can never look like a sports car. I love the look on peoples faces when I blow by their sports car in a family 4 door sedan. I think the seats are nicer in the 600 compared to the 65 but I could be confused on this.

Make sure to get a good warranty.

JR.

.

real world around town driving.

the 55 motor seems lighter and more responsive especially off idle.

the 65 motor feels like a brick to get rolling from a stop, put it in drive or reverse and it just sits there, needs a fair amount of rpms to get rolling.
if you care about gas mileage you can watch the needle drop.

once on the expressway, the 65 is a dream. 55 pretty great as well.

amg is the only way to go.. plus the sound outside the car is cool.

in my head the 65 is front end heavy but don't know by how much.

no late model MB without a warranty.

.

retardedmunk

they only built 420 65's in 2006 and a good 20% or more were wrecked and sold overseas...so there are maybe 300 or so around...meaning there are 3x more SLR's around then S65's....rare car indeed...it is fast...mine ran 122 mph in the 1/4 stock... that is 5 car lengths to a new GT500....reliability is generally the same with these cars..though i trust the v12 more....in the end a nice 65 can be had for less then $45k is you can find one....and it is worth it...they are not dropping much more then that so the car will hold its value overall....those who know what they are drool to own one and those that dont know are yuppies who buy a C63...then shake their head when a 65 pulls them like they are standing still in power and engineering.....and the C63 buyer put out a lot more green in the end for a inferior car...

if you get a 600 you will want a 65
if you get a 55 you will lose very badly to a 65 and many other cars as well...
then you will wish you had the 65 with the "most powerful production engine put in a production car"....yes it is....

And I do not know where and why someone said the 65 is slow out of the stop....NOT TRUE....it is just not as sensitive as a 55....this is a blessing...it has a tight stall but it also has 750 lbs of torque under 2000 rpm...i can spin tires in my car at 60 mph on dry pavement easy....

nachilus

A few things, how can a v12 be more reliable than a V8 and S55 will lose badly, come on.

My in-law works for Mile one (Mercedes of silver spring and the other at Mercedes of Baltimore after he left Mile one BMW) After talking with the mechanics at the shops i specifically asked how many S55 they worked on; and they said a few and i asked about the V12 TT they laughed and said alot. Now don't get me wrong in all model of cars they are a bad bunch made and some of us are just unfortunate to get the bad apple.

I drove a 2004 V12 non AMG before buying the S55 and it wasn't aggressive enough fro me especially coming from a BMW 740 and a 745; nice cruiser but no. V12 without AMG will require a lot of mods to bring it to the level of aggressiveness and stance of the S55.


As far as power goes; I never compared it so i cannot disagree or agree there. As someone else in the forum mentioned the difference between a loaded S55 and S600 is indeed subtle.

The S65 well..... Lets say its very desirable an i will leave it at that since i never drove one.

This is just my opinion, Buy what you like and feel because at the end of the day you will have to drive your decision not us.

BVLDARI

I agree with a lot of what people are saying. I drove a s55 and a friend's renntech cl600 and multiple s65. To me the bottom line was the uniqueness, refinement, but yet brutal power that this car produced while sounding super sophisticated, being a great tourer, and offering fairly incredible handling characteristics period. sure it's no Porche but look at the numbers it puts down and what it weights you know it is a serious car. and besides, doing a cross country trip in a 911 will be less than entertaining.

I couple of friends that have been in my car have noted that the ride is relatively "rough" (as rough as an S class can be). I personally have no regrets, but knew that buying anything less than the 65 would be regrettable. after all - the biggest reason to buy this car is the engine.

imho, if you are not sure, go drive them and ask yourself what is important to you. you may find that for what you are looking for the 55/600 will be enough, for me it wasnt. To me, the 55 was in a way common - mainly because of the v8. Please dont take this the wrong way, the car is great but there was more. The 600 to me is more for people who's primary focus is luxury but enjoy stomping on the gas here and there. the v12s are buttery smooth - the smoothest engines I can think of... The 65 took the sport from the 55 and married it with the smoothness of the 600 but both on steroids!

and agree, the throttle response is very subdued on this car. it was programed, especially from a standstill, to be very unresponsive. given the power output - this is probably a good thing.

and lastly, i can vouch for spinning tires and making the rear end go wide at 60 mph (but it's the middle of winter so it probably doesnt count )...


P.S. If I were you, I would keep your SL and buy a S65 if you can swing it.

rondocap

The price difference for a used S55 vs S65 now isn't as big as it used to be, but it's still a few thousand dollars - if you have to stretch your finances too much, I think it's better to just get the S55 and save the extra money for any maintenance or whatever else.

