Image: Mercedes-Benz
Words by Marcus Boothby
Take a brand new Mercedes S-Class, you know, one of the best luxury cars on sale today and also one of the nicest cars you can buy. But, what about buying one second-hand? Second-hand luxury cars are a mixed bag, as they are proper bargains after them turning three years old but, you also have to worry about running such an expensive car.
So let’s take our example, with a brand new Mercedes S350d L Grand Edition which starts at just over £77,000. This is already a fantastic value but keep in mind that the current S-Class is being replaced next year so it’s apt that Mercedes would sell the final model year with as much optional equipment as standard as possible.
Sure, £77,000 is a lot of money for any car, but what difference does it make between a brand new S-Class and a slightly used S-Class? Well, there isn’t much other than price and some equipment.
We had a quick look on AutoTrader and found a 2-year-old S350d L with the AMG Line trim, with 19,000 miles and it’ll cost just £32,000! That is the same money as a brand new C-Class and we think it is a brilliant value. And the thing is, with a slightly used S-Class, you get the exact same stuff like a brand new S-Class, same engine, same looks but for half of the price.
Image: Mercedes-Benz
Sure, you have to take into account running the car, getting things fixed, fuel etc, but with things like servicing and heaven forbid, anything goes wrong, it should be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty on the car. This seems like a fair trade-off, considering you’re paying less than half price for one of the best luxury cars you can buy.
Honestly though, it’s just not S-Class’s that are excellent second-hand purchases. 7-Series’s, A8’s and even Range Rover’s can be had for nearly half price when they’re two years old and they are just as nice as an S-Class.
This also brings us to some consumer advice, if you want a new car, that’s great but 9 times out of 10, you can get the exact same car, with a year or so of ownership and a few thousand miles on the clock, you can save so much money compared to a brand new example as some other sucker has already paid off the depreciation for you.