Everything is to do with how the whole car is!

Has this one been loved, lived in the garage, never been in weather. Polished, detailed monthly..... Or has she been ridden dirty... Put away wet, run in the salt, parked outside and covered with pine needles all her life?

How has she been looked after mechanically? Dealer all it's life with six figures of repair orders... Or DIY-er who only replaced things that made the car go with $20,000 of deferred maintenance?

Also.... The 'K-8 kit' is often done with a whole lot more by Brabus. Interior? Body kit? Headers? What size crank pulley? How far did they turn it up?

Do some research!

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I look at it as a RennTech, which on these cars, probably takes away more value than it adds. Maybe $12,500. But when MB AMG does factory 500hp, what’s the value of extra aftermarket hp?

maw

Jay's Brabus K8 with the full meal deal Brabus interior, 600lb/ft, headers, carbon fiber hood and trunk lid et al made for a $15k premium over an otherwise very nice E55 of same year. His car is essentially the EV12 with a deficit of four cylinders. That previous owner had six figures in enhancements that depreciated every bit as badly as the rest of the car.
A 220 S55 is harder to sell then an E55. Thus; don't expect to pay a big premium for the pulley and software.

I missed the punchline here. All of that is to say the Brabus treatment is worth how much over “other” S55 Kompressors?

I went looking for an E55 and decided I liked the “grown man” 55 sedan (S) over the boy racer version (E). But E vs S wasn’t part of OPs question, unless I missed something. The S is a more costly car to maintain, so fewer people are up for it and yes it’s harder to sell. But again that wasn’t part of his question.

What’s the Brabus premium over stock S55K? My answer is “not much”, no matter what the improvements cost when new. I’d rather have the rear seat and A/C treatment that came stock over any non-factory speed bits.

But then again, I took the S over the E, so there’s that. The EClass set pays for speed all day long. I think the SClass is a different car altogether, from concept to execution to target buyer.

maw

Short answer being that the Brabus crank pulley, belt pulleys, additional charge cooling heat exchanger + bigger water pump for charge cooling assuming it has all that stuff will add as much to value as a willing buyer will pay a willing seller for a car so equipped. OP has not shared what the car is equipped with.

Hint: It won't add much at this point in the car's life. One positive with the Brabus kit being that Brabus still offers replacement parts for things like the special aluminum water pump pulley... Albeit at a premium price.

Brabus USA is interested in selling new cars.

Brabus specific parts we have inquired about have all been available through them... At a considerable premium. There are other sources too.

E-Bay is helpful. That is where Jay ended up purchasing his water pump pulley for 20% of what Brabus wanted for the same updated part.

You ask what the car is worth.... Even if we were able to see detailed information of the car via photos that you have not posted, information about the car such as just what Brabus did to it... They do anything and everything to them; all bespoke... How it is mechanically ect we will still not have any idea as the market is different everywhere in the world. In Japan there is no secondary market for such a car so off they go to the auction to bring peanuts. Here in the USA an 220 S65 that is pretty nice is offered at 18,000 here on the board with low miles. I've done this kind of stuff for too many years to do it for free on a car I have not seen. Do your own research and make a decision that works for you.

Also... If you are fretting about the purchase price.... Will you be able to maintain this kind of car? Be ready to write that high four figures to five figure check.

I'm in the business and am able to replace the engine in one. I got to in my S65. Things happen. It is a complicated machine.

Note.... They got better with the 221 chassis cars. Many annoyances solved. Good luck.

Believe it or not... I'm trying to be helpful. Now you get just a dab of snark.

You refer to a 'Full Brabus Kit.'

In very clear English.... What has Brabus done to the car?

A pulley and software to turn up power? What is power turned up to?

Brabus interior?

Brabus body kit? Carbon fiber Hood and trunk lid? Bumper covers?

Brakes?

Wheels?

Brabus does any combination to all of the above. Or at least they did when people would spend the money on a 220. All of which effect resale.

All of which help about what the car will be worth.

What at is the car worth to you?

What is the car worth to the seller?

/snark

OP don't figure on purchasing this one as a long term investment. Lol

If you like the car and it looks to be worth 14 large to you... Jump on it. Certainly it will be a rare animal.

If you do buy it be sure to insure it with an agreed value policy so that when doorknob backs into the unobtanium hood and bumper your insurance company doesn't come back with "Ummmm we found ya a good use-ed hood and a less scratched up bumper at the pick-an-pull for $175.00 and we'll pay that."

Like I said, $12,500. But that was before I saw it. If it’s the white one in Orange County with the stero “upgrade”, 20” wheels and no rear seat options, that one actually trades at a negative premium to a bone stock one with rear seat options and the original stereo and wheels.

maw

Please post some of these when you get a chance. I’ve not seen “quite a few... with the rear seat package” available. Every now and then I see one or two available. But it’s all about ownership history. I know there’s an ‘04 pewter one I think... but it’s pewter.

maw

Don’t worry about it. I stay on top of them, and have stayed on top of them for the last 10 years. Those rear seat packages were always kinda rare. The one you’re going to look at seems like it can be a good one. These are stout cars. Tons of car for the money and the “no compromise” mix of power, luxury, safety, reliability and style just never gets old. And at this point, I think 10% of MSRP is about as cheap as they’ll ever be. Not that these are $12k cars — the beat up, modified ones are. A 46k mile stocker recently went for almost double that on BaT. Most people are just afraid to own them. But if you can handle any old Benz, you can handle this one.

Happy Hunting,

maw

Yes, you always want the last year in any MB chassis. Subtle parts upgrades during the run. But as a long time MB owner you know that. Here, I think the intercooler pump and some of the ABC campers were upgraded. I don’t really know because I only ever considered an ‘06. A good exercise would be to visit your local MB stealership parts counter to see if they can tell you the superseded parts over those years. They may have a way to search for that.

maw