Getting back into the MB game...
 

I'm negotiating on another MB, if all goes well I'll have another MB very soon. Were still talking price but I'm hoping we can come together on it.:cool:


Cruising in the Mercedes S600 (W140) - YouTube

Buying this model. Should be a fun toy for a bit until I trade it in on a new German super sled. Wasn't planning on buying anything but a very nice example presented itself and I cannot say no.:eek::D

I really have my eye on an Audi A8, but I love the W140 because its so good...

Hey why not? Those things new cost about 130k.

They were the last of the really well built S class, and are far more sumptuous than their predecessor, an example of which was your SDL you had.

However they are wildly complex, the w140 engineers tried to out-Japanese the Japanese with gimmicry.

A bad one can eat you alive in repair bills, believe it.

Probably best to drive it for a year or so, and don't put anything into it, and hope for good luck, and then unload it, after having a good time.

Just be sure if you get one, that the p.o. hasn't done that.

Personally I'd look for the better balanced and exclusive 1999 S500 "Grand Edition", a limited edition (700 made) tribute edition ot the outgoing w140 series.

Only in black, had AMG wheels, maple wood trim and other goodies to make it unique. And the 500 is better balanced, lighter and a bit less complex than a 600.

Having fun with an S600 12 cylinder will be a great experience. Who knows, you might grow to love it, at least till it buries you alive in repair costs.

There is a REASON though these w140s sell for dirt cheap, though, so just be well aware of it, Chris.

S600? Wow. I thought it was a 560SEC you were after?

That's gotta sound nice. Where in NE do you get to drive it to it's full potential?

This, (along with the 12-cylinder BMW), is a car I would like to buy for a cross-country drive and then flip before repairs caught up with me :silly:.

Yeah its an S600 and a very good example of the breed. I'm not to worried about repairs since its in such good shape and a fun car. If I have to spend a few grand whatever, its a toy. The PO is my best friend an has a nice little fleet of MB's. Last year it got a new starter and window regulator, for example.

All it needs right now are tires and fluids and filters. I have known the car for about 13 years and its been in a garage and hardly driven in the rain let alone snow. I really don't think its ever seen snow.

I'm very familiar with the W140 and I think while the "lesser" models are good the S600 with the SLS all around is still the best you can get.

Jim 700 made is kind of common, I think the car I'm working on is one of a few hundred at most. My SDL was 1 of 1 AFAIK so I like my Mercedes rare.

Jeremy Clarkson LOVED the w140 600SEL
 

Probably YOU will too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuEmA-Hdur0

Imagine cruising down the road, while puffing on a nice Monte Cristo or a Davidoff #1!!

You'll feel like the King of the Road!

And remember: You got it the good ol' fashioned American way --

You EARNED it!

I've thought about buying a 600 several times. There is a lot of myth and speculation involved in the common knowledge of these cars. It doesn't make sense. If what people say is so then you could part one of these cars out and make a fortune. I don't think it is so.

These are enthusiast cars and if you are planning on paying a mechanic to work on it then you certainly will pay, dearly.

I have seen a couple go in the 2-3 thousand dollar range. I think I could buy an SL600 now for around $2k. What the hell? Drive it for a while and part it out if it pisses you off.

Sounds like the perfect car for that 5,543 sq mi parking lot that you call a state.

:D

Nice!

Re: YouTube vid-it appears that TomTom disapproved of the cruising speeds. :)

How long does it take to run out of gas at 150 MPH?

Will It run on WVO?;)

A friend of mine owns a Euro breaker yard with a few V12s and owns a low mileage 93 SL600. I recall he sold some electrical module (perhaps ignition control?) used for over a grand.

`

They don't seem to be that terrible when kept up, I never thought I'd say this but compared to more recent cars they are now pretty simple.

MAF's are a bit spendy on them but they are on just about every Mercedes these days.

AFAIK the only repairs this car has needed was the flaky starter and it needed an EGR valve about 10 years ago, and a couple of window regulators. For some reason Mercedes can't build a good window regulator...

I plan on doing a lot myself and subbing out jobs I don't want to do anymore, like underneath stuff. Flex discs, motor mounts, transmission fluid changes etc. I hate crawling around under cars and now I can afford to pay someone else to have that kind of fun. Oil changes I'll still do though, even though on this car you have to remove an airbox to get to the filter, and it holds I think 10 quarts!

Congrats! Looking forward to pics when you get it!

You'll be sorry!

