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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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

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.

This attitute towards upkeep usually results in a junker. Why buy a great car, only to cheat yourself of the experience the car can provide? Seems to me like it would be embarassing to have someone climb into your big fancy S-class, and then explain to them that most of the features are broken and you have elected to leave them that way. Also, there are safety concerns (tires, brakes, suspension bits) when one is unable to afford to maintain a car. Exmaple was a post here a week or so ago about someone who had a balljoint failure, which he had chosen not to have fixed.

The issues mushroom raised(mileage, insurance cost, parts availability costs as well as maintence costs) make me think that a more simple model would be a better choice.

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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

Fahrgewehr2......what I was referring to was not what you are thinking, because I agree with you. What I meant was that if one of the "non-essential" features fails it is not something that needs to be repaired in order to drive and enjoy the car. I would assume that most people who want to own one of these fine cars would eventually get these items fixed in order to keep it in semi-pristine condition.
There are systems, however, that areessential such as ASR, self-leveling suspension, etc, that MUST be addressed for the car to function, and that is what I meant by risk tolerance!
If MB would have had Lexus design and supply the electronics on the W140 the car would last for 30-40 years!

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

inetd your buying a neglected S600!!!! Omg you must have deep pockets! Why? A perfect one goes for like $30K? S600 parts add up extremly fast!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Yeah the motor

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

You guys are killing me. Been driving E's for 10 years now and I love them,,,,,, but,,,,,, those 140's are calling me. Keeping my eyes open, but don't really want to sell one of the current cars. Oh yeah,,,, everyone needs 4 Benzes.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

INETD......You said:
"The $800 rear strut has got to go. I'm on a pilgrimage to find a better solution."
My question to you is, are you sure you genuinely need them? They are pretty darn bulletproof from what I know/have been told. If the problem is thumping noise it is't the strut that is causing the problem. The upper bushing is replaceable (what causes the thump noise) and it is the accumulators that caused the problem originally, much cheaper at $90 or so each. Even if you do in fact need them they can be had at discount for about $400...check out the host here!
I love your enthusiasm about the 500 W140....we need more like you

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

Actually working on the engine is not to bad, once you pull out the air box's you get a lot more room. You can also pull out the peice above the radiator and get access to the serpintene belt and radiator ect. You will need a special too to get the oil filter cap off, it cost $30 from the dealer. Also only use dealer oil filters they look better then the Hegnst. V12 parts are extremly expensive, for example a set of spark plug wires is $600. Remember this is a $130k car. Unless you are getting the car for low teens I would pass, I just saw a mint one in the paper for $28k, 40k miles full dealer service records ect. I think you could dump $10k+ into a tired S600 their is a big jump from an M119 to a V12.

But their is nothing like that 12 With a chip and an exhaust it will fly. Vipers watch out.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Well I can only compare a W220 S430 to a W140 S600. The 600 is awsome it flys, the 12 pulls strong right up to the limiter. I doesn't matter weather you are going 30mph or 130mph it feels the same. You have to watch the speedo like a hawk on the highway because 100+ sneaks up on you real fast. If the 12 was running right the only way to tell it is running at a stoplight is the tach is up. You should feel nothing inside the car at idle, nothing. They do suck gas though so driving one every day would add up fast. I really like them their is no other car like a S600. Frankly, I wouldn't buy a S600 if it didn't have a perfect maintaince history. For $25k-$30k you can get a perfect W140 S600.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200