If you’re interested in purchasing a used V12-powered W221 Mercedes-Benz S600, but have no idea what to expect in terms of running costs and general maintenance, this video might prove to be helpful.
To be honest, we were left with mixed feelings after watching the video. On one hand, Tyler Hoover of Hoovies Garage managed to buy his 2007 Mercedes-Benz S600 for just $4,500 (it was broken), then spent another $4,500 just to get the engine replaced.
You could say that $9,000 for a car that originally cost a whooping $160,000 actually sounds like a great bargain, and in hindsight, it probably is, especially if you live in an area where gas prices aren’t as high as they can be in certain parts of the world.
Then again, you’ve got “little things” costing a lot of money such as labor for when you’re servicing the car (this YouTuber spent $1,450 on labor alone). He also spent $660 on a new radiator, $375 on the aux cooling fan, $325 on batteries, $300 on the right lower control arm and another $100 on a used tire, plus $80 on an oil change.
To sum it up, that’s $12,290 in total and we haven’t even gotten into aesthetic repairs. A further $1,400 were spent on a windshield, $85 for a fog lamp, $400 on the paint job, $200 on the wheels and $75 on the detailing. So that leaves us with $14,450, but again, that’s less than 10% of this S600’s original MSRP.
What’s particularly impressive is that the car proved to be quite reliable over the course of a year and didn’t require further repairs on any important mechanical bits – in the owner’s words, “5,000 completely trouble-free miles”.
It would seem that buying a used luxury limo can be a good idea, as long as you focus on the vetting process so that you’ll at least come away with a decent ride.