Ever since its inception, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been the gold standard for luxury sedans, and the sixth-generation model, also known as the W222, known as the W222 and built between 2013 and 2020, is one of the finest iterations ever. It took rivals years to come close to matching the car’s fabulous interior, and despite how impressive it is, values of used W222 S-Class models have collapsed over the past couple of years, meaning it’s now an absolute bargain.
At the base of the first pre-facelift W222 S-Class lineup was the S550, supplied with a 4. 7-liter twin-turbo V8 with 449 hp and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque. When it launched, costs began at around $110,000, before you even thought of as checking an option box. Ten years later, it is now imaginable to pick out up the keys to an just right S550 for less than $20,000.
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To put that in perspective, a 2025 Corolla sedan starts at $22,325 (or $23,935 adding destination, but before taxes), while America’s cheapest new car, the Nissan Versa, starts at $17,190 ($18,330 with delivery to the manual transmission or $20,130 with the CVT). automatic). ).
The offers are plentiful.
A browse through popular auction sites like Cars & Bids and Bring a Trailer, as well as Edmunds, shows a dizzying number of S550s that can be had for between $15,000 and $25,000. In late November, Cars & Bids sold a nice Obsidian Black painted example with 92,100 miles (~148,000 km) on the odometer. It raised $18,450. The same month, a Ruby Black S550 sold for just $16,500, after having driven 142,700 miles (~229,000 km).
Recent results from Bring a Trailer show that some low-mileage S550s of this generation are selling closer to the $30,000 mark, but that’s still less than a third of the car’s original value. Go to a used car site like Edmunds and locate over a hundred W222 S-Class looking for new homes across the United States. The most expensive example on the platform is a 2014 Mercedes S550 with just 10,275 miles (~16,500 km) and a starting price of $41,998.
An S Class for more than $15,000?
At the other end of the spectrum are dozens below $20,000. The cheapest is $14,900, although it’s been driven 156,450 miles (~251,000 km) and has previously been involved in an accident. A particularly compelling Diamond White Metallic car caught our eye in Decatur, Georgia. It has a clean ownership history, has been driven 100,000 miles (~160,000 km), and is listed for just $17,900. That’s only $1,205 more than the 2024 Mitsubishi Mirage.
But it comes at a price
Certainly, a high-end luxury sedan, with all the comforts, convenience and prestige of the S-Class that one can have for such an affordable price, is a serious temptation. Yes, this Corolla will be new and come with a warranty, but come on, almost everyone would at least be interested in taking a closer look at the Mercedes flagship, with maximum mileage or not. It is a luxury item, and although no one wants it, many need it for the qualities it brings and, let’s be honest, for what it represents.
And, without fear of stating the obvious, this is the whole point of luxury goods. Otherwise we would all be driving big Corollas, Civics and others, while corporations like Mercedes, Ferrari, etc. would have gone bankrupt long ago. long ago. But that’s not the case today, is it? Greed, lust and arrogance would possibly be fatal sins, but we are only human beings and corporations bank on it, and prosper.
Pay to what you wish for
However, as attractive as shelling out a moderate amount for an S-Class may seem, it’s worth remembering that they were originally $100,000 cars and should be treated as such. Which means they can (and probably will be) incredibly expensive to fix if something goes wrong. And at some point, as with virtually every car, anything will happen. As such, prospective buyers would do well to have any used S550 inspected by experienced mechanics before purchasing and set aside several thousand dollars in case of repairs.
So, explore the classified ads as much as you like, even limit your possible options to those that seem most attractive to you, but if you think you surely need to have one, be especially careful. You have been warned…