2008 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Consumer Discussions

High End Luxury Cars

• A better value proposition?

  Written by: blckislandguy on Oct 31, 2009 5:21:02 PM

  Earlier iterations of this board went thru the Lexus vs Mercedes War some time ago. Afterall a while it all got very tiring. So, at the risk of boring anyone, I'd like to give you my experience for what it is worth. I had a couple of free hours last night and I stopped in at a central MA Lexus dealership. The sales guys were remarkably well informed and seemingly had ... Read More

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

• Re: S class pulls to right [leroym]

  Written by: bmlexus on Mar 12, 2009 5:30:37 PM

  I have a friend who has a 2008 S Class. He notes that it consistently pulls to the right. He took to dealer for possible alignment and correction and they told him that Mercedes had engineered it to pull slightly to the right in case of the driver being incapacitated, in which case he would drift into the right hand disk instead of left into traffic. Is this correct or are ... Read More

• S class pulls to right

  Written by: leroym on Mar 11, 2009 8:39:40 AM

  I have a friend who has a 2008 S Class. He notes that it consistently pulls to the right. He took to dealer for possible alignment and correction and they told him that Mercedes had engineered it to pull slightly to the right in case of the driver being incapacitated, in which case he would drift into the right hand disk instead of left into traffic. Is this correct or are ... Read More

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Lease Questions

• Re: 2008 S550 4Matic MF/Residual [richz]

  Written by: Car_man on Mar 2, 2009 5:07:30 AM

  Hi richz. Mercedes is not leasing 2008 models any longer. If you really want to lease an S550, you will have to go with a 2009 model. Car_man Host Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum

Mercedes Benz S-Class is Rusting!

• Re: Mercedes Benz S-Class is Rusting! [ebs1]

  Written by: rgrigsby on Jan 30, 2009 11:29:15 AM

  I have a 2002 S430 that was purchased in August 2008 with 67528 miles and I have rust on three of the four doors. I took it to the Mercedes dealer where they looked up my Vin # and told me that this car had been recalled to have the doors re sealed in 2005. At this point I can only take there word for it. However, if it had been ... Read More

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Lease Questions

• Re: 2008 MB S550 4matic [blackmamba24]

  Written by: ocautoseeker on Feb 14, 2008 10:37:59 PM

  Here are MBC's current lease numbers... 2008 Mercedes S550 4matic Sedan 24 Month – Residual 62% of MSRP – .00365 36 Month – Residual 53% of MSRP – .00330 48 Month – Residual 42% of MSRP – .00330 60 Month – Residual 37% of MSRP – .00330 Numbers assume 10k annual miles. As you can see, MBC has crummy rates on this model right now. You might try leasecompare.com or your ... Read More

• Acquisition Fee

  Written by: paotron on Sep 18, 2008 3:35:07 PM

  I have just leased a 2008 S550 throuh Mercedes-Benz Financial and they charge me $1095 Acquisition Fee. Does different bank set their own Acquisition Fee?

• Re: [juice1220]

  Written by: skrontz on Sep 6, 2008 6:27:29 PM

  Profits are made by either selling something exclusive at high margin or through sales volume. The reason Mercedes and BMW are not making good profits is that their cars are no longer as competitive as Lexus and other similar brands are. It's no secret that the MSRP for a new Mercedes in Europe is way higher than in the States. The reason is that the most of the sales are made ... Read More

• 2008 Mercedes S550 4Matic

  Written by: eights38 on Sep 4, 2008 7:09:31 AM

  I am in the process of negotiating a lease assumption on a 2008 Mercedes S550 4Matic in Long Island, NY. The car has the Premium II Package, iPod Integration, and Wood/Leather Steering Wheel. There are only 400 miles on the car and 38,600 miles to be driven over 34 months. The payments are $1585 per month (includes 8.625% sales tax) and there is $0 due at signing (current owner is willing ... Read More

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

• Great car, poor service

  Written by: technar on May 20, 2008 2:19:03 PM

  The following might be helpful for people considering getting an S class and are not familiar with MB customer service. About two months ago I leased a 2008 S63 (first time Mercedes customer). Several days ago, the A/C compressor quit working and I took the car to the dealer for repairs. It appears that the compressor has to be ordered from Germany and it may take 2-3 weeks to finish the ... Read More

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Lease Questions

• Money Factor/Residual for '08 S

  Written by: qpmicro on Aug 30, 2007 5:37:55 PM

  Does anyone know the current Mercedes money factor and residuals for either a 2008 S550 (the one I'm looking at is MSRP at $102,515 with a sell price of $7,500 off) or an '08 S63 (MSRP at $140,090 with a selling price right about that). Thanks, Michael

High End Luxury Cars

• Re: 2008 S550 Lease [gmannj]

  Written by: pat on Dec 12, 2007 10:49:47 AM

  Looks like you found the best place for this question gmannj, "Mercedes-Benz S-Class Lease Questions" #81, 12 Dec 2007 10:22 am. Good luck - let us know how it works out for you.

