The S320 is a great car, the later ones are about as sorted out and trouble free as your going to get.

The M104 moves it with authority. If you want speed buy the S500, if you want better fuel mileage get the S320. The 420 is in between on both accounts.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Here are a few more features.
Side Air-bags with weight sensitivity for Passenger side bag.
Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror
Tinted glass sunroof with sliding covered headliner.
Rain Sensing WIpers - 2 wipers and Driver side articulates
Wiper Fluid sprays from three sets of two hole units.
Projector Headlights - Close to Euros but not quite.
ASR - Anti slip regulation - It works well.
Speed Sensitive Power Steering - Light around town, heavier on the highway.
I would prefer a heavier feel on the highway, like my 124.
When you lock the car at night, some special lights come on for 30 seconds to light your way.

Ability to chose whether warm or cold or no air comes out of the center vent.
You can use the climate control unit to display real time data from sensors, like coolant temp etc.
There is a cabin filter and a charcoal filter for the cabin. Somehow it will sense the presence of certain pollutants/chemicals and switch to the charcoal filter.

The seats are the best I have ever experienced and they are heated with two levels, at least mine are, think that might be standard.

The paint shows non-of the orange peel you can easily detect on newer MB.

What happened to me is that you really become rapidly accustomed to the the roominess and comfort. I have four vehicles to choose from and the S is almost always the choice.

This car changes my driving mood. It is so smooth that I tend to just cruise rather than sport around as I do in the 124 Sportline.

As to the test drive question, I would do the following:

1. Ask to see the service records and take some time reviewing them.

2. Before you start the car, engine cold, take the top off the expansion tank and eyeball the coolant. Is it Green? If yes then that's a problem, as correct coolant should be sort of light orangish to amber colored.

3. Look at the brake fluid reservoir. Is the fluid dark colored? Dark could equal never changed.

4. Pop off the air cleaner top and eyeball the filter.

5. Take the oil filler cap off and eyeball what you can see. Should be clean.

6. Reach down and run your hand along the serpentine belt. Feel any cracks?

7. Look for white spots around the coolant system. Indicates past leak.

8. Look down the head on passenger side toward the back. See any evidence of oil leak?

9. Start car and test every function from A/C to Heat to Turn Signals. Try every seat control. Including the control that changes the length of the seat bottom. Check seat heaters on both sides.

10. Check the mirrors. Ask the salesman how you fold the mirrors back with the little control stalk.

11. On the drive check to wheel vibration.

12. Listen for wind noise. You should hear very little noise.

This is the reason for a Pre-Purchase Inspection. You may not know or be willing to do all of this inspection. Some of it can't be done without a floor jack or a lift. I always want to know if the center and rear mufflers are intact and not rusted through.

Of course in the midst of all this someone could come along and buy it out from under you.
When I bought mine, there was another guy enroute as I finalized the deal. He actually showed up, so it wasn't salesman BS.

Steve










Steve

Thank's for the input "softconsult". The car I'm thinking about is 15K and from the ones I've seen offered online which appear to be 15 or up I think you got a smoking deal.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Pricing seems to depend on year and mileage. I paid $14,500 for my 1999 with 99,000 miles in near showroom condition and full service records this of course was at the peak of the gas prices where you could not give away an SUV or large luxury car to save your life. I would pay $15-20 for another one without blinking at all. In my opinion the 99 is the best of all the 140's as all your firmware related components on the car are all final rev. All the new parts you buy for the car have the final rev of the firmware on them.

Some interesting trivia. 1999 is the last year for the 140 but only in the American market. In 1998 the W-140 was replaced with the 220 but held over in the American market for one more year while MB build numbers on 220's for US export. But this was not the end of the W-140 chassis. In 1998 the development of the W-240 began using a stretched version of the W-140 chassis. The W-240 is also known as the Maybach. So for all intents and purposes the W-140 still exists in production today. I guess MB engineers agree that the 140 rides better than the 220.

Pricing seems to depend on year and mileage. I paid $14,500 for my 1999 with 99,000 miles in near showroom condition and full service records this of course was at the peak of the gas prices where you could not give away an SUV or large luxury car to save your life. I would pay $15-20 for another one without blinking at all. In my opinion the 99 is the best of all the 140's as all your firmware related components on the car are all final rev. All the new parts you buy for the car have the final rev of the firmware on them.

