• Mega spec from the factory
• Huge amounts of tech
• Comfortable drive
• Low owners
• Private plate to come with the car

The cream of the crop when it comes to Mercedes’ the S-Class or more authentically the Sonderklasse has been with us in constant production since 1972. The W220 generation ran from 1998-2005 and was a class leader in technology, comfort, and safety.

It provided more elegance and style than the previous generation (W140) and even offered more cabin space even though overall it was smaller than the generation that came before. The list of options for the W220 was extensive with well over 10 different engines to choose from, a further 10 different model designations and many more pieces of kit to put on made sure that you could have the S-Class in any way that you desired.

This Mercedes S500 has had a bit of an interesting history, especially at the start of its life. To begin with, the car was ordered by Euro Car Consultants in 2001 for a London Dentist, Euro Car Consultants were a company that specialised in the importation of cars from Europe into the UK back in the early ‘00s, this was used as a way to avoid having to pay more for the car you wanted through different taxes and other bits of red tape.

Once the order had gone across to Germany, including the massive list of options, the car entered into production on the 5th of September 2001 and rolled off the line 14 days later. In this time, it had been fitted with double glazed windows, distance control cruise control, a sunroof and many more options. If you take a look at the build/spec sheet you can see that the total for all of this work back in 2001 was €97,637.19 which by the time it was on the road in the UK it translates to more like £60,000 a massive amount of money for a car back, then.

As you can imagine, after spending this much on a car the first owner keeps hold of it for a long time, finally letting go of it in 2020 where it goes to the second owner. It must be added that during his ownership it has been repainted and any issues with rust sorted out, this was more than likely done under the Mercedes warranty scheme.

The current owner has just changed the ownership in August of this year as they have been using it, but who wouldn’t want to use a car like this. With almost every option ticked this is possible one of the best bang for your buck car that you could get.

The new owner will be getting a few pieces of paperwork with the car like the usual service history and V5 documents, there aren’t any invoices for the car however, with a car of this calibre and cost, you can be sure that the previous owners have kept this S500 in tip-top condition. Within the small bundle of paperwork, you will find the original spec sheet, final cost, and correspondence between the first owner and the company who imported the car.

If we take a look at the spec sheet and build sheet that comes with the car, you can start to build a picture as to how this car was so expensive. For example, the radar-guided cruise control was €3,911 and the sat nav and command system was €4,205. These, back in 2001, were revolutionary features but nowadays we see these systems in affordable hatchbacks, some of which cost less than the entire options list put together.

The interior of this Mercedes is the place to be, from massage leather seats in the front to vanity mirrors that pop down from the roof this Merc has everything you could ever need.

If we start in the front portion of the interior you are present with an array of technology, leather and wood making it a truly glorious place to sit and command this land yacht from. The grey Nappa leather seats show only a few signs of wear, but they do not have any rips or tears in the material. The wood the wraps around you from the doors across the dashboard and down to the gear selector is in great condition and compliments the light-coloured leather well. With the addition of the sunroof above you, the cabin feels light and airy.

As you can see from the doors as you get in, there are a huge number of buttons that control all sorts of functions. From electrically controlled massage and heated seats, a button for the folding wing mirrors, sat-nav screen, air suspension, sunroof. Honestly, if you can think of a bit of in-car tech it is likely that this S500 has it in it. The list of things to play with and press is endless, and you will never tire of finding out what they do, and a key point of note is that all of this tech still works nearly two decades later.

If we move into the rear of the cabin, we will find the same grey leather seats that are also heated. As you would expect these rear seats have not seen the same kind of usage as the front seats and therefore show even fewer signs of wear. There are two slight marks on the nearside rear door, one on the wood and one on the leather these, however, are tiny, but with an interior this good we are getting picky.

A cool little feature in the back that will entertain passengers are the two pop down vanity mirrors, simply press them and the light comes on and you can check that you look a million dollars before stepping out of this luxury car.

If we take a look in the boot, we will find a Mercedes original fridge that is powered off of a 12v plug, a nice little feature that just levels up the interior. Another important factor in the boot is the full toolkit, it even has all of its Mercedes original fuse still present, this just goes to show how well looked after it has been.
Overall the interior of this S500 is in excellent condition, the new owner will be picking up a car that has an interior to match any Rolls Royce or Bentley of the period.

The exterior of this W220 generation S500 is sleek and elegant, following simple design lines it looks just about as good as it ever has. Being finished in this lovely and almost iconic silver that so many Mercedes’ of the time are finished it sort of flies under the radar. The equivalent Bentley or Rolls Royce of the time are almost too flashy and are now starting to show their age, however, with the simple lines of this S500, it is a timeless design and still looks stylish.

As you can imagine, even the exterior is brimming with technology. First of all, is the clever Distronic cruise control or as we know it today, radar-guided cruise control. This is such an important feature if you intend to do a lot of motorway mileage as it basically drives itself, braking and speeding up with the traffic in front of you.

A feature that was ahead of its time in 2002 is the keyless go system that is fitted with the car, simply have the key somewhere about your person and the car will open and startup. This is a feature we are familiar with in 2021 but back in 2002, this was not something you’d expect to find on any car.

Another extra on the car are the soft closing doors, just push the door too and the car will pull it in and close it for you. A feature that means no one will slam your doors again.

Not only are the doors soft close, but they are also fitted with double-glazed window panels. If you have spent all this money in 2002 on such a luxury car you would add these windows to keep road noise to a minimum so you can enjoy the journey.

As you might expect from a near on 20-year-old car with nearly 100,000 miles, it has picked up a few battle scars along the way. With a few blemishes to paint here and there, but a bigger scrape just behind the nearside rear wheel at the bottom of the bumper. The vendor did mention that this could be sorted out for the new owner if they wanted it to be.

Overall the exterior of this Mercedes is in overall great condition. With all of the added features (that all still work), it is an excellent car for the money, it would be hard to find another car like this on the market within this price bracket.

The mechanical aspects of this car, like the rest, are in great condition. The car currently starts straight up, stops well, and drives beautifully. There are no warning lights on the dash and although it has a big V8 engine it doesn’t shout about it, running almost silently.

The big V8 up front wafts you along nicely with a massive amount of power and torque. The engine is mated to the super smooth automatic transmission making this an easy and comfortable car to drive.

The only work that the current owner has done to the car recently is the installation of new brakes to help this luxury limousine stop in a timely fashion. The new owner should not worry about any mechanical parts of this car, it is in fine fettle and ready to transport you on your next adventure.

This W220 S500 must be one of the best cars that you will look at today, the level of luxury at the current price is insane. You would never get things like double-glazed windows, air suspension, massage seats and other interesting features in any other car on the market. What the new owner will be getting is almost the same as a yacht, it has a huge array of technology that still compete with the 2021 alternatives.

With a car like this, you are not just buying a car, you are buying a ticket to one of the most comfortable, well looked after, well-optioned automobiles on the market. You will need to search long and hard to find one like this anywhere else.

Notice to bidders