[androdev]

if you guys know and trust the owner then the car certainly deserves a serious consideration but moving from Accord to S-class would require some serious change in expectations maybe we are talking about setting aside 2 lakhs per year as ownership cost for S-class (apart from depreciation and fuel bills)?

it is one thing to have cash to pay for the bills, and it is quite another thing to convince yourself that it is worth spending that kind of money on a car. most of us find it hard to overcome the later mental block.

[goingout]

Originally Posted by madan80

Also - What does'nt make sense is that for the last 5 years the seller had parking - now suddenly there is no parking? (Flag 1) and a car that expensive running on 3rd party insurance? (Flag 2).

1) Maybe he bought a new car?
2) Could be due to the car getting less used. He may have decided to buy 3rd party due to lesser costs.

----

I wish if you buy this car then it turns out to be not that very expensive to run, because some time from now I am also going to go the same route

Guys, what about buying a used 7 series? Would that be any better?

Also, 27k on the odo is quite good for Rs. 40lacs. I guess the car shouldn't be that problematic for another 20k-30k?

Is there any up to date info on how much it would cost to run a used W221 Merc S class in India (per year)?

My tip is to include the damages and service in the Rs 40lacs price.

All the best!

[noopster]

Hey aditya it's your money and your decision but if it were up to me I would not plonk down 40 big ones on a car with a broken ANYTHING! If the owner is so casual about repairing a broken headlight, it should give you an idea of how this car would have been maintained in general, and that's not a good vibe when going in for a new car.

Take your Dad on a TD of the 5 and the E, maybe a Jaguar or Volvo (don't know the exact model that comes in your price range). Also Audi A6. It looks like he has his heart set on this car but you can at least show him some options and THEN let him choose.

[akj53]

Few things are confusing:-

Even a small car purchaser with 3-3.5 k kms per month running will go for the diesel.

Majority of large cars here run on diesel with hardly any problem despite our fuel quality.

An S class owner with a 3rd party insurance??????? and selling only because of the parking problem.

S class being considered only because of it's size?????

Some of the best experts of this forum have already given their valuable advice and aptly summarised by noopster.

3-3.5 k kms per months is quite high running and it will be best to buy a new car for trouble free service.

[mdsaab]

My uncle had a mercedes s class a couple of years ago. It was a petrol AT variant. The car is all what one could desire and more. It was built like a tank. But a few years done the line problems started to creep up. First the ac and then some brake issues and it just kept getting worse. Ultimately he got fed up and sold the car, which he had a tough time selling. And he had purchased a brand new car, it was not a pre owned example. So from this experience and a few others i have come to a conclusion. These cars use a lot of electronic wizardry and have very complex systems. What i feel is that the more of these you have the more chance of something conking off or going wrong. So these cars turn out to be quite expensive to maintain. That said i am not stating that each and every one of these cars are going to have issues. But i guess it mostly depends on your driving style and quite a lot depends on your luck too. Therefore many of these fantastic cars have reliability issues. So high maintainence costs and fuell bills can be fixed by paying up for it. But what about when you have a nice long drive planned on a hot summer day and the ac decides to conk off. There is nothing to compensate for that. Dont kick me for suggesting this. But why not go for a solid suv like the prado it may not have the image of other cars mentioned on the thread, but will be a reliable vehicle you can bank upon.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by aditya_911

Akshay , the car is owned by my dad's friend and the car is chauffeur driven. The reason for sale is that he has no space to park it. The headlamp and the bumpe were broken recently when it was parked outside his house Rajeev , He is sitting ready with his cheque book and I am the only force which is stopping him.

Well even if he is insistent on it. Please get it taken to a Mercedes dealer and get it checked up. See what the estimates are for whatever needs to be done. And also I think you should look at the service history. Again do check out carwale, just because the car belongs to his friend dosent mean it is the best deal going. BTW did he get a Bentley or something, that hes parking an S on the road? Last thing, since its from 06 it would be one of the first w221s. Better to get a slightly later model so that at least some issues, which every car has in the beginning of its lifecycle, could have been sorted out.

[aditya_911]

Akshay , he got a new Jaguar XJ .
I myself want to wait for sometime and go in for the new Audi A8 4.2, will take him for a TD tomorrow .

[S350L-E240]

aditya_911,
I am assuming since you / your dad have made up your mind on the car it's only a matter of time before the transaction takes place, if it does, believe mme the W221 is a gorgeous car and definately one of the best places to be inside in.

