When shopping for technology, we often get the most advanced gadgets that our wallets can sustain. It’s the reason why, by trickle-down effect, we have Ultra-HD Wifi-enabled toilets, for no money at all. It’s the same reason why this 600 horsepower Mercedes S-Class now costs less than a Ford Fiesta, despite being the tippy top of the heap a few short years ago. Merry Christmas indeed.
This 2006 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG is a big car in every way that matters. It has a long wheelbase. It’s got street presence, with its slightly more aggressive wide-mouth AMG bodykit and four stainless steel gapers bellowing out the unmistakable song of its people. It also has a biturbo V12 engine that produces more torque than anything with the words Diesel, Scuderia, Superleggera, or Hellcat in its title.
Enormous Brembo calipers are housed just past the tiny-by-comparison split 5-spoke wheels, and although it can outpace a fighter jet on takeoff, it’ll blend in absolutely anywhere, and at a little over an $18,000 asking price, it’s a tenth of its original price with one hundred percent of its original value.
While this car may be a tremendous amount of car for your car buying dollar, it does represent a sizable risk for the uninitiated used car buyer. The car has two expensive faults that are looming at any time - the engine’s coilpacks and the complex ABC hydropneumatic system. While not a ticking time bomb like some BMW mechanical systems are (I’m looking at you, VANOS!) failure rates for these components are more common than most buyers would find comfortable. Fortunately, the car underwent a full service by Mercedes recently, but does have an intermittent fault with the ABC system.
If this fault is budgeted for with the buyer price shopping for trustworthy technicians, there’s no reason why it can’t be effectively taken care of for a few thousand dollars out of pocket in the worst case scenario.
Here’s an excerpt from the description:
Recently, the Mercedes dealership did a major service at 111k miles. At 108k miles, the spark plugs were replaced with coil pack along with new tires. The ABC light will come on intermittently and records show the previous owner fixed various items pertaining to this most recently in Sept ‘15 with 108k miles. The car does not sag and there is no difference in drive-ability with the light on or off. Both front & rear brake pads and rotors were replaced at 93k miles. Control Arm bushings replaced at 90k miles. Engine & Transmission mounts replaced at 81k miles. Transmission service at 79k miles. The trunk struts were replaced at 68k miles. Both inside and out, this aggressive yet luxurious S65 AMG looks & drives amazing and is priced at a fraction of what these cars sold for when new. If you are looking for pure excitement from a luxury sedan then there is no better value than this S65!
This isn’t a bucket list car for me - it’s one that I’d drive daily. It’s a civilized workhorse that can dutifully oblige if you ask it to deliver a swift kick in the teeth. Anyone that hasn’t driven one of these cars should do so, with a warning: it’s ridiculously easy to get carried away, especially if you have a weird disease that replaces your gas foot with a heavy lead weight. If you mash the throttle in this car, make sure you have all the horizon-punching room you need.
It’s a legitimate four door supercar that will deliver Veyron thrills for Veloster money, and I can’t imagine of a better value than that. If you dare say M5, we’re not friends anymore.
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes and makes videos about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He won’t mind.