I'M ABOUT TO GET A '98 S500 IS IT WORTH SPENDING CLOSE TO 1,000.00 A MONTH OR THERE ARE BETTER CARS FOR THIS KIND OF MONEY ??? I HEARD THAT NEW S500 AREN'T THAT GREATE SO WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND ? ANY SUGGESTIONS ?

Gotta tell ya: I'm partial to the older body styles, especially in the S; the W140 is classic, gorgeous, big, has sharper lines (IMHO). Don't really know much else about them. Drive an E420 myself. --Mitch

Peter,

The S500, S600 embodied in the W140C chassis was the best car ever made. I'm a 'little' prejudiced or maybe a lot!
The '94, '95 or '96 were some machines. I just bought the '94 S500 cpe about 6 months ago. I love it. It rides, and runs beatifully. The gas mileage is a bit tough, 15 mpg city, 19+ mph highway. But with today's high gas prices, that is probably a big minus.

Click this link if you haven't seen it, to compare the two cars (W140 and W220). http://www.peachparts.com/s500.htm
Maybe this will help you decide.

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Regards . . . . JimF
-------------------
'94 S500 Cpe

Visit my Mercedes Web Page

hey everyone,
i'm interested in possibly buying a 1995 w140c 90K miles for $15,000
or
a 97' E420 for 12,000

can anyone tell me the pros of the w140c?
and the cons?
how bad is the gas mileage for a 1995?

how expensive is insurance?

yearly maintainence costs?
are parts easy to find online and are they inexpensive?
thanks everyone

rich

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~there is no spoon~

1984 300CD Turbo Diesel (soon to be "powered by VEGGIE") - dolphin silver

1999 e430 Sport blk/blk, my sexy ***** ;-)

(my other girls)
1992 300CE 24V 3.0L (w124) (R.I.P. "she was killed 7/12/03 by some ricer kids speeding in a honda accord")
1990 Acura Integra RS (w/94' engine)
1966 Cadillac Sedan de Ville (Hardtop)

If gas mileage and insurance costs are factors when you purchase a car, a 140 coupe is probably the wrong car.

Its a top of the line car from a top of the line manufacturer. Nothing is going to be cheap. To expect a lot for a little is setting yourself up for dissapointment with these cars, in my experiences.

E420 is more reasonable in most respects. So some research on the site.

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'90 300SE 298k
-300K and it gets put into retirement.
'80 300D 255k Purchased new by family in 1980.

Had a:
1973 220 (gas)
1980 300SD
1992 400E

The W140 chassis is an awesome automobile but not without it's warts. I can only fairly comment on the 500SEL as I don't have ownership experience with any other configurations. It has been said that the W140 (particularly the 500 and 600 SELs) is the last of the big Benz's, and that is probably true. The size and weight don't even compare with the newer S class cars. Mileage is most certainly not a selling point when talking about a 5 or 6 liter V-8 or V-12 pushing a 5500-5800 pound vehicle.....but I doubt gas mileage was a real concern when designing the ultimate automobile in the late 1980's. The series has a whole lot of electronic goodies that are failure points on these cars and they aren't cheap to repair. Most are not items considered "necessary" and if they fail just don't fix them....such as reclining rear seat, remote locking, door closing assist (except the trunk won't close tightly!), etc. Mechanically they are Benz's, well-engineered and bullet proof if well maintained, but costly to repair. They are probably one of the safest vehicles to drive, so that is something to consider as well As far as insurance goes, I have found that it is very reasonable when these cars get to 10 years or older. All considered, owning one of the finest automobiles ever made for a small fraction of original cost is a strong selling point....but you must have some 'risk tolerence" when it comes to upkeep and repair.

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

People who bought these cars new didn't care about fuel or insurance costs. W140's suck premium fuel, you will burn a lot. Insurance shouldn't be to bad. I really like the W140's just be ready to spend a few grand a year to keep it in good shape.

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