Why Every Used Mercedes MUST have a Pre-Purchase Inspection Performed. Even CarMax missed this one.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- Workshop Repair Manuals For Your Car - bit.ly/3l2k9WO
CarMax offered a fair market trade-in value for this total pile of Crap 2008 Mercedes-Benz S550. In this video I show you everything they missed, and how much repairs would cost. Don't get screwed!!! Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection.
Here is the VIN, Don't buy this one!!
WDDNG86X98A193880
Subscribe right here! bit.ly/2xT53bk
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Do any of you have a friend that should have the nickname the "Car Destroyer?"
Dude no crap!! Great find. They didn't waste anytime.
Alex
Yup. Went and helped him get a mint 99 318ci or si (can’t remember the letters, didn’t care much since it was gutless) but the car was mint. I wanted it because it was in good shape. Sure enough few months go by. I meet up with him, it’s sounds terrible, none of the windows work anymore. Radio is screwed. He used a wife beater to dry the car after every 5 dollar soap and rinse off wash. I even have him shit for the paint but he told me to pound sand lol
@LegitStreetCars I sorry I've lost your contact info and I'm having trouble finding where you had gave it to me b4. Anyhow I really don't want to put my email out there on TH-cam but I have alot of questions for you about my E55 so if you could contact me on my channel or something I would GREATLY APPRECIATE IT !
my dad should
Yes. At least four. And some family members are car killers for sure.
Carmax didn’t miss any of that. They don’t care about any of that because they know what it will go for in the wholesale auction. -Former Carmax Employee
Makes no sense. So they will lose on extra profit? 😂
A lot of people here blaming Mercedes. Look, if you have bent wheels and tie rods, deformed tires, and ignored warning lights, that's not a problem with Mercedes, that's a problem with you.
R13 Agreed. I have had used Mercedes throughout my life. With regular maintenance On time I’ve had a huge amount of success. I have a 2010 Mercedes 300 one owner besides me. Was a lease trade in. 85 k miles. 12 k. Inside is 9/10 outside is 9/10. About 3 k of aesthetic items need repair or replacing and it would look brand
New. It never missed a service. I can afford to repair it so to me it’s well worth it.
I love my E270 cdi just a great car problem is not taking care of a benz
That's a fact
R13 And of course this is what most people do because they can’t afford to fix it
@RJ mi not all of them 🤣🤣 i drive my benz like a bmw driver or ther lazy drivers or drive like its stolen🤣😁
How in the world does someone let a nice, not very old car, turn into such a pile of garbage?!?!
By not caring at all.
Alex
What a shame!!!
#1 Mercedes owner #2 it is a Mercedes.
Thinking the same thing :(
Because any little repair on a luxury car costs a small fortune. A $150 repair on a Ford F-150 will cost $750 on a Cadillac.
I have a 2007 S550. I bought it for $12500 - it was very well maintained and looks new still. I dont have any issues like this. this poor car was neglected and abused its whole life.
I just bought mine in July with only 77k for 13k how many miles on yours
@@mosmith59 any update on reliability? cost of maintaining it? please lmk as I'm looking to get one soon.
@@Infiniteriandid you get it
@@slightwork3201 No, I ended up getting a super clean 1 owner 2008 Lexus LS460 instead. It's an amazing car and I love it. I opted for the rwd coil suspension because AWD + air suspension is a nightmare to work on + parts are much more expensive for awd + air suspension not to mention that there's barely any aftermarket for awd parts (I do all the work on my cars). Before buying my LS460, I really wanted get a W221 S63 amg that was listed in florida for a very good price with low mileage but the dealer literally marked it up $10k after I saved the listing and wanted to contact them. I guess they didn't know what they had until a customer or someone told them about it lol because the car was fully loaded and they had it listed as a base before adjusting the price.
I don’t think CarMax is gonna fix it and sell it on their lot. Lol. They’re probably gonna auction it in a wholesale lot and Hoovies Garage is gonna buy it 😂🤣😜😝😆
Oh they are definitely not selling this on their lot. Its already on their auciton site. Hoovies or Tavarish's next video, "I bought the world's cheapest S550."
Alex
Jack L Hoovies actually just sold his s600 to Tavarish. But that one had nowhere near as many issues
Hoovie put an engine in it right off the bat but yea, that thing is a lot nicer.
