Recently I looked at a couple unique W220s in a short wheelbase 2006 S350 and an armored 2001 S500. Today’s car isn’t anything odd or unique, just a regular 2002 S500. But makes it special is that it just happens to have only a little over 5,000 miles and look basically brand new. So lets take a look at this W220 up for sale in California before it starts rusting away and the interior buttons peel.
CLICK FOR DETAILS:Â 2002 Mercedes-Benz S500 on eBay
Year:Â 2002
Model: S500
Engine:Â 5.0 liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 5,135 mi
Price:Â Auction
This immaculate 2002 S500 is a one owner garage find. Purchased by a wealthy business man that it kept in a house in La Jolla, California for the past 15 years and only drove the car 5000 miles. The car is perfect in every way. Optional and Value added equipment include the AMG lower body package with 18″ AMG rims and high performance Michelin Tires. Keyless Go, electronic trunk closer, and parktronic. Has just been checked out from top to bottom by Mercedes Benz of Escondido and given a clean bill of health. The car still has the “new car smell”. Color is Brilliant Silver (744), Ash Nappa Leather (238) and Burl Walnut Trim (731). The car is an absolute pleasure to drive and will give its new owner years of great driving. Happy Bidding and Happy Motoring.
If you were in a position to buy a brand new W220 when they were launched, you had nothing to convince you otherwise you’d be making a poor choice. The W140 was really nice, the W126 was nearly perfect, the W116 was indestructible and so on and so on. The W220 should continue that just with more modern features and convenience. Except that didn’t happen. Whatever reasons or factors you want blame for the W220 being so damn bad is up to you and it quickly had people trading them at Lexus for a LS430 the second their warranty was up. Yeah, the face lifted version fixed some things and the W221 was a major improvement (except the 2007 S550) but the damage was done. Mercedes lost a lot of legacy S-Class buyers and ruined its reputation for being the best car in the world — at least for the money.
This 2002 S500 really gives you a glimpse at what buyers saw in the showroom and why they plunked down $85,000 for one. The interior is soft and supple with lots of gadgets and toys. The heated and vented seats aren’t torn apart yet, the suspension isn’t broken, the buttons aren’t peeled completely off to revile white buttons that sticks out like a sore thumb. The Keyless Go still works and the Parktronic sensors aren’t totally on the fritz. Under the hood, the valve cover gaskets aren’t leaking oil everywhere and the idler pulley isn’t ready to explode leaving you stranded on the side of the road.
This is truly a hindsight is 20/20 car. You know what this car will become. You can try to keep it perfect if you hide it from the elements. You can try to keep your body and hands totally clean before driving it. But once the miles start adding up, there is only so much you can do. Which begs the question, ‘is it worth it?’ The W220 isn’t a legacy car you can hand down to your children like a W116 6.9 or W126 560SEL is. It’s a disposable appliance and was built to be so. I’m curious to see where the bidding ends with this one, I just hope the buyer knows what they are in for.
– Andrew
It’s nearly $13K and the reserve is not yet met? Someone is going to be a very disappointed buyer–these cars truly represent the nadir of Mercedes quality.
@david, I agree this car was made at a low point in time for Mercedes, and this car didnt represent the $100,000 price tag it had in 2002.
BUT, it is most certainly well worth the $20,000 someone is likely to pay for it now, especially with 5,000 miles!
I always said the same thing of Mercedes from that era until I bought my 2001 E430 last year.
Was my car worth the $65k the previous owner paid? Not really.
Was it worth the $5k that I paid for it in immaculate condition, hell yeah.
My brother had a 2000 S Class. Holy shit, what a horrible car. Sunglasses were required at ignition due to all the warning lights on the dashboard.
I wouldnt have expected that to go so high…
Someone must have really wanted one of these when they were new and couldnt get one!