• Re: The Horrible Truth about the LS600hL [tagman]

  Written by: brightness04 on Apr 24, 2007 3:06:39 PM

  The 2008 model gas mileage spec is using 2008 method, which is entirely different from 2007 method. lj stated the two method would usually result in 20% difference, and Tag previously stated the difference is more dramatic for hybrides, to the tune of 30% or more. If we take tag's statement as its face value, even if LS600hL numerical value were the same as LS460hL instead of 1mpg better, the LS600hL ... Read More

• Re: One More Ting! [drfill]

  Written by: tagman on Apr 5, 2007 7:07:06 PM

  Doc, it was the good TagMan that mentioned you recently. :) Now on to your tings... World car is a terrific award, and credit where credit is due. The LS600hL will set new standards, IMO. An amazing car, no doubt. But, only 438 HP? How come? But...Yes you heard me, BUT... even though the LS600hL is a hybrid, it did NOT get the 2007 World Green Car award at the New ... Read More

• Future Mercedes

  Written by: tagman on Nov 15, 2006 7:15:22 PM

  While the current E-Class doesn't quite make the grade for this forum, the NEXT generation might surprise all of us. Quick peak here: 2009 E-Class? In the meantime, there is still the likelihood that merc's S-Class convertible will become a reality. This was previously posted, but here's a reminder: 2008 S-Class convertible As I recall, he'll be eating the brochure shortly after its release. merc - will that be with Ketchup, ... Read More

• Re: Quality is Job One Again for MB [tagman]

  Written by: merc1 on Nov 13, 2006 9:06:03 PM

  Yeah they're holding back on the GL320 CDI, but it will be here in late Jan/early Feb. Buyers on MBWorld already have production dates and specs from their dealers. The 4L V8 diesel engine I would imagine isn't clean enough for U.S. duty. On the GL550 I'd always read that if the GL450 is a hit (which it is) then they'd sell a GL550 here the following year. Fingers crossed for ... Read More

• Alright, let me come at it from a different way.

  Written by: drfill on Oct 29, 2006 7:24:56 PM

  First, I am not well-versed in Auto-tranny cars, nor pure luxury cars, so maybe I am both a good and bad judge of this class. I don't expect much in the way of connection with these cars, dynamically. I feel you need a manual transmission for any depper relationship with a car other than pure transportation. The particular course I drove on was not flat, and was marked conservatively to make ... Read More

• According to information, provided by Lexus,

  Written by: drfill on Oct 29, 2006 4:52:34 PM

  The LS and S550 had drag coefficients of .26. The BMW was .29. You seem to put quite a bit of value of the drag, as a sign of advanced aerodynamics/design. This is interesting, given the Lexus has had a drag coefficient as low as .25 since 1995, and Mercedes has been playing catch-up. Mind you, the Prius has a .25 co., and is also regarded as maybe the most advanced ... Read More

• Re: This thing about the Audi image [dewey]

  Written by: merc1 on Oct 17, 2006 11:29:57 PM

  Ok Dewey you got off another good one. Lets just face it, no other luxury brand provides the spread of product that Mercedes and BMW does. Arguably Mercedes offers too much for their own good as they seem to have every imaginable niche plugged with something. BMW is right behind them, but they still lack a true CL, SL, GL competitors. Mercedes on the other hand will build a X3 competitor ... Read More

• Merc

  Written by: drfill on Oct 15, 2006 10:29:34 PM

  Not going to argue with that. The SC is a success for Lexus, but I, nor has anyone, called it a thrill ride. It is a two-door LS, which is pretty good, no? Considering it's the first vehicle of it's kind from Lexus, it's a very solid start. Mercedes has only been making SLs for 40-50 years. And I eagerly await the Second Act. :) I expect a much bolder formula ... Read More

• Peugeot 908 RC, C230 etc.......

