2004 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

TBay on August 30, 2020

I bought this car pre owned with 84k miles on it in 2010. The car was in immaculate condition inside and out. I was sold on it during the test drive. The ride is pure class and quality with every option and convenience including satellite radio and GPS. It was like being in a living room. A week ago while parked it was hit by a hit and run driver and needless to say I was crushed when the insurance company totaled it. A great car that I would recommend.

The S Man on July 15, 2020

Truly, the S class Mercedes is "God-Inspired" because of its many safety features along with its futuristic controls & beauty. What used to be in the Rolls Royce is now improved in the Mercedes S500. Power, grace, safety at any speed, comfort, perfection, reliability, handling & value make this the most incredible vehicle made today. They do not break down because of the German "PRIDE" of Craftsmanship. Are you jealous yet, because a used S Class is superior to any New Japanese car made today....no contest.

Robgid on July 12, 2020

Like others said before me I have replaced two struts both on passenger side both I purchased from Mercedes dealership. I had the rear replaced because car was leaning found out it was front causing whole car to lean on that side. The first two struts I bought were online and low quality and caused the car to make a thud noise on rear strut when hitting bumps. For critical parts such as air suspension I recommend OEM parts. Also my sis light is own diagnosed at Mercedes dealership found out seat belt buckle in process of getting replaced. As far as drive train no major repairs other than oil leaks valve cover gaskets. If you love your car you will make the repairs to restore to original condition. Thats why gave a four for reliability. I can't complain since bought used and now own the car and plan on restoring fully plus some upgrades.

W220 S430 4MATIC on June 1, 2019

So many Mercedes enthusiasts complain about the W220 saying it was a lemon, not built to Mercedes standards or a car built by accountants rather than engineers. They say W140 was the last true S-Class. Well I have had 3x W140 1x S320 2x S500 and all I can say was all 3 was a nightmare in their own ways. I am on my 4th W220 I have had 2 pre-facelifts and 2 facelift models. 1x S320 only problem I ever had was air suspension fail remember it was a pre facelift. 2x S500 self closing door failed on one of them and my current S430 4matic is flawless with no fault and much much nicer to drive than my previous 2012 BMW 750i and lightyears more reliable. Sure the 750i is way more powerful and high tech but it cant match the Mercedes is ride comfort and reliability. Who ever complained about a W220 has either not owned one at all or owned one that was mistreated nor well maintained.

phoneguy on February 24, 2019

We purchased our 2003 430S in 2014 and when we first saw this car at a friends home, we were very taken with the presentation of the interior when the passenger door was opened. The curved dash with wood grain trim said, luxury, quality, style and comfort all in one glance. It's hard to explain the feeling it created, but maybe summing up with the comments both my wife and I made as we both were presented the same view inside will help. Her comment was something like, Oh my....now THAT says rich!" and immediately, my comment, "No WAY, could we ever afford this car" Our impressions stuck, since all she could carry on about for the next couple of weeks was how nice that car would be, and me continually explaining our budget. Then, on one visit to our friends house, he just said, "Dad's selling his car for 7500.00, but the guy backed out" At the time, this was a 10,000.00 car in pristine shape, custom wheels, flawless inside and out, with only one issue. The front end sounded like a squeaky old buggy every time the heavy car hit a bump or made a turn. We bought it that weekend and drove it for about a month before the wife guilted me into a front end rebuild....Ta-Da, brand new car that's got 150,000 miles, a quiet, smooth ride, beautiful Bose sound system, quiet interior, and plenty of power, able to set this car sailing along at 100 mph without trying or noticing how fast your moving. Quiet, smooth, solid cruiser. We've enjoyed this car for 4 years, with fairly minor repairs, incredible gas mileage, and a smooth responsive ride, the best my 60 year old butt has ever had. There was a problem with the car's air ride suspension, and the temptation to convert to conventional suspension was discussed, but after all, the air ride suspension is one of the features that set this car so high in the luxury class. Our's is the 430 model, although the first owners wife had insisted the One and only identifying badge be upgraded to show the more prestigious 500 badge! Yet another potentially embarrassing issue, averted! If you find one of these beautiful examples of fine engineering, that is one owner, garage kept, BUY IT. Even though this is a heavy car with a V-8, we have been able to achieve up to 28 mpg on road trips and very acceptable mileage in town. It's 6 speed transmission and Mercedes ignition that somehow has the ability to have a secondary de-compression burning of left over fuel that keeps the mileage high. I'm not explaining this ignition feature correctly, and I'd never heard of it before, but it makes a difference. One last consideration has arisen, now that we've passed the 230k mile mark, is a little transmission shifting issue has started to peek around the corner at us, but is not getting worse, nor better as I speak. I am hoping a transmission FLUID / FILTER job will keep that transmission issue at bay. European parts and mechanics do run on the high side, and we have not had the need to take it to a Mercedes dealership, so it's stayed affordable. We would buy another, should this one ever die....which it shows no signs of. We love this car!

ABC on January 15, 2019

Test drove it for 30 miles. The 2004 Mercedes was comfortable, smooth, and a gas guzzler with its V8. The gas pedal also seemed very hard to accelerate with compared to other C classes, Lexus LX series, and BMW 3 series I have driver before.

Maine Man on November 30, 2018

From soft glow of the interior lights to the high performance glide of how it accelerates on the highway nothing was left out! Excellence of detail and longevity of features make this car head and shoulders above the Luxury line! I have owned over 13 luxury line vehicles and this tops them all in every category and that says a lot!

Colonel Jay on September 15, 2018

Great car that I?ve had since it was new. Love love love driving it. It?s getting a little long in the tooth but she?s a classy lady! Great driving car.

Rizzo on July 18, 2018

This is a great car to drive. I have owned for several years. It?s virtually silent inside, smooth riding, amazing ride and outstanding emergency handling. They can be had used for an absolute bargain. There are a few faults that I?ve experienced, which seem to be pretty much synonymous with this vehicle. A faulty oil level sensor and the air ride struts and compressor. Otherwise, it?s been a great car. I?d jump in it and drove it to Alaska today. A truly beautiful and comfortable car to own and drive.

Mike h on August 31, 2017

Most reliable car I've ever Owned nice looking clean drives good looks nice good motor nice interior quiet engine good takeoff