Seriously, call an MB mechanic prior to purchasing. The parts for those things are insane, the complications are high, and they're unreliable. W140s are already bad; the V12 makes it worse. They're cheap for a reason.

Look into a good warranty...

Warranty on a 1995 German V12? :D

So far, not one poster who is speaking from first hand experience. Just doom and gloom. With a 1995, I'd be worried about the main wiring harnesses and the throttle actuator wiring. If they don't look good, no experienced shop will do any electrical diagnostics until they are replaced. It will probably need suspension accumulators if it hasn't been done and sat for a while. Make sure the climate control is working perfectly, as the dual zone valves and evaporator could eat your lunch. Make sure all the vacuum stuff works and holds so it doesn't burn up the pump, but that's a cheap hobby motor fix. Shop your parts and know when used a used bit will do... really shouldn't be horrible if you start with a nice, sorted example.

If the car does become needy, I'm sure handle Chris can 2-3k a year to keep it up. Compared to boats that's cheap, and unlike nice boats the cost of entry is low. They are fantastic cars to drive... Chairman of the board, king of the hill, A number 1, top of the heap.

There have been a few threads with people who bought basket case V12s haven't ran well in years due to electrical problems. They post for a while, can't figure anything out because of the problems compounded by other problems, and disappear. Most V12 owners wouldn't bother themselves with forums. They are very rare, so not a lot of first hand experience... just the standard lines.

I sold one of my good friends a 1997 SL600, and have kept it up for him at the shop. Normal maintenance, 1 coil, and soft top front latches (2) rebuilt. Less than a grand spent in maintenance over the last 2 years, and he drives it alot.

This car has been pretty good to him over the last 13 years and 40k miles or so he did put on it.

I helped my friend maintain an S320 awhile back, a W140 isn't terrible. I thought it was a better car than my W126 in many ways.

Its cheaper than my boat to own, and if it starts to suck I'll sell it. Now that I'm going to have a garage soon and I have a late model reliable vehicle I wouldn't mind having a toy to mess with.

$2k-$3k a year, probably drive it 10k a year is fine, that's reasonable. Heck a new A8 would be like $1,400 a month to lease, or a 2010 S550 would be $60k. So I'm way ahead with this car. I just want something nice to get away from the dirty truck full of blueprints when I go out at night. Also sometimes my truck is full of tools or junk for a dump run, so I have to unload it, go out, and reload it. Total PITA. Now I can just keep the truck loaded up for the next day.

You could save the cost of the car by not getting a truck load of tools ripped off just once.... In fact, it could probably be expensed by the company as 'theft-prevention'...:cool:

My big generator costs $2k alone! That will fix a lot of car problems!:D

Can you get little flip-down turn signal lights and install .30 cal machine-guns?

How much does a Class III license cost?

Thanks, didn’t realize it was that old.

Wasn’t there another member here who had a v12 of that era and sold it after being scalded by repair costs a few times?

No biggie, car is often an objectification of achievement. I've had similar debates wrt a G wagon several times.

If it’s something you (the OP) want, go for it. At worst it will be expensive. At best it will satiate your ego, for a while...

I was talking to a W140 S600 owner at a German car show a few summers back. I made a joke/comment about maintenance and he said that he did much of his own work and that it wasn't too bad. He didn't think I was very funny either - guy had no sense of humor...

Expensive parts are expensive parts. No way around that. Also, if you don't put gobs of miles and can use it as second car - maybe tolerable. However, they do need to be driven! Something big will go wrong and it will cost you. So don't complain!!

My S600 all the sudden became pricey to own once the warranty expired. Duh. :rolleyes: No one (I mean no one) offered an extended warranty for that beast. I looked every where.

You S600 was a 220 chassis, right?

Yes a 2003. ABC suspension=$$

ABC + wiring harness= $10k These will fail. I know that my ABC on my 55 will eventually fail long before the car gets to 40k milage.

Never knew 220's had wiring harness issues.

This is why I wouldn't own a late model high end car out of warranty.

A 2014 S class is like a spaceship compared to this W140.

So are you buying it?

AFAIk, I don't want to do anything with it until the weather breaks. Currently its sitting in a garage and I won't have my garage built for it until late summer. Since it has never been outside in a winter, well I'd like to keep it that way. Plus it requires some going threw to be a daily driver and I don't feel like working on a car now that winter has settled in.

I'm thinking around March/April when the weather breaks, I'll get interested bring it over to my house and go threw it. The car is right next door to me BTW.

But who knows I may get antsy sooner.