  Written by: merc1 on Oct 1, 2006 3:05:49 PM

  Thanks to everyone for the comments on the Peugeot 908 RC concept. Going by the comments posted, I think that you all seem to like the car somewhat just as I do. Interestingly, no one called it hideous or awful looking! I think the French could make it big here being different, but they would have to get with the program when it comes to reliability. Did I mention that Alfa-Romeo ... Read More

• A Taste of Lexus....2006

  Written by: merc1 on Sep 24, 2006 9:44:36 PM

  Well today was the day, I got to drive the LS460L, didn't even bother with the SWB LS460. I also drove the GS450h, IS350, SC430 and GS350. IS350 - Easily my favorite Lexus. Powerful, snug, pretty good looking, and fast as hell. I can see why there are complaints about rear seat room though. While fast it still isn't as buttoned down as the last 3-Series I drove. I like the ... Read More

• LS/S450

  Written by: merc1 on Sep 22, 2006 8:41:06 PM

  Tag, even if Mercedes did price the S450 to compete against the LS460L head on, the SWB LS460 will still be cheaper, and that is all some will see here. I personally don't want to see Mercedes even try to position the S450 as a value compared to any LS model, only as a slightly higher priced alternative vs a much higher priced alternative. The S450 isn't going to come in ... Read More

• Re: Bad News for Blutec [merc1]

  Written by: dewey on Aug 31, 2006 7:02:35 AM

  I'm not sure why this is big news now, it has been known for months that the Bluetec wouldn't be sold in all 50 states. Oops my post was a bit dated. I was under the false impression that this was news. At least in my case it doesnt matter whether I live in the province of Ontario (looser emissions regulations) or California since I have no intention upon getting a ... Read More

• Re: Bad News for Blutec [dewey]

  Written by: merc1 on Aug 30, 2006 10:07:10 PM

  I'm not sure why this is big news now, it has been known for months that the Bluetec wouldn't be sold in all 50 states. That is why MB has been saying 2008 because by then maybe the EPA will approve the urea injection that makes up Mercedes' "Adblue" system. http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060829/FREE/60828027/1041 M

• Re: BMW Misguided Approach [lexusguy]

  Written by: merc1 on Aug 3, 2006 5:12:59 AM

  I'd rather have a Zonda F. Not quite as fast, perhaps, but the inside of the Saleen is just a track day car with a radio in it, nothing more. Certainly nothing to indicate how much money it costs. The inside of the Zonda, on the other hand, WOW! Well yes of course you'd know I'd have a Zonda too considering the connection with Mercees-Benz. I don't think the fact that ... Read More

• Re: Lexus , Hybrids, Prius... [ljflx]

  Written by: merc1 on Jul 22, 2006 4:47:11 PM

  You're missing the point/connection here, which is hybrids. Of course a C-Class has nothing to do with an S-Class buyer's habbits. There is no connection between that scenario and the Prius and the LS600h. No one is saying (or at least I'm not) that the LS600h buyer is going to drop down to a Prius as a replacement for a 100K Lexus, we all know that. The point that Dewey and ... Read More

• S Class hybrid

  Written by: dewey on Jul 16, 2006 7:53:44 AM

  It appears the uniqueness of the hybrid LS will be short lived by an upcoming hybrid MB S Class. Though IMO a Blutec diesel Benz seems far exciting than either a hybrid Lexus or Benz. Hopefully there will be a Blutec hybrid S Class versus just a plain vanilla hybrid. FRANKFURT, July 15, 2006; Reuters reported that DaimlerChrysler's luxury Mercedes brand plans to market its first hybrid car in 2008, a ... Read More

• Re: Inspector Parrot [reality2]

  Written by: reality2 on Jun 15, 2006 7:00:05 PM

  ...cointunied from previous post... "Globally, Lexus is selling less than half of Audi's volume, and less than those of BMW and Mercedes- Benz." Not everybody falls for the line that car buyers demand a race-bred heritage for their cars, or that the Germans are the only manufacturers capable of producing high quality vehicles with a sporty drive. The new little Lexus IS, which competes with the BMW 3 series, Audi A4 ... Read More

• Re: Sources: Porsche, Hyundai make big gains in quality study [garyh1]

  Written by: merc1 on Jun 9, 2006 12:36:29 AM

  Yeah I don't see why they couldn't have just come out with a "new" survey along with the traditional IQS. Mercedes and BMW are in deep chips under this new format. They'll have to really get with JDP (give $$$$) to get the details on this one. I don't look for Mercedes to improve in the VDS until like 2008-09. M

• A busy day at the watering hole.......

