Comments on 2004 Mercedes S430 ~100K miles

[Vikas]

Apart from air suspension, what else do I need to look out for? I peaked underneath and did not notice any rust. There is no bubbling of paint near quarter panel. All gadgets are supposed to be working. I am somewhat tempted but I prefer next generation i.e. 2007+ model year. However, those are not in my price range yet.

This will be a daily driver and expected to run for another 100K+ and 10+ years without much drama and without putting me in the poor house or worse, the boss putting me in the dog house for this purchase!

Are 2007 better built than the previous generation? I can not go any older as the boss does not like older models even though I know they were built like a tank in 90's. So we are only comparing the current vs previous generation here.

All comments, pros and cons; including "I should have my head examined" are welcome!

 

[spavel6]

Our 2005 E320 was doing very well up until the last year (nearing 100k). We did have the extended warranty, which paid for itself when the rear differential got replaced around 60k miles. Last year, 2 springs broke, and an ABS reluctor ring rusting meant we replaced a rear axle under warranty, and I paid to have all the springs and shocks replaced (in retrospect the shocks were actually still fine). I used all genuine MB parts, so shock/spring parts came to about 1k, the diff was about 4k with labor, the axle was around 1.5k.

Now the GPS antenna isn't picking up a signal, and the sunroof is not responding to the switch. Both are minor gripes, but I'm sure if I brought it to the dealer it would be BIG $$.

You pay to play, basically. The ride is amazing, it feels like a tank. The dealership service experience is A+ amazing. But everything costs a whole lot more.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
This will be a daily driver and expected to run for another 100K+ and 10+ years without much drama and without putting me in the poor house or worse, the boss putting me in the dog house for this purchase!
Keep dreaming Vikas!

A Mercedes would be one of the last cars I'd ever buy. Start pricing some things out, call up some dealers or mechanics and say "I've got a 2004 Mercedes S430 and I need a new radio" or "I would like to buy a new door panel" or "price for replacing a thermostat"

It's like owning a Volkswagen x100

Don't do it!

 

[michaelluscher]

...did you read the Doug Demuro article?

 

[cptbarkey]

Originally Posted By: Vikas

This will be a daily driver and expected to run for another 100K+ and 10+ years without much drama and without putting me in the poor house or worse


yup, your nuts. then again, i am thinking of buying a ram 2500 / 3500 with no intention of using it for its intended purpose, just occasional redneck antics.

 

[Noey]

Ok, "You should have you head examined".

I've owned many Benzes over the years, grew up with them, too. Ahh, the 6.3. The 6.9. Those were cars worthy of the 3 pointed star. Anyways, Benz makes a good car..although everyone has pretty much caught up....but the thing I learned is that they are never inexpensive to maintain, especially when the miles add up. And, buying used, you are completely at the mercy of the prior owners service history. A Mercedes does not suffer fools gladly, and many people ditch them..especially with 100k miles...b/c they now face the consequences of poor or missed maintenance x the age of the car. They always look nice, it's what lurks underneath that counts. As a Sunday cruiser, maybe. As a daily driver? You'd be nuts.

Run away from this car as fast as you can. If you cannot afford a new one...or at least a CPO...look at something else. You cannot imagine the heart ache and expense of driving someone elses 100k Mercedes, even of the clock still works.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: michaelluscher
...did you read the Doug Demuro article?


I was thinking the same thing

 

[Astro14]

The W220 is a good car, actually, it's an awesome car with incredible ride, handling and luxury, but the air suspension is approaching the age of major work. You'll get to know Arnott Suspension, that rebuilds the struts for half of dealer cost, but still $600 each. Engine is bulletproof. Transmission is the NAG 1 - you'll want to change the filter, fluid and connector plug. Driveshaft will likely need new bearings and flex discs. Brakes are straightforward. OEM pads work great but dust heavily. The brake fluid is often neglected, leading to expensive component replacement.

The big issue with the W220 is the body/systems. EG: close assist on doors leak...then fail, stressing the PSE pump...which then fails, and costs $400.

2005 brought a minor redesign and refresh. They're better cars, but they will all eat you alive if you can't DIY.

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: Vikas
This will be a daily driver and expected to run for another 100K+ and 10+ years without much drama and without putting me in the poor house or worse, the boss putting me in the dog house for this purchase!
Keep dreaming Vikas!

A Mercedes would be one of the last cars I'd ever buy. Start pricing some things out, call up some dealers or mechanics and say "I've got a 2004 Mercedes S430 and I need a new radio" or "I would like to buy a new door panel" or "price for replacing a thermostat"

It's like owning a Volkswagen x100

Don't do it!

+1, I was thinking the same thing. You don't buy a Mercedes if you want to save money.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Maybe look at used LS430 instead

 

[Hokiefyd]

Man. I thought I'd never see consensus on anything on BITOG, but sure enough, this thread delivers...

