S - Class....worthy of my dosh??

[hawk20]

Anybody out there with experience of s class models between 1999-2004 would your reccomend them and are they value for money??? any common problems?? would i be better off with a smaller 3.2 0r 2.8l
s-class compared to larger 4 litre versions (say i had a 3.2.... would this effect performance enough to warrant a larger model??)


riz

Here's my tuppence worth. Buy 2003 or later if you can afford. Post facelift are pretty trouble free. If you buy 3 years old you can join Service Plus and have no worries. Covers all MOT costs and servicing and all repairs due to normal wear and tear on cars 3 to 6 years old up to 120,000 miles.
http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=29948&page=3 See posting number 40 for details.

See also for the fuller discussion:
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/showthread.php?t=18621&page=3

Most people who have done this have found the cost remarkably reasonable.

Buy from a dealer (they tend to have the best ones), get full MBSH and you have free breakdown cover (costs £150 for a couple from the AA) and breakdown cover in Europe (costs £60 to £100 plus from AA depending on how often you go) and you get a thirty year rust guarantee which does what it says on the tin.

Follow this strategy and you are virtually bulletproof.

Try these links. The first is Mercedes own search engine for secondhand Mercs. I found it very good.
http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/con...e/products/used_cars/all_used_car_search.html

http://www.used-mercedescars.co.uk This site covers lots of Mercedes dealers and Independents too.

http://www.directmercedes.co.uk This site sells about 10% of all secondhand Mercedes -they claim- and is ex-management cars and so on from Mercedes. I found some nice examples there and at good prices. Haggle. There is always a grand or two in dealers prices to help give a good part ex price and for haggling. Good luck.

BTW I agree with Television (Malcolm) the air suspension is a magic carpet ride, and gives very little trouble on recent models.