I put a lot of importance on low speed, off the line power, feel, and most importantly, responsiveness. The S55 wins out vs the S600 and even S65 in these regards. It's just really alive and happy to be accelerated. And considering that it's hard to really go too fast on anything but a closed track due to traffic and the law, a lot of fun you get is just the usual stop light acceleration, or accelerating in the slower speeds - and I think the low end responsiveness of the S55 is more thrilling for this sort of thing. The S600 is smoother, and the S65 is more thrust when you really get moving due to the enormous power - but the S55 is a good compromise.

Gondon

IMO V12TT you cant go wrong.

Just pop the AMG exhaust on your S600 and mash the pedal.

Zax63

A couple of questions:
Are you keeping or selling your track car? Are you going to race the Benz? How do you feel about expensive repair bills? How old are you (you don't need to answer that one) and what kind of driver are you?
Since you have a track car and an M3, it can be assumed that you like razor sharp responses. While none of the Benz's you mention will handle like your bimmers, the S55 will probably have the best balance of suspension, power, and maintenance you sound like you are looking for. Plus, there are many well documented modifications for the 55 motor that you can find in the e55 partition. I will say that the maintenance costs of the AMG cars can be astounding if you are not ready for them for certain items. I remember on my e500, I got all four brake rotors and pads done from the dealer for 1k. My E63 was 3k for the front rotors and pads. In my understanding, the brakes on 55's are cheaper because the rotors are 1 piece, but you get the idea. I suspect that due to the rarity and complexity of the tt 12, whether you are talking 600 or 65, you are talking significantly higher maintenance costs, and I'm guessing more weight over the front end of the car. For sh*ts and giggles, I'd call a local mb dealer and get a quote on a full tuneup (plugs and all) on a 55, 600, and 65. I'm guessing they ramp up accordingly. Just my two cents. I'd also spend the extra money and get a low mileage example and CPO it. In my experience, with any german cars, the less electronic options you get the better off you are maintenance wise down the road. When your distronic fails, are you going to spend the money to fix an option that you never use? I didn't think so. Well when you go to sell the car, now you have to explain why you didn't maintain it.

MRAMG1

I guess you haven't look at dragtimes.com

The S600 or S65 will CRUSH the S55. And YES that is off the line as well my friend.

My S600 does 0-60 in 4.0 flat. 3.9 with the perfect launch as it is VERY hard to control 700 ft/lbs of torque. Did I mention that either V12 has significantly MORE torque than the V8 below 2000rpm, you know the stuff that moves the car off the line. I do not know where you get your information from, but please stop by in Pittsburgh some time so I can show you what the V12 will do to your 8 from a dig

I will grant you that I am jealous of your breaks

BVLDARI

I forgot to mention - 15.4" 8 piston front brakes on the 65 .... Another reason I WANTED this thing.

Is the 65 something you NEED. No. You have to WANT it. And I agree with the others - you need to be ready for higher bills. The "regular" maintenance (A/B) is fairly similar for each (I have checkeed) but on the 65 you have 24 spark plugs, the brakes are super expensive (I have to check my bill but pads from the dealer are in excess of $400 each axle. Rotors are some ungodly amount that I forget (I think closer to $1000 each axle). Again, I would highly recommend that you go drive each for at least a half hour, or at least drive a 55 and a 600. Then you will have a better idea of what you like/dislike about each of them and you know know whether it is worth spending the extra $ for the v12s.

rondocap

I know the S65 is faster and even the 600 has more torque, but for some reason the 55 engine is a bit more aggressive In response and feel, it doesn't need much to get it moving, while I think the other s65 and s600 engines need a little bit more coaxing as they are smoother- that is what I meant.

MRAMG1

Hey, its all good my friend. For me, the 55 or the 63 were never in the picture as I wanted more torque to move our over 2 ton tanks. Okay, there was somehting about owning a V12 that I liked as well.

I will grant you that the 55 does seem/sound more aggressive thats for sure. But on the track or street it is only a perception not reality.

Above all else, all of the above mention toys are GREAT rides

Gondon

You drove the SC V8?

The reason you say that is because the SC has no lag.

MRAMG1

You do realize that the S600 and S65 have their full torque avaible in stock form from 1800 rpm don't you

I would HARDLY call that turbo lag, IMHO

TMC M5

I think most of these arguments are about "perception". The 55K exhaust sounds louder and better than both the 600 or 65 (stock for stock). I think that loudness and higher revving nature of the 55K gives the driver the impression of greater speed. The V12TT is a victim of its own smoothness... yes the speed builds at an alarming rate...but it does it in such a calm and easy manner that it cloaks the sensation of speed.

