Considering a 1996 S420.... should I steer clear?
 

I found a local 96' S420 at a independent Mercedes used dealer/service shop. I have heard horror stories with high $$$$ maintainence on the 92-94 S-Class sedans, but wondering if the 95 and newer models were any better. What major issues tend to crop up on the 1996 S-Class models? Do they also have the "prone to failure" A/C units that require the entire dash to be removed if it becomes broken? Below is the ad for the car. I have seen it in photos and it looks showroom new. NO DEFECTS. Is it worth the asking price? Thanks in advance! Photo link may work..... http://www.benzhaus.com/images/carpics/113-1.jpg
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1996 MERCEDES BENZ S420
Miles: 146,000

Color: WHITE

Features:
*BLUE LEATHER INTERIOR
*SUNROOF
*BOSE SOUND
*ASR TRACTION CONTROL
*LOCAL TRADE IN
*MAJOR SERVICE
*ALL SERVICE RECORDS


Price: $12,500

Not worth that kinda cash, it's a 10-11 year old vehicle.

You might want to check your figures. My 1999 Bluebooked for right around $19,900. While the car in question is older and with higher mileage $12K is not outrageous for one of these cars.

Don't believe the scare stories that you hear about the 140's. While they do cost more than the average car to repair its not a Honda we are talking about here. Its an S class one of the best cars in the world. Many people believe when Mercedes designed the 140 they had sights of the car competing with Rolls Royce.

The 140 has legendary build quality comparible to no other production car made. Its ride quality is equal to if not better than some of the new S class cars. Its sound insulation is better than the current model cars. (Mercedes stopped using the double paned glass in the S class in 1999).

Essentially your getting a lot of value for your money and the car's resale value reflects that. One of my best friends drives a brand new Lexus LS430 and my 1999 S320 is quieter and has a more luxurious ride and better road feel.

If your looking at 140's go late model 1996 and newer. There are a lot of differences between the earlier models and the older models. Many owners of the older models love their "gadgets" that Mercedes deleted from the cars to enhance their reliability and claim the interiors are better. Thats a subjective thing that you will have to look at and evaluate on your own. Mercedes eliminated a lot of the wiring issues in the cars in their late production and fixed a lot of other flaws with the cars. The later models may have a few less of the gadgety features but you get a wonderful Bose Audio system and glass moonroof (earliers have the metal ones). The later models also have a more updated exterior and interior with more up to date colors (no more two tone plastic trim and outdated zebrano).

When have you ever seen a vehicle sell for Blue Book? Get serious.

$12500 retail is maybe $6000 at an auction.

rchase,

The Bose audio systems were available from 92 thru to 99 on the W140s...in fact the 92-93 year was the best for the sound because its before MB changed the EQ.

Hmmm,

Dunno about that..... I have never been impressed by any Becker headunit......

What are the specs on the early Bose systems by chance?

All Mercedes are not cheapies; are still worth some $$
 

I don't agree that the $12,500 price is that high, if the car has been well serviced and is in impeccable condition. Of course, that is a dealer starting price and he may sell it for $10K - $11K, but the idea that everyone has to buy their Mercedes at some wholesale price level is ridiculous!! If the car has the inherent and real qualities, then it is worth more dollars; everyone can't go to an auction and bid low on something that may have some real problems and require the dollar difference to fix it up. Also, everyone is not a DIY, so they have to try to find a car in excellent overall condition and perhaps buy an extended warranty if they wish. I think the lowballers in the forum are just trying to provide a basis for their own low offers to sellers, but it is not a valid approach overall. If you have a really good Mercedes, it should sell at least at the average retail level and still be a good deal for both seller and buyer.

None of these headunits in the W140 power the whole system anyways and the after 94 they were still Becker headunits....it is the amp in the back which does all the powering and EQ'ing.

Specs im not sure...I know it still had the 11 speakers but MB lowered the bass levels in later years due to complaints of too much BOOM.

