Agreed. My parents owned a Star-Marked '97 for a short time. Black/grey S500. When they moved into a house with a long, steep nasty driveway, it was time to sell. As a Minnesotan, the winter made it difficult to get into the dernded garage.

I picked it out for them, sent them pics and the purchase was made -- so I had a chance to drive it quite a bit. Fast, smooth, quiet, but perhaps too quiet. In the last 15 years, my daily drivers have all been old Detriot iron. So obviously I appreciate the "feel" of any 126 V8.

Guys, please don't dump on Gilly.

This is a discussion about 2 Mercs that are at least 25 years apart in terms of technological development and electronic innovation. As mentioned before, there's no comparison.

BUT I do know that it's a much easier to wrench on a 126 than a 140. Then again, it's easier to work on a slant 6 Mopar than a Dodge Viper V-10.

That 97 should have been a very nice car...Xenon lights and ESP I think were standard on that model beginning in '97

you are right about the quiet(although not Lexus quiet)...but my particular 140 is a diesel and is still much quieter(inside the car) than the Chevy company car that I have which is new

curiously I always wonder how people in snow climates have dealt with a car like the 126 that big ,rear wheel drive and had no traction control features.
I moved to the midwest the south and I am not evn in what si called the snow belt...but i'll tell you I refuse to look at any car that does not have traction control and preferably ESP


Warren
1992 300Sd 175K
Columbus Ohio

I have coveted a W140 sedan more than any other car, and at the same time, I am scared to death to own me. Yet, despite (or in spite of ) my fears, I'm sure I'll own one some day.

I love reading threads like this that discuss the merits / faults of the W140's, how they compare to the W126's, and whether or not they represent the pinnacle of Mercedes quality.

It's amazing how many people post the opposite - that they are the biggest p.o.s. MB ever produced. How can they be the thought of as the best and the worst at the same time? Can anyone think of any other car that illicits similar extremely opposite responses?

What I don't get is the fact that other than a few parts that fail(ed) at too high of a rate (a/c evaporators, door closing assist pumps), they seem to be, dare I say, bulletproof? The M104 and M119 engines have great records of reliability.

Last, I know everyone dumps on the early models, but once they have been gone over and all the frequent failure items replaced, aren't they every bit as good "updated" later models?

I'm all ears........

__________________
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".

Well here in south cental WI, our winter conditions are nothing like Minneapolis or any of our friends 200 miles north or even east towards the big lake.

I've never had any problems moving the 126 through the snow. First week of Jan 2000, we drove the 560 from Texas to WI (1200 mile trip).

Hit a horrible ice/sleet/snow storm that tortured us from Houston to southern MO. I was running the ole' 126 on Bridgestones that were ready to give up the ghost. Tough driving, but we made to central MO unscathed. Funny thing is that that we saw about 100 vehicles in the ditches and I'd say most were SUVs. The 126 felt very competent, even with dead skins.

As far as "quiet" inside goes....I doubt there is anyone, anywhere who could produce one with an eerie silence that the 500 & 600 140's have! It's a result of two and a half tons of steel, glass, plastic, rubber and whatever else they used, combined with double-pane windows and vacuum seals on the doors. The car, as has been well-referensed (sp) in this respect, is over-engineered...but is in this case better off for it. For those who have not ever experienced this quietness....it is awesome. You have no idea what music sounds like inside of a vehicle traveling down a road at 75mph!

__________________
1996 SL320 97K miles
1996 C220 130k miles
1992 500SEL 170k miles <---sold
1986 300E 216k miles <---sold

I would agree with that statement having an early with with a myriad of replaced updated parts




Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio

A very well stated point


something like saying a base model 1980 240D is much easier to work on that a 1987 300SDL...so why doesn't everyone go for the 240 since its cheaper to work on?


Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio

Good question. You have guys like me who appreciate cars which are relatively "simple": Less gadgets the better.

With the exception of a decent audio system (which can be added to any old car) I'm not much for gizmos.

When I buy some old iron, I look for crank windows, manual seats, no cruise, and at times power brakes since modifying the crank can wreak havoc in that area.

But back to to the Benz -- W126 is perfect for me. Not too many gizmos, a wonderful chassis, built like a tank, but not excessive. Good for a guy my size...

