As W140 prices continue to climb, eyes are turning towards the oft-maligned W220 to fill the now-cheap Mercedes flagship void. Maybe it's because there are so few good W140s available at affordable prices or, maybe, its because the softer elegant styling of the W220 is finally coming back into vogue. Either way, more and more of these big body beauties have been catching our eye lately and this example (on its second round of posting on CL) is certainly one of them.
Offered for sale on Craigslist in Alpharetta, GA, this 2001 S430 hails from near the beginning of the W220 model run; a warning sign, for sure, given the early electrical gremlins in this era of S-Class. This S430 non-4Matic example offers the excellent combination of M113 V8 power paired to a RWD 5-speed transmission powering a set of AMG monoblock wheels normally found only on the Sport Package, a nice upgrade nonetheless.
Far and away, its the color and condition of this car that tells the tale; as early W220s are no rare commodity on the used MB marketplace. Finished in Circon Green Pearl (257) - aka Zirconic Green Metallic outside of the US - we can't remember seeing too many W220s that share this shade. The paint looks excellent in the photos and, at only 49k miles, that is reasonably expected.
Inside, the Saffron Leather (264) looks even more impressive than the paint and pairs perfectly well as a classic color combination that looks as attractive today as it did when this car was delivered back in June of 2000. It's worth noting some normal wear on the seat cushion of the driver's seat and some conditioner could go a long way for such low miles.
While we can't quite take the position that you should run out and buy every cheap W220 on the market (at least not yet) we are certainly enjoying the few gems that are populating the secondary market and encourage bargain-minded Benz buyers to look more closely as these values undoubtedly rise in the next several years.
The $8,500 asking price is not a lot for all the car being offered, but it might still be slightly ahead of the market. We'd love to buy this car a little bit cheaper (anticipating typical W220 repair needs) but if you're in it for the long haul, you could do very well holding on to a nice W220 like this for the next market evolution.
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