Quick!

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg) 04/02/2016 at 17:19 • Filed to: None

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Someone make a comment about how unreliable and expensive to work on this Mercedes S65 AMG is.

It’s a shame. This is a beautiful, magnificent, and obscenely powerful vehicle, but I bet repair bills are the only thing the owner ever gets asked about. I think where Tavarish and I disagree is that I don’t think this ten year old super-Benz should be an alternative to a $28,000 Honda Accord. I think it should be an alternative to a $50,000 Mercedes E-Class, with the difference put away for a warranty and for when the car does need to be sent to the shop.

TheHondaBro > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 17:25

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how unreliable and expensive to work on this Mercedes S65 AMG is

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > TheHondaBro 04/02/2016 at 17:26

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At least someone around here knows how to follow instructions.

Sam > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 17:28

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It’s not that they're unreliable. Mercedes have a decent history of making pretty reliable cars. It's that when something does break, the car is pretty much totaled.

Steve in Manhattan > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 17:32

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Ridiculously complicated. Electrical issues. Is this from 2004, Mercedes’ dark period? Has the maintenance been done? How am I doing?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Sam 04/02/2016 at 17:33

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In my mind, there’s a before and after on Mercedes reliablity. When the W140, W210, and W202 came out, Mercedes stopped building cars to last forever, and they started to go wrong more frequently.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Steve in Manhattan 04/02/2016 at 17:34

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This one happens to be a 2006.

46and2aheadofme > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 17:46

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I’m more in the middle ground. That’s where us analytical types reside. Aftermarket warranties are (generally speaking) barely not fraudulent. They know how to gamble with our money better than us.

I would buy a Tavarish special but only if the car had already had the usual major issues fixed and documented, I had a mechanic specializing in that manufacturer that I trusted 100%, enough in savings to quell the anxiety, and an occasional mailing to Blackstone labs.

I like gently used fast cars, but I also like to swing the odds in my favor :)

I’m... not following directions, am I?

NJAnon > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 17:48

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I used to joke that what Mercedes did to this car is what Mitsubishi did to the Eclipse. They went ahead and just put a car together and only AFTER that they realized not all the pieces really meshed as well they thought.

(How much power does that 10yr old car still have though? :P)

Steve in Manhattan > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 17:49

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A 10 year old German car! Ruuun!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > NJAnon 04/02/2016 at 17:51

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When it was new, it had over 600 horsepower. How much power it has now depends on how well it’s been maintained. This one looks to have been well taken care of so I would guess it’s still reasonably close to that original number.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 17:54

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I would be terrified of owning such a vehicle. I’m a guy who buys sub-2000 dollar cars — I could never imagine maintaining any S-Class, let alone paying for repairs.

C62030 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:03

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I can’t. It’s too pretty and too fast and too V12 and two-turbo.

NJAnon > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:05

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Only way to know is to hit the dyno. Do it Duesenberg!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > C62030 04/02/2016 at 18:06

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I KNOW RIGHT?!?!

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > NJAnon 04/02/2016 at 18:07

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I’m trying to picture how that conversation would go with the owner.

“Hello sir, I’m with the government. I’m going to need to borrow your car and take it back to the lab for some testing. It should only take about an hour. It has to do with Dieselgate.”

Amoore100 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:07

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Very. (Just following instructions here...)

C62030 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:12

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This is exactly how I feel about my burning desire for a VW Phaeton. That car has aged like Buckingham Palace.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > C62030 04/02/2016 at 18:13

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My dad’s friend had one. Apparently the repairs on that thing were as bad as the stories say.

dogisbadob > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:15

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Hi

NJAnon > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:16

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Just replace the part after the government with:

“Do you want to keep doing burnouts in your Super-Benz? Of course you do so lets go get this thing dyno’d!”

(We may need to make a list :P)

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/02/2016 at 18:17

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Nah, I would definitely take a mid-80's S-Class diesel

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:22

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You sir are 100% correct. ‘06 would be the year to have also, they have a few modifications that improve reliability and decrease repair costs ever so slightly. Why buy this well-equipped C300 when you can buy this bat shit S65?

C62030 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:24

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People get St. Bernards even though they have to wring their clothes out after it opens its mouth within five feet of them. Compromises can be made. All worth it if your air vents cover themselves when not in use.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > dogisbadob 04/02/2016 at 18:26

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That is definitely the more practical real-life choice.

However, as an object of desire, I prefer a 600 horsepower V12 with a gajillion (rough estimate) pounds feet of torque to boring and reliable.

