Can I afford an S Class

[Stuey]

Hi Guys new to this I have run Audis for the past 20 odd years but fancy a change - I was contemplating an Audi A8 when a mate said why not a 3 litre S Class

Having checked MB official 2nd hand and Autotrader it seems I can get a nice one for around £30000-00 which is the top end my budget

Is it doable or are the running service costs too high for an ordinary chap with a wife and two kids ?

At present I run an A6 2.0 TDi estate 170 Bhp- fuel costs neglidgable as does 45mpg tax reasonable insurance only £300 fully comp,servicing about £400 pa but just had the clutch go at 98000 and that will be £1000 with dual thingy!
Can I run a 3 ltr S class for similar money? Thanks Stuey

 

[renault12ts]

Welcome.

The world is your oyster with that budget.

Go for the 350 CDI, loads of power, and even more torque...and best of all the economy.

 

[The Boss]

welcome..

as you go up the pricing scale of model ranges, the intricate detail of electronics and fail safe systems are crucial to the cars running, and i would always say, where possible, if your budget is £30k, aim for a car that is as close to this new, and then find something similar, a year or so old.. thats a good basis, as when things go wrong, and are out of warranty, boy oh boy would u be glad u read this post.

s class are phenomenal cars, but as some of the wizardry is quite new, id hold back.

on our s class, present and previous, i have had numerous faults, including faulty dash clusters, failing heating system and leaks through the lower edge of the window, due to leaves blocking something etc etc.. and at the time, these were not under warranty on one, and was on another.

Overall, for £30k, you could pick up a very nice e class diesel, if diesel is what you are thinking of, and other than that, is also say, unless ur liabilities are nearing the end, or are just beginning, their welfare comes first, and thus POTENTIAL costs on more expensive cars could be the ingredient in the mix you might want to avoid, for now anyway!

BUYING AN S CLASS IS VERY DIFFERENT TO OWNING AND RUNNING ONE!

THIS IS ONE OF THE REASON THEY ARE SOLD IN SIGNIFICANTLY LESS NUMBERS THAN SMALLER ENGINED MODELS, APART FROM OF COURSE THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE PRICE BEING HIGH

SOMETIMES, THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD TO BUY ONE NEW, DON'T SIMPLY OF POTENTIAL HORRORS LATER ON..

Just my opinion

good luck!

 

[LTD]

The counter argument that it is totally do-able - especially at your budget.

I bought a 6yo S500 with 98k miles on it for £10k and, apart from brakes and a couple of bushes, I have only had a camshaft sensor fail in the 18 months I have owned it.

Yes, they can break down and yes, they can be expensive if a major component fails. That can happen to any car at any time. Have a search to see just how many horror stories you find on the S Class. I think the majority of owners have had a very pleasurable experience.

The S doesn't seem to have as many issues as the E IMO.

Warranty cover will be a benefit so make sure you get a decent level of cover if you want to be protected.

If you gave me £30k to buy another Merc right now - I'd buy another S Class.

 

[Smiley]

lets face it you will never ever run a s class mercedes for the same as a VAG 2 litre diesel car. My very rough guess of the proportionate running costs would be somewhere between a factor of 2 for a newer s class to 3 for an older one. Just my guess.
Depends how big you want the kids inheritance to be

 

[trapperjohn]

Jonnyboy a member on here has a very tasty S Class LWB for sale for a teeny fraction of the money you are talking about. Why not buy that, keep to VAG alongside it and see how you go.

 

[LTD]

lets face it you will never ever run a s class mercedes for the same as a VAG 2 litre diesel car.

My tax is £245 pa
My Insurance was £400
My last service was a biggie at £285 (B Service including a brake fluid change)

It's only fuel and repairs after that.

 

[Adam230K]

The answer to your question is yes, you can definitely afford to run an s-class.

 

[Mactech]

I ran an S Class for nearly 3 years from new. The running costs were very similar to any other modern diesel car.

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/members-gallery/67380-s-class-sun.html

The worst and only issue I had with mine in 38k miles was an oil filler cap which popped off.
Mine was sold for much the same price as your budget cap and I would really recomend one....that's if you are not paying the initial depecation. That's what makes them expensive.
But if you buy a 2 or 3 year old one, then it has all levelled off and really as others have said, you are looking at 'unitended expense'. If that frightens you, buy an extended warranty.
For me, it is still simply the most stress free form of self drive road travel.

