welcome all thoughts on which S class is best to go for

[Anthony 69]

Hello everyone,

I have just joined and although I do not have a MB at present have had a number over the past decades. My very first MB was a S420SEL, it was a brilliant car which I changed at just under 100,000 miles and often wondered why after the fact, it was a 1980's car, sorry can not remember the exact year, I have always hankered after another S class.

As I am thinking on getting another S class which will be a second hand car. The questions I have are, am I better to go for a diesel or petrol car, annual milage is about 7000, mixed driving. I see that there are significant differences quoted in the mpg for 2012 vs 2013 models for the diesel not clear why.

I assume as the car gets old there might be injection or particulate issues, which should not be on the petrol variants. How do the maintenance costs stack up in general as the car ages diesel vs petrol, all thoughts welcome.

Are there any particular year models that are either good on quality and reliability, or conversely any that are particularly bad.

All comments will be very warmly welcomed and most helpful as I start to make decisions and look for the correct car to have and enjoy once again.

Anthony

 

[C43AMG]

Hi and welcome. If you put S-Class in the search engine there are quite a few thoughts on the S-Class.

 

[V12]

The only W221s to avoid are the 2006 and 2007 models. Especially the early diesels.

By 2012 most of the early creases had been ironed out. I would go petrol if only doing your low mileage. How many years do you plan on keeping it for?

 

[Anthony 69]

I would expect to have her upward of 6 years all being well.

 

[C43AMG]

I have had my 500 from new 2008 and have done 118,000 miles. Great engine, very reliable Starter motor + a couple of weeks ago had a oil cooler seal replaced. I have also driven the 350 petrol and found it not quite up to the job, mine is the LWB model so not sure if the SWB would be any better.

 

[JamesRan]

As said above, the S500 is brilliant. The engine is better for carrying the weight of the car. I believe by 2011/2012 Mercedes had changed the engine - it was a 5.5L, but they changed it to a 4.7L twin turbo. The newer 4.7L will be better on fuel and more powerful (but cost more to buy). However, if you aren't too worried about power etc., then the S350 will still be a good option. Make sure you get the updated engine (if petrol), make sure it is the BlueEfficiency S350, as it is not only better on fuel but more powerful. I believe they upgraded it around 2010. If you find one with all the sought after extras (like rear TV screens, night view assist, distronic, fridge etc.) then it will be much easier to sell on as and when that time comes. It will also be much cooler to drive too

Whether or not you choose the LWB or SWB depends entirely on your own preference. I'm always of the opinion if you are going to buy a car as large as the S Class, you should go the full way and choose the LWB.....but again up to you! Your passengers will at least be grateful if it's the LWB

Hope that helps!

 

[Anthony 69]

It is starting to look more and more as a S500 should be in my sights, before I settle on a petrol engine selection, I would appreciate any feedback on the Diesel units. I do not want to miss a trick, as with a car this size I was not looking for outright power, but a balance of power, quality, ride and longevity if that is not being too greedy.

 

[Doodle]

The only W221s to avoid are the 2006 and 2007 models. Especially the early diesels.

Bang goes my thoughts on buying a 221 then

 

[E270 Owner]

What is wrong with the early diesels ?
(I know the problems)

But.........

I could say never buy a Mazda or Audi diesel for good founded reasons known to myself but it dont help anyone else

 

[Doodle]

Indeed, I know there are some issues concerning the V6 CDI motor and the 7G gearbox generally, but given their pervasion throughout the Mercedes range the percentages still seem quite small, and not enough to be a showstopper in my book?

 

[E270 Owner]

I have rebuilt more CDI engines than AMG's but that means nothing regarding reliability as CDI engines are worked and cover many more miles.

Run a CDI for 24 hours non stop for a week with 3 different drivers at the wheel (taxi) it stands up very well if maintained correctly.

Cant see an AMG doing that but then I don't suppose anyone's tried it yet lol.

All manufacturers have their strong and weak points, some have more weak points than others and the more you cram into a car the more there is to go wrong.

In most circumstances with engine failure mileage is always a main suspect 70,000 on the dash clock with 270,00 in the engine when taken apart.