LMAO those two idiots would buy crap cars like this.
Can't really see how it makes them idiots if its what they enjoy doing.
I worked in a Mercedes service department from 2000 to 2005. Even on that Generation S class I was quoting $5,700 to repair the air suspension. And that was back then. That included replacing the four air struts, the pump and the relay. Once the struts start leaking, the pump tries to run continuously which it is not designed for, to level the car out. That burns up the pump and takes the relay with it. Once those were all replaced, we would then check the rest of the system for any other potential air leaks. Good luck LOL.
There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes.
LMacNeill my first car was a 1500€ mercedes benz 190 with over 200k km on it. Never had any major problems with it and i never regret buying it.
No one buys an S class for reliability, if you can't afford expensive maintenance, don't buy a luxury car
Funny how the pre-1995 Mercs are built like tanks, then I assume the accounting department at Mercedes took over and made these cars out of paper.
There's nothing wrong with mercedes, is just that luxury cars in general have a lot of equipment and technology which happends to be expensive to maintain, and there are people who buy S class and then can't afford maintenance, and this happends. here in Europe people drive 300k km easily with mercedes A, B and C class and they are very reliable
Jorge Fernando thats right. One of my friends has a c 200 i believe the model is like 2010 or 2011 and it has over 400k km without any major issues.
Its not cars problem when you don't look after your car
My guess is that Carmax's appraiser was pissed at them and about to quit. He is probably looking to do them as much damage he can before he's out the door.
Interesting theory but still Carmax is the Wal Mart of car dealers. I wouldn't trust them with any used car they try to sell me. This guy's friend's story is nothing new or unusual. I've heard of plenty of potential sellers grumbling about stuff Carmax missed that a blind person could spot in an instant!
Largoi33t1: why would potential sellers grumble about things that carmax is missing? Lol
I was thinking the same thing.
Nah, funny part is they will make money on that 7k..so they don’t care
when I sold my 2015 Impala LTZ to them two years ago for $15,890, I thought that they would actually ‘inspect’ the car when they came with the tow truck. The rep came, did the title, slapped the lockbox on it and they drove off. They didn’t look at tires, open the hood or trunk - NOTHING! I thought that was very odd!
Whoever who owns that S-Class should be riding a donkey instead.
Actually a donkey is too good for him.
No donkey in the world deserves to be abused like this ...
He wouldn't feed the donkey.
Or a camel
I've seen a ton of them 2013 -2014 only 25 k was wondering why a car just a little under a maybach was so cheap
The vomit is a nice touch, let's you know a real savage owned that car.
Srsly, wtf.. who leaves vomit around?
Do you call this customized
Alex, this episode saved me from buying a C63 that had some hidden gremlins. I used Autoscope European Car Care in Plano TX for a thorough, multi hour pre-purchase inspection that uncovered shoddy body work, shoddy paint work, body filler use, and a host of other issues including a camshaft position sensor on the exhaust bank complaining, the electronic control module for the transmission complaining, and other details of a car that's lived a hard, hard life.
It was a C63 bro😭Ofc it was driven hard
I dunno... if you can buy it from Carmax for $11k and get them to put a 5-year bumper-to-bumper warranty on it, they will eat the cost of all of those repairs...
Carmax wont be selling this car. They will auction it off to a smaller dealer.
Alex
LegitStreetCars so the small dealer will scam it off to someone with a buy here, pay here scheme
Jon Akers if your lucky
LegitStreetCars in that case what would you estimate they get in auction? Would be over 7k to make a profit
Ninja Master the people that usually buy there don't really care either if it moves it works basically all they care also all our cars have check engine lights because we gave up taking it to the dealership and them throwing parts code goes away comes back and then they say needs this too they run fine much better than this
I've owned alot of high mileage German and Japanese cars and the German one's have been more realible in my experience .But then again they are usual diesel's which last longer.
I have a 2007 W221 S550 Sport in Androite grey like seen in the video. It’s an amazing car that if taken care of, can be reliable and a worthwhile drive. Mine has 84k miles and is in perfect condition (slight wear on drivers seat and I got a sight key mark from some asshole at school.) it drives amazingly and was a 1 owner vehicle before I purchased it owned by a family friend. This is my favorite designed S with my favorite color. It’s sad seeing people neglect such amazing pieces of engineering and let them rot. Though this car is too far gone, if the owner maintained and fixed things as soon as the occurred, it think there would be much less issues in the future.