 

[rshaw125]

If you can't buy an extended warranty then don't buy it. They are the deal of the century. Carmax does one. I am a recent convert when I bought my Accord. Worth every cent.

 

[OVERKILL]

It would probably be less expensive to buy a 5-series bimmer of the same age. Heck, you could get a 2003 530i that would be far more forgiving on the maintenance side as an alternative

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
It would probably be less expensive to buy a 5-series bimmer of the same age. Heck, you could get a 2003 530i that would be far more forgiving on the maintenance side as an alternative

Buy an Accord or Camry for the same money.

 

[Vikas]

We are still talking about rear wheel drive S430; not AMG or V12 beast here! This is almost like bread and butter for MB! I have a feeling that Doug was talking about one of those cars.

But you guys know me better than myself. I am the one who bought Acura instead of CPO BMW couple of years ago; so you know my risk tolerance.

I will know for sure but I suspect the vehicle already has been converted with Arnott. I will have to confirm that before even thinking about purchasing it. I can get third party extended warranty for the car. At this stage I do not know the cost of it. As you know, I am not the type of the person to purchase extended warranty but I may have to make an exception in this case.

Quote:
The W220 is a good car, actually, it's an awesome car with incredible ride, handling and luxury, but the air suspension is approaching the age of major work. You'll get to know Arnott Suspension, that rebuilds the struts for half of dealer cost, but still $600 each. Engine is bulletproof. Transmission is the NAG 1 - you'll want to change the filter, fluid and connector plug. Driveshaft will likely need new bearings and flex discs. Brakes are straightforward. OEM pads work great but dust heavily. The brake fluid is often neglected, leading to expensive component replacement.

The big issue with the W220 is the body/systems. EG: close assist on doors leak...then fail, stressing the PSE pump...which then fails, and costs $400.
Thanks for great information!

Trunk flew open when I pressed the opener button. Should it have a damper or something?

By the way, is there a typo about repair cost? $400 is peanuts for *any* S class repair I did not notice close assistance on the doors. May be it did not have that option? The dealer showed me the older one which he demonstrated the door closer. Trunk flew open when I pressed the opener button. Should it have a damper or something?

We already have our Accord/Camry actually the Acura which we are keeping. This will be an extra car.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
It would probably be less expensive to buy a 5-series bimmer of the same age. Heck, you could get a 2003 530i that would be far more forgiving on the maintenance side as an alternative

S430 is the same class with 740i, not 530i.

My BIL had 2005 530i for 4-5 years, he had many parts failed in the years he had it, he could not keep up with repairs/maintenance he got rid of it 2 years ago. My 2000 E430 had less than 1/2 his problems, it was in garage 2-3 times the last 5 years for minor problems.

If you're lucky you may have a reliable MB car, if not then you're in for big trouble.

If you buy either MB or BMW at that vintage, don't forget to obtain a fluid extractor to do oil change, ATF, brake ...

 

[Wolf359]

Have you considered the E class? The 2008/2009 E350's aren't too bad in price and aren't as much as the 2007 S class cars. If you want a lower price, you could go with a 2007 E350, but make sure they're from the later period as the early 1/3 of 2007 had balance shaft problems and all 2006. They also have fewer expensive options like no Airmatic or SBC to break. But as others said, if you want to play, you've got to pay. Does the S have the power trunk opener/closer?

Also in terms of figuring out what options it has, use epcnet from Mercedes, you can create a free account if you're in the US, it asks for a credit card, but doesn't charge you. You can run the vin on it and see exactly what options it has. There's a couple russian sites too, just use google translate to get it in English.

http://www.neoriginal.ru/cat/mb

http://carinfo.kiev.ua/cars/vin/mercedes

https://epc.startekinfo.com/epc/subscribe.jsp

 

[surfstar]

A stupid, stupid purchase.

LS430 if you "need" something in that class.

The maintenance/upkeep costs of the largest Benz would be akin to a boat.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: JC1
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Originally Posted By: Vikas
This will be a daily driver and expected to run for another 100K+ and 10+ years without much drama and without putting me in the poor house or worse, the boss putting me in the dog house for this purchase!
Keep dreaming Vikas!

A Mercedes would be one of the last cars I'd ever buy. Start pricing some things out, call up some dealers or mechanics and say "I've got a 2004 Mercedes S430 and I need a new radio" or "I would like to buy a new door panel" or "price for replacing a thermostat"

It's like owning a Volkswagen x100

Don't do it!

+1, I was thinking the same thing. You don't buy a Mercedes if you want to save money.
x3. buy a jeep xj or something you can work on and fix cheaply

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
A stupid, stupid purchase.

LS430 if you "need" something in that class.

The maintenance/upkeep costs of the largest Benz would be akin to a boat.


Affluent folks that buy a Benz can also afford to have it repaired...