If you still need some negative opinions from previous user and a bunch of other close family / friends who have used it and still are then read below as these are some precautions you must be ready for,

1. 7G-Tronic, prone to failures and has a lot of cars that come into a complete stand still, a friend in Ahmedabad has an S350 and a CLS350 with transmission issues. S is 2006 and CLS is also the same year.

2. Air-Matic, one of the biggest faults Mercedes has, and some of it's problems still arise time to time even after so many years of implementation so do check the service records if ever there was an issue on this matter.

3. Service costs will rise with time as parts will wear and tear and some will stop functioning. (I had an AC failure for which I was gifted with a nice fat bill but later they refunded the money under good will warranty)

4. Look around for more cars, talk to the dealers see if any 07 models are there as 06 was the first lot and things will be a lot better in the second lot.

Lastly, if your concern is fuel quality you really should look at diesels as those engines are not as delicate with the petrol motors and some pumps on our highways are not the right places to fill petrol in

akj53,
Buying an S-Class for it's size should not really be confusing, trust me lot of people, my father included in the past have bought the S-Class / 7 kind of a car only because of it's rear space / comfort of the seats when coupled with ventilation / massage systems etc.

Regards,

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by aditya_911

Akshay , he got a new Jaguar XJ .
I myself want to wait for sometime and go in for the new Audi A8 4.2, will take him for a TD tomorrow .

Wow that just doubled your budget. But man, thatll be one hell of a car. Do update with your TD experience.

[ACM]

I feel 40L for a second hand S class of 2006 vintage is a bad idea.

My suggestion

1) Go for S-320 of year 2001-2003 for about 10-15L and keep 5L for maintenance each year. Things will go wrong but it will still be a better bet.

2) I strongly recommend the current E Class, it is quite close to the S in many ways and leagues ahead of the Accord. It's not just the size that matters. It will give you peace of mind for longer.

Alternatively if you need to get the 2006 S-350 for 30L max, 40L is a bit too much for it today.

[Sahil]

I'm going against the tide here. Get the S

For the following reasons:
1.You know the previous owner
2.The price isn't bad
3.The damages aren't bad either and can be easily repaired since it's not mechanical. Perhaps find out how much the repair will cost and bargain the price down accordingly to compensate.
4.Its not run much for a car thats now 5 years old
5.The car is a looot more prestigious and spacious than any car in the 40-50lakh bracket.
6.You dad is not open to diesel

[mac187]

Originally Posted by madan80

if you are spending 40L and upgrading from an accord - its best you put in about 10% more take a look at a new 5 (530d - 45.9), E (350CDi - 49.9) or even the Jag (XF3.0D - 48.5). Given your monthly 3-3500kms - diesel mills are good for the long haul and more environmentally friendly.

Simply put - new cars will come with inherently less headaches, and also the much revived resale value.

You must remember- you are buying a 5 year old car and you are concerned about maintenance - its best you put the 40 into a new car.

Also - What does'nt make sense is that for the last 5 years the seller had parking - now suddenly there is no parking? (Flag 1) and a car that expensive running on 3rd party insurance? (Flag 2).

+1

With that kind of budget, you can wait for some better cars or go for a brand new one.

The car in question is definately a no-go. I have never seen ppl drive mercs with broken headlight, this shows the car has not be maintained well.

[Garipagol]

Originally Posted by aditya_911

Akshay , the car is owned by my dad's friend and the car is chauffeur driven.
The reason for sale is that he has no space to park it. The headlamp and the bumpe were broken recently when it was parked outside his house

Rajeev , He is sitting ready with his cheque book and I am the only force which is stopping him.

You are doing good to be cautious. An S can become a white elephant if it has problems. To start the bumper for example has a host of electronics so it is not going to be cheap to replace if these are also damaged. The lights are adaptive and move with the steering so if the housing is damaged you will get a ticker shock. Nothing in the car is indigenous. Everything comes from abroad. Oil servicing will be Rs. 20K-30K per year. A replacement key is Rs. 25K. The mud guards cost Rs. 14K for a set. So please check every detail before you jump in to buy a second hand S class.

Rgds

[aditya_911]

Latest update. Went for the TD of the A8 but the TD vehicle was not available. But we saw the display vehicle and what a car . Good news is that my dad really likes the car , specially the rear seats with the electronically adjustable foot rest.
Fingers crossed ,he will spend the extra money and go in for it . Now just waiting for a TD for final decision .

[mdsaab]

Just read about the A8. Wow Fantastic, is all i have to say. There was a pic of the journalist chilling on the back seat, feet up totally relaxed, watching a video on the screen in front. Whay more can one ask for. Hope your dad decides to go for it. Good luck!