Sounds like it's should be the next car we drive into the wall and film in high speed. Although my stc e-class is in better condition the way it stands...lol
imagine buying a car and then seeing a video about it being total crap lol
I know. I feel bad for the next guy but hopefully my 40,000 Subs wont end up with it, haha. I tried.
Alex
@@LegitStreetCars _2019 update: 235,000+ subs. You da man Alex! Decent video content right on the money!_
Me currently I just bought my s550 17 days ago and I’m fixing the front left air shock
Alex I love how thorough you are with the vids!! I'm not even a Mercedes guy but I enjoy your content.
And to just think all the small dealers that offer the "BAD CREDIT NO PROBLEM" Scam... Someone will get boned big time
Can't wait for that garage and tool box/tooling tour!
Thanks Shawn, means a lot. Im going to clean the crap out of the garage and make that video very soon.
Alex
Love all your Mercedes videos, I try to absorb as much info as possible from all them, thanks!
I once bought a used 08 BMW 335i and out of curiosity I decided to take it to the dealership just for an inspection and it totalled close to $10,000 in estimates all in . Keep in mind it ran ok. Most of the items listed are not that necessary. The only urgent item was the valve cover gasket and oil filter housing was just starting to leak. The brakes were at 5mm so that could wait. The broken cornering lights system weren’t necessary. It also had a few minor faults in between. Never bothered fixing it apart from the brakes and gaskets. I did trade it in for a 2011 335i (which oddly enough had a clean bill of health) and the trade in value was close to the estimate. Just shows how expensive these are to run.
Great video Alex! Can't believe your buddy let this happen to this nice car.
Excellent advice on the Pre-Purchase Inspection. At a MB dealer on a CPO my Pre-Purchase Inspection didn’t pass the muster. I didn’t buy it. I did the same (Pre-Purchase Inspection) on the CPO vehicle I did buy. Best few hundred dollars I could spend. Notice, these were CPO vehicles too.
People like this should just buy Toyotas. They can take the neglect. Mercedes-Benz engineers assume regular servicing when designing their cars. These are US$100k high-performance machines when new. They take TLC to keep them that way. They are friendlier than Ferraris on the maintenance budget, but as this video painstakingly points out, can get horrifyingly expensive to keep on the road when neglected.
Pretty much.
Nothing close to Ferrari lmao
That's true. But the fact is that Mercedes cars are not built they way they were.
Love your videos, I have a 2010 Mercedes e350 4matic, it's been really good and a beast in the snow especially living in Massachusetts, I just want to THANK YOU for the videos and info on Mercedes vehicles, it's saved me a lot of $ taking your advise, and love your E55 and the upgrades you've made, perfect color combo and options, keep putting out these great videos, o ya congrats on the Cubs winning World Series!
W212 E is a much more reliable car than the W221 S!
I'm on my 2nd W212 and in a total if 7.5 years the only issue has been one of the rear Airmatic struts that just started leaking after 125 kkm (78 k miles). Changed both to Arnott struts which comes with lifetime warranty.
FYI.....my father n law is the original car destroyer/murderer....which I officially named him....I’ve witnessed him destroying at least 5 used cars and now he’s in his way destroying a car he bought brand new...and don’t get me started on his duct tape body work....Love your channel Alex...been subscribed for a while now..✌️😎
Oh man you know one too. They are the worst! Thanks for watching and subscribing, appreciate that.
Alex
What did he do to the 5 cars? I once sold a perfectly working 10yrs+ Kia Picanto to a guy wanting to gift it to his wife. She broke the automatic gearbox within two weeks... not sure what she did. lol
nervsouly he ran them all into the ground, blew 3 head gaskets on 3 of them....when he smelled anti freeze and noticed the cars over heating, he would just turned the a/c on during the winter, thinking it would cool it down....then eventually drove them all in to the ground....never changed oil, I use to give him advice and he would just shake his head in agreement and do nothing....he’s still a beast with his new car till this day....R.I.P all 5 of Mac’s cars...
