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  #1  
Old 02-09-2004, 09:59 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 76
1997 S500 Coupe

I have the opportunity to purchase a 1997 S500 coupe with 53,000 miles for approximately $30,000.

Is that price reasonable?

I have heard that this model suffers from electrical problems- any feedback?

It rides like a dream. If you could choose between a 1997 S500 coupe and 1998 BMW 740il sedan with same miles but $8,000 less- which would you choose?

I am kind of stuck on the Benz despite its gas guzzling and questionable reliability.

Just looking for some opinions, experience and feedback.

Thanks.

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  #2  
Old 02-09-2004, 11:43 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Calgary, Canada
Posts: 164
This is the 140 chassis, which is famous (infamous) for a few problems, many of which were sorted out by the 1997 model year.

Common stuff.

Engine Wiring harness. Do a search on "140 wiring harness" and you'll see what I mean. If it's been changed - good, otherwise take a very very good look at the quality of the insulation on the engine wiring harness. If it's degrading at all (unwrap some of the balck covering to get a good look) it will need replacement, lest you suffer a catastrophic short.

Vacuum system. Can be somewhat problematic. Door closer, locks etc are all vacuum driven.

Engine oil leaks - especially head gasket.

Tires and brakes. These things eat tires/brakes for breakfast (especially if you've got a heavy foot).

Do a search on W140 and or C140 and you'll get some feel for the history. The W140 is the big sedan - the C140 is the Coupe, like what you're looking at. They generally suffer from the same issues, as most components and the design are common.

Ensure that it has been well maintained - check the records, and run away if the PO doesn't have, or want to show all maintenance records.

That being said, nothing - absolutely nothing, drives like a 140 chassis S-Class. If you are OK with feeding it some $$ now and then, and will not let the repair costs bother you - then go for it. If you're going to blow all your rent money on the cost and won't have anything left, be careful - though the bimmer will probably suffer from a larger $$$ repair appetite.

I've driven my S320 (a 1995 sedan) for two years now, and I absolutely love it - kind of a "sport-tank" type of feel.

A final word of warning.... Once you have owned and driven the S-Class, no other car will do.
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1995 S320
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  #3  
Old 02-10-2004, 12:17 AM
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I fully agree "A final word of warning.... Once you have owned and driven the S-Class, no other car will do."
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  #4  
Old 02-10-2004, 04:52 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Southern New Hampshire
Posts: 418
All I can relate to you is my own experience with buying a '96 S500 Coupe just over a year ago.

I disagree with ehmand on a couple of points... first, the wiring harness in the 96/97 is different than the '95s and earlier. I'm not aware of any harness issues in the 96/97. I've unwrapped my harness in places and the insulation looks good and is nice and pliable. No oil problems around the heads either. Again, if you'll do some research you'll find the 96/97 S500 has a different engine number than the earlier cars... i.e. different motor by part number.
My W140 Coupe does not eat tires or brakes compared to any other car I've had in the weight/size category. I put new tires on it when I bought it... have driven just over 20K miles.. tires are about half gone... and they are W rated... so they are somewhat soft. I'll drive em another 10-15K and swap them out for another set.

Bought mine with 75K on the clock, paid 22K for it January 2003. (just over a year ago). Frequently drive it to work when the weather is good... 5 hours total commute... about 140 miles round trip in mixed city/highway... averages just under 20 miles per gallon. I wouldn't call that a gas guzzler. Wish my plain Jane Ford pickup did so well.

Only part I HAD to replace in the last year was the left O2 sensor forward of the cat. Have replaced some other stuff as preventative maintenance. There are a few things that still need attention like rear head rests that make noise when lowering, but just an annoyance at best.

Maybe I'll change my mind tomorrow, but so far the reported "bad things" I've been assured will happen haven't happened. Car has performed flawlessly and you know how they drive.