Don't get me wrong though, I've had my eye on a few 140s, but the wife won't have part with old blue.

If so inclined, I would sell my 126 and buy an 500E. Throw some Blizzaks on that pup and we'd be ready to roll for the WI winters.

Ummmm, because if you want to pass someone with a 240D you have to get out and push???

Gilly

__________________
Click here to see the items I have up for auction at EBay

Click here to see a photo album of my '62 Sprite Project Moneypit (Now Sold)

Having owned a 1985 300SD in Texas where you have to have the AC on pretty much 75% of the time sometimes made me think of that same scenario.

Have you driven an LS400 /430?
I think they have got the 140 beat

QUOTE]With the exception of a decent audio system (which can be added to any old car) I'm not much for gizmos.[/QUOTE]

I agree but I really like the stereo in the 140 and to me there is something about having the factory stereo etc in the car that keeps the continuity of interior

For me personally the 1985 126 with that 617(?) was a very tough one for me driveability wise...but it seems that many guys on here love that iteration...so I think of the old saying "different strokes for different folks"



Warren
1992 300SD 175K
Columbus Ohio

Certainly not a Tyrannosaurus!

Maybe a Brontosaurus!

Seriously, if you are buying a car as an investment, you should, for the most part, consider another avenue, IMHO. Remember the spike in Ferrari prices? They dropped much faster than they ever rose.

Kinda' like the price of gas: it can go up in an hour or two
(NEWSFLASH: "The cost of oil is going up!") but it takes weeks to go back down...

If you are purchasing a car to USE, to drive, enjoy, maintain..

Yes, even to BABY & to CHERISH, then such mundane concepts as ease of repair, original cost, actual purchase cost, cost of parts, AVAILABILITY of parts, etc. should come into the equation.

I should also have added "available room to store spare parts, parts car, etc." Much easier here on the Left Coast than in NYC, or London, eh?

For my money the 116/126 models provide significantly more of the above mentioned positive attributes than the 140's. The fact that a lot were produced may prove to be of benefit vis-a-vis the 140's in the future, but right now you can buy quite a few decent, running 126 cars for what a single bargain-priced 140 will cost.

And you can actually work on them, which to me is half the fun!

__________________
'91 420 SEL @ 199K, '92 SVX @ 181K, '93 SC400 @ 86K, '93 Kaw ZX-11 @ 30K, '87 F250 @ 181K , 2001 Valkyrie Interstate @ 6K, Y2K Honda NightHawk 250 with 1.5K, '88 420SEL I.@ 179K & the 2nd latest, an '88 420SEL II.@ 210K runnin' parts car, '85 F150 300/NP435

Just finished reading all of this after a break. All I can say is that I love my 93 SD , other than a bad radio power amp I've been very happy with this ride. Having owned a MB repair shop in Denver I can say that the W 126 is also a great ride However the W140 is a great fit in my life at this time. TAG

plink49:

I went back and read your first reply, asking people to help you rationalize owning 3 MBs. I don't know if there is anything rational about the idea. But if you want to, and can afford it, then why not? I can see the depth of emotion people on this thread have for their cars, be they W140 or W126, or whatever. I have a humble W202 and I can't rationalize owning it. I don't drive to work. Hell, I even walk to the train station that takes me to work. I can't rationalize owning *any* car, let alone taking on the operating expenses involved with an MB. And while I realize that the W202 doesn't compare in cost or complexity to the W140, it is still a tough sell with my wife, who sees her Honda and how little it requires in terms of maintenance by comparison. But I love that car, warts and all. My wife tells me I love it more than her, and of course I tell her she's wrong, but...

There is nothing rational about type of passion that people on this forum have for their cars. I, for one, am overjoyed to be irrational. If I could swing it, I'd have three of them myself. Even if I didn't need any of them.

Jonathan

The V12 W140. It's over-kill to some, but my god it's beautiful. Every time I open the garage door I fall in love with my V12 all over again. The body lines are classic. I recently parked it in front of my building at work in a high foot-traffic area. Behind it was parked a very nice late 90's Corvette. I was able to watch the pedestrians passing by, and 9 out of 10 people were admiring my Benz, not the Corvette.

p.s. Only 618 came to the States in 1995.