In my friend's 92 400SEL it is labeled BOSE on the center channel speaker atop the mirror area.

NADA Retail for that car with the mileage is $13,450

Blue is not a common interior color. I would avoid it personally. Tan or grey is the way to go because as the car ages you have more options in the event that you need to replace interior trim items. Even if you want to replace the parts with new parts the 10 years of sun fading make a color match difficult and new parts stick out like a sore thumb.

Garbage in garbage out. A crummy signal amplified is still a crummy signal. :) I got curious and swapped out my original radio for the Audio 10 in my 126 and noticed a lot better sound quality. Then again the Europeans are a bit more picky than the American market. There are people out there that actually like the boomy sound of those GM delco radios. <gag>

My 99 has the rearview speaker as well.

Hmmm I think they could probably still stand to lower the bass on the system. Its too much at the center "default" position. And ironically this is coming from someone who has a high wattage subwoofer on his Bang & Oulfsen system at home.

The Bose is "ok" but my personal favorite is the Dynaudio system that Volvo used in the C70 convertible. It had adjustable dolby pro logic and was great for a convertible as it simulated the sound of a closed cabin with the top down.

It really depends on the car. Many cars sell for over book value and many sell for under. Book value based on what the "average" car might be like. There are cars that are below average and cars that are above average and hence the price variations in the marketplace. To one buyer dried out leather seats and a dirty interior might not be a big deal. To another buyer it could be a dealkiller. There is a balance between the owners tolerance of faults in a vehicle and its price.

Many buyers have this bizzarre notion that no matter what the asking price of a car they are "going" to get something off just because they feel as though they are entitled to it. On a paticularly nice car these buyers "negotiate" themselves right out of a car if the seller know's what they have.

I have sold a couple of cars and priced them at what I wanted for them. I did have to deal with the cheapskates that wanted a free car but eventually found someone who recognized the value of what I was selling at the price I was selling it at.

Just because your not willing to pay the sellers price does not mean they are not going to sell it to someone who is willing to pay their price.

Oh and to answer your question I have seen cars sell for way above Blue book in my former career. You would be surprised at how many buyers will sign on the X on your dealsheet after the first writeup and drive off happy as a clam in their new to them highly overpriced used car. We used to call those deals "pounders" and the customers "lay downs". In some cases the numbers that we used to write up the deal were random and pulled out of the sales managers head.

Speaking of auctions. You do realize the cars that the general public sees at the public "wholesale" auctions are the ones the dealers have already picked over right? If there is a $6000 S class at auction its there because even the buy here pay here lots did not want it.

Come on - a 96 with 146k miles, white with blue, ASR, a 722.6 transmission in it's first year, asking $12,500 - this is no contest. That's a car that you wouldn't want to buy at any price. There are too many other nice cars out there.

I would not buy and probably many other members of this website probably would not either but NEVER underestimate the buying power of an uninformed buyer. The main killer for me would be the blue interior.

I would rather a 96 over any of the earlier cars any day. ASR and 722.6 transmissions are repairable. In 5-7 years when the interior wiring starts to deteriorate as the engine wiring did because of the extra heat your going to have some expensive if not impossible repairs on your hands. If it costs $3500 in for an A/C evaporator I wonder what it would be to take the car apart and rewire the whole car? One has to wonder if the owners will spend the money or if there will be a lot of cheap used 140 parts in the future?

Not talking about public auctions, I have connections to dealer auctions. If you're smart enough to use these type of forums and be out there, chances are you know someone somehow, that has a license.

Sure if a vehicle is in high demand people will pay more (that's a given), but for a '96 S420... that price is too much for what I've seen around my area. Dealers markup to markdown. It's a common vehicle that's overpriced in my area.

$8900 for a 1998 740il. $7600 for a '95 S500. Obviously they'll have issues, like anything used/old.

You're obviously informed such as I and look for deals and know how to shop.