what's the deal with under 10K MB S500's???

[flskala]

I've seen plenty of these cars going for under 10K. What gives??? Is it just the fuel mileage? I haven't had a Benz since my 300D turbo went after 315k miles years ago. Any insight from S500 owners? I'm going to look at a 2000 S500 Sunday. Anything specific I should look for? All I keep thinking is about how much they were new vs. now and how much I want one. I dunno, maybe they really are under 10k cars now. My apologies if they have been discussed here before.

cheers!

[legion]

Loved my 300D.

I imagine an S500 to have more pep, but still be a heavy steel beast.

[enzo1]

friend of mine bought a cherry 2003 cl550 black perfect car but he lives with the fact if anything ever goes wrong..... edit: 16,500$

[Embraer]

yep...i'd say it's a disposable car. especially out of warranty. LOTS of (expensive) things could go wrong. big audi's, big benzes, and jags...all depreciate for a reason. i felt like i lucked out with my XJR, but i bought that with the intention that it was disposable. the early 2000's mercedes notoriously had wiring harness issues. we used to get these in my shop all of the time.

[Dottore]

I've just been looking at these, and yes you can buy them all day for very little.

The mileage is horrible. And everyone says to avoid the Chrysler-merger cars. (Roughly from 1999 to 2005.)

So if you can live with the lousy mileage and have a friend who's a mechanic, the pre 1999 S's are one of the great automotive bargains out there.

Here in Europe the Phaeton is also an incredible bargain. You can find low mileage examples that have just come off a four year lease and have depreciated almost 90% of their value.

[E38Driver]

My friend had a 2000 S500 and the last couple of years he had it it seemed like every month something was going T!Ts up on it. 4K for a tranny, full set of brakes1K, if I remember right the final straw was some sort of automatic leveling system that went belly up. I know that he was happy to get rid of it. Of course he did by a new500 two door MBZ

Dave

[flskala]

Thanks for info. on possible problems! I too have heard that the pre - 99 S-class' are the best bargain out there. I just don't like that body style (too box like). FWIW, I'm talking about an S-500 AMG w/130K on the clock - no problems, just bad mileage.... yeah right! For under 8K.

[billh1963]

LOTS of electrical issues with MB's of that era.

[speeder]

There is quite a difference between pre-'99 S-class Mercedes and a 2000 model. The late w140 cars, ('96-'99), were excellent and with low miles in good condition fetch decent money. (Typically $12k or more). The early w220 cars, (2000-2003), are not desirable and can be bought for beer money. All of the big Mercedes are fairly high maintenance when they get old, the w220 cars have the addition of air-matic suspension and several other complicated electronic systems to take a schit just when you were about to drive to the desert for the weekend.

My advice would be to stick to the later years of either series and wait for a steal on a creampuff car w/ records. The economy was strong when all of these cars were new and they sold/leased many a boatload of them. They are massively plentiful.

[daepp]

We have a GL450 that just went past 100K and is now out of warranty. Am looking for a new-used car. 'nuff said!

[1990C4S]

Ads - UCR Interesting Non-Porsches - 2004 VW Phaeton V8

2004 Phaeton $20,000. 60,000 miles....

Of course it looks like a Jetta, whereas an S500 looks like a Mercedes.

[Embraer]

I would not buy a Phaeton, unless it was cash, it was under 10K, and I came to terms with the fact that I was throwing money in the toilet. The shop I managed was affiliated with a VW dealership, and that is by far, one of the most over engineered cars. In a shop of 10 guys, I was the only one who could figure out how to even set the clock in that car. Lots of little electrical motors to operate every single thing. I shiver at the thought of owning one out of warranty.

[slow&rusty]

Alot of the electrical issues have been sensationalized by people who either neglected their cars or people who bought cheap high miles that could not afford to fix them and then ranted and raved on the the internet.

The ABC system on the S-Class can be very expensive, no doubting that but any car that uses the neat Airmatic system there are aftermarket struts available inexpensively.

Mechanically these cars are bullet proof as are the build quality.

I love the W140 and the W220 has certainly grown on me. For the same money I would probably have a Gen 2 560SEC with AMG monoblocks.
Yasin

[1986 930]

I bought my second S420, this one is a 1998, W-140 Body Benz around 2 years ago. I paid $9500 and it has been the best car I have ever owned. (2 BMW's, 6 Porsche's, & 3 Mercedes). The thing is cherry and drives like a dream. They can cost a lot to repair when the big one comes, but I will take the maint over the depreciation of a newer car.