All cars have some issues... the BMW will have its own set. Here in Washington DC, there's a BMW of every type commonly seen. In the last 20K, I've only seen one other W140 Coupe.
Hope this helps.
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1996 S500 W140 Coupe
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  #5  
Old 02-10-2004, 06:58 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Evansville WI
Posts: 9,616
I disagree about anything regarding harness problems with a 140 chassis at all. On the SFI 104 (inline 6 engine) there was a problem with the engine wiring harness, it wouldn't apply to this V8 car. I also disagree there is a headgasket concern with this car, again this pertains to the inline 6, not the M119 V8 engine. It's a really great engine.
On the brakes, basically the car is a tank and if you're hard on the brakes (aggressive braking) then you'll go through brakes rather rapidly, as you'd expect with about any car, but more so on a heavy car like this.
The car can really eat you alive with maintenance, and is something does break, it's an expensive car to repair. You're better off using the dealer for repairs unless you know a independent who REALLY knows MB.
Some expensive repair areas which are fairly common on these 140 cars include the Air Conditioning evaporators, which is a fairly well known problem (develop leaks), and also the steering gear box can develop leaks, and the best repair (most lasting repair) is to replace the steering gear box (in both cases the repair will run several thousand dollars).
Hopefully JimF will give you some C140 info too, he's the C140 GURU around here it seems.
They are really cool cars though. Check the vehicle history closely, and make sure an MB expert checks it over.

Gilly
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  #6  
Old 02-10-2004, 09:08 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 321
i purchased a virtually unused, one owner, 1997 c140 last april.

fully starmarked.

when i went to pick it up, before leaving the san antonio dealer's lot at 3:30pm on a friday afternoon, when adjusting the rear view mirror with the salesman, i noticed that the mirror was broken. the salesman said don't worry, i shall have a replacement sent to you.

apparently, this mirror is not a starmark item. after 6 months of hassling them from houston, my indy finally coerced them into coughing up the replacement[approx $1,000 from a m-b dealer]. he buys lots of parts from them.

still, i didn't like the attitude of the san antonio benz dealer in this matter. much wafffling and attempts to avoid fulfilling their promises. the dealer written responses read like a bush press conference. i went to the written level because they would orally tell me that they were going to replace the mirror, but would never execute their oral promises.

so, whatever you do, check out the rear view mirror at your first inspection, and again before you complete the transaction. i say this because the mirror was ok when i inspected the car, and apparently was broken in the interim before i returned to pick up the car.


now, it is a far superior handling car than my 560sec. it allows for a good 10-20 mph higher speed on back road twisties. and it offers more hp and torque. and with a slipperier body, it seems to offer 20%-30% better fuel economy over the same routes of travel at similar or higher speeds.

i found the o.e. shoes[michelins] inadequate. didn't stop the car very well, weren't confidence building in the wet, and were imprecise. and noisy in what should be an extraordinarily quiet interior. at the recommendation of an LA KCRW radio broadcast called the CAR SHOW[by the way, this is a show that should be picked up by national public radio to replace CAR TALK. it is far superior], i replaced the o.e.'s with the recently introduced Dunlop SP Sport A2's. in terms of handling and braking, these shoes moved the vehicle up to a higher level of performance.

the next issue that you should investigate is the functioning of the seats automatic up-and back when you move the seat back forward to access the back seats. i didn't do this for the passenger seat when i inspected the car. some weeks after acquiring the car, i discovered that it didn't do what it should do. it didn't do what the driver's seat did.

and then, in another couple of weeks, the driver's seat stopped doing it as well. by "it" i mean that the seat backs could no longer be moved forward, they were locked.

apparently, this is controlled by a computer chip that i think to be identified as a customer convenience module. to correct this problem, it must be replaced.

needless to say, closest m-b dealer in houston wants to interpret the starmark warranty as not encompassing this situation. and m-b customer care in nj responds to my letters by not addressing the issue.

in a sense, this has soured me on the car. and i haven't driven it in four months. i am debating whether to keep it. i wondered about starmarking as being a gimmick and i am finding that it well may be - especially if your closest dealership is owned by autonation.

i paid extra for the starmark extended warranty, but based on my observations of the houston north dealership, i may just abandon it and have my very conscientious indy take care of it, if i keep it. benz dealers are just no freaking good. in fact, it was their badness that caused me to stop buying new benzes and look for good, low mileage used ones.

and i have found some other issues that prevent me from loving this car. it is impossible to have a clear view of where the car is - it has big blind spots. can be very scary in heavy traffic. i find my w126, c126, and c124 much easier to place in traffic at speed.

and the acoustical isolation, which i thought i would enjoy, i find makes driving more diffficult. i think i can drive my 126's, my 124 more easily because of the aural inputs that they provide. at least, i am learning that they allow for a more relaxed drive at high speed in traffic. i mean, i can almost drive those cars by my ears alone.

