1997 S420 thinking of getting one
 

I have always been a 124 person and have a few ,I would like to eventually get a 94 e500 when one comes up i can afford, in the meantime i see a few of these 140 bodies and I have an e420 so i would go with a s420, I have a friend at mercedes benz calgary ,parts manager. he said they are great and do not have the expensive issues that the s500-600's have suspension and climate control systems. I am just interested in some feed back for people who have had them or worked on them and make a decision on whether it would be a fit for me and my mechanical ability .Thanks for any feedback .

You are getting good advise. I had two, sold them only because friends wanted them. Excellent car to drive. Feels like the best car ever made when you are behind the wheel. Four times a year we drive 20hrs straight. The W140s were much better on these trips compared to my W126.

With the exception of a diesel engine head gasket the only work I did was sway bar linkages and door closer air compressor adjustment. Level of difficulty to repair is acceptable.

I considered the S420 to be slightly underpowered, but an excellent smooth ride to cruise in. DIY friendly? Yes. The diagnostics are really a breeze. You also avert wiring harness issues with 1997 being the year that the wiring wasn't bio-degradable garbage anymore. Also, all Mercedes models received the 722.6 in production in 1997 and they aren't really prone to catastrophic failure like its previous predecessor. A lot of good examples out there so shouldn't be hard to find one in good shape.

w140 are really nice,the 420 is a good engine to supercharge too.