MB s500 (2000-2007) What is the deel with these cars

I have been looking at s500 merc's for a while. You can get early 2000's for as little as 7K. Something in the mid 2000's is closer to 16K.

I found a 2006 with 78K miles for 12.5K.

These were 100K cars when new what a huge depreciation hit. I had a 560 back in the early 90's and loved it. Other than EFI computer dying it was a great reliable car. I really like the look of the big s class merc's from the mid 2000's. How are they mechanically wise? Are they like the old merc's that would go 250K with regular service and maintenance?

What about the AWD option. A 2006 s500 with AWD would be a great car for me but would it blead my bank account dry? Are modern Merc's like cheep Porsche's?

My wife is on board with me getting one so at least that end of things is not a problem.

Anyone have any experene wth these?

I don't have any experience with the s500, but the e class from that vintage at least till 2003 seemed to rust alot. My FIL has a 2002 that the bottom of the fender rotted away. I must say that the look and ride of an s class is fantatic for the price.

Chris

Can you get a CPO one? I'd be afraid to own one outside of the warranty period.

If the S is anything like the E from the same period, the wiring is made from biodegradable hippie string that rotted too quickly. Also, the rest of the car will fall apart. Both of my SIL's E-classes have been total piles, FWIW.

I have nothing to add about the S class but we got my wife a 2006 R350 2 years ago. It had @75K on it and now has @110K. Other than a burned up air compressor it has been rock solid so far.

Javelin wrote: If the S is anything like the E from the same period, the wiring is made from biodegradable hippie string that rotted *too* quickly. Also, the rest of the car will fall apart. Both of my SIL's E-classes have been total piles, FWIW.

That was mainly a little earlier. I've seen them fall apart as late as '98 or so, but I've never seen a W220 with that problem.

The biggest problem on these cars is the air ride. If the air struts have not been changed, budget for them. I think a whole set from Arnott inc with lifetime warranty is about $1,200. Also, replace the air pump relay if it's the original one. The original one has a tendency to fail closed, and the pump will run until it burns itself up. Other than that, the cooling fan motors get noisy, and a replacement is about $180. If the instrument cluster fails to light up, it's a $10 voltage regulator on the cluster. If you can solder, you can fix it.

That's literally the only things I have ever seen fail on these cars, and if those problems have already been taken care of, or you budget for them just in case, they are totally bad ass cars.

The only thing I remember is that when I was in college, Biggie Smalls said "yo, the [betty] push a double-O with a five in front." That's all I got.

Not much in the way of personal experience with them, but working in the auto insurance claims business, I talk to shops/appraisers a lot. I'm not sure exactly what year the biodegradable wiring stopped, but I'd check into that for sure. If it has that stuff, run, run, run. Beyond that, my info is that they're very high maintenance cars. They'll run a long time, but you'll spend a lot of money keeping all of it's gadgets working.

My wife found a 2003 CL500 (coupe version of the S class) that had extremely low miles on it. The car was a "corporate" car that averaged about 3000 miles per year. The Carfax shows multiple battery changes, which figures.

My research revealed the air suspension problems 16vCorey mentions. I think his quote is for the parts alone, because the numbers I saw were about $3500 parts and labor.

She test drove this one and spotted some overspray that the dealer "missed" in their one million point inspection. She also felt a vibration in the seat that might have been a bent suspension piece or wheel. She passed on it. Rather strangely, the dealership sent her a letter acknowledging the repaint and repair that they found "after looking very closely." Of course, she spotted it from five feet away, god bless her...

dean1484 wrote: Are modern Merc's like cheep Porsche's?

They don't depreciate like toilet paper for no reason.

rotard wrote: Can you get a CPO one? I'd be afraid to own one outside of the warranty period.

This be why they are cheap. My FIL sold his for well under a grand. I was tempted, but when we looked at the crazy repairs that it had undergone, I ran away. Plus the tin-worm was making an appearance.

What is going on with German cars and electrical components? 20 lighbulb replacements in 5 years? 3 Electric window failures to include the glass when the damn thing just DROPS into the door?

Basil Exposition wrote: My research revealed the air suspension problems 16vCorey mentions. I think his quote is for the parts alone, because the numbers I saw were about $3500 parts and labor.

Yes, that's for all four reman struts. I could see $3,500 if the shop has a huge parts mark up and gouges labor times, which I wouldn't put it past a "specialty" shop or dealer. The hardest and most time consuming part or changing the front struts is taking the wheel off and putting it back on.

In reply to 16vCorey:

I apologize for the hijack, but. I should have kept my mouth shut but no sooner did make the above post than the air ride on my wifes R started acting up and I have a question.

The passanger side is loosing air over something like 36 hours now that the nights are getting colder. Is there something that I need to look for right off the bat? Is seems strange to me that both shocks on the same side would go at the same time but something is going on.

Thanks

That is strange. I've never worked on an R350, as there are very few in the area, but if the system is anything like the W220, there's not much that can cause the struts to bleed off other than leaking struts. On my dad's S500, the right front was the first to go, followed by the right rear about three months later, so I guess if they were both weak, atmospheric changes could cause them to drop at the same time. Sorry I don't have a better answer for you.

Oh, and on the fronts there are two places they leak from, around the bottom of the air bladder (or what ever you want to call it) and at the top of the strut bearing. Look under the hood at the top of the strut where it bolts to the strut tower, and if you see any cracking, it's probably leaking there. If not, take the wheel off and inspect the bottom of the air bag. If you see any cracking there, it's probably leaking.

Thanks, the car is just about at 100K and the struts are original so I guess it is time.

At least it looks like they should be fairly easy to swap if it comes to that.

Sorry, with the thread title, all I could come up with was:

I know the Lincolns with air suspension have aftermarket kits available to convert them to standard shocks and springs for much cheaper than replacing the air suspension parts. Is there anything like that available for the Merc's?

Family member has one. It has some sophisticated but complicated and expensive electronics and computer controls. if you park it outside be careful that leaves don't clog up the drains at the front and flood the computers...

Mechanically they are pretty solid.

Schmidlap wrote: I know the Lincolns with air suspension have aftermarket kits available to convert them to standard shocks and springs for much cheaper than replacing the air suspension parts. Is there anything like that available for the Merc's?

There are some out there, but they're as much or more than lifetime warranty remans, plus you lose the ability to raise the ride height or use the sport suspension feature.