CPO S-Class...dumb idea?

I bought a 2015 S63 back in 2017, no problems in two years of use (only 12k miles though).

 

I have a 2012 and it has thesame engine as a 2017.

Still with me. Yearly service is what it needed and just bought new tires. I use it for long drives.

 

To clarify, I have driven it 12k miles, it has almost 50k miles on it.

 

I had a 2016 and would avoid that year. They rolled out new electronics that just didn’t work well. I hated it.

 

I have a 2015 that someone put just about every option MB had (including fridge in back reclining back seats) on it. I bought it for less than half price two years ago with less than 20K miles on it. I think I put 1500 miles on it, it is a great car for a cruise and it is my give to a valet car, kids don't find S Classes very exciting to drive. The scent thing is nice, you can change the fragrance and my car has the AMG package with the lighter weight wheels, I pulled the Z rated run flat tires off it and put Bridgestone all seasons on. Car rides even better with those tires.

 

Read about "Mercedes Warping Rotors", just Google that and see what comes up on the MBWorld forum etc. I have a E43 and the rotors are done at 11,000. It had 10k miles on the car when I got it in June. It has been in the shop from Sept 24 to November 15. The dealer said the Powder coating on the wheels got into the Rotors....... uhmm. So I got it back drove it 124 miles and actually sold the car back to the Dealership to pick up a V8 powered CLS550 with red designo leather. Will the brakes be any better..... maybe not. I have had over 28 Mercedes and this is the first time I have ever even thought about Rotors. One customer had a 2016 S550, drove it 4,000 had to do a complete Rotor change , then at 11,000 miles, and now at 19,000 same issue. Something is going on from 2014-2018 on C, S, GL, E with the brakes. I really think the build quality is wayyyy down on the newer stuff. Seems to be hit and miss, but the dealership just says "it is the way you drive the car" or the two pieces on AMG are just so sensitive , and maybe don't disengage in some modes.
But see what you think, Mine was Certified, but I don't want to drive it another 1,000 and have the brakes shutter when hitting the slowing down.

 

I have a 2018 S560 4Matic CPO and it has been flawless in every respect. No maintenance issues at all. I have driven various SClass Benzes for over 30 years and this has been the best one yet. The twin turbos are awesome! It has about 10k miles on it currently, with about 6k on it when purchased.

I’m a four-time (MBCA) past President of a local Section club, as well as a former National Board Member (Regional Director) and former Educational Foundation Board Member and former Section Newsletter Editor (5 years). To say I’m a hard core Benzer is an understatement!

Cheers!


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

I used to have a 2007 S550 and it required frequent rotor and pad replacement. Of course, I was putting 5k+ miles per month on it, so every 2-3 months it usually needed rotors and pads on the front, but not the rear so frequently.

Having been a SClass owner for well over 30 years, I have noticed that more recent variants have shorter rotor and pad life. However, the car is worth it IMHO, it’s an awesome daily driver and long road trip car. Cheers!


Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app

 

Yes, other than the depreciation there isn't much bad to say about these Benzes imo. Early 2000s cars were temperamental but 2010 plus cars are all pretty reliable and very well built (and that's on top of their aesthetically pleasing and intuitive design). Of course you have your horror stories and complaints here and there, but the core of these cars (engine, transmission, chassis etc.) are rock solid. And when the main complaint here is the rotor and pad life...that's not so bad imo. Get different pads and rotors. You also have to put any and all complaints into perspective...BMWs have their faults too. In the top-end luxury sedan market, the high-quality through and through car just is not going to get much better than an S Class. Just the way I see it.

So, overall a used S Class is superb value for money. It's the rich man's appliance luxury vehicle. And there is a reason why the S Class is the segment leader. I would never buy one new though.

 

After almost 29 Mercedes and 2 in the past year, I think the most realiable car is the Panamera GTS from about 2015 you get a car that will run circles around the mercedes and so much fun in the curves. It is a big car like the S but much more realiable. Plus the 2015 2016 GTS has the V8, no other way to get the big V8 anymore. 0-62 mph is something like 4.1 seconds. The Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio is 0-60 in 3.8..... so you see the GTS is the driver's car. I am looking now for a GTS. The only down side for me is the size, it is big to park around town, but on the mountains and going down the expressway lots of smooth fun. I had the Panamera 4S with the V8, but it was just too big for around town, I did not want to just hop in a go to town. So I got the Alfa Quad. Then the AMG 43, and then the CLS550. But none of these are close to the Porsche. Even if the Mercedes is Certified that still means when it breaks down you don't pay for it, but you still have it in the shop. I thought what could be so back about a 2018 AMG with 9,000 miles and certified. It was a pain to have to keep taking it to the dealership, same with the Alfa, both dealers are over 2 hours away. But that is just my experience, every car has more of an upside if you like the way it drives. I really don't think the Mercedes S is the kiss of death, but be sure to keep it under warranty; even the Mercedes mechanics gave me a long look when I mentioned the S.... they said " you don't want one out of warranty".
Best,
John
Let me know what you get.

 

s63 is pretty cool, especially the 2019 and newer ones with the panamericana grill. However the depreciation of that car is worse than porsche. 240k EUR 2016 s63 sells for about 70-80k now.