It gets 15-16 in town and around 25 on the road. Not too bad for a tank!

I think the 1996-1999 "S" Class is the best buy on the market right now. Those years of SL are going pretty cheap as well. I have been told by a service mgr at Mercedes and my mechanic that the 2000-2007 are not up to the standards of the late 90's cars.

[aigel]

I quizzed a buddy who is a 20+ year MB tech about the newer S classes. He urged me to stay away from anything 91 and newer. He knows I am a DIYer but still recommended I go with a C or E instead.

George

[HardDrive]

Great car. Pull the drivetrain and replace it with with a 350SBC and Turbo 400, and you will get a reliable car.....that gets better mileage than stock :P

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by aigel

I quizzed a buddy who is a 20+ year MB tech about the newer S classes. He urged me to stay away from anything 91 and newer. He knows I am a DIYer but still recommended I go with a C or E instead.

George

Nothing against your buddy, but when MB went from CIS to sequential EFI in 1991, many independent Techs did not buy the newer EFI diagnostic tools and these cars have become so advanced many of the independent Techs did not "update" their training to be on par with the currents advanced models. For example, the new STAR diagnostic digital tool is $1,500 - $2,000 and requires a fair bit of time to learn the software with decent computer aptitude.
Yasin

[aigel]

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

Nothing against your buddy, but when MB went from CIS to sequential EFI in 1991, many independent Techs did not buy the newer EFI diagnostic tools and these cars have become so advanced many of the independent Techs did not "update" their training to be on par with the currents advanced models. For example, the new STAR diagnostic digital tool is $1,500 - $2,000 and requires a fair bit of time to learn the software with decent computer aptitude.
Yasin

My bud is at a MB dealership and a senior tech - he is qualified on every car in the stable including the SLR. I trust his judgement. He mentioned the dash as one big issue where you'll replace the entire unit for major bucks if it goes black as the car won't work without it. I am sure there is aftermarket support where someone rebuilds these, but if a guy of that caliber tells me to "run" I do.

Next is a guy at my work with a V12 from probably mid 90s. Every light on the dash appears to be on. Sure, he is on a budget and not a DIY but I have ridden in a lot of other mid 90s cars with people on a budget and they don't have a Christmas tree lit on there.

As an additional thought, the market really never lies, there is a reason those things are cheap ...

George

[speeder]

This is a very interesting thread IMO because it has a Rashomon effect, ie. for the most part everyone is telling the truth even though the conclusions are very divergent.

An S600 from the 1st gen w140 that has not been maintained every step of the way would be a money pit beyond all imagination, costing its entire value in repairs every month. A '98 S420 in cherry condition would be an unbelievably great car, built better than [I]anything[I] made today at any price. And about as safe as the presidential limo.

The w126 cars, (1991-older), were beautiful cars and very well made but they are getting very old at this point and even the best ones can get needy. One that is not in showroom condition is not worth any $$ at all, hence you can exceed the value of the car with one major brake job. I work part-time at an independent MB repair facility right now and see every one of them all the time, from early '60s cars to 2010 models getting oil changes and brake pads. I have a '96 S500 myself and have owned 25-30 MB cars, (lost count).

[McLovin]

IMO, here's why the cars are so cheap:

1) The main reason is the way cars are bought has completely changed in the last 25 years. Up through at least the early 80s, cars were mostly bought, not leased. They were therefore designed to last a long time, because people tended to keep them a long time (high end cars, like MBs, 911s, etc).

2) That's not the case anymore. Almost all MBs are now leased. Therefore, the owner only cares about how well the car lasts for3-4 years. It would be silly, in this environment, for a manufacturer to build a car designed to last for 30 years/300,000 miles. So they don't.

3) I think even with the big Mercedes, they COULD be good DIY cars, in theory. The problem is, they aren't bought by used enthusiasts (almost never). So no DIY culture will develop around them, little aftermarket support, little to no real repair info on the 'net, etc. This is a big deal for anyone thinking about buying something like a used late model big MB, and DIY'ing. It is very, very difficult when there is no info available, no aftermarket support, etc. It's not fun.

Things like 997s are also complicated, but IMO they will retain some value, and they will be DIY'able in the future, because a DIY culture and aftermarket support will develop, based on demand.

One thing for sure, the prices on high end used stuff, like big MBs, Maseratis, etc. can be unbelievably low.