Thinking of buying a 2013 S550 any problems to be aware of ? car has 27,000 miles on it and a 1 owner car
It is a 7 year old vehicle so actually knowing what problems it might have is impossible .
The common thought here is that you pay a shop to inspect it for you and hope that they can see if it is in reasonable shape . Or they might even help you avoid a problem vehicle .
Then if you buy it just be aware that like all European luxury vehicle that service and repair is expensive.
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Well CarCoplaints doesnât have many issuesâŠ
Just be aware that Mercedes Benz service is quite expensive as are parts. If you arenât prepared for the cost of service, donât buy it.
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Definitely have it checked by a mechanic BEFORE buying. Get the service records if you can.
Also inform yourself upfront about the maintenance and repair costs. As others have said, if you canât handle a $150 oil change, donât buy it.
One more thing - this has low miles, Iâd check that all the service has been done on a miles OR months basis. There could be some significant âcatch upâ maintenance items.
I ask these questions of anyone who is buying a car and seeks advice: How is the car to be used? Will this be a car for a long distance commute? Will it be used for long distance highway trips? Is there a local dealer for the make of car? Do you want the Mercedes Benz for the prestige? Will this be your only vehicle?
In my own case, I would like to have a Mazda Miata. My doctor even wrote on his prescription pad that for my mental health, I need a Mazda Miata. He gave me the prescription slip and I took it home. Mrs. Triedaq picked up the prescription and said she would go have it filled. Unfortunately, she had it filled with a generic substitute and brought home a minivan.
The point is this: Yes, I would like a Mazda Miata. However, it doesnât fit my needs. I frequently have my musician friends with their instruments with me. I would miss the fellowship.as we travel to gigs. There is no Mazda dealer in my community. Furthermore, I am 6â2" tall. The Mazda Miata wouldnât be comfortable for the 375 mile trip each way to visit our son and his family.
Think carefully about why you are considering the Mercedes Benz. I donât know anything about how reliable they are. Others on this board can attest to that.
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Couldnât be worse then bmw?
Samcrac got a bmw v10 and it had 64 codes. And motor rattle
Cleared codes and he got 25 current codes? Well, alt was dead too
Turns out it had conn rod rattle.
There have been more than a few posts on here about people buying âgreat condition, low milesâ luxury vehiclesâŠthat later had serious issues. Meaning, the seller was getting rid of a known problem or problems.
Buyer beware.
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Inspect the car personnaly for anything unusual. Look for staining on the headliner and carpets in the cabin and trunk as indications of water damage. Check under the carpets in the trunk, especially in the spare tire well for water or staining. Look under the hood for anything unusual. Test drive the car for at least 20 minutes and note anything unusual like shifting irregularities, engine misses, or unusual noises. Actually, on this car, any noise besides the radio would be unusual. If everything checks out, pay a mechanic you trust to do a prepurchase inspection. If there is nothing major wrong, just subtract the cost of needed maintenance like now tires from the asking price.
Also, remember that it will be expensive to maintain and repair. Maintenance is estimated by Edmunds at $22,600 over the next five years and repairs at $10,400. Kinda takes your breath away, doesnât it? For comparison, a Lexus LS450 has estimated maintenance costs over the next five years of $10,100 and repairs at $3800. Edmunds doesnât rate 2013, only going back to 2014, but I expect the comparison is valid for 2013 cars.
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There may be good reason to buy the Mercedes Benz. There is the âDress for Successâ model. The image may be important. Back in the late 1960s, I was having lunch in the faculty dining room with a colleague from the physics department. We were having a discussion about nuclear reactors when three middle level administrators joined us at the table. They immediately began discussing what make automobile an administrator should drive. Two of the three drove Oldsmobiles because the president of the university drove an Oldsmobile. The third administrator said he was a younger person and had a Pontiac. He said this showed he was a younger person on the way up. The physics prof then turned to me and asked, âWhat do you drive?â. I replied, âI drive an old battered Rambler. It gives me that scholarly imageâ. My friend from the physics department drove a Corvair.
Now I have never had any interest in being a university administrator. However, if this was my goal today, I might want to own a Mercedes Benz. For the last 33 years of my 44 year tenure, I drove the same 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon. It looked a little shabby toward the end of my career, but it got me to work every day. I did have colleagues that made fun of me and even asked me why I drove such an old car.
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The Mercedes is a well built and strong car . It also a slow aging car . Beside driving a Mercedes S class gives you a special sensation of superiority . So have a mechanic to check it and at 27000 miles odo itâs like new . Get a car fax report first.
Special sense of superiority ??? â Slow aging ( donât think a Mercedes can alter the time continuum ) â 7 years old is not like new â CarFax is only as good as what has been reported to them so it must be taken as a guide , not fact .
Robert Pease, one of perhaps three people one could call a super star of analog electronic engineering, drove a 1969 VW Beetle until 2011.
Unfortunately, he died in it when he crashed into a tree.
Ironically, he wrote a book on safe driving.
Youâre right. Image is important. I like to convey the image of a hardworking, value-conscious person, not a stuck-up snob who likes to show off. To that end, I always drive old economical cars and wear nondescript clothing, never stuff with a brand name/logo plastered on it.
Keeping a low profile not only saves money, it also helps avoid unwanted attention for example from thieves, panhandlers, etc. When someone walks up to you asking for free money, and youâre driving an old car and wearing cheap clothes, itâs a lot easier to say âIâm poorâ or âI donât have anything to give youâ than it is if youâre driving a BMW and dressed to impress.
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Drove a plain, boring car for 30yrs? I would prefer to drive a Lexus 460l for 30yrs instead. I worked at an odd company. Had a good product then owner got a new idea and started getting investors. Used their money for 3-4 yrs and went from a accord to a new Mercedes s500. Which was in the shop all the time. Then company blew up. It was interesting for awhile.
@Cavell Triedaq left his computer on, so I decided to look at this stuff. There are two types of vehicles that fit Triedaqâs personality. The first is some boring, cheap car. He has had those carsâa bottom of the line Rambler that didnât even have switches in the doors to turn on the interior lights, a Ford Maverick, and a Ford Tempo to name a few of the winners.
The other car that would fit his personality would be a diesel from the 1970s. These diesels were noisy, made a big stink and didnât move very fast. That fits Triedaqâs personality to a T.
Mrs. Triedaq
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2103 was the last year of that generation. Some would say thatâs good - theyâve had time to work out the bugs. Iâd ask, but did they? Consumer Reportsâ data is too sparse to have a reliability record for that generation.
The generation beginning in 2014 has been all over the place: too little data, much better than average, worse than average, much worse than average.
Itâs a 7 year old German luxury vehicle. This is a potential money pit.
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+1
However, it is a very comfortable car, equipped with every conceivable bell & whistle, so if the OP has LOTS of money to set aside for maintenanceâand especially for repairsâit might meet his needs.
It is vital that he contemplates the purchase of a vehicle like this with both eyes open, and with relevant advice in mind.
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Youâve written that before, Mrs. T. You certainly are consistent.