 

[UrBusted]

I had a 2006 S320 and up to 2013, the only problem I can think of is when I left it for 3 months approximately and it couldn't start. The Mercedes Technician fixed this problem. Now I have a 2014 S350 and achieve more MPG than my A4 2.0, around the 50s. I would recommend waiting for the 9G S350s to get into production, but I'm guessing that's not in your budget. If you are getting a new shape, I would recommend Distronic Plus, and 360 degree camera. There are more options which I would recommend but I can't think currently.

 

[V12]

My thoughts are that there are already so many liabilities with an early W221. Handbrake, airmatic, electronics. Why bother adding more liabilities by getting an early V6 cdi? They are no where near as reliable as the previous I6. They cost more to maintain and they aren't great on fuel anyway. If you do lots of motorway miles then the V6 cdi is still a reasonable choice. For the rest of us, the V6 cdi is especially bad at producing decent mpg on short trips and you may as well go for one of the petrols. Then you also have DPF to consider...

You also generally find that a 500 will quite often have good spec whereas a lot of cdi's are used as taxis by first owners and are "poverty spec".

BTW, we have a 56 plate S320 cdi LWB in the garage. It is a nightmare. Car has FMBSH but that really means nothing. The car is just a ticking time bomb which is linked to your wallet.

 

[Doodle]

The I6 was indeed bombproof. I had one in my 211 with great enjoyment.

Current intention was something for a 50 mile a day commute through Reading and out the other side. Budget won't really allow for anything beyond 2007, and I fear the 500 won't be much better than my SL on fuel.

 

[Doodle]

I presume the reason for avoiding the first 2 years is that, rather like the 211, by the 3rd year they'd sorted a lot of the early niggles and bugs?

 

[Anthony 69]

maybe it should be a W222

Although my budget is not massive, with the current car and some added cash we are talking a reasonable sum 30k'ish. It has been suggested to me I should concentrate on looking for a nice W222, with that in mind I would welcome all comments particularly on the W222 and of course which engine variant is best as after reading all the very helpful comments I am still split between Petrol and Diesel.

 

[V12]

W222 starts at £50k.

 

[MBDevotee]

Although my budget is not massive, with the current car and some added cash we are talking a reasonable sum 30k'ish. It has been suggested to me I should concentrate on looking for a nice W222, with that in mind I would welcome all comments particularly on the W222 and of course which engine variant is best as after reading all the very helpful comments I am still split between Petrol and Diesel.

On 7000 miles a year - why on earth do you want / are considering diesel??

Is there an actual reason, or is it a mindset?

7000 miles per year is totally petrol territory. Under 15k miles per year it's petrol every time to my mind. If fuel cost is a consideration then S500 and put an LPG kit on it for £1200 - but even I (LPG fan) wouldn't bother at that sort of mileage unless I was keeping it 10 years.

The diesel will cost more to buy, is more likely to go wrong, and if it does go wrong it will cost more to repair. The servicing is more expensive and it will save buttons in fuel - so really, why are you even contemplating a diesel?

Assuming you do 7000m per year - and get 25mpg from the S500 (Television on this parish gets 29mpg from his CL500 of similar age) then you'll use 1271 litres of fuel - at 1.04 per litre that's £1322 of fuel a year

If you get 35mpg from the diesel (realistic from an S320/350) then you'll use £1035 in fuel.

Now, given the extra cost of servicing the diesel, I'd doubt it will save you even £100 per year overall - even less if the 7000m a year is all short trips. If it goes wrong then you will be looking at a repair bill at least £200 - 500 more than the petrol in my experience!!

So - to drive a silky V8 over a rattly old diesel is it worth about £100 a year more??

I reckon it is.

Convert the petrol to LPG and you'll save about £600 a year in fuel - so in the third year you are into payback and by the fourth year, saving good money.....

 

[Anthony 69]

I am in total agreement with your rationale and very much appreciate your very succinct response. As can be seen from some of my earlier steps in this post chain, I am trying to get my head around which it should be (model, variant, engine et al). You have done a brilliant job of bringing all aspects together and have helped focus on what is best with these great cars. Thank you once again, do keep this great advice coming.

 

[Howard]

Who's Television ?