General Comments:
Extremely pleased with the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S430 long wheelbase. Exceptionally quiet, roomy, well-appointed, and very spirited performance. Fuel economy superb, for such a large car (26 mpg, combined city/highway).
Beautiful interior. Very bright, flowing, organic forms, throughout. Leather seats and alcantara trim throughout are exquisite, and the calyptus wood accents are very tasteful.
I could not get the car to misbehave, even in the slightest, on snow or glare ice, and this car is only 2 wheel drive. The stability program works amazingly well.
I am 6'4", so driver leg room and headroom are crucial. I could adjust the driver's seat so that my feet could not reach the brake or accelerator pedals, which was something I could not do in any other vehicle that I tested. Seats were very firm - the way I like them - less fatiguing - and very comfortable, regardless of trip duration.
The integrated COMAND GPS/audio system was not all that difficult for me to master, and it functioned flawlessly. I ordered the dealer-option trunk-mounted 5 CD changer, and it functioned perfectly, too. The Bose premium stereo system is phenomenal.
The 4.3 liter (260 cu. in.) V8 engine is superb, and provides more than adequate thrust off the line, and for passing at highway speeds, as well. Dead-quiet at idle, but gorgeous, subdued V-8 "burble" and growl sounds, when it gets up and talks. Bear in mind, this is only the S430. Its bigger brother, the S500 (5.0 liter V8, 302 cu. in.) gives more performance, but at considerably more cost - about $8,900 USD more, for only 27 more horsepower, so the overall driving experience is more a difference in degree, rather than kind. The S430 is really the sweet spot, in terms of overall performance/value.
I considered the 2001 BMW 745il, but to my eye, the overall curb appeal was lacking, particularly since this body style was essentially unchanged since 1996, so it was rather stale (the 2002 BMW 7-class would not be out for another year, and as it turned out, the styling to me was very jarring and disjointed, particularly with regard to the rear end treatments.)
An all-around beautiful car, and a wonderful driving experience.
31st Dec 2005, 04:16
I personally feel that most mercedes owners are satisfied people, whether they have bought it new or used. This is an inspiration that has brought an idea to my mind. I want to buy a black S class AMG sometime after at least 5 years. I don't want to lease it, but pay for it in full right on the delivery date, even before that. I am not a rich guy so 5 years will be the least time for me to save that much money. I am adding all this information because I don't want to read any comments saying strange things-this man is a cheater, if he would be that rich how come he would be asking this question on this forum, etc, etc-as I have seen.
I plan to keep the mercedes as a second car, but will take it coast to coast every year, that will be around 10,000 miles every year. I want to calculate as to for how many years will I be able to keep it at its best, well almost. Now answer the questions below keeping in mind the data provided above:
1- How long does the black showroom-shine lasts?
2- How is the reliability when travelling long distances in one-go?
3- What is the second best colour to black for S class?
4- What about theft?
Thankyou.