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  #16  
Old 03-07-2004, 09:21 PM
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it will be an example of MB engineering excellence and marketing...well, let's say less than excellence
Ya, lets say that. To say the least......if not less. These things were the Mercedes equivilant to an Edsel.

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Actually, I do believe it will become the equivlent of what the 126 is today.
This is me= turning blue holding my breath for that to happen.

Gilly

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  #17  
Old 03-07-2004, 09:31 PM
gstigler
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As stated in a previous post, the collector car market doesn't view four door cars highly. The only exception is when you have a very limited production run, of which the W140 is not.

To bluntly anwer your question, the W140 and W126 will never be collector cars. Mercedes simply made too many of them and a lot of them have generally been well cared for so many will survive. The only possible exception would be the S600 in 40+ years from now. Don't maintain your car thinking you will make money.

If you've never read Sports car market magazine you should give it a shot, it's a great publication that gives a broad understanding of the collector car market.
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  #18  
Old 03-07-2004, 09:55 PM
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Actually, I do believe it will become the equivlent of what the 126 is today. That car, in nicely maintained condition, is still a stately presence on the road, and is admired by anyone who relishes fine MB's.

I think that day is already here




Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio
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  #19  
Old 03-07-2004, 10:11 PM
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i find this a challenging thread. for these reasons...

i am the original owner of a 1986 560sel. it has been conscientiously maintained over its 254,000 miles. i will never get rid of it. no matter what the market might think, i consider it the watershed automobile of the postWW2 era. even better, i continue to love driving it.

several years ago, when i refused to take delivery of the 2000 benzes that i had on order, i went looking for a c126. found one infrequently driven by an original owner, a widow. a great vehicle. when i found it, it looked brand new. and it was with 42,000 miles in 13 years.

now, john olson of sl marketletter tells me that i should have been buying the roadsters, which have been appreciating. but i don't like them. not enough room. and the 560sl doesn't handle as well as the 560sel, 560sec. and the pagodas, bless their souls, just don't go fast enough for me.

i am the original owner of a 1995 e320cab. it is a nifty vehicle. perhaps it is a collectable. would have been more of one had benz not started mass-producing clk cabs in the last few years.

and last year, i found a very low mileage 1997 c140. perhaps it is a collectable. it is an odd transformation of the c126. and i am having a difficult time deciding whether i like it or not. it is a faster, more fuel efficient vehicle, to be sure. but i find it hard to love.

the seats are the most uncomfortable. and that is odd, isn't it? the most monstrously costly vehicle that benz manufactured in the post ww2 era and it has lousy seats. if there were ortho seats, and i keep this car, i might entertain a substitution. odder still, the car is larger than my c126, yet it offers less leg room.

at this moment, i think that the entire 140 series will be viewed as one of the greatest mistakes in automotive history. and by extrapolation, i can now see how benz management became obsessed with acquiring chrysler, mitsubishi, et alia.

the 140 series will be considered the bowsprit of daimler-benz and deutsche bank hubris.

my thoughts on the subject. fwiw. 2 cents.
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  #20  
Old 03-07-2004, 10:20 PM
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WI140 VALUE

OK As a owner of a W140 1993 300SD of which there were I believe less than five thousand produced . I can say that I consider my perfect condition MB a great deal at a time of high fuel prices. And having taken two years to find this one owner Naples, Fl. ride I believe it to be a good investment. I know for a fact that I can get my money back at any time. I only drive it in the summer months , and have been asked several times if it was for sale. So until I get the itch for a 930 again , All I can say is HAPPY TRAILS TAG













i
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  #21  
Old 03-07-2004, 11:28 PM
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Originally posted by placo1
There are many cars in MB's history which have excessive maintenance requirements including the 600 and the 6.9 with air suspension, both are collectors.
The 600 is a limousine, not really a sedan, and very limited production. It's clearly got rarity going for it. If 6.9s are collector cars they are awfully low priced ones - and I think still dropping. I think they are a great example of how maintenance costs can impair the value of an older car.
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  #22  
Old 03-07-2004, 11:50 PM
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When you think that Mercedes is going to produce 3500 SLR's total and 1,000 Maybachs every year, my 350SD has to be pretty rare. Only 2,066 were ever made, and it was the second rarest W126. The rarest being the 560SE.

My SDL is rare as only 13,800 were made entirely worldwide.

I have a 560SL, which is a roadster, no worries there.

I have a '97 E420 which was only built for one year(but I don't think it will be collectable).

