W220, Mercedes S350 Things to check for?

[GSV]Lemming

[GSV]Lemming

[GSV]Lemming

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27 Nov 2002
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Desborough,Kettering
Hi all, looking at a replacement workhorse that's comfortable for the next few years.

My C class has come to the point where a load of consumables and minor fixes have arisen at an MOT, enough for over £1000 on a car that worth less than that.

I have found an S class that looks in good condition, reasonable 80K miles and a good price.

I have a look around at buying guides and it doesn't seem to have any big caveats assuming all is good and working on purchase, anyone have any things to look out for from personal experience?

I know repairs may be a bit pricey, but I am happy with that as long as core reliability is there for the next 3 years and 60k miles. Economy is also OK, its an easy commute on an A road at 50mph with very few stops which makes for good average mpg for various cars I have owned the last 7 years.
 
Yeah, to echo Fox I wouldn't be looking at 15-year-old S-Class if reliability is a priority.
If you must, then I'd want a specialist to look at the car before buying, paying particular attention to the Airmatic suspension.
 
Surely fixing your W203 is a better reliability prospect than getting even the best cared for W220? Realistically speaking at that age anything and everything can fail, and in a W220 in an expensive way indeed.
 
The words recipe for disaster spring to mind. They are not reliable now, and when they go they are pricey.

Suspension for sure is a issue on them at this age, and generally the electrics can be an issue, stuff like the displays. and various servo's dotted around the car! Mercs of this era can be a right PITA to put right, currently have a w211 E280 CDI in my old mans garage, kept throwing up cam sensor error, tried 3 different sensor, even got as far as sourcing a new loom for it, when a wiley old boy suggested the engine bay fuse box is a weak point on Mercs of this vintage! no diagnostic machine is going to give you that info. Were my old man to add up his man hours on this car it would be a fortune, but its really a hobby for the retired old goat :p
 
As a fellow old Merc older (well, more than 10 years old now), buying another old Merc to avoid the repair bills on your current old Merc doesn't make any sense, and moving up several classes to where the repair bills are much greater makes even less sense.

Just fix the car you have - £1000 might be more than the car is worth, but it's still less than it would cost to change to something worthwhile unless you get something completely different.
 
MichaelAwkward said:
As a fellow old Merc older (well, more than 10 years old now), buying another old Merc to avoid the repair bills on your current old Merc doesn't make any sense, and moving up several classes to where the repair bills are much greater makes even less sense.

Just fix the car you have - £1000 might be more than the car is worth, but it's still less than it would cost to change to something worthwhile unless you get something completely different.
Click to expand...

I’d be minded to agree, the cars only worth something when you come to sell it really.

If it’s fundamentally good then get it fixed (out of curiosity can you break down the £1k job list?)

I’d far rather pour money into a known commodity than buy an unknown one that’ll easily hit you with £1k+ of required work - and the S-Class is well known for doing so!
 
I had a W215 CL500. Lovely cruiser, luxurious even now probably even if tech is old by today’s standards. But boy oh boy it was expensive to fix when it went wrong.

My current workhorse, a near 20 year old W163 ML320, I keep on the road because it is reliable and a few hundred quid here and there is worth it for the provenance of having had it a long time.

Keep your current car and spend the money to keep it going.
 
I had a 2010 CLS W219 it was expensive to keep in order most of the repairs involved suspension components.

It went through various springs, bushes, control arms at a quick rate its as if they were made from cheese. I only had it 18 months before I'd had enough of the bills.
 
Things to check:

1) Running engine
2) Steering Wheel (Ideally one that works)
3) 4 Wheels - Make sure they have tyres!!

Sorry, I'm being a donut, but couldn't resist. ;)
 
If you want something that will cross Africa, get an old 90s E190 lol

After that era they kinda lost the bulletproof reliability.
 
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Just had the seat occupancy sensor fail on my W203. Sodding MOT fail and it’s a new seat to fix it or a very dodgy fix by using a resistor. #joysofoldmercs
 
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