My stepmom managed to kill a 1989 Century, and several caravans by literally never getting the oil done and running the fucking things til they seize
He never changed the oil?! Facepalm until my skull cracks. And I thought my cousin was a car destroyer but incredibly, even she knows she has to get the oil changed even though she HATES having to do it.
This is not just Mercedes, but other luxury cars as well, for my experience, i got a 2007 Lexus Ls460, and just like Alex said in the video, everything looks good, carfax et all, but once I took it to the dealer for inspection, engine had oil leak, broken motor mount, hose, tension belt..I did end up paying for the cost to fix which was around $5k, plus another $1k for 4 new tires. I obviously bought this from a car destroyer, but I still would recommend the Lexus LS and would buy it again in the future, however, I would definitely get a pre-purchase inspection.
Steve, LMAO! And a few posters on this video claimed Lexus is the ONLY brand to buy. BS. I wouldn't trust them either. They are owned by Toyota, which recalled another 400,000 Priuses last week! For BRAKE problems. Unbelievable. I'm now wondering if Toyota is Japanese for "recalled"! Google the news on "latest Toyota recalls"! :D
I agree 100%. I bought a C Class cabriolet that was beautiful and seemed perfect. 10 miles from the dealership it went haywire. I had it towed back and after an investigation it turns out it needed an $8,000 transmission repair. Of course I demanded my money back and then bought and had inspected an Audi. No problems after 3 years.
Awesome job! Thanks for the heads up.
I screamed out loud when I saw the welded rim
My heart just broke seeing what your friend did to that poor S class... Good thing he won't get another one
New Mercedes are purposely designed to last about 6 years. They know most original buyers will keep it 3-4 years, and if it's traded in at a Mercedes dealer it will be covered under a used car warranty for about 2 years. After that they want it off the road.
Robin Sattahip yust no.only lexus is more reliable then benz
Our Mercedes all well lasted over 10 years and 250.000km with no major hick ups. Of course non of them had the air suspension
@@rsattahip wrong just like any dealership you can get an older car on the new car lot you can find 10 year old plus Mercedes very easily
Thanks to wrecked cars and used parts dealers. A pneumatic door lock from Mercedes is $900.
Very insightful and thoughtful, thanks man, it’s an eye opener
Thanks for including the vin. Probably Saved someone a lot of money.
Do a meetup at Carmax lol.
I've owned my 2005 Mercedes C230 Kompressor for almost 2 years now. Getting close to 200,000 miles. Prior to this car I've owned 8 other cars, everything from Saab's to a Hyundai Sonata. I can gladly say that this W203 Mercedes is the most reliable and cost efficient car I have ever owned. Parts are cheap and easy to replace. The cost of the synthetic oil can be a bit expensive at times. But as a whole, if you're looking for a cheap, reliable Mercedes, the W203 is the way to go!
Same here. Had several Saabs. Just got a C230 like a week ago only 123k miles
Hi Alex, I came to your channel because of your Trans Am, but since I also love your other car content, I decided to subscribe. I really like your videos.
Keep the good work up.
Cheers.
Thanks a lot!! I'm taking the car destroyer for a 4 hour road trip in the Trans Am tomorrow to pick up a new car. End of the season trip for the TA.
Alex
Great channel! Hope to see it grow!
I've always found it odd that Carmax doesn't put cars they appraise up on a lift to inspect them. They would've probably caught a lot of the things you mentioned in the vid if they did. Seems like the thing their appraisers are always most concerned about is whether the cars they're looking at have ever been in an accident.
Ky Y they sell it at their auction to a dealer who barely checks it out. The cel will kill the deal though in this case.
Seen a fair share of cars, but holy hell...
Yea she needs some work. But man does it look good all air'd up.
Alex
LegitStreetCars srs question. How did someone break all those things? Purposefully? Accidentally?
Like oh f that hood release, yank...
Can't argue with that! I'm wondering about what Ninja Master asked, too. Not caring is one thing, but this is more a case of "neglect" than "not caring". Never seen a hood release broken like that haha
How the hood realese get like that tho?
Damn!!! 😱😱😱 So glad I found this video. I've been looking to buy a used Mercedes Benz, because there's so many "good deals". Definitely will have to do some serious reasearch.