I personally thought the 65 exhaust was too quiet so I deleted out the rear mufflers (as others have also done). It makes the car sound pretty nasty when you go full throttle (it still isn't too loud as the exhaust still runs through the twin turbos after warming up).

Tom

rondocap

You got it - it's about perception. If you have the desire to spend a little more though, I would always get the S65. Ultimately it is the fastest and the most powerful of the three - but the original poster said he would have to stretch it a bit, so I imagine the S55 would fit the bill in terms of entertainment vs value for the money very well, since on the streets it'd be harder to really get the full whiff of power the S65 brings. Likewise the S600 has more modding potential off the bat compared to the 55k engine, so it's really very personal like I said.

Regardless - all 3 are amazing cars with a lot of power, so it's really up to how much you'd want to spend and how you personally like driving them. Take them on a test drive - especially the S55 vs S600 since they are close in prices nowadays.

retardedmunk

After owning 55's -65's and 600's. My higher mile cars were neear trouble free
IE my S65 it has 61k on the clock now 3k miles I have put on since owning and it has been down the track twice ... Zero issue car --no warranty and I don't plan on getting one .....3 of my low mile 65's --- under 20k miles all were at the dealer a few times right after taking ownership --- simply put drive the cars --

The 55's are prone to SC clutch issues but otherwise rocksoild just like the
v12 except that the v12's work less and make greater power giving them a
better overall reliability ---- I deal strictly with an independant Benz Mechanic unless I buy a car under factory warranty --- the costs of brakes and maintanance is less then half of what people were mentioning here at my mechanic

Dealers are rip offs plain and simple
At the end of the day these cars are not nearly as expensive to own as
the some members here say --- try owning as many as I have and you will
realize

Infact I have a 2004 S55 black on black I am going to be selling
It runs and looks like a 25k car but has a little over 120k miles ....
Keyless go and a few other options .... Again a driven taken care of Benz can see an easy 250k miles
I am going to ask $19500 for the car ..... I have seen 150k mile 2-3 year old Hondas selling for close to that .....

The materials used to build these AMG's are top of the line ...
I have owned 225k mile 1987 Turbo buicks running 10's in the 1/4 on the original stock block.... So why can't a Modern Benz outlast anything else??

We need to give these cars more credit then we do

I always say a 100k mile AMG is compared to a 25k mile Cadillac

Zax63

From your lips to the Car Gods ears... I'd love to keep this thing for 200k miles.

rondocap

My S55 has about 120k thousand miles, and I don't see why it won't go past 300, or even more miles - since I do maintenance very strictly, and always before something is due - and I drive it very often so I think it will last!

maw1124

First of all, I say AMG only. So that knocks out the S600. It's a great car. It's just not an AMG. And who wants that kind of power in a non-race car? For that kind of power, I think you might as well have the racing sensation, and in a MB that means AMG. S55 v. S65, I say go with the lighter, more responsive S55. Tune and pulley it if you need the extra power. The trans can handle it and AMG is known for de-tuning these cars. That way you get the best of both worlds -- extra power AND lower curb weight. Frankly, I have trouble using everything my S55 has, and I've seen 110mph in 3rd, which is the only reason I haven't tuned it yet. Now in a W221 (heavier car), I say S65 all day. I'm quietly thinking about one now, just want to know that the kinks have been all worked out first.

Good luck. You really cannot go wrong.

MB_Fahrer

I'd like to keep the track car, but I'll probably end up selling it too unfortunately. I am not going to track it. At most I'd take it to my local drag strip for s**** and giggles every now and again. The expensive repair bills scare me a bit, but I am not overly concerned with the idea. I plan on at least attempting to work on the car myself...but we'll see how long that lasts. I am turning 20 in April. On the street I cannot stand cars without torque. The BMW's drive me up the wall because yes they have horsepower but very little torque. At least for my taste. I like to be able to get off the line very fast without using 6000rpm to do so.

MB_Fahrer

I am a bit of a modding freak (I'll try to post up pix of my 325 track car and you'll know what I mean)... I am having a bit of trouble getting excited about the S55 because its supercharged and has 500hp/tq. The S600 has 500hp and almost 600tq. Renntech (http://www.renntechmercedes.com/s_220.php) offers ECU/tranny chips for the S600 for $5400 that bump the hp up to 625 and the tq up to 745ft-lbs. I realize that the S600 would need some suspension work as well as brakes, and Renntech also offers several brake packages for the S600. By the time I'm done with the upgrades though I probably could have had the S65 in my garage.....