15th Apr 2021, 18:11

Right, other than literally saying Mercedes is better than competitor brands Lexus and BMW, there are no arguments here. Might want to double check the definition of “argument”.

16th Apr 2021, 09:31

The car was owned from 2003-2004, only done a few thousand miles reflective of one year of ownership. Doesn't mean it isn't a review. Just that with a short time owned it's not surprising not much wrong has been documented yet.

25th Mar 2022, 04:46

I second this. I owned a 2005 S600. And it is a fantastic car but it is far from perfection.

The major flaw in all the S series of this vintage was MBz's use of cheap parts. The Automatic Body Control goes out due to use of very cheap rubber O-rings, a $70 part leads to a 4K repair.

Next up are the ignition coils, they go out like clock work at 35,000 miles. They cost 2K for the parts alone.

And then the torque converter. This car is a torque monster! I can pull all day long and not bat an eye. I don't know what they were thinking or how they allowed the employment of such a shoddy piece of equipment, the torque converter gets busted and you feel it on downshifts in city driving. Transmission rebuild $4200.

Mercedes Benz, and all those affiliated, I am embarrassed for YOU! That's 12K in repairs due to shoddy parts. But other than the fact that the car will constantly be biting your pocket, it is pretty friggin' fast and comfortable as the day is long. Cheers!

10th Jun 2022, 08:06

This is spot on! I encountered each and every problem you've mentioned as well as the price tag. I owned a 2007 S600, and loved it. But the o-rings on the ABC went out, front and back. Then the ignition coils. That was it for me. Bye bye blackbird!

11th Jun 2022, 01:13

This is the reason why I have no aspiration to own a modern Mercedes - of any sort. I grew up at a time when Mercedes was hallowed, if you could afford it, just buy it blindly - any of them, even the cheapest Mercedes 200 - and you will feel exactly why it was expensive. It was like getting a Rolex watch. You really got what you paid for - they were superbly engineered cars, and had the durability and dependability to match. You can almost assume that even the bolt holding the front license plate must have been made of some advanced metal alloy which probably resists environmental, chemical, and mechanical attack you can dream of (and it probably was). Durability, reliability and dependability came with the brand. Not anymore. They are merely complicated - anyone can think of any gimmick activated by computers and software, but the sensors and seals are not made "legendary Mercedes." Nope. Mercedes made their name by doing the simplest things very, very well. Aspiration - well, in my eyes the modern ones are also ugly to boot. The car maker that has taken up the mantel that Mercedes used to have, is really Lexus - despite complexity, still manages to be pretty reliable and dependable. Now, if they decided to poach the design teams of Hyundai and Kia (all European, ex-VW/Audi/BMW, etc), Mercedes might as well start just building dishwashers.

11th Jun 2022, 18:25

I would agree with this. You just don't hear people talk about cars in general as fondly as they did back in the day.

I don't think its blind nostalgia either - my Uncle had a Mercedes 190 in the 1980s, it was a very reliable and durable car (had over 180K miles and nearly 20 years old before he got rid of it) but the C Class he got later in the early 2000's was unreliable and started to rust at only 8 years old! Many other Mercedes owners have similar stories. Just read the reviews on here and elsewhere.

We need a return to quality engineered cars, affordable and durable - it's better for everyone that way (and the environment!) to not throw away cars that you pay endlessly for. And don't even get me started on electric vehicles. They will also be useless in 10 years or less time, still require fossil fuels for building and charging them, and no one who likes cars and driving is really interested, yes Tesla Model S is good but most won't be like that.

11th Jun 2022, 21:11

Also not exclusive to Mercedes to be fair, but I get your point. A lot of manufacturers you could argue built their reputation back in the day, and in more recent years went downhill.

No one is going to argue the fact that safety, security and performance have advanced massively, but reliability and longevity have taken a back seat circa year 2000 onwards. Everything just seems so throw away now and not built to last.

13th Jun 2022, 01:27

“reliability and longevity have taken a back seat circa year 2000 onwards. Everything just seems so throw away now and not built to last.”

*citation needed*

Yeah, everything was better ‘back in the day’.

13th Jun 2022, 15:47

I can see eye to eye with you and the comment above yours. This goes for all makes and models. Convenience features (many unnecessary), safety, and fuel economy are improving. But it seems that's what automakers are focusing on; that and nothing else.

Yes, older cars required more maintenance, but that doesn't mean they weren't reliable.

Some voices on here like to use the notion that if a car had a 5 digit odometer it wasn't meant to go beyond that. To me, that is false, and it's not like it was an overnight decision to start using 6 digits. This started to surface in the mid to late 80s. Most of your domestic intermediate and large V8 cars from the 70s and 80s were just as reliable as anything today. A very good reason that odometers were switching to 6 digits could very well be that cars from the 70s actually DID roll the odometer back to zero once and even twice and the used car buyer never knew the true mileage. I currently drive a 20:year old Lincoln Town Car with 160,000 miles on the clock. Looking at the exterior and interior condition and how good the car runs, you would think that the car is only a few years old with only 60,000 miles.

13th Jun 2022, 18:50

You can search around the internet all day for your "citation" if you want - you won't find one, other than vested interests from governments and/or business claiming you need to junk your 8 year old car and buy a new one just because... we say so.

Or you can be smart and buy a good condition 10 year old car that has been looked after, and with further maintenance and some minor repairs will easily last another few years reliably.

As for cars from "back in the day" if someone is enjoying their 70s, 80s or 90s car, why ruin this for them? Chances are they know enough about cars to keep these vehicles running and it likely is not their daily driver. And I bet a brand new electric car will never appeal to them.

As far as I am aware the average car lasts between 10 - 15 years, and 150,0000 - 200,000 on it before it gets retired. And that has been the case for many decades now, but here is the thing - looking back I bet the more modern cars cost people more in repairs during the long run ;)

I could also cite my own experiences though I understand that is anecdotal and never good enough on here, but I say if people wanna buy new or used, leave them to it, they both probably are just doing what is best for them (unless they buy new every couple of years just cos they were told so, then they are wrong) when you break down the numbers.