I've been watching this channel for a yr now and it motivated me to buy a used E550 cause I wanted something all wheel with a V8 and I wish I could've seen this episode 1st. Its a great car so far just wish I got a appraisal
CarMax is adding "Has anyone ever vomited in the car?" to the initial questionaire.
Not just Benz, but a pre Purchase inspection on ANY used car! Though, my Dad took his to a Dealer for a PPI, and the Dealer quoted $1,200 to fix everything. The independent shop I use, quoted only $225 for what REALLY needed to be fixed....... He bought the car, and my guys did the minor repairs for him.
How do you get a PPI on car you haven’t purchased yet ?
Excellent review...100% on point!
EVERY car should have a pre-purchase inspection, Alex. Good video!
I have a car destroyer friend. It does not matter if the car is new or old he can trash, smash, crash and bash them till they are junk.
Not to mention the time bomb the 5.5L engines have. Timing chain guide wear and possible complete engine failure.
The earlier ones (2007 and some 2008s) have balance shaft issues too. Always check the engine serial numbers on these cars to make sure the one you want isn't in range.
OMGWTFLOL. Or at least check to see if it has already been done, which is more than likely. I personally wouldn't recommend an older S class at all unless you're prepared to pay high maintenance and repair costs. It's a great car, but you're going to pay for it.
Is the timing belt guide thing an issue with euro vehicles? My '04 audi S4 had the same issue.
Em no..280k here on stock timing chain components, no issues yet, they had balance shaft issues prior 2007 so anything after 2008 is safe.
It's an issue if you don't pay attention to maintenance (oil changes). Modern euro engines (like japanese engines) are highly sensitive to neglect.
Edit: I'll add that Mercedes between about 1998 and 2014 are best avoided. They had awful design and build quality control issues, particularly (but not limited to) US-assembled vehicles. Whatever malaise Chrysler had somehow managed to infect German design studios too.
The oddest thing I saw in Mercedes was a girlfriend's C220 diesel. When she bought it, the computer said it had a litany of faults and she spent about $2500 getting them all fixed but the faults didn't go away and the car had trouble getting to 60mph, let alone at any acceptable accleration.
I borrowed it to test, noticed the temp gauge wasn't moving and discovered the water was stone cold after 45 mins of running - it turned out the thermostat was jammed open and because the engine was cold after running for a while, the diagnostics thought lots of things were wrong. Replacing the 'stat resulted in most of the faults clearing themselves, but the turbo vanes needed decoking due to the constant cold running.
All that electronics and no logic to check for a simple mechanical issue like "is it taking too long to warm up?"
Yes, I had a 2000 S500 and the Airmatic Suspension went out! My jaw dropped when I hear the replacement cost! I eventually sold it because it started rusting-out, but I ended up replacing the Airmatic suspension with springs from Arnott... ran beautifully.
"Yes, I had a 2000 S500 and the Airmatic Suspension went out!" Exactly, you won't get a discount on parts for a $100,000 just because it is cheap used. 😉
You're a good man for doing this. You must be appreciated.
Wow how is it possible to break all those parts!? How does the screens break inside ? Lol I’ve seen work pickups in better condition. One thing I’ve learned, when I was about 22 , had 1991 infinity Q45 my first luxury car, brought it in to have some things fixed/looked at, couldn’t believe the price and the mechanic said something I will never forget “ Fancy car = Fancy problems” and that was a Flintstone car compared to days cars. That’s why I’m scared to buy used luxury. Though your E55 has changed my mind. Just have to pick the reliable ones, not too fancy
That mechanic was so right. But ya you should still get an E55, haha.
Alex
A russian s-class? LOL
Abuse. One new GLE 350 in for a service at the dealership I worked at had what looked like bags of dirt emptied in it with hay and leaves and animal crap. They were using it like a tractor.
You want a fancy car, get a Lexus! They are the most reliable luxury vehicles period!! Most other brands are endless moneypits!
DeathMammoth Lexus aren't as premium as the rest.
If you look closely, you can see Hoovie (camoflauged) checking out the car.
