I have a '73 450se (stutgart german ed) that is being retired. Of course, I'm drawn to the s600 due to the price, but I'm sure it's got a whole set of maintenance issues. Do the "lesser" engined s class models have all the creature comforts that (can) cause problems like the big boys? What about the air suspension? How far back do I have to go to get into an S class that doesn't have active suspension? 1992? Are my concerns real or imagined?

 

Air suspension started to be standard in 1999. It was not standard in the W140 model. It was a heafty costing option in the CL500 and Cl600 in 1998, not sure about the S though, prob both too.

If you want to get a used S Class I would go for a 1997/1998 model, no earlier (assuming you want a W140 model). Only the S600/CL600 came with all the usual options, but even then there were lots of others you could request for extra, so each car will be different in terms of equiptment it has.

I would avoid an S600 myself, unless you have lots of spend cash each time you get it serviced, plus the performance is not really much greater than the S500 as the engine is much heavier. Its a status thing really I think.

My 1997 S500 is still going strong today, it has started every time, and is very reliable. The inside still looks like new when I give it a preopper clean, and polish the leather. They are great cars if looked after well! Preventative maintance is the key.

My advice if you get one, make sure the air-con works, check both hot and cold air, and if it has parktronic check it works.

The stright 6 engines are the most reliable, go for a S320 LWB if you want extra space in the back, as its probably the best buy (and was the most popular too).