Buying a 20-year old German flagship in Singapore isn’t worth it, or is it?
With more people in Singapore gaining interest or consciousness in cars, I thought this would be a great piece of referral to those who want to break conformity, not wallets.
Timeline and Events
I got my 2006 Mercedes-Benz E280 (S211) with about 290,000km in early December (I don’t remember date of handover, too busy!). The car costed S$6000, with a $500 consignment fee. The COE was up till 30th of March 2026. I had a Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI) done at a workshop that specializes in continental (European) cars for S$220. Insurance had to be bought instantly – the quote was about S$500 a year. Total damage to my wallet: S$6,940.
After the handover, I sent it to another workshop for another inspection and a quote to do it up. Below was the work:
- Labor to reseal lower oil pan, inclusive of engine oil change (8L)
- Power steering rack recondition
- Wheel alignment
- OEM front lower lateral arm
- OEM front lower ball joint
- OEM front lower tension arm
- Labour to install front lower arms
- Oil fill cap – Mercedes
- Front brake rotor (self-source from stockist)
- Front brake pads
- Front brake wear sensor
- Rear brake rotors
- Rear brake pads
- Rear brake wear sensor
- Labour to change all brake hHardware
- Engine oil flush (8L of mineral oil + engine additive)
- Interior detail (necessary after buying used!)
This was before Chinese New Year 2026. The steering rack was done after CNY but counted together as it was in the same quote. The work costed S$4,018.40 total.
I bought new rims on used tyres after from a 2003 E200 that burned down (soon to come on the website). The total cost was S$536 from purchasing to fitting.
Not long ago, the E280 had broken down halfway through parking. The fuel pump had died and required a replacement pump and sender unit. I’m more surprised than upset given the original pump had lasted close to 300,000 kilometres! The towing fee, diagnosis and replacement was S$970.
Now,I have renewed the COE ($116,000 at the time of renewal), road tax, and insurance extension, a very sobering weekend. So this is how you end up with a car in pretty good mechanical condition, and 10 years of COE. Damages: $120,000 (Thank me for your CDC Vouchers)
I have just renewed the COE at S$116,000, plus roadtax and insurance; a very sobering weekend. Thank me for your CDC vouchers.
Counting other miscellaneous like badges, tailgate struts, car care, trunk mat, brochures, scale models and others – all set me back an additional S$900.
So adding up the total of S$133,364.40 will get you a E280T with around 10.3 years of COE from purchase to renewal. For people without calculators, the cost is around S$12,900 in yearly depreciation.
Why not buy a new car?
Allow me to compare ownership prices of the E280T with a BYD Sealion 7 Premium as it is Cat B and I have data of an owner within my father’s age and family structure for a fairer insurance comparison. Included is a BMW 520i Touring, a direct competitor to the E-Class Estate and a petrol car unlike the BYD.
Figures here are based, averaged and calculated from publicly available and privately disclosed figures correct to 6 April 2026:
| Expenses | 2006 Mercedes-Benz E280T | 2026 BYD Sealion 7 Premium | 2026 BMW 520i M-Sport Touring |
| Purchase price (with COE) | $122,500 | $206,888 | $391,888 |
| Road Tax | $3,573 | $2,264 | $1,210 |
| Insurance, yearly (rounded) | $500 | $2,200 | – |
| Maintenance | $4,988 | – | – |
| Downpayment (70%, 7 year) | – | $62,066 | $117,566 |
| Monthly payment | – | $1,987 | $1,613 |
| Depreciation /year | $13.3k | $20.7k | $39.2k |
| Propellant (based on full tank) | $243.60 | $41.25 | $207 |
Despite increased costs in certain areas like road tax (including age-related surcharge), its comparable to the BYD and much cheaper than its direct competitor from BMW.
Wow, I should purchase a car to renew its COE since its cheaper!
Wait! Its not that simple.
Though I recommend doing so, you have to remember a few things!
- Car condition: This is pretty self explanatory. My top tip is finding a low owner count and no permanent modifications (i.e. power enhancing mods). Mileage doesn’t matter as much if well taken care of.
- Road tax: Find a bigger capacity engine. This means lower depreciation, hence lower price. Get one that is affordable and within your budget and keep it infinitely, so think differently and plan it in the long term (COE really ruined the mentalities of people).
- Parts: Downtime sucks. I suffer from this problem as S211 and W211 parts are not as interchangeable like I thought. All my rarer or rear end parts now come directly from Estonia – shipping’s a bum.
- Year of make and model: My S211 is a pre-facelift. Notice the Mercedes owners scrunching their faces? The pre-facelift is equipped with SBC (Sensotronic Brake Control), an electro-hydraulic brake system where the wheel brake cylinders are operated through a servomechanism. This block of silver in my engine bay is problematic and causes a lot of problems in the early 211s. Do research regarding your car before buying!
- Personal opinion: To want to keep a car, one must love, not like a car. Don’t listen too much from others, positive or negative. Remember that an unreliable unit would be scrapped at 10 years. If yours is 20 and over, it will not be too bad! (unless modified)
Personal reflection and conclusion.
Times have really changed. With COE at an all-time high, buying a new car is not viable for most people. undertaking this Mercedes has been actually very eye opening, and despite owning it for a relatively short time, has shown me ups and downs of car ownership in Singapore, particularly workshop related. It’s always easy to buy but it’s hard to maintain. Through this experience, I met a lot of friends, car and workshop owners, and even though this E280 had driven me nuts at times, I think I am lucky to have a dependable car in Singapore.
Undertaking this Mercedes has been eye opening; despite owning it for a relatively short time, it has shown me the ups and downs of car ownership in Singapore, particularly related to workshop. It’s easy to buy but hard to maintain.
Through this experience, I met a lot of car friends, workshop owners, and even though this E280 had driven me nuts at times, I am lucky to have a dependable car in Singapore.
I hope this article serves as a way for others to treasure their own cars, especially cars who hasn’t shown major issues. There is hope that through this, someone will save a rare car at the face of a short and intentional scrapping scheme, and let it story continue to be heard. A death of a kind is a death of a million tales, and more importantly, it was someone’s pride and joy at one point.
Singapore has many episodes regarding day to day life, so let them be experienced before they fade into the void and go extinct. They are not living; for they can’t save themselves. Be the one.
-Inui
Read more: Introduction: Inui
