Thoughts on a Daily Driver (S Class CPO vs Gran Turismo CPO)

I have owned 59 MB's (including S class W222) and 4 Maserati's (including a 2013 GT MC coupe). I owned the S class and the GT MC at the same time, the Maserati makes great noises but the chassis can easily be overwhelmed by the cars power, the old technology did not bother me, and in my opinion the S class is a better daily driver. Though people perceive the S class as an old mans car. I was visiting a BMW dealer (a week before they were all shut down here in PA) that I had bought my 2nd i8 from (to show them what I had done to it), and there was a 2020 white (with all the good options) 550M sitting on the showroom floor, I said I want that, so BMW 58 is now in my driveway. It is a great daily driver more fun (and with the handling package and the right tires it puts some sport cars to shame), than either the GT or S class, it has power, latest tech, luxury and everything you could ever want in a daily. I'd look into one of those if I were you, and I'd take it over the two cars you mentioned. Good luck.

 

One more thing normally my 4 door sedans goes into storage when my summer cars come out, but the 550 is so good (I have two sets of wheels and tires), it is an all year car. That does not happen often.

 

I have a metallic green 2010 S550 4Matic that is, hands down, the best driver I have ever owned. It's powerful, responsive (for a giant sedan), extremely comfortable, reliable, and is an incredibly safe car. We've thought about getting a new one each year since about 2015 and just cannot justify replacing this fabulous car. It's still perfect after all these years.

The S550 really shines on long trips. It gets amazing gas mileage and can go well over 500 miles on a tank. My S550 has the top of the line executive rear seating option too.

 

If you have other sports cars, I'd probably go with the S-Class. Full disclosure, I haven't had an S-class, but I did just get out of a GLS450 which is supposedly the SUV version. Our primary MB dealer/service was superb to deal with, which I think can be important when dealing with these cars. We almost bought another MB just because of that. I never got tired of the ambient lighting. What I did get annoyed with was some of the missing tech items once I got used to them on my newer vehicle vs my wife's GL. For example, I can't live without Apple Carplay anymore. If it's your daily driver, you're going to want the modern conveniences.

I think if you didn't already have other sports cars, there would be a better argument for the Maserati. Otherwise, to me, why put up with the potential headaches, and older tech of a Maserati on a daily basis?

 

I have a 2015 S63, if you want some extra pep and sport versus the S550, I would recommend it. I have not driven the Maserati before, so I can't compare the two.

 

I had a CL55 (supercharged) which I split daily driving duty with my 612. I totaled the CL55 and so I replaced it with a 16 S Class coupe. In my humble opinion the S Class coupe is a total waste of time. I dumped it after a year, took a big bath and now the 612 is my daily driver.

Here are the problems with the S coupe. First, (except for the S65) they got rid of the ABC suspension and it now handles like my father’s old Buick. My CL55 HANDLED. The S class. Not! Second, have you looked around. The S class is indistinguishable from a C or an E. Why pay the big bucks when you can get the same car for $70K less (and the C and E actually handle better and have similar features). If I had to have a Mercedes, why not get the C or E? Third, plan on huge depreciation. I bought mine 2 years old with 15K miles and got $70k off of sticker. I sold it 1 year later with 5K added miles and still under warranty and dropped another $30K.

I owned numerous Mercedes continuously for 30 years, mostly AMGs. I think Mercedes has lost its way and I have no interest in going back. While the S (previously CL) Class shared MB styling features, each was unique and didn’t look like the other classes. Also they put the good stuff into the S class and it was a far superior car to their others. It was also a true GT car. None of that is true any more.

Here’s a suggestion. Buy a 612. You can get a real nice one for under $100K (beautiful grey one on Bringatrailer right now). You could drive it for 5 years and its depreciation is likely to be less than one year of Mercedes depreciation. It’s also a heck of a lot more fun and unique than a boring S coupe.

 

Agreed. I have a 14 S63, chassis/handling and power are all great.

I test drove an S550 before the S63 and while nice, just a bit too subdued for me.

 

While regular driving with an S550 may seem subdued, last year I had a car veer into my lane suddenly, like the driver dropped his cigarette into his beer by accident, and I had to do quite a startling avoidance maneuver. The car handled it much better than I expected and I kept it on the road going in the right direction. For such a big, heavy car, it can be quite nimble when called on. The S550's mission is subdued, easy and comfortable driving so for me, it's the perfect car. If I want exciting, I'll hop into the 360.

I had an SL63 before my 360 and it was quite a good car too. Great handling and acceleration. Just not as exciting as the 360. One thing to be said of MB's. Their dealer network is really good. Always can get an appointment for service. Always provide a new loaner. Friendly and respectful.

 

Aaya, I can assure you that the 612 is a far, far, far, far, far........ better car as a daily driver than the current Mercedes S coupe, having owned both. I have driven a Gran Turisimo but not owned one. I liked the car to drive and it was certainly more interesting than the S to drive performance wise, but really you have to own the car for a period of time to really know it. My partner owns one and he does love it, but that is such a personal thing only you can decide.