I had to swat him away from trying to offer carmax $7,001
Alex
Another fantastic video! Thank you Alex. Question for you, I really want to learn how to work on modern Mercedes like this one, what would you suggest? I grew up working on a w123 300d and have done things like basic services, oil, brakes, spark plugs (M112 v6) motor mounts, suspension bushings and ATF changes. Every time I do something I am acutely aware of what I don’t know (usually diagnosing a problem is where I come unstuck). I am lucky that my day job means I can afford tools and a lift but I can not find night classes to take or good sources of information. My current car is a W212 E350.
I'd love to get an old S Class Merc. But this video has scared the hell out of that desire. Thanks, very informative.
What do you expect from _any_ 150k car without service history and with well enough warning lights switched on to light your Christmas tree?
Norbert Vossiek Pretty much expected this.
Great video Alex!
Really interesting! Thank you :)
Rear seats are dented from child car seats.
No those were huge boxes. You should have seen the way he kept it up. It was like a pickup
LegitStreetCars lol
Yup! Even though the guy bought it from his friend and said exactly what it's from... you know better than him!
This heap is worth $500. The reason why CarMax missed so much is because they dont check everything, especially if they are busy and have a lot of cars to appraise. I had my car appraised in the summer and they didnt even drive it, it was in the exact same position as when I pulled in. It depends on who does the appraisal. I would have shaken on the $7k right then and there and ran.
Jeepthing98, watch my next video. I think you may like it. Oh, and he did sell it to them for 7k right after this video..
A;ex
Just tuned in for the first time from the UK. Your video was so interesting, but a scary prospect that unsuspecting someone could buy that S Class.
Great video and production values. Subbed.
Thanks Matt. Just filmed the destroyer's new car. Stay tuned.
Alex
Am I the only one who noticed mis-matching license plates? lol
I didn't even notice that. Good catch. The destroyer is an interesting fella
Alex
Jesus lord all mighty! Carmax didn’t even bother driving my CLK 350 and offered me $1500 because it had hail damage that, even after they pointed it out, I still can barely find the dents again and only in JUST the right lighting. And it’s mechanically flawless...
I'm not sure about the US, but the problem with hail damage here in Australia is, as a dealer you have to report it as hail damaged in the title, no matter how little the actual damage is and regardless of whether it's eventually fixed by the dealer. So when they sell it again, it will be significantly be less than one with a clear title, hence the valuation.
Having said that, $1500 is really stingy for a CLK350...
donkgated there’s probably something to that regard here too. I never would’ve noticed it in a million years though, lol.
What year and miles? If it's over 11 years old and 60k miles it instantly goes to wholesale (their 130k mile limit doesn't apply to all cars)
Great Content!
I bought the exact same car here in Chicago last year except it had 90,000 miles & cost me $15,000.... great reliable car
Hey Alex, can you do a video about a 190 (w201) 2.3-16?
Take any car, add the mileage, add the lack of maintenance from the owner, add the lack of common sense in driving and you'll have the same thing.
krisone63 percentage wise yes, out of pocket no.
You obviously never owned a BMW...
You also need to add all the things that can break. People complain about Benz’s being unreliable.
But they’re actually quite reliable. If you factor in how advanced S classes are and how much that can break but doesn’t, it’s actually quite reliable.
Now, this S550 would’ve lasted much better if the owner actually gave a crap about it, but many of these problems on it would’ve still happened, like the advanced air ride.
krisone63 "You obviously never owned a BMW..." I have owned 4 whats the problem?
ummm... Honda, hard to mess up cheap to repair. Does the same job
I love how you describe the potential buyer. That was hilarious. 👍👍👍👍
Hey Alex, I’m currently on the market for this mode s class. I’m looking at the 2012-2013 models and was wondering if there is something I should watch out for as far as possible major issues/defects with these models. Based on my research it seems like this is the beat choice but I am looking for a second opinion. Thank you for your content and your time.
Alex... so did you have a conversation with the Car Destroyer about why he bought that car in the first place? I never understood why people who are hard on cars don’t just buy something sensible and low maintenance. Get him a used CR-V or something while he’s at the Carmax.
He got a pretty good deal on it 4 years ago with 90k from his boss. He just wanted a cool car at the time.
Alex
I think we need to meet the “Car Destroyer” and find out how he likes the E class you found him
Good guy Alex, posts the VIN.