I have a 300SE....But I don't care what the market says about that car. Its a nice one.
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  #23  
Old 03-08-2004, 12:01 AM
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The W140 is the most over-engineered car Mercedes-Benz has ever produced (including the Mayback, which is based mostly on the W140).

Its development phase went so over the budget that the project manager was fired just after production begun in 1991.

Even by charging stupid selling prices, M-B really never made a cent on it The 1995 facelift tried to lower production costs on many fronts, but the car remaind just simply too expensive to build, too expensive to buy, and too expensive to mantain.

Based on all of the above, that is why the W140 is the most amazing car to own and drive. Everything about it from bumper to bumper screams quality, great design and perfection.

The W140 mechanical flaws are well known to all members of this forum, and if you keep them checked, there should be livable (not cheap, but nothing is perfect).

I have driven B.M.W.s, new Mercedeses, Jaguars, Audis, Volvos, Lincolns, Cadillacs, Lexuses, Infinitis, Alfas, Lancias, Peugeots, Renaults, Citroëns, (ALL tope of the line models) and NONE even come close to the driving pleasure and security that the W140 delivers.

The W140 might never become a true collector's dream, but an example well kept will always draw full admiration and ovation from passers by (as any W116 or W126 do right now).
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  #24  
Old 03-08-2004, 12:32 AM
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IMHO, the W140 was the most over-complex Mercedes ever built. It is not the highest quality Benz(but it comes very close), I believe the 600 and 770 Grosser deserve that honor, and it is not the most reliable. Who needs power rear view mirrors or antennas that show the end of the trunk? Just more stuff to break and cost money.

The W140 was the only Benz I know of that could be nearly mistaken for a truck, lol.

The Maybach was built on the W140 chassis though. Probably for Mercedes to save money again(sigh).
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  #25  
Old 03-08-2004, 07:02 AM
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Who needs power rear view mirrors or antennas that show the end of the trunk? Just more stuff to break and cost money.
I think all those things just add to the uniqueness and cache of the vehicle...if you want a cheap no frills car...you should not be looking at a 140 anyway

Quote:
I only drive it in the summer months , and have been asked several times if it was for sale.
I'll chime in on that one also....I have gotten more compliments and questions asking me if my car was for sale than the 124 or 126 body car I had put together.

I l,ike the other gentleman. hunted for my particular car for over a year before I found one.
I personally think that a few things the 140 does like no other benz before it....the ride of the car,the general "tanklike" quality of it and the quality of some of the accessories...stereo,various electric systems...I tell people its an overengineered tank...a car of the likes that will probably never be built again...(perhaps the Maybach?)



Warren
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  #26  
Old 03-08-2004, 11:52 AM
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Dare I say, like a Duesenberge (I know I spelled that wrong) There was a time I was told when they could be bought real cheap. Maybe the W140 is a modern one?
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  #27  
Old 03-08-2004, 12:20 PM
gstigler
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I hope the W140 will be loved like a Duesenberg in 60 years when most of us will have fallen over. Unfortunately Mercedes simply made way too many of them. Like most premium collector cars, the were only about 600 Duesenbergs built of which a hair over 400 exist today. This is why the prices of these range from $400K to $1.5M. A decent mercedes four door of the same era can be acquired for $40k or less.
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  #28  
Old 03-08-2004, 12:50 PM
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Based on what I have seen in the resale market...140 cars will not be a great value when you look at current resale...especially in the S320 and S600 interations......
this issue seemed to get worse when the new S-class car was introduced.Although I think the same issue applies to the 126 body car
I have looked at the 140 coupes and even with their rarity I have been amazed at what you can buy a 98-99 S600 coupe for...a good example can be had with 50K miles or less for under 30 grand...talk about a car that stickered for $135,000 now going for the upper 20's....do the math on that one



Warren
1992 300Sd 175K
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  #29  
Old 03-08-2004, 01:18 PM
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I wanted to change a comment I made earlier about the car becoming rare/collectable because of maintenance or lack thereof. My thinking was flawed, if this were true all new MB's would be collectables in 12 years.
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  #30  
Old 03-08-2004, 02:27 PM
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My thinking was flawed, if this were true all new MB's would be collectables in 12 years
I think more like 7-8 years would be the case if the repair/maintenance cost versus the value of the car is the sole reason...then there are many listers in this forum that are upside down as they have put more money in the vehicle that its current market value



Warren
1992 300SD 175K
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