  Written by: merc1 on May 24, 2006 10:06:37 PM

  Designman and especially Tagman, thanks for the compliments! hpowders - I'm literally in shock everytime I see this new Camry in SE trim, it really has a some swank to it. Dare I say that if I had a few HELM cars and wanted a relatively inexpensive and non-standout type of daily driver the Camry would make the short list with the new Passat. That is a very, very high compliment ... Read More

• Re: highly successful formula [carnut100]

  Written by: merc1 on May 5, 2006 5:29:11 AM

  I too think there will be a S450, just not right now. I really don't think adding a 335hp S450 will actually help sales in the short term. The S450 is going to have to get more competitive under the hood or come in under or at best at the same price as the A8L and 750Li, it can't cost 77K like the old S430 for it to be competitive with ... Read More

• Re: Performance vs. Luxury [merc1]

  Written by: tagman on Apr 26, 2006 11:01:07 PM

  I bet GM/DCX/BMW are working overtime to get a hybrid out while the craze is still on, but I doubt you'll see one from any of them before the 2008 model year Soon, the craze will explode. It's like the alignment of the planets thing . . . the gas prices go up and suddenly Washington pretends to be concerned. Prices ease up a tiny bit for political reasons and to ... Read More

• Re: The New Mercedes? [syswei]

  Written by: merc1 on Apr 23, 2006 12:47:24 PM

  I still think that one reason MB might be holding off on an S450 might be to force the auto rags to use the S550 in comparos...so that MB has a better chance of winning. Yeah I've thought about that one too. I really don't blame them if they are because all this talk about the LS beating the S-Class has been incorrectly hyped for years when the LS has only ... Read More

• Re: The New Mercedes? [oac]

  Written by: merc1 on Apr 22, 2006 12:42:32 PM

  Well you know I agree with that, but I predict they'll both rule this segment until BMW does something about it in 2008-09. I wonder how the mags will compare the S550 to the LS460 this time around since it doesn't look like a cheaper S450 will ever come to be. S550 vs. LS600hL, or LS600hL vs S600, S550 vs. LS460L I wonder which it will be? M

• Re: Initial impression [tagman]

  Written by: merc1 on Apr 12, 2006 11:12:27 PM

  Yeah I forgot about the Civic hybrid, I was thinking about that awful looking Insight thingy. The Civic is brand new and really hot so I expect the hybrid to be in demand also. Forgot about the Civic, thank you for the reminder. The Accord is just overpriced like Lexusguy stated earlier. For 33K I'd rather have a Passat V6 and burn a little more gas while having a lot more ... Read More

• Thanks for remindin' me.

  Written by: callmedrfill on Feb 1, 2006 8:14:37 PM

  The R-Class needed to get 1000 units to show me this thing is going to make it. It came up well short. It's had plenty of press, plus the Auto Show season to stoke interest. Those are weak numbers, regardless of month, for a brand new Benz. I'm still holding out hope the Lexus HPX concept will get on in 2008. That would be HOT! Sore it in NY in 2004. ... Read More

• Re: Lexus vs Merc [sv7887]

  Written by: merc1 on Jan 23, 2006 7:12:04 PM

  I'm glad you all like the pics. Not much work in posting them. The hardest part is taking them with so many people around! From the the 2007 model year onward all of Mercedes diesel cars will be legal in all states - according to all the recent press. They're just waiting on the mandatory clean diesel to be available nationwide. The S320 I was told will be a 2008 model. ... Read More

• Re: Sales..... [syswei]

  Written by: dewey on Jan 16, 2006 12:20:36 PM

  Oh really so 10 years is ancient history and 5 years is contemporary modern history. Thanks for providing that distinction. This whole 5 years versus 10 years versus 3 years versus annaul versus quarterly versus monthly becomes kind of tedious. What you are doing is called data mining(selectively picking certain periods to support your arguments). The key thing is both MB and BMW are growing quite well whatever period you select! ... Read More

• Re: A Shift in Gears.......... [merc1]

  Written by: lexusguy on Jan 12, 2006 5:56:59 AM

  Interesting, I had not heard that about the XJ. I guess it would make sense though, now that Aston Martin is getting into the "four-door coupe" game, why not Jag? The story on Jags future is kind of wierd. Supposedly, PAG wants to push Volvo up into Benz and BMW territory (maybe get the cars in line with Volvo's outrageous pricing?). The new Lincoln "concept" that will be the replacement for ... Read More

• MB and Audi are on the rigth track!

