Faults:

Zero things have gone wrong with my 2001 S430.

General Comments:

Extremely pleased with the 2001 Mercedes-Benz S430 long wheelbase. Exceptionally quiet, roomy, well-appointed, and very spirited performance. Fuel economy superb, for such a large car (26 mpg, combined city/highway).

Beautiful interior. Very bright, flowing, organic forms, throughout. Leather seats and alcantara trim throughout are exquisite, and the calyptus wood accents are very tasteful.

I could not get the car to misbehave, even in the slightest, on snow or glare ice, and this car is only 2 wheel drive. The stability program works amazingly well.

I am 6'4", so driver leg room and headroom are crucial. I could adjust the driver's seat so that my feet could not reach the brake or accelerator pedals, which was something I could not do in any other vehicle that I tested. Seats were very firm - the way I like them - less fatiguing - and very comfortable, regardless of trip duration.

The integrated COMAND GPS/audio system was not all that difficult for me to master, and it functioned flawlessly. I ordered the dealer-option trunk-mounted 5 CD changer, and it functioned perfectly, too. The Bose premium stereo system is phenomenal.

The 4.3 liter (260 cu. in.) V8 engine is superb, and provides more than adequate thrust off the line, and for passing at highway speeds, as well. Dead-quiet at idle, but gorgeous, subdued V-8 "burble" and growl sounds, when it gets up and talks. Bear in mind, this is only the S430. Its bigger brother, the S500 (5.0 liter V8, 302 cu. in.) gives more performance, but at considerably more cost - about $8,900 USD more, for only 27 more horsepower, so the overall driving experience is more a difference in degree, rather than kind. The S430 is really the sweet spot, in terms of overall performance/value.

I considered the 2001 BMW 745il, but to my eye, the overall curb appeal was lacking, particularly since this body style was essentially unchanged since 1996, so it was rather stale (the 2002 BMW 7-class would not be out for another year, and as it turned out, the styling to me was very jarring and disjointed, particularly with regard to the rear end treatments.)

An all-around beautiful car, and a wonderful driving experience.

Faults:

Nothing has really gone wrong with the car. This is Mercedes Benz and this car is nearly flawless. I had recently replace the brakes both front and back and put new tires (THIS CAR HAS NEARLY 120,000 MILES) Else than this I hadn't do much to the car. This car is seriously the best and I think there is a big chance that this car will last for another 400,000 miles or so. I had a '98 S600 but in that 600 everything started to go wrong after 25,000 miles!!! I thought I will never buy a Mercedes anymore, but I decided to give it a try and seriously it was worth it.

General Comments:

My S55 is seriously the best in every way possible:

1) The engine never let me down, 5.5 l 355 hp = extremely fast car,

2) This is Mercedes = extremely comfortable,

3) Looks perfect,

4) Big improvement over the last Mercedes I have had ('98 S600)

5) Worth to pay over $100,000.00 for a new one.