I had a customer today just buy a 2008 E350 from a use car lot, brought it in for a "post purchase inspection." Needed a balance shaft, oil stand gasket (belt was soaked, ready to break), full timing, etc. 10 Grand later..
Just bought a06 e350 wgn...great car!
A 2008 LS460 wouldn't even be broken in with that low of miles
Nor would an S550, if it were to be properly maintained. Believe it or not, from experience Benzes have been more reliable then Lexus.
Merc's are reliable but not as reliable as a Lexus if both were maintained by the dealerships and were both driven the same amount and way the Lexus would outlast the Mercedes signifigantly
costs are generally higher. maintenance aside, shit breaks more often and shit that breaks is more expensive.
Merc's are NOT reliable no matter how many fanboys say so.
Lol I've never heard anyone say that in real life or publication.
Is the car destroyer getting a P71 police interceptor?
No but that wouldn't be a bad choice.
Alex
I'm from Chicago and I check car Max for fun. I'll be looking out for this listing lol
Good video and very helpful. This makes me scared of what my Jaguar might pull on me in the future
What do you guys think? Could you make money buying this at 7 grand? At $4500 I thought I could have made something, but probably not worth the time.
Alex
LegitStreetCars
Spot on - best to stay clear
LegitStreetCars No. Good video. How did they miss all that?? There is a 2007 S550 where I live. It has 90,000 miles for $12,888 . I have only seen pictures but they say it is a one owner no mechanical issues everything works. If it's a good car like they say do you think it's worth it?? Thanks.
That's not a bad price and I'm sure its nice but you really need a 3rd party inspection. Things can get out of control very quickly as you see in this video.
Alex
LegitStreetCars thanks. I was raised on old school cars without electronics so I know a lot about cars but not Mercedes and all the electronics. My wife really likes Mercedes and she's interested in it so I was planning to have it inspected. If you don't mind me asking if the inspection turns out good and everything works fine is there anything I should be looking for like common issues around a 100,000 or more?? Thanks
Fordsuperduty76 Nope solid car. Normal wear & tear items like alternator & battery maybe air suspension very easy and simple car the S550's are to work on. Just have a trusty local Indy & buy oem quality parts from ebay and it is as cheap as a Honda to drive. Seriously. Very reliable. I've driven them all.and.nothing is as nice as a Mercedes S class.
Man I wish I had my own lift. I have one I can use for personal use. But to have my own in the privacy of my home would be awesome. I’ve literally done 50 grand worth of side work on my back with jack stands.
Damn man I know how it is. I used to work on my back all the time and I'll never do it again. The lift cost me like 3 grand and its paid for it self so many times over. But even if it didn't, I love it for my hobby cars
Alex
I hear you. After i broke my back in 3 spots i just cant work on my vehicle anymore. I would kill for a lift. Even if i had one bending to reach over me would kill me.
So true. A pre purchase inspection is your best friend. Also have the gas canisters checked on cars like these as well. They crack and leak gas. There are 2 and they normally go bad one at a time! A +$400.00 job each time.
When you buy a car from carmax, can you get a bumper to bumper warranty like you would at a dealership?
Great video! Caveat Emptor...
Really it isn't the car as much as the owner...
This car cost over $100,000 new. For $18,000 total you get to enjoy it for many more years. With covid still limiting travel, this thing is a way better investment than a shifty new cheap car...massaging seats, air suspension, night vision...fix it and spend a few hundred more on a good detail... then you can drive it in the expensive Uber class and make your money back!
absolute legend you legit helped get my groceries and keys out of my trunk
So since the car is for sale at an auction now how would the potential bidder know any of the mechanical problems?
They wont. They may see some of the obvious stuff like the windshield and tires but thats about it.
Alex
LegitStreetCars so in other words bidding like that carries a pretty high risk. Do you think a small dealer that you were mentioning would bid on it and then sell it like you said?
Ya unfortunately thats probably what will end up happening. They will fix as little as possible or they may just run it through another auction after they realize how much it needs.
I love the car destroyer!
He's a great dude, haha. just destroys shit.
Alex
I am glad I watched this video I was going to go to CarMax today ! You just gave me a wake-up call.
The "Car Destroyer" hahahahaha. I wouldn't even give him a ride in my car with that nickname.
This car is going to end up in Nigeria.....not a used car lot in the USA. Trust me.