Some interesting trivia. 1999 is the last year for the 140 but only in the American market. In 1998 the W-140 was replaced with the 220 but held over in the American market for one more year while MB build numbers on 220's for US export. But this was not the end of the W-140 chassis. In 1998 the development of the W-240 began using a stretched version of the W-140 chassis. The W-240 is also known as the Maybach. So for all intents and purposes the W-140 still exists in production today. I guess MB engineers agree that the 140 rides better than the 220.

I agree with Robert. I think that many things in life sort of just show up when you are not looking.

A few years ago, on a trip back from the midwest in my '90 300E I decided to pull off in Knoxville and see what USI Motors had on the lot. I had only been there once. There it was '92 300E Sportline Anthracite Grey. Owned by a guy who had the largest travel agency in town. It was his wifes car and maintained to the hilt. All records and I think 113K. Traded and still have it.

The S320 was found on Auto-Trader 20 miles from me. I was just casually looking, and almost didn't make the short drive to look at it.l Same sort of deal. The owner had money. He bought the car at 40K and paid for a Starmark warranty. Thus every little thing was dealt with. The biggies were headgasket, blower regulator, and mirrors.

Trying to find a used car that meets all the criteria that a forum like this comes up with can certainly be a difficult thing. When you find one, then in the case of a '99 S320, whether it is 15K or 20K should not be a big thing. I would rather have a '99, but the '97 was the one that showed up.

Steve

Steve. You can only buy whats readily for sale. I would have gone with 97 as well if it had been what I had found. A lot of used car buyers have this concept of these mythical perfect cars that pop up if you wait long enough. Either I'm not patient enough or they don't exist. I just happened to get really lucky with my 99. Ironically enough I was cruising autotrader and saw it listed at $14,500. Having seen other 140's in the 20's pure curiosity got me in the drivers seat for a test drive. I never really intended to buy it but it eventually followed me home. I have to stop myself from looking at Autotrader as its a tool of pure evil. I have been looking at 129's lately and have been keeping a keen eye out for an SL 73 AMG because I know that their production numbers are so low Ill never find one and thus my bank account will benefit. Low and behold I saw a Renntec SL740 on Ebay today. 610BHP and 640LB FT torque. 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. I certainly hope that the police would preemptively arrest me at the dealership just for buying such a monster!

Funny how that happens. It has happened to me a couple of times.

I found the 300TE and the 300CE in AutoTrader. I found a 420SEL that I previously owned also in AutoTrader.

The 300TE had been right under our noses all along!

I particularly like the W140. I think a lot of people got scared of the W140 cars by reading "stories" of how over-engineered it was and how many things could go wrong (and how expensive they could be).

It is a very good looking sedan and the last (IMO) of the true large Benz sedans.

I am so tempted to go to AutoTrader and punch in S320....I must resist...I must resist...I must resist. Maybe "just" to look.

__________________
Current Benzes

1989 300TE "Alice"
1990 300CE "Sam Spade"
1991 300CE "Beowulf" RIP (06.1991 - 10.10.2007)
1998 E320 "Orson"
2002 C320 Wagon "Molly Fox"

Res non semper sunt quae esse videntur

My Gallery

Not in this weather!

Southern California should equal a whole bunch of very nice '99 S320's and S500's!

Go ahead punch-em up.

Steve

I'm with you Ernesto. I love the W140's, and am sure one will be in my future at some point.

The mileage penalty is so low relative to the V8, I can't imagine owning anything other than an S500.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

dont forget the incredible bose sound system....still #1 till this day.

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99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

Tell me about it. I was cranking it today driving my friends, puts the W210's system to shame. The sound system in the W140 is able to do something amazing, pump out respectable base! Very few other cars are able to do this stock.


I really want to buy one, maybe this fall.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Its the four woofers in the back shelf that do it! What were u "bumpin"?

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99 C43
98 S420
99 C230K
01 C240

Country via XM.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

If you would like more detailed information on W140 equipment, difference between pre and post facelifted models and why it is basically the best car in the world read the first pages of this thread:

S-Class Fiasco: W220 vs W140

__________________
A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]