MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS Saloon 1999‑2005

Since originally purchasing the car for pounds £4,995 cheap in my opinion, I was first impressed then, unfortunately, some three weeks later very disappointed. I was plagued with major Electrical problems not least in the following order Gearbox internal component main ECU, Gearbox Selector ECU, Rear offiside ABS brake sensor, ( which needed adrressing immediately) as it was a safety item for the correct operation of the ABS system, Finally, not least annoying the window winder mechanism required a new motor all of which cost together pounds £3,250 ouch that HURT! Even accounting for all of the above I would not hesitate to purchase the same vehicle again for these very realistic and truthful reasons,It is like riding on a cushion of air with the Airmatic suspecnsion , has Power when required with 200 plus BHP to hand, so therefore Performance , is continualy cosetting you in Luxury yet is still Economical, to boot. My conclusion pound for pound the BEST Luxury, saloon car in the world - What a Car!!!

if you want comfort, style and 1st class luxury then this is the car for business and family. its great to drive and its very quick, its easy to park as it has sensors front and back, it has about every toy and gadget you can think of including USB charging in the rear, it even has personal vanity units in the roof for the rear passengers, its the perfect car to be chauffeured around in, To be honest this is not the cheapest car to run around town but on a run its not so bad but it really makes a statement and when new it was around £70,000.

have just bought a 2004 S320 cdi for 7k the car is in showroom condition full service history and all the toys going (apart from heated seats much to my wife's disappointment) we have been looking at getting one for several months as we do a lot of miles and wanted a bit of luxury 7k is a steal for such a lot of car the quality and build is excellent.

the car is so smooth and easy to drive once you get use to the size of the car, it eats up the miles with good fuel economy,first drive in the car was a 150 mile 3 hour run back from birmingham to portsmouth and every single mile was a pleasure i got out feeling relaxed and fresh.

i love this car it is every thing i hoped it would be

i will report back in six months or so with a update on how its holding up to my expectations

I only bough tthis car as a weekend/out of town toy and it certainly does what it says on the tin. So much so that i find im trying to drive it more often than i should, and i look forward to my day off so i can actually get round to driving it.

Around town its not quite the magic carpet one might hope for but its certainly been the most comfortable car iv ever driven. On the motorway its again probably one of the best cars iv ever driven, but that might be more to do with the 500bhp thats on tap. Its also the AMG S class, so not is it only ultra rare but the chorus from the quad exhausts is so heavenly you want any excuse to hear it.

A few people said not buy one as their expensive to run/practicality/reliability etc etc. But in all honesty iv not had any major dramas with it and its about as easy to work on as any other car. Its actually easier to change the discs and pads on this than a Vectra!!! Long wheel base makes it a pleasure to sit and be chauffeured around in the back, espcially with a rear TV/DVD player. Running costs are not all that bad as long as you drive sensibly and an A service starts from around £175, which the computer will tell you when its due.

A lot of people told me to buy an E55 AMG or even a CLK55 AMG if i really had an urge, but in the end iv always pined for a "big luxo barge with plenty of power" and nothing comes close to this. With all the toys, power and exclusivity I cant see myself selling it any time soon. Looking forward to the summertime but just wish i had more days off work to enjoy it.

Space - It's got tons of space inside and it's huge outside.

Comfort - Awesome! Puts some hotels to shame!

Ride - Handles remarkably well for a car of this size and floats over road irregularities.

Performance - Goes like stink! Not many cars faster than this on the road.

Running costs - Ouch!

I tested Jags, other Mercs, BMW, Range Rover and the VW Phaeton and the S Class was best.

Having a toddler I wanted to be able to easily get her in and out of the rear facing child seat and the huge door opening of the S Class provides this (only the Phaeton was better). The boot is also wider than all the other cars I tested and the only one that allowed her buggy to easily fit horizontally leaving lots of space for other child related junk.

This car is so comfortable and quiet. You can cruise at speed on the motorway and it's almost silent. Back on regular roads and the airmatic suspension soaks up potholes and speed bumps with ease.

With normal driving it's silent but if you want to make some rapid progress boot it and it absolutely flies leaving pretty much anything else on the road in its dust. And what a fine sound from the V8 at higher revs.

I use an independent Mercedes garage for servicing and their costs are very reasonable.

The car gets used for visits to friends, shops and trips abroad so a mixture of journeys which results in the variable servicing telling me to get it done about every 12,000 miles (so every 2 years for me).

If something major fails it could be very expensive to fix, but as the car cost me so little to start with (it had depreciated about £66,000 from new when I bought it!) I can budget for this.

Really the only downsides to this car are:

1. it's sheer physical size which can make parking a little tricky (glad mine has parking sensors fitted) and i've noticed a few tiny dings appearing on the bodywork where careless shoppers have slammed their doors into it.

2. Fuel consumption (I average 20mpg), cost of tyres and repairs if anything major fails. But hey, that's the price you pay for a luxury car like this.

I believe the S Class is the best car I have ever bought.

Take your time choosing a good 'un and you could have some luxurious motoring for very little money.

My petrol S320 was a terrific buy, a year ago - mint condition, low mileage, just 2 previous owners (the first one for 8 years). It's a luxo-barge. Just don't take them to main dealers with their joke prices!

I bought my petrol S Class three years ago at the prime time for top-end luxury cars i.e. when they are 5-6 years old and have done less than 50k milles. This cost £65k when new and I paid £10k!! Undoubtedly the best car I've ever owned and I've had some jewels such as brand new BMW 5 series etc. Has now done 85k miles with no major problems - only proper servicing by a renowned specialist who has replaced consumbles like brakes etc. Parts costs are, of course, above average but nothing seems much to go wrong! Concerns over major part costs such as engine, gearbox, transmission and air suspension seem to put people off but as a member of the Mercedes owners club, I am only aware of these parts failing exceptionally due to neglect or abuse. Buy carefully and you will experience driving pleasure and prestige unrivalled. Fabulous quality everywhere and an interior you do not wish to leave. All the performance you need from the 3.7 litre engine and 24 mpg (forget the V8 500 - it is too expensive to run). Treat yourself to the unparalleled executive express..

THIS CAR OOOZES CLASS, SO COMFORTABLE, SMOOTHE AND A EXCELLEMT DRIVE. SO MAY GADGETS AND EXTRAS. THIS IS A CAR MADE FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TO HAVE LUXORY AND WHO KNOW ABOUT CARS. YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH ENGINE EITHER IT IS THE MOST RELIABLE AND LONG LASTING ENGINE ON THE MARKET.

I HAVE A MERCEDES S55KL LIMOUSINE A IS A VERY POWER SUPERCHARGED MERCEDES. IT HAS 500BHP WHICH MAKES THIS ULTRA LUXURY FAMILY SALOON CAR KEEP UP WITH HIGH PERFORMANCE CARS LIKE FERRARI, BMW M POWER, ASTON MARTINS AND MANY OTHERS. IT IS FULLY LOADED HAS ALL THE POSSIBLE EXTRA, IT IS VERY SPACIOUS. BUT THE ALL THIS GLAMOUR THEIR IS THE DARK SIDE OF RUNNING COST. THE ROAD TAX IS EXPENSIVE, INSURANCE IS EXPENSIVE AND IT IS A PETROL SUCKING BEAST. SO MY ADVICE IS MAKE YOUR NEW PIGGY BANK FOR THIS CAR. OVERALL IT IS AN AMAZING CAR AND MERCEDES AMG DESIGNERS AND CONSTRUCTORS DESERVE A CLAP.

great on fuel

great to drive

a great car at unbelievable price

massive spec

you will not believable what you get for your money its amazing