Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
I love this one. This is a 2001 Mercedes-Benz S500 that has been modified by Brabus with their B11 package and is also armored to a B4 level. I suppose the extra power is needed given the weight. It is finished in the wonderful color of Mystic Blue Designo Metallic and the interior? Oh, wait until you see what they did. I was not prepared for this.
I pretty much covered all the Maybach models that have launched since the brands rebirth except the biggest, baddest, and most expensive one of them all. It wasn’t for the lack of desire, but rather there are reportedly only 22 examples in the world so finding one for sale wasn’t exactly the easiest task. What is it? The 62S Landaulet.
If there is one thing that I see time after time that drives price, it’s mileage. I know low mileage often tracks with condition, but something about everyone seeing a low number and it takes an otherwise average used vehicle and suddenly puts a price premium on it. I know I’m not exactly announcing a ground-breaking discovery here and this has been around since well before my time, but is it still always interesting to see played out time after time. Today’s car, a 2002 Mercedes-Benz S430, is a perfect example of that.
The pre-facelift W220 S-Class was an utterly forgettable car in almost every way, including the plagued S600 with the M137. Quality was not good and durability was straight-up bad, and most of them are withering away with very little demand given all the other S-Class options out there. However, find one with really low mileage, and suddenly everyone is clamoring over it.
I harp a lot about the W220 Mercedes-Benz S-Class and how it might be the most disappointing flagship the team Stuttgart has ever launched. It was the year 2000 and this car fit in quite well for the time, just like oversized baggy suits and trucker hats. Well, all those were donated to the Goodwill during spring cleaning 2005, but the early W220s lived on and still roam the earth to this date. A lot of these are now on their 12th owner and look like this, but some of these survived, and this is what we have today.
This 2000 is finished in Bordeaux Red Metallic, which is not to be confused with Titanite Red Metallic from a few weeks ago, and inside with find a Java leather interior. It is quintessential early-W220 with the blobby 17″ wheels to match the body. Inside, much of the same with a two-tone dash and that very tiny COMAND navigation system that was a slight upgrade from the maps in The Legend of Zelda. So if no one wants it, is it actually worth anything? Seems to be.
The W220 Mercedes-Benz S-Class gets a pretty bad rap in the grand scheme of things, and mostly rightfully so. What replaced the W140 chassis was a stark departure from the bank vault-like feel and stately styling, and went into deep into soft lines and subpar materials. It harsher words, it was a blob. It wasn’t until the facelift compare around that the W220 really became a little bit more friendly on the eyes. In additional to the S55 and S65, you could also option the AMG bodywork and wheels on the S500 to give it a little more flash. Today’s car, a 2006 S500 up for in Florida, is exactly that. You might have noticed the color too.
