04 S500 4MATIC worth

[andydiesel]

My bro in law's S500 is for sale. I'm sort of interested...

The good:
drives well and tracks nicely
about 98000miles original
new winter and summer tires
mostly serviced at MB dealership
good cosmetics

The bad:
Last fall was found with dead battery - recharged and seems OK now
During last cold spell was found sitting on bump stops - would not come up,
with outdoor temps up now, suspension came back up and seems OK
The Nav and rear seat DVD player not working
Various light bulb warnings come and go
Noticed strut tops have cracks...

What's it worth?

PS.My cars have never seen a mechanic...I do all work on my own.

[83w126]

$4500-$6500 without any other information.

[Hatterasguy]

$5k, sounds like the airmatic needs TLC.

[Jim B.]

What a roller coaster ride down the depreciation curve it took!

[Hatterasguy]

Yeah modern high end cars are more or less worthless after 10 years, they lose half of their value alone after the first 3-4.

OTOH because of great CPO warranty's and places like Carmax you can buy an S550 4 matic off lease for about 50% of MSRP.

The kicker is I just sold my 2005 Chevy for $5k and the original sticker was $19k.

[P.C.]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Yeah modern high end cars are more or less worthless after 10 years, they lose half of their value alone after the first 3-4.

OTOH because of great CPO warranty's and places like Carmax you can buy an S550 4 matic off lease for about 50% of MSRP.

The kicker is I just sold my 2005 Chevy for $5k and the original sticker was $19k.

It wasn't equipped with $Airmatic$.

[Skid Row Joe]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

What a roller coaster down the depreciation curve it took!

The only thing predictable about aged S-Class sedans is their over-the-top 'n massive depreciation.

[Jim B.]

seen this kind of thing before..not very collectible, but always will be super expensive to maintain. so rthe remaining ones soon will be badly neglected.

some ghetto pimps may roll in them for awhile, then the rest will show up in the "pick'n' pull" junk yards, then off to the crusher, the w220 to become a late and unlamented memory.

Worst case, it could happen much like a speeded up movie.

[TwitchKitty]

In your location you should be able to find a better deal even for $5K. I can probably buy one here for that and it wouldn't have been exposed to road salt.

As said above you can expect some costly repairs even on a DIY basis, budget for repair expenses.

[Alain V.]

with 98k miles you better figure it's due for all four struts,
front lower ball joints,and control arm bushings,,,,
the front driveshaft and trans are both on their final stages of life and will be toast soon,
and that's just the beginning.

I see it every single day in my shop.....
first the new owner brags about how "cheap" or how good of a deal they got on the car,,,,
then a few failures happen and they start really regretting the purchase.

My opinion" if you are the second/3rd etc owner of any merc built after about 2002-03 ish you got screwed,,,even if you got the car for free! Don't believe me,,,,just wait til that 722.9 trans takes a poo, or the SBC or the air ride, or the balance shaft on a v6. There's a very good reason why most MBZ techs don't seem to drive 10 year old high mile benzes anymore.

[aklim]

I prefer NOT to do business with friends or family. If you must, what is he asking for it? What does a professional mechanic say it needs to get everything up to speed?

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by aklim

I prefer NOT to do business with friends or family. If you must, what is he asking for it? What does a professional mechanic say it needs to get everything up to speed?

It's not the worst hing in the world, just make sure they are completely transparent with everything it has needed, a good ppi is definitely critical in this case. I got my rx8 from a friend, no regrets at all. He was up front with everything the car needed and it wasn't a problem at all.


Sent from an abacus

[aklim]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

It's not the worst hing in the world, just make sure they are completely transparent with everything it has needed, a good ppi is definitely critical in this case. I got my rx8 from a friend, no regrets at all. He was up front with everything the car needed and it wasn't a problem at all.

My problem with dealing with friends and family is that sometimes, on the strength of familial bonds, they ask for payment plans and/or lower price. Plus I can't easily walk away and say "AS IS" when things go sideways a couple of months later. My big thing is that IF things go sideways, it can jeapordize the friendship.

[TylerH860]

Originally Posted by Alain V.

with 98k miles you better figure it's due for all four struts,
front lower ball joints,and control arm bushings,,,,
the front driveshaft and trans are both on their final stages of life and will be toast soon,
and that's just the beginning.

I see it every single day in my shop.....
first the new owner brags about how "cheap" or how good of a deal they got on the car,,,,
then a few failures happen and they start really regretting the purchase.

My opinion" if you are the second/3rd etc owner of any merc built after about 2002-03 ish you got screwed,,,even if you got the car for free! Don't believe me,,,,just wait til that 722.9 trans takes a poo, or the SBC or the air ride, or the balance shaft on a v6. There's a very good reason why most MBZ techs don't seem to drive 10 year old high mile benzes anymore.

There's been good and bad Mercedes models for the last 30 years. M104s were lucky to get to 100k without head gaskets failing. What about those first 5 speeds with that engine as well? Head cracking and rod bending 80's 90's diesels. Timing chains tossing in the 80's. The list keeps going. Would these cars be considered as terrible to upkeep in comparison without airmatic?

I would consider owning a rear wheel drive 2003 S430 or S500 as its past the first years issues, has the facelift/pretty taillights, and still has the 722.6 trans.

With the car listed by the OP, you couldn't give it to me. The lights come and go thing would have me heading for the hills. Parts alone to get it up to snuff could exceed the value of the whole friggin' car.

[iwrock]

Originally Posted by TylerH860

There's been good and bad Mercedes models for the last 30 years. M104s were lucky to get to 100k without head gaskets failing. What about those first 5 speeds with that engine as well? Head cracking and rod bending 80's 90's diesels. Timing chains tossing in the 80's. The list keeps going. Would these cars be considered as terrible to upkeep in comparison without airmatic?

I would consider owning a rear wheel drive 2003 S430 or S500 as its past the first years issues, has the facelift/pretty taillights, and still has the 722.6 trans.

With the car listed by the OP, you couldn't give it to me. The lights come and go thing would have me heading for the hills. Parts alone to get it up to snuff could exceed the value of the whole friggin' car.

An Airmatic equipped W220 wouldn't be terrible. ABC though... Pass.