 

[timskemp]

My E class costs less to run than my Volvo S60 did. Any car of this type will have potentially crippling repair bills if anything major goes wrong, just ensure that you get a good warranty and claim for every little thing you can to mitigate the risk.

I believe S class is air suspension on all models - other than that it's not mechanically different to an E or C class, all the rest is gloss and luxury. I know I'd have one without a second thought if they were within my budget.

 

[gunning]

I have an 06 S320 CDI with 33k on it. Night vision, distronic huge spec for sale at £31,500.

 

[Smiley]

My tax is £245 pa
My Insurance was £400
My last service was a biggie at £285 (B Service including a brake fluid change)

It's only fuel and repairs after that.

Its the fuel and the repairs that will be where the biggest differences will be - not fixed costs of tax and insurance or standard servicing.
The complexity of an S class is in a different league to a VAG 2 litre diesel - it is a Golf with a different body - and the costs of repairs and the availability of places to have the repairs carried out are in different leagues.
Its fine if you decide to spend the extra and then get lucky with no repair bills but it is no good banking on that being the outcome.
A reasonably wealthy friend of mine had a W220 320CDi and it cost him so much to run in repairs (with high annual mileage) that he gave up and went back to a petrol BMW 5 series.

 

[tylerdurden]

I looked into getting a 2nd hand S350 CDI but prices were still v high as the facelift is still newish. Would love to tick the S box at some point but a mate of mine is fed up of his (too thirsty, too unwieldy, too ostentatious; his words not mine). It has to be said that driving an S is likely to miff off your work colleagues esp if they are all in standard saloons.

 

[harrylime]

interesting

interesting thread. I have been asking myself the same question.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

I looked into getting a 2nd hand S350 CDI but prices were still v high as the facelift is still newish. Would love to tick the S box at some point but a mate of mine is fed up of his (too thirsty, too unwieldy, too ostentatious; his words not mine). It has to be said that driving an S is likely to miff off your work colleagues esp if they are all in standard saloons.

what grown man cares what anyone else thinks.... if you buy a second hand 220 500 for 10k and they get a ford focus for 20k... and they get jealous of you its there own fault buying stupid. what will they think if you get this for 10k lol...

 

[jonnyboy]

Or this:-
2000 MERCEDES S430L need auto 4x4 land range rover ml on eBay (end time 11-Dec-10 16:51:37 GMT)
For just a touch over £4k

 

[Will]

Although there are always exceptions to the rules, a good general rule of thumb is that the more complex, older and more greatly used a car is, the more it will cost to run.

Very little is cheap on an older S-class - they were expensive cars new, and the parts prices reflect that.

On the plus side, by buying used you'll be enjoying luxury motoring at a discounted price, so even if you were to spend a few ££££s a year in maintenance/repairs, at least you won't be losing as much in depreciation as a new car, even a much cheaper/basic one. That's my philosophy anyway

Realistically, on a £30k car you should be buying something relatively new/low mileage, with warranty. I think you'll be fine

Will

 

[Mactech]

On your budget you could do a lot worse than this. Very similar spec to my old one....and in my favourite colour!

Mercedes-Benz Retail Used Cars :: Vehicle Details :: S320 CDI With Reversing camera 18inc Wheels

 

[tylerdurden]

Agree about who cares what others think however when it comes to people who might be able to influence your career progression it's always helpful to look like you need to go up the ladder.

I would not want to make too much on that point. They look great and drive v well. I have no doubt I'll own one in due course but then again I'm not in a position where it matters what colleagues think as we are all doing well. I would love a S350 CDI but not been around long enough to hit 30-40 yet. Won't be long mind!

 

[st4]

The OP has a budget of £30k, thats going to get a 2-5 yr old car I would wager, not some old shed that needs constant repairs.

The engines and gearboxes, which are the most expensive things on the car, are shared throughout the MB range ( I assume he is going for a diesel one).

I would not dealer service the car, but that applies to any Merc, not just an S class, and I'd avoid an airmatic car as they can be more troublemsome in higher miles cars (are all they all airmatic).

Fuel will not be 45mpg, nearer 35 and its not that bad really. A tenner a week tops more, you won't realise that.