I'm going to be buying an S600 one day...It's my dream car...well actually a Saleen S7 is my dream car but the S600 comes close. If I were you I would buy it, just be prepared to make friends at the MB dealer cause you'll be seeing them everytime you need maintenance...cherio chap.

 

UPDATE- brought her home yesterday. A few minor glitches, but other than that she seems ok. There was no navigation cd; the local dealer gave me one. No phone, and the dealer swore that only a genuine MB phone would work with the system. Well, I dug out the old BMW phone that's been sitting for a couple of years, plugged it in, and everything works fine. The phonebook is all there (I swear half the people in it are dead or missing), and the whole thing works. Now I have to get the phone reactivated by Sprint. That saved me spending a small fortune buying an upgrade to the phone system or paying a dealer over $600 just for the handset.

The lights have been upgraded to '04 already. When I went to the dealer the service tech went out to the parking lot to get the VIN, and came back saying he couldn't find an '02 in the lot. I mentioned the lights, he said he thought that car (mine) WAS an '04.

The previous owner apparently didn't like the key card idea, and changed the shifter. The dealer is getting me a new shifter so I can have the key card feature. Or whatever it's called.

The tires were upgraded (?) from 17" to 18". Spare is still a 17". I set the Nav system to the new tires. Question - how do I tell the speedometer that the tires are bigger? I noticed that the tire pressure monitor is missing. Hmm... that was done to my '02 BMW, by the dealer during a software "upgrade" too. Is this an issue?

Many thanks to all for the info! I figured this car wouldn't be entirely trouble free, but it has to beat the BMW. Right? Had an '02 745Li. LEMON. BMW finally gave me an '04 to replace it, but I didn't trust it any more and sold it quickly. Bought a Lotus Elise instead. Keeping the Elise, that's my toy, but I liked the MB too. It was just a bit more than I wanted to pay back in '02, so now I have it at a fraction of the cost.

And finally, should I buy an aftermarket extended warranty? And if so, can anyone recommend a good one that is actually worth it?

 

The dealer can reprogram the speedo for the current tire size. They may not have to, though. With today's performance tires, an inch taller tire may have a lower sidewall profile which essentially makes 17" and 18" the same height. Anyway, ask them about reprogramming.

Also, it's probably a bad idea to put different size tires on the rear for any longer than it would take to reach the nearest tire repair shop. The rear differential is probably a limited-slip type that could be damaged with different size tires. If a rear tire blows, put the spare on the front and take the front tire and put it on the rear.

 

Thanks! I guess it's fine then. Believe me, I won't be changing any tires myself. That's what roadside assistance is for. I can't imagine trying to loosen lugs that have been tightened by a machine and being successful anyway.

 

The roadside assistance guys will change the tire but they won't care about your differential. You need to tell them not to put odd-sized tires on the rear. If they aren't really smart, then you'll need to explain to them how to change the tires so the odd sizes end up on front instead of the rear, and why.