I made a huge mistake in buying the S coupe and I did that based on my love of the CL coupe (which could keep up with my Ferrari in both acceleration and handling) and I assumed the S coupe had to be better based on the fact that it was 10 years newer. I could not have been more wrong. I realized it within the first month (didn’t really do my due diligence in buying it unfortunately) and I “toughed” it out for 12 months and finally decided I didn’t want to live with my mistake and so I got rid of it, notwithstanding the significant financial loss. But anyone who bases a purchase decision of a new S coupe based on their love of prior generations really is making a mistake. It simply is not what it used to be.

At the end of the day, driving something that is fun, unique and a kick in the ass is much more important than the money. If you are so inclined, I think this 612 should go for between $80 and $90K. It is drop dead gorgeous IMHO: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2006-ferrari-612-scaglietti-8-2/ The dealer that is selling it also appears to be righteous.

Incidentally, the back seat of the 612 does have as much room as the S so you are not giving up anything as a “family man”, and you are “saving money” in terms of depreciation and residual value. The right decision if you are “considering” the family. Just saying!

Last comment, if you like black then greybeast has been trying to sell his 09 612 for a while. It is a great car and as an OTO, it is the next step up. You can probably also get that for significantly less than a S coupe (maybe $20 K more than the 612 I linked). It even has the same panoramic roof as an S if you like gadgets!

 

If you think I am just blowing smoke, here is my S. Beautiful car but that doesnt change my opinion:

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I get asked a lot (you probably would too if you were approaching 500 cars owned and 100's more that I worked on) about cars. Usually what is the largest amount of car you bought in a month (18), or what is your favorite car (the one I'm driving now), or what should I buy. It would not be a older F1 (including, SMG, CC, Egear), it might be okay for a one drive a week car, but that is all (at least for me) and as a DD it would drive me crazy. I see things differently as most of you know by now cars are machines I like to play with (the toys I never had as a child), and I see them as all being able to be improved on. I don't brag (don't actually understand why anyone would), but I give facts, and the facts are that the S Class is a great daily driver (I would get a CPO because things can get expensive), but not very exciting (which it was not made to be), the coupe (my neighbor a fellow board member and Ferrari owner just bought one) is nice but it is a S class too, and the word sporty (the steering is numb but that is what S class buyers want) should never be used to describe it. The Maserati, well I think if you drove my last one the MC 200 miles in sport mode the sound of the exhaust would get annoying after a while. I suggested the BMW 550M because it can feel like a luxury sedan when need be and with a push of a button be more sporty (I drove it back to back with a new M5) than anything mentioned here including the 612. With some coding, and tuning the M550 is a far better all around car than the more expensive M5. I usually ask people when they ask me what car to buy, what type of driver are they, what do you have to have in a car, what can you live without, and what is your price range. There are a lot of great cars out there, but only you know OP what the answers to the questions above are. There is of course that other thing that some normal people also have when choose a car, the what brand is on it, and what that says about me. If you choose a car for that reason, you will probably not buy the best machine, you are buying the image.

 

Morrie, the BMW is certainly a nice car and, as you said, it is really dependent on what the OP is looking for. BMWs have always performed well but for me that is only part of the equation. In recent years Mercedes has really ate their lunch stylistically. Essentially the 5 Series looks the same as it did 20 years ago. For me part of what makes a car attractive is that it looks unique. My wife owned a 5 series 15 years ago and I would not consider going back until they change the body style.

 

I am not like you all, I don't care what the machine looks like it is just something that serves a purpose I have for it, until I find a machine that does that purpose better. That purpose maybe as simple as winter valet car (I have that), or car that scares the crap (I have a couple of those) out of you. I never use the term daily driver since it is not a purpose I have ever had for a car, since on a day like today I could drive any of my cars that are not in storage.

 

I get that Morrie, but I think the OP is likely looking for a single car that is a daily driver and if you are looking for that it is likely appearance is an important factor.

 

I'm actually curious what you did to your i8(s)!

I keep looking at one but am unsure of reliability, particularly now as most of the production was ~2015/2016 and out of warranty. Plus as far as I was aware, there was extremely limited to no after-market for the car.

 

Well there are now tunes for the i8, and the throttle controller makes a big difference. The biggest issue (I hope they address this in the i8M) is the wheels and tires, I had mine on the lift for days without wheels trying to figure out how to get more rubber to the road. The car has a great chassis, but they should have widen the stance a few inches to allow for tires that could equal what the chassis is capable of. I sold the 2nd one too, decided to get a second 4c (spider) and see if I can make it a better drivers car than my 458. I like projects, and yes Ron, I know I cannot always see things the way you all do (or for that matter understand the things people do), but I don't see how one car can be everything, which is probably why I've owned so many. In this case OP has a purpose (this I can understand) and the Maserati will not meet that purpose the S Class will but the 550 is faster than any Ferrari in his price range, with the dynamic handling package is pretty amazing (It was better than the 360/430 on my little handling course test I do this with every car tells me what I need to change), and I am fairly certain you could grab a new one for well below sticker right now. Remember the 2020 car has almost as much power as the M5