I test drove an S320 for a couple of days before I decided to not buy the car. The number one complaint is inadequate power for weight of car. For normal acceleration you really have to hit 4k rpm to get it moving. I think the necessary higher rpms will cause decreased service life of the car. There are all sorts of parts that wear w/ increased rpms. Unless there is full documentation and inspection and a low price then I would advise you to stay away. My advice is an s420,s500 especially a 99. I talked with the foreman of Calabasas Motorcars and he said that he has never had any evap problems w/ this year. The 99 had almost all gremlins worked out. Plus the V8s dont have head gasket issues or leaks to deal with like the 3.2. The V8s are whisper quiet and it accelerates at low rpms unlike the s320 which is always screaming during acceleration. I bet you the V8 motors will outlast their 3.2 brothers in the future. As far as maintenance cost, W140 is expensive. Also sipping gas is the same and I bet the s320 uses more gas just to accelerate. Another problem is how the s320 came in two variations of wheelbase. Expect in the future for unaware mechanics ordering wrong parts because the distinction is hard to tell between the two. Unless they have a trained eye they won't be able to tell. I love how Mercedes owners complain about tire wear. Benz tires are cheap compared to Lexus' special order tires.