Was on an E search now it an S search can you help?

[355marcus]

Gents,
I'm currently looking at trying a Mercedes Benz for the first time. I started looking at w210 E-Classes but as rear leg room is important behind the driver, and the driver, me, is 6'5", it was suggested on here that I should maybe consider an S-Class. Very nice, looking at 2000/1/2 age cars but i've run into a hiccup!
With the E-Class there is a range of specs with the Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde, so i was fairly sure I wanted an Avantgarde which was the higher spec?
But with the S-Class there doesn't appear to be the same type of options, so were all S-Classes a std high spec? or was it available with a more basic spec with a massive list of options?
I dont mean to be clueless but I'd appreciate any S-Class advice that you can spare.
It all seemed easy when i was looking at E's but now the S is making my headache!
Any help gratefully received!
Including any options I should really look out for or any that i needn't worry about?
Many thanks

 

[Spin_bowler]

I had a 'basic' S320 (Petrol) of the vintage you're considering with not many options ticked but it still had a high spec compared to most other cars, if you see what I mean. So your intuition that they are high spec with fewer options is about right.

When it comes to those options most people will agree you want COMAND not a basic audio set up (I only saw 2 without when I was looking) you want parktronic as these are long cars (especially LWB version). The memory for the seats is very useful as well. Everything else, IMO, is up to you and the right car rather than the right spec might become more important when you're looking as they can be a bit of a minefield at ten years old.

in terms of what goes wrong, have a search on this forum on Airmatic to read about the suspension and the passenger side seat pad tends to fail and throw up SRS warnings. Check they've had the recall seen to that stops water ingress into the passenger footwell. Also have a thorough check for rust. Mine started with a small bubble on one wheel arch and had doors like a paper doily within a year! Get one with FSH, preferably MB or a well-known indie as these are complex cars with a lot that needs looking after.

Having said all that they are also a load of car for your money.

Just my two penn'orth and good luck with your search.

 

[PJayUK]

Hi mate,

I have gone the other way I had a W220 S320 and now have a W210 E320 see my post here .....

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/general-discussion/86281-its-good-back-mercedes.html

To my knowledge the SClass of the W220 period that your referring to didn't follow the model designation of the W210 or the W202 etc. It was supplied as a base car with a vast menu of options that were selected by the purchaser, thus making the car custom configured to the buyers choice. This is why when you go and view SClass's its likely that no two will be the same, with slight differences of options and finishes. For what its worth I had a W220 S320 limousine basically just a long wheel base model but it had many extras as it was purchased by a chauffeur company as there flagship vehicle. If your looking for legroom in the back the LWB's cant be beat but there size means that parking sensors are a must (parktronic in MB terminoloy)... I found the 3.2 V6 powerful enough for the car, I cant actually notice a huge difference between my S320 and my current E320 to be honest.

It's complexity however is its downfall and over the year or so I owned mine it developed a growing list of things that either malfunctioned on a random basis or packed up totally. Most of the issues were annoying niggles on non-essential things like heated seats, heated mirrors but I like all the toys on my cars to work it just annoys me if something doesnt do what its supposed to. I had some more serious issues and when the "Airmatic Visit Workshop" message began to be displayed more frequently I decided it was time to part with the car.

So my advice is you need to clearly appreciate what your buying if your thinking about a W220 SClass. The original purchase cost of mine was over £60,000 but I paid less than 10% of that 9 years later. You simply cant expect to run these cars as 6 grand vehicles (unless you have lots of time on your hands and are a gifted mechanic who happens to have a Star diagnostic machine to hand).

BUT.....

As long as you buy one with the expectation of spending a bit on maintaining it, it is without doubt one of the best bargain luxury cars available....

Would I buy another SClass? absolutely but probably would look for an early W221 rather than a W220..