  Written by: dewey on Jan 10, 2006 9:23:15 AM

  The future has never looked better for both MB and Audi. AUDI Martin Winterkorn, Audi's chief executive officer, is betting on the Q7 to help him reach a goal of doubling U.S. sales by the end of the decade. Wolfsburg, Germany-based Volkswagen aims to sell 300,000 Volkswagen-brand vehicles in the U.S. in 2008, a 30 percent increase from 2005, Adrian Hallmark, who heads the North American unit, said. Mercedes Benz Dieter ... Read More

• Re: My Prediction = Good News for Mercedes [tagman]

  Written by: merc1 on Jan 7, 2006 7:15:32 PM

  Interesting, your enthusiasm for the GL. What I don't get is why MBUSA hasn't mentioned bringing over the GL500 (would be a GL550 here). The new Slade has 403hp and various Land Rovers have 390-400hp so just a GL450 (335hp) seems a little weak to me. Imagine that that 335hp in a SUV as being weak. Clearly a GL550 (382hp) is needed imo. Anyway I think the R-Class stumbled because of ... Read More

High-End European Luxury Sedans

• New S-Class!

  Written by: merc1 on Jun 19, 2005 11:03:15 PM

  Well, at this hour the "official" picutes and writeup from Mercedes-Benz hasn't been released just yet, but there are few "official" pictures on the net that have leaked out: All of the translation from the German and various other language websites has the new S in 4 models, a 272hp S350, 388hp S500 (not S550), 231hp S320 CDI, and a 517hp S600. The V8 in the new "S500" appears to be ... Read More

• mercedes quality

  Written by: ffb13 on May 24, 2005 2:58:22 PM

  merc 1 my point is that the 87 thru 91 420sel and 560 sl are the pinnacle of quality materials and quality of assembly , and product engeenering at mb. it remained so from 92 until the new s class came out recently ,but the 92 thru 2001 or so, were in fact over engineered .too much mass . and high quality of materials and assembly . but way overdone in ... Read More

High End Luxury Cars

• Re: Lexus' 18 months Roadmap [oac]

  Written by: merc1 on Mar 10, 2005 10:38:58 PM

  Yep they all have a lot on the way, but I think Lexus and Mercedes might have more product on the way than BMW does. Mercedes' roadmap for 2006 and 2007: 2006 E350 (on sale now, 268hp V6) 2006 E55 Wagon (special order only) 2006 S65 AMG (On sale next month) 2006 CLS500 and CLS55 AMG (on sale now!) 2006 C350 (268hp V6) 2006 C280 (227hp V6) 2006 C230 (200hp V6) ... Read More

• lexusguy

  Written by: merc1 on Jun 24, 2004 3:51:29 AM

  Good points. This Japanese onslaught happened 20+ years ago with regular cars and Detroit survived, barely. The British as a whole had their entire automotive industry collaspe and wind up in German (VW, BMW) or American (Ford) hands. Think about it, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Aston-Martin....some of the most prestigious names in the history of the automobile are no longer British owned. The difference is that Germany is the driving automotive ... Read More

• no title

  Written by: merc1 on Jun 23, 2004 12:55:48 AM

  We'll just have to see what happens. For Infiniti or Acura to do anything to Mercedes or BMW they'll have to become global brands and in Acura's case they'll have to build a real luxury car. This means no Accord based fwd/awd V6 powered vehicles. They'll have to do an S-Class/LS/7-Series type car and it will need to be badged an Acura all over the world. As far as I know ... Read More

• maxhonda99

  Written by: merc1 on May 16, 2004 9:59:10 PM

  "The ES330 is no cheaper than a C-class. In fact, the majority of C-class sales come from the cheaper C240 and then you factor in the cheaper C230K and C230 hatch and the average price of a ES330 is much more than the average price of a C-class sold. Same with the RX330. The RX330 MSRPs right up there with the ML350 and the ML350 after discounts probably sells for alot ... Read More

• no title

  Written by: merc1 on Dec 7, 2003 10:38:27 PM

  It simply amazes me how sales are one minute the proof that a car company is finished and the next they don't mean anything. Now, at this very moment Mercedes-Benz has lost it's way because they are not selling as many cars as Lexus, BMW and Cadillac is closing in. There always seemed to be one business minded person in here to understand that Mercedes' sticker prices alone shouldn't have ever ... Read More