In the world of inexpensive high-performance cars, few vehicles stand above this: the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG, originally a car with a price tag of well above $160,000; now a vehicle that’s available for $21,795 at Pro-Sport Motorsports, a used-car dealership in the Philadelphia suburbs. Depreciation has not been good to this car. Performance remains very, very impressive.
Here’s the situation: The S65 AMG uses a twin-turbocharged V12 engine, which made an amazing 604 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque back then. Those numbers are, quite obviously, absolutely massive, and so this car cost something like $165,000 new, just 11 years ago. Now this is among the cheapest on Autotrader: It’s still probably in the neighborhood of 604 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, but it costs under $22,000, or something like 15 percent of its original value.
Why has it lost so much value? A few reasons. One is, obviously, the fact that most people don’t really want to maintain and repair an 11-year-old high-performance luxury sedan with a 604-horsepower twin-turbocharged V12. Then there’s the fact that most people who really want a car like this also want to buy it new from the original dealer with their preferred options and features — so the secondhand market is pretty minimal until the car becomes a lot less expensive.
Interestingly, this one seems surprisingly nice: Although it’s had four owners and covered nearly 90,000 miles, its Carfax report shows a lot of maintenance and no accidents. It’s also among the cheapest S65 AMGs on Autotrader, which will likely be a selling point for someone somewhere down the line. Possibly a Mercedes-Benz technician. Find a Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG for sale
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Sold!
I have been to this dealer in the past. Their inventory is always priced very, very aggressively to sell, but the condition of their cars usually reflects that.
Eventually I’ll buy one of these, maybe when they get a little cheaper. Mechanically the twin turbo V12 is pretty solid, and they don’t really get beaten on since they’re not exactly popular with teenagers. The only engine issue to watch out for are those $1500 a piece coil packs (one for each half of the engine, so two total). They’re known to fail sometimes, but if you’re handy with soldering you can resurrect them for a fraction of the cost.
Great idea about an MB Tech buying one of these.
If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of Tyler Hoovers accountant weeping in a office somewhere in Wichita.