1998 750il vs 1992 600 SEL
 

I have a 1998 BMW 750IL in mint condition and just love the V-12 which is addictive. However, I have been tempted to convert to a 1992 600 SEL which is on sale and with only 5,600 miles, a real factory fresh time warp.

The owner is asking a whopping $28K and understandably so so it may be the lowest mileage W-140 in existence. I have seen it, and it is virtually flawless. But i dont know if it is worth it.

Any opinions? I am a BMW guy and love my car, but such an exclusive and low mileage car is really tempting.

Search here for "600" and read some repair bills. I don't know that you aren't accustomed to paying such for maintaining your BMW, but be warned.

I haven't had a V12 BMW or Benz. But after recently unloading my M5, you couldn't give me another Bimmer for free right now.

The W140 chassis, and the V12 in particular, are known for steep repair bills. Air conditioning woes seem to be a common complaint among the models.

Cheers, John

Visualize a pack of rabid wolves after your wallet.:eek:

Of course, if you can afford to run a '98 750il, which to me is the most sinfully sexy looking modern sedan there is, bar NONE, then you can probably afford to run a '92 600SEL. They had about 409 horsepower.

Those 750ils could get really expensive, with dipixillating dashboards, wonky electronics and the like.

Some car magazine published a poem about them once.

"No matter how hard
I sweat and toil
I still can't afford
A 750il":D

I'd say pick whichever you fancy. Both are really impressive, great looking autobahn munchers, fantastic long distance cruisers. I'm sure you
would really love either of them.

Sounds like he wants all the money for the 600SEL though, for that it had better be in mint,time warp condition.

Tatty high milers can run $6,000 for the same car.

If you want a really EXCLUSIVE W140, get a mint Obsidian black '1999 500SEL "Grand Edition".

Only 500 were imported, and they were the last, and very best, examples of the W140, with the troublesome wiring harness, soft close doors, air conditioning evaporator issues solved by then.

The "Grand" came with the well sorted 500 engine, which gave about 80% of the accelleration of the V12 without the maintenance costs of them, the ultra exclusivity of being the last year, and limited edition of the car.

All of them were black, had a special birdseye maple trimmed interior, special Grand Edition floormats, door sills, AMG wheels, and other options specific to it.

The 500 engine is perfectly suited to that vehicle. I'd get the "Grand", myself...

One of these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1999-MERCEDES-BENZ-S500-GRAND-EDITION-RARE_W0QQitemZ290136717218QQihZ019QQcategoryZ6336QQcmdZViewItem

Every now and then a really nice one (not saying that the ebay car is one of them, of course) shows up for sale..

That one looks like it has had a coolant leak under the hood. I wonder what the front seats look like under those covers.

I would avoid that 600 at all costs. Yes it may be very low miles, but that ALSO could be a minus instead of a plus, more so on a Mercedes. I have heard many times that very low mileage Mercedeses tend to give more trouble than regular used ones.

But the most important part to avoid the '92 600 is the model year. It is an extremely early prouduction model which will translate definitely into big headaches down the road.

If you do want a V-12, get a late production 98 or even a 99 if you can find one, no matter if it triples or more the miles on the 92. Many, many things were troublesome on early production W140s, most of them very expensive to repair.

Although, be advised that the A/C evaporator, soft-close door pump failure and other minor stuff were not fixed even on 1999 models. These issues still give trouble, the only difference is that newer models have not yet started to complain yet. The wiring harness problem was dealt with early 1996 on most models.

At best, I would pay regular market price for a '92 and leave whatever is left to cover for repairs.

With all respect to the BMW owners, the 600SEL can be compared with only 600 series or AMG 500 series. If someone offered me the most expensive BMW with model 2008 just to drive it for free including fuel I would prefer to use a MB 560.
Personally I would say that all cars are the same after MB 500 series and above. Starting from the most expensive Lexus to the cheapest Chinese Chery.

I really wonder how people can tolerate driving a car the is not made by Mercedes. If I really have to drive a car that is not a MB I'd drive a Volvo.

Clearly you've never owned or driven a Porsche product.

Cheers, John

With six W126ers and one 140 in his signature, I'd be surprised if he did.

The big Benzes are certainly a good all around choice for drivers in Kuwait, so long as the air conditioners don't pack it in.:D

I recently purchased an '88 750iL here and it is a fantastic ride. Until MB gave us the 140 here in '92... the W126 was down right inferior in comparison. Obviously I enjoy W126s (I have piles), so I can judge decently.

No, I haven't owned a 140 but I have worked on a few and my good friend owns a CL500. The 140 makes the E32 inferior...

Anyway, I'm with everyone else on this example. Unless it has every record and EVERYTHING updated, that price is way out there. Hell, you can purchase a 2002 S600 for high $20s.

Amen

I am a 1992 W140 owner, I have a 400SE, and unless you have lots of extra cash laying around just waiting to go to some mechanic, or own a MB shop, forget about buying that car. My repair bills make me cry, and are forcing me to trade my 1992 400SE baby for a 2003 S500. Although I will never have as awesome-looking car as my 1992 400SE, my wallet can't handle the uncertainty of the next repair bill, and I do opt for a certified pre-owned with extended warranty... This really makes me sad, as I said, I really adore the W140 body style, but now, facing AC and stereo amp repair bill, makes me wonder what will break next after I will spend $2,400 (best-case scenario) for AC and Stereo Amp problem...

There is no comparison between 600SEL and 750... BMW will always be BMW, and with that, it will always be inferior to MB, both in lush and in smoothness of the ride... If you choose 600SEL, I envy you, but get ready to spend some $$,$$$ to keep it to up to your standards...

For the love of whatever is Holy to you...don't buy the 600! As tempting as it is, I'd stay away. My friend sold his for $3000 last year with tens of thousands of $$$ in repairs all dealer maintanined and owned from new. I saw a repair bill for over $8000 and the file was huge!

Repairs bills might have you resort to criminal activities and lose your hair, maybe develop a drinking habit.

The 600 does not drive anything like an E38 and feels heavy and sloppy in comparison. If you want a heavier car, buy an E38 Proctection series ;).

I love the W140 and I love V12s, but I'm not stupid :freak:.

http://www.tuning-bmw.ru/alpina-e38.jpg

Jim B., You are absolutely RIGHT!!! :D

Last month's Mercedes Enthusiast reviewed their top 10 favorite Mercedes V12s.

http://www.mercedesenthusiast.co.uk/cgi-bin/get_issue.cgi?i=0768Jun