Exciting milestone.
100k report: Everything is good. I believe I have put about 21k on this car in a little over 2 years and my assessment is it has been outstanding in terms of serving the need. The comfort, performance and reliability has all frankly exceeded expectations. I was happier with the fuel economy before my commute became terrible in late fall last year but that's not the car's fault. Lifetime fuel economy is 19.4 mpg. In terms of the car overall, I think my good experience can be somewhat addressed by the following:
- I think the W221 overall turned out to be a pretty reliable platform, especially compared to the W220. Stretching the budget for this car was a HUGE win. It is starting to overlap with the age of my E55 while I owned it, and while it is obviously not an AMG product, it has been far less needy than my E55, despite the W211 and E55's great reputation. I don't think my E55 was "bad." Rather, I think my S550 is quite good. It is lightyears ahead of my STS (which it directly replaced), but I only paid $5k for that one, to be fair.
- The M273 is also earning its place as a historically reliable engine, when all factors are considered (performance, economy, complexity, all relative to earlier and later MB offerings as well as the rest of the market). It's the last port injected V8 that Mercedes developed. Everything after has at least direct injection and for all but a rare M152 application in the R172 SLK55, turbos on all V8s.
- My example was well maintained and cared for. This is always a plus for any used car purchase, no matter what it is.
- My example is light on options compared to what was available. I do think this has improved my overall ownership experience, even if I may still occasionally whine about a feature I wish I had.
- I do a pretty good job with routine inspection each oil change so that should significantly decrease the chance of being surprised by an issue. Also I have done some preemptive maintenance (which is something I was known for all the way back during Caprice times, and I got 312k out of that car, still running), which helps, too. I have sufficient diagnostic equipment should an issue arise, and I keep learning more about how the car actually functions - it is not a scary black box of complexity. All of the potentially scary things, like the 39 modules, "screens," or Airmatic, have presented zero issues. I reject the supposition that anything more complex than a 90s-era vehicle is untenable as a daily driver.
Considering everything, I am not sure what I would have been happier with as a daily driver for the $12k I spent on it in Nov 2021.
It will be due for an oil change in about 1,000 miles. It will also need a brake fluid flush. I will inspect the right front inner axle boot to see how it is going, pertaining specifically to wearing against the clamp (I was originally going to change the boot again but I want to take a look at it - maybe it's fine). I am also toying with the idea of throwing a transmission mount at it. This is an easy job and might improve some mild idle NVH that it's had the entire time I've owned it.