Back in 1989 I considered the purchase of a new Mercedes 560SEL. That Mercedes had a 5.5 litre 238 horsepower multi-port fuel injected V-8 mated to a 4-speed automatic. The performance was impressive, but research shows that fuel economy was also a dismal 14 City / 16 Highway. I really liked the clean styling of this generation S-Class and especially the bank-vault solid construction. Unfortunately, the $74,000 sticker price was prohibitive. The 420SEL stickered at approximately $60K+, but that even seemed a bit steep. More reasonable alternatives were the debut Lexus LS400 at $35,000 and the Cadillac Brougham at $33,000. I ultimately purchased the Cadillac, have been extremely happy with this car and still own it to this day, (See my review of 1989 Cadillac Brougham).

The clean 560SEL was replaced in 1992 by the bloated, gimmicky and ridiculously expensive S500 and S600. Like all S-Class Mercedes, this car was extremely well built but looked ponderous and clumsy and had silly gadgets such as wands that sprouted from the rear deck to tell the driver where the back end of the car was. Worst of all was the ridiculously expensive price. Anywhere from $85,000 for the S500 up to a whopping $148,000 for the 5.9 litre V-12 S600, a spot once reserved for Rolls-Royce and Bentley. Perhaps one good thing about the S600 was the psychological rush one got sitting behind the wheel of such a large, powerful and very expensive car.

Fortunately, sanity returned to Mercedes when it introduced the new 2000 S-Class, a slimmer, trimmer, more athletic and far less costly vehicle. My brother-in-law purchased a classy S430 back in September 1999 and I can't help but see the vast improvement of this car over the ridiculous, blocky-looking 1992-99 S-Class and even the classy 560SEL that caught my eye eleven years ago. My brother-in-law's car is roughly the size of my 1994 Cadillac Deville and comes with a 4.3 litre 275 horsepower V-8 mated to a 5 speed automatic with overdrive. Fuel economy is an improved 17 City and 23 Highway - better than my Deville's average 19.5. The styling is sleeker and more curvaceous than the old S-Class with unusual headlights mimicked by the smaller C-Class. The quality of the interior materials is up to Mercedes high standards and the ride is firm, but a lot more comfortable than the old 560SEL. It's a nice medium between the soft ride of my Deville and the harsher ride of the 560SEL. I remember the 560SEL seats feeling like a city park bench compared to other cars I've owned. The climate controls and stereo are peerless. I thought my Cadillac with it's awesome Delco-Bose system was great, but it's an embarrassment compared to the system in the new S-Class. The best thing of all is the much more reasonable price. Remember, the 560SEL was $74,000 in 1989 dollars. My brother-in-law's car was about $70,800 in 2000 dollars thus improving Mercedes cost/value ratio. One still gets quite a psychological rush sitting behind the wheel of the new S-Class, but it doesn't smack of the arrogant pride of the 1992-99 generation. It's hard to describe, maybe a positive sense of pride and sensibility.

Unfortunately, the Mercedes is still too expensive compared to its competitors. The new Lexus LS430 seems to offer as much or more for around $54,000 and the Cadillac Deville for even less at around $46,000. The high cost may be offset by Mercedes phenomenal resale value, but I'd rather save the difference and go for the Caddy or Lexus. However, in my opinion, the Mercedes S430 is a bargain compared to a $71,000 Audi A-8.

All and all, if you have the means, go for the S430. Else, invest the difference and get the Lexus or Caddy.
Amount Paid (US$): 70,800
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000