and then there is the center console. i hate it. i generally drive with a coffee pot and a cup of coffee. in my 126's, no problem, they are 1986-1987 models and have a center console that is not a container[some of you out there will remember that user-friendly design]. and though my e320cab had a container style center console, i removed the passenger side sodium azide bag, replaced it with a glovebox, and restored the center console to 126 status -coffee cup friendly.

if you want to drive the c140 with a cup of coffee, you are going to have to find a properly sized hot beverage container to fit the cup holders[benz is bad at cup holders]. but the craziest thing is that you are then going to have to drive with the console top raised to the vertical position. if this isn't silly, i don't know what is.

furthermore, i prefer the keys of my other benzes. the key for this car is a load. it is clunky. it is large. it is a bad design not well thought out.

lastly, the car is so much larger than my others that it overwhelms modern parking places in parking lots. it is a vehicle that screams to any vehicle parked adjacent to it, "DING ME".

I LOVE IT. BUT I HATE IT.

i trust that you understand. if this car had not been owned by a very elderly couple who never drove it, 20,000 miles in 6 years in a city in which there is never any snow[road salts], never any salt air, i would not be writing this review.

all things considered, i prefer a 1986-87 c126. or a c124.

my 2 cents
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  #7  
Old 02-10-2004, 11:18 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 76
thanks again guys. what I realize is that purchasing a car is a matter of personal preference.

I am glad to know it doesn't guzzle gas. Sounds like it will do a bit better than my Chevy C2500 V-8.

I currently have a 380SE and love that car, but I am tired of spending 100s at monthly intervals. Its a 19 year old car and relays, module, etc, etc, just wear out.

The driver's seat does not currently move forward when seat back is moved as it does for the passenger, so I will ask dealer about computer chip. The only other problem that the dealer says he will fix is auto door locks/window closing- which the dealer says is the matter of a relay. We shall see.

I am planning on giving him 22K and a 1984 300DT with 131K miles and my 1985 380SE with 141K miles. Both of those cars have been lots of fun, but I am in need of an update!

Thanks again!!
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  #8  
Old 02-11-2004, 06:39 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 709
I test drove one of these beauties yesterday. blk with parchment interior

very nice 1997 model with 30K miles..originally from Miami..I guess traded in with about 29000 miles on it.It had service records from Mercedes Benz of Miami until that time

I am seriously thinking about making the dealer an offer on this one.The asking price was a bit high...but they said they have had the car on the lot for 6 months and I think they are really trying to move it.

As for the starmark warranty issues mentioned above I have never heard any one having issues with starmarked cars...either service wise or getting the dealer to honor the warranty...but in essense I think its adds about $3500 to the price of the car..so it should

Warren
1992 300SD 174K
Columbus Ohio
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  #9  
Old 02-11-2004, 08:15 PM
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Posts: 12
I have a 1995 S600 which is supposed to be very high maintenance. Well, I have driven the car for over 64,000 miles and have less than $ 3,500.00 in repairs/maintenance in 31 months of ownership. I car is a dream to own and a pain in the ass to fix (yes- I work on it myself- so far). I go through brakes every 25,000 on average and have replaced the tires once. I had to replace the folowing parts so far: engine electrical harnass, a door check, light bulb in the dash, break caliper, self leveling rear suspension bushing, ignition caps/rotors and passengers side lower ball joint- that is it. Awesome car- but when it breaks it is a disaster to work on- even changing the oil is a pain.

In summary- not a cheap to fix when it breaks but mine has not broken that much (knock on wood). Regarding the gas mileage- I get 20 mpg with the cruise control on 70 mph, 17 to 18 mpg with the cruise set between 75 mph and 80 mph and 16 to 17 mpg driving between 80 mph and 90 mph (too fast to use the cruise control - where I live) and 16 mpg for speeds over 90 mph. In city driving the car gets between 15 mpg and 17 mpg.

The car is like a drug because if is impossiible to drive slow- which has cost me on speeding ticket.
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  #10  
Old 02-12-2004, 12:03 PM
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'94 S500: only 793 sold!
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,933
Gilly, was right on . . . .

I've owned a '94 C140 for six+ years and it's been the most reliable and the lowest in maintenance costs of all MBs that I've owned!

The 'worst' thing with these cars is the AC going bad. If the evap leaks, it's very expensive to fix.

Check my page for some tips and how-to-do articles on the 140 car. Click on the "WWW icon" below to get to my page. Send me email, glad to help.

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'94 S500 Cpe

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