S class - worth Buying?

[Andimids]

following the demise of our beloved e280 - we are looking for a new baby to lavish our love on and came across this on ebay.
Mercedes Benz S Class S320 Full MB Service History Lovely Example | eBay
sounds pretty good - because of all the work that has been done on it.
Any thoughts or observations on buying an s class this old would be welcome

 

[V12]

Pre facelift car, not low mileage, basic spec. I wouldn't touch that at the price.

Any S class will be expensive to maintain. It's not just the dredded airmatic suspension but literally everything on the car seems to be super expensive.

I would never advise against buying one as they are amazing cars to travel in, but make sure you purchase with your head and not your heart as these cars can certainly break your heart!

 

[Andimids]

oh ok - thought it compared pretty favourably with what ive been looking at on Autotrader particularly other 2001 models -its had the airmatic replaced and the bodywork done by MB and full service history

what are the differences with the facelift models?

but all thoughts are welcome as we have only experience of e classes

 

[ItalianTuneUp]

Two other things I spotted are:

1) it appears to be one of the ones that suffered rust (Chrysler bean counters trying to save money).

2) it is the petrol model. I have the facelift diesel model and I know its fuel economy is reasonably good for such a big car, but the petrol version will cost more to run due to lower fuel economy.

Like V12 said, they can cost an arm and a leg to maintain, so it pays to know the problem areas and check very carefully. Also, have a good-sized maintenance budget available and expect to have to replace many failing parts due to age. Due to the weight of these cars, the front multi-link suspension will likely have components that need replacing, to maintain smooth drive. Again, this is from experience

Airmatic gives a wonderfully smooth ride quality, but is a very common area to give problems, due to leaking airmatic front strut seals and also the airmatic compressor valve block. My car suffered these problems and they weren't cheap to get sorted, but it's worth it for the wonderful ride you get from these great cars.

 

[John Jones Jr]

'' Just had Service A with gearbox oil and filter change at MB Specialist in Cambridge.
Full MB Dealer and Specialist history with a big file of receipts.
AIRMATIC compressors & Suspension replaced in 2010 by MB at a cost of £3000 (receipts available for work).
Body work excellent as large amount was replaced in 2009 under corrosion warranty by MB (invoice for £3050)
Recent continental sport contact2 tyres all round.''

Sounds like one of the better one's to me. On the face of it, at the end of the day I really don't think there's a lot more one could ask for sub £3k.

 

[V12]

In reality bodywork was sorted 4/5 years ago and airmatic 3/4 years ago.

If that work was done last year then fair enough, but I wouldn't call any of that recent!

 

[John]

Might be worth a punt if you can get it cheap enough.

I doubt there will be a huge demand for it.

Then cross your fingers I guess!

 

[LTD]

Run it for a year then punt it.

Everybody should own an S class at some point - just to see what other cars miss ......

 

[Andimids]

ok well thanks for the advice guys - perhaps I might be better with a clk or another e class - don't mind spending some money on maintenance - goes with older cars I suppose - but don't want to get stung too much - but id rather have another merc than some modern ford tin box with no character
have to be a bit careful with the funds - and cant justify large capital outlays for a new one at the moment - perhaps when I win the lottery!!!

 

[tromppost]

Shame you were not a couple of weeks earlier, you could of had my old one for £1k Mercedes-Benz S Class S320 PETROL AUTOMATIC 2000/W | eBay

 

[Andimids]

always my luck to miss a good one - well if anyone else is looking to change theirs - I got cash available for a good un - prob willing to pay up to £3 - 3.5 k

 

[V12]

Have you tried negotiating on the price? It would be an excellent buy at £2k!!!

 

[Andimids]

im emailing the seller - see what hes prepared to go to - its just a long way from us - so im trying to see whats what before I go 85 miles to look at it