Archos Coplin can everyone afford new Mercs in Nigeria? No. Are there tons of people trading in older Mercs in Nigeria for new ones? No. That's where 15-20% of the used cars that are traded in in the US go to. Africa. You don't get out much do you?
SC14 Nigeria is one of the wealthiest countries in Africa. Africa is a continent so I’m not really getting your point.
This Mercedes? S class? Gud,gud. V8? Gud. Booyalla booyalla.
SC14 true talk my friend crashed his range rover and the appraiser bought it to send it to Nigeria
Why you talkin shit about Nigeria
The reason to own a Japanese car
The car was over-engineered when designed in 2007. You must stay up with the maintenance. If you do, the car will ride and run beautifully. You can't treat an MB like it's a Honda.
Check Any 2007 to 2013 (W221) Mercedes with over 50,000 miles when buying pre-owned for the following:
-Check the Oxygen Sensors
-Check the Upper Oil Seals
The Oil Seals with the car in the video are definitely shot based on the dry oil sludge.
-Check the Air Shocks/Struts
-Check the Amplifier
-Check the Speed Sensors
-Check the wheels for scratches and warping.
-Check the Rotors and Break Pads
Are the Designer Caliper Covers faded in the front.
-Check ALL the electrical systems in the car (all buttons are working). This will take you a minimum of 20 minutes. There's plenty of features throughout the car.
-Check if you are buying a standard body style or the upgraded AMG Sport Body Styling Upgrade (the W221 in the video is the upgraded body style: side skirts, front bumper, 19" wheels, not 18")
-Check if it has a Sunroof or Panoramic Roof
-Check if the break fluid was flushed at 50,000 miles.
-Check if the Transmission Fluid was changed at 40,000 miles.
-Check if the Motor Mounts and Transmission Mounts are broken.
This makes a massive difference in the how smooth the car drives. After it warms up at idle, you should barely notice the difference if the engine is on or off. Also, if the Transmission Mount is broken,
this will cause the 'slippage feel.'
Car Max doesn't fully know the Mercedes S-Class. You should only buy a used Mercedes from a Mercedes Dealership. I don't ever recommend having the dealer service the car. You need to take it to a European Car Specialist, you'll save nearly 40%. Most mechanics today are nothing more than part changers.
Based on what I see, the car in the video will cost you around $20,000 to get it back to its orginal and fully functional condition. European Luxury Cars are meant to be LEASED, not owned. Don't buy, but lease the car, if the majority of your driving will be in the city. The car was designed to be on the highway, not constantly stopping and going in city traffic.
Brings back bad memories... KOONS dealership did this to me - sold me a Hyundai Genesis with a slipping transmission & now i am stuck with it. LESSON LEARNT - ALWAYS PRE-INSPECT a vehicle.
Any used car with over 100k you can find tons of things to go and point out. Then car max will buy the car and then auction it dude . You will not find a Mercedes with 140 K miles on there lot for sale. They have historical auction value . If they offered him 7000 the know they will get probably more when they auction the vehicle
Ya I went over where this car will end up and never said it would be a carmax lot.
Alex
This car did 8 at auction.
You need new a friend!!!
He deserve to buy car from junkyard
you need grammar lessons!
haha! you are not destroying more Mercedes!, subscribed!
Here's the thing, car max just visually inspects it with a quick glance under the car and hood, usually without taking it to a lift or even removing any splash guard, hence why they missed the leaking CV boot, Power steering and the hack job rim on the L Rear,
2 different license plates ??
Yea weird right?
Alex
Illegal in Illinois too
@@jakubm971 alright ya snitch
Love your shit you come off legit as fuck. totally almost bought a benz after binge watching you first time. My name is Stomp hello!
Thanks Man appreciate that.
Alex
I had a chance to pick up a really cheap 2005 e320 4matic. Talked to my mechanic. He pointed out that my cheapo aveo costs about $300 to $400 per year to keep running (he does a lot of preventative stuff so I'm never late for work or have to call a tow truck) and I should expect the e320 to cost 3 to 5 times that much, depending on how well it was taken care of, plus the extra cost for tires, gas, and insurance. Not a tonne of money, but enough to just buy another used cheapo when mine finally has a catastrophic problem.
Love your videos.