ThePenguin > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:27

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Some comment about how unreliable and expensive to work on this Mercedes S65 AMG is.

dogisbadob > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:29

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Yeah, but it won’t feel or be any faster since it will always have problems and be in limp mode ;)

Too bad there’s no LS-F :(

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > dogisbadob 04/02/2016 at 18:31

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The lack of a fast version is one of the few things that keeps many from viewing the LS as a full competitor to the S-Class. Do they do a LWB/SWB version?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > ThePenguin 04/02/2016 at 18:32

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you get an A+ for following directions.

ThePenguin > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:35

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Yippee!

In all seriousness I want one as well.

dogisbadob > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:47

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They do now, in the most recent generations. I think from like 08-on they have a LWB. LS460L

The Dummy Gummy > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 18:58

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Do you have an extra $3-5k when a gasket inevitably fails? How about another $3-5 on top when another major failure occurs months after the first large fix.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > The Dummy Gummy 04/02/2016 at 19:01

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“I don’t think this ten year old super-Benz should be an alternative to a $28,000 Honda Accord. I think it should be an alternative to a $50,000 Mercedes E-Class, with the difference put away for a warranty and for when the car does need to be sent to the shop.”

The Dummy Gummy > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 19:04

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I read it, but you asked for reliability issues. My point was: if you can afford it awesome, if not don’t do it.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/02/2016 at 19:49

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I mean, it’s gotta be more reliable and less expensive to maintain than one of these

Or these

Frank Grimes > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/03/2016 at 00:07

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I have lots of time and no money bring it on!

bryan40oop > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/03/2016 at 10:10

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Many unreliables and much expensives.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > bryan40oop 04/03/2016 at 10:41

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No cares.

Land_Yacht_225 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/04/2016 at 00:08

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That conversation can go one of two ways, depending on whether you’re talking to someone with a hypothetical understanding or an owner/ex-owner/master-tech

Hypothetical: Blah blah blah, coil packs $1,500 a side, yadda yadda yadda, first generation ABC eats itself from the inside out to $6,000 in damages at worst because MB engineers didn’t think it needed a service interval right of the bat, blah blah blah, fiber optic can-bus network daisy chain if your CD changer stops working so does your entire infotainment.

An owner will just stare blankly at you as their mind slips into a PTSD fueled trip back to ‘Nam. And by that, I mean the last time the car was in the shop for a major repair...which was probably last week. And when they come to, they’ll tell you to stick it up your ass because at least WE HAD THE BALLS TO BUY ONE IN THE FIRST PLACE!

They’re a marvelous exercise in optimism that will leave you with pessimism unrivaled by Nietzsche himself.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Land_Yacht_225 04/04/2016 at 00:14

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...that bad eh?

Land_Yacht_225 > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/04/2016 at 00:33

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Quod me nutrit, me destruit.

I give that S600 nothing but love, I baby it, I treat it with nothing but respect and adoration. Nothing on this earth can stop its bad design. You ever watch American Dad? When they clone the DoDo bird? And it just keeps trying to kill itself because it doesn’t know any better? That. That is a V-12 W220 Mercedes.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/04/2016 at 01:55

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It’s a total roll of the dice. On one hand you could have land yacht’s S600 which has surpassed its original purchase price in repairs or you could get one like mine, which has been (comparatively) Toyota like for the year that I’ve owned it. I’ve had one major ABC issue and then I randomly sheared a idler pulley. $21000 to drive around in a mostly reliable V12 S class? I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Now to find a W221 S65...

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > The Dummy Gummy 04/04/2016 at 23:58

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What do you mean when a gasket fails ? You should research the cars or maybe even own one(gasp) before you go crazy criticizing them.

The Dummy Gummy > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 04/05/2016 at 08:42

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Congrats on breaking the oPPo rules. But don’t let me stop you from being rude.

By ‘fails’ I mean blown/leaks/etc and by gasket I mean head gasket. Sorry my wording didn’t meet your spec. Hat tip to you for being unnecessarily douchey.

(It wasn’t even criticizing, I thought he wanted to be talked out of buying it so I was naming an expensive part to replace.)

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > The Dummy Gummy 04/05/2016 at 08:55

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I’ve never heard of a head gasket failing ever on a M275. If you were to research the car you could find out about the $1500 coilpacks, or the insanely complicated ABC hydropnumatic.

It would be be a lot easier to talk the OP out of hypothetically buying a S65 if you brought up real and common issues that are literally available by searching google for “W220 S65 issues” I’m sorry if I appeared overly douchey, it just winds me up when people who have no idea what they're talking about start spewing bullshit about these cars.

The Dummy Gummy > V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches 04/05/2016 at 12:13

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My point was cost and that should really be the only takeaway.

I’ve never owned this particular model nor do I have a desire to own another luxury car again with the luck I’ve had with them. But anytime I think of Mercedes I think of the head gasket oil leak issue which was very well known about. So that’s where my comment derived from. Researching something for hypothetical’s is not my forte.