Options for late model W140? L6, V6, or V8?

[stephenson]

I am now in the market for a late model (after early quality problems) W140. They just look so darn good!

I would consider either L6, V6, or 420, but would appreciate hearing from those that have each kind ... specifically, what kind of maintenance issues have you had, what kind of gas mileage do you get, are you bothered by lack of power (in case of 6's), etc.

Thanks in advance!

[Gilly]

George:
They never put a modular V6 or V8 in the 140, not for production use anyways. You'd be looking at the 104 that had a few modifications done to incorporate FSS in the 98 or 99, or a 119 motor. Maybe a non-FSS 97 420 or 500, or a FSS 500 in 98 or 99.
Gilly

Just stay away from the S350/S300.

[jcyuhn]

My dad has a '97 with the M104 straight six. I expected it to be horribly underpowered, but it ain't that bad. Certainly has as much acceleration as you need, though perhaps not as much as you want. I would bet the 722.6 five speed automatic helps greatly relative to earlier cars with the four speed transmission. I like the rip-snarl exhaust note of the six as well. Gives the car a bit of a sporty feel when accelerating, though it's very quiet at cruising speed.

I think it gets ~24MPG on the highway. Dunno about around town. FYI, my dad's an old guy, so that's not the MPG driving at warp factor 9.

[turnne1]

George,

I would be VERY careful with any 140 you buy.....as they are still doing things like evap cores on the cars under warranty at the dealer I go to........on the 140's for sale you probably have noticed huge price differences ....this is a case where you get what you pay for....in some cars I would say a little neglect is ok(if its reflected in the price)..but not a 140...pay good money and get a starmarked car...because the 2-3K more that you pay will be eaten up the first time the car goes in for service...and DO extend the warranty for as long as possible...I would be willing to bet MB never made money from an extension of a starmark on a 140...if you choose to buy from an independent........

1.Have the AC checked !!....I have seen cars for sale that say "very clean just needs a "little" ac work"......evap core leakage,blower resistor(will the fan blow at high speed?)..these two things are a 3K fix....I have also heard there is a sealant that is being sprayed into some sytems ...not sure if I would trust this..as it could be an avenue for someone to rubberband the problem just long enough to get the car
2. Closing assist-do all doors and truck pull tightly shut...$800 to fix
3.If its pre-95...check instrument cluster...if any lights blink erratically there could be a short.....$1500 fix
4. Check front end-because of the weight of the car front end parts wear fast...causing shimmy ,knocks etc.....this will show up readilly in irregular tire wear...about $800...by the way you need to be pretty religious about rotating your tires on these cars
5.Assorted things....Window regulators...$300.....check stereo for sound on right and left as sometimes the Bose amplifiers go out...however Bose does sell rebuilt amps for about $250.00 I think


oh...and if you buys a diesel.....you might want to see if the engine has been replaced or it has been short-blocked...I would be somewhat reluctant if that were not the case on a diesel

but when its all working the cars are incredible...feel like driving a bank vault...great stereo(which used to be a MB weak point),power everything,dual airbags,traction control and if you fo with the last couple of years you have things like side airbags and ESP

by the way my mileage is 20 city and about 27-28 highway


happy hunting

Warren
1992 300SD 127K
Columbus Ohio