HELLO
I am thinking of buying my first benz and it is 01 S600 or a 02 S500 can you tell me which will be the better buy I am 6ft5 290 I drove a caddie sls for 3 years and I was really not happy with that So being that I would like to know more about the benz who can help me with this
Reggie

 

600 is sweet and really fast, but itll give you more headaches than fun, if you buy a 600 its got to be new, the old 600s are old by this time and people get rid of cars for a reason. the difference between the 500 and 600 interior is not much....600 has suede headliner and pillar panels and maybe power and heated rear seats and tons of power!!...if your not a driving enthusiast and dont have a heavy foot you dont need a 600. The 500 is almost just as nice but cheaper to maintain and more reliable. if you buy a Benz buy from a dealership IMO. they know you benz better than anyone. 600 has hydraulic suspension which does have issues and the 500 has an air suspension overall pretty good after some problems have been worked out. try to get a dealer maintained benz.

 

no matter where you buy th Benz from, make sure the records ar there, especially a S600. The S600 i the crown jewel of the Benz world and mechanically, it's stable BUT, it is choked full o everysingle electronical option that Benx could fit into that car and lots of those electronics require special "things" that only can be found at the dealer.

Now I'm no dealer cheerleader as I find them more of a rip off than anything but in the the case of the W220, S500 or S600 sometimes, it's unavoidable. The hydraulic suspension is a Mercedes "old" technology and havent heard too much problems with it, but the down side is that less people outside the dealer know how to fix it. On the other hand, the airmatic has it's quirks but most have been sorted out by now. If you have a speed demon to expell and a wallet for a V-12 then by all means go for the S600. But if economy is priority and you want a car that is less a work of art and more everyday driver but still just as nice, then get the S500.

Really though in perspective, Mercedes S600 is probably one of the cheaper v-12s to maintain. BMW v-12 just for a tune up cost an arm and leg due to hard to reach plugs and the stuff you have to remove to get to it. Lambo, Ferrari, etc are basically race engines with race engine maintance prices. The Rolls-Royce is done up Bimmer v12 with a premieum. Jaguar old V-12 can be a PITA especially when trying to find someone familiar with it. Aston Martin, you dont want to go there., The Audi, Volkswagen, Bentley W-12 is a whole new ball park in itself.