[MartinJ]

I have driven various Benzes for years, nice cars to cruise on the Hwy.

Either of these cars is expensive to repair and the acceleration for either is pretty amazing so not much to choose there. On looks I would prefer the AMG, it also has better handling and will probably retain a little more of its value. If it were me I would look at the miles and any remaining warrantee to decide, if all is equal I would get the AMG.

Maintenance on Benzes is like the P-Car and must be done on time. The Dealer will be able to pull the service records for these cars (I am assuming these are at the dealer) and let you know the warrantee history. Don’t be surprised if it is long!

Personally I don’t really enjoy driving the larger Benz models, they are packed full of great technology and are surprisingly agile for cars of there size but after a while I can tell you that you will feel as though you are driving a boat. Some of the smaller Benz models are much better in this regard; try to find a nicely loaded CLK500 with the sports suspension option or the AMG CLK55, also drive an E55 both these cars can be had newer than the S for similar $.

Finally the depreciation curve on S and CL class cars is pretty steep so count on a large hit when you sell it even though they are 3-4 years old. Don’t believe Edmonds etc. for pricing. The Mkt. for these cars is limited so bargain hard if you go for it.