If you wondering why I am featuring a run-of-the-mill W220 S430 look no further than the words “Almandine Black Metallic”. That’s the name, in my opinion, one of the most wonderful colors Mercedes-Benz has ever produced for its cars. It direct light it looks plum purple only for it to be mistaken for black in the shade and at night. It’s conservative enough to be taken seriously in any setting but still gives off a great shimmer that separates itself from the usual sea of black cars. So when this 2006 S430 4Matic popped up for sale in California, I had to take a closer look at it while trying to restrain myself from getting shipping quotes to bring this thing home to me.
CLICK FOR DETAILS:Â 2006 Mercedes-Benz S430 4Matic on eBay
Year: 2006
Model: S430 4Matic
Engine: 4.3 liter V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Mileage: 186,660 mi
Price: $6,900 Buy It Now
Non Smoker Car – second owner – Delivery in San Jose area – buyer must arrange out of area shipping.
Outside of the paint, this is your fairly standard W220. It’s a nice, clean California car with albeit fairly high miles at almost 187,000, but it looks like it has about half of that. Being this is the last year of the W220 and probably the best year of these cars to purchase as most of the problems that plagued these cars had theoretically been worked through, but at the end of the day it’s still a W220. You’ll occasionally run into Airmatic faults but generally I trust these cars at their core. It’s still just a basic M113 V8 paired to the 722.6 gearbox that has been tested a million times over in every Mercedes from this era. These cars do a pretty good job at being what S-Class are supposed to be: a relaxing, enjoyable place to be. If you stay up on your maintenance and repairs when needed, there’s no reason this car can’t go another 187,000 miles — just keep it away from salt.
So what’s the price to make it purple rain? A surprisingly reasonable $6,900. This price is indicative of it being in the place like San Jose where your mail carrier just got a new E550 so the price is a little softer than what you’d probably see if this car was for sale in any other part of the country. But this is a probably the best way to own a purple German car if you want to save $248,000.
– Andrew
