Mercedes W140 (S500)

I didn't find any existing info on here regarding the Mercedes W140 chassis.

I'm curious if anyone has experience driving and working on these cars. In particular I'm interested in the S500, but open to broader experience. Is there a universal dictum in the vain of the BMW 750: "Do not buy?" Maybe something more specific in the vain of the LS400: "Enjoy servicing starter."

If the serviceability is there, I'm thinking these cars are just about touching down into what I like to think of as the "Premium Grassroots" range: maybe $5k -- 7k. The S420 still brings V8 power to the ball game with the basic suspension instead of the hydro-pneumatic or computer controlled fanciness from the S500/S600.

I realize the P71 holds a vague similarity (RWD, V8, automatic), but variety is the spice of life.

I rebuilt a lightly wrecked '95 S420 for my dad, and I must say, it's a bad-ass. It's got 210k miles on it, the interior still looks new, the doors still open and close like new, and we've driven it from Indiana to Las Vegas with no issues. I don't know about common problems or anything, but they seem to be very well built, and pretty damn reliable.

First question-What are you hoping to do with the car?

Serviceability should be pretty good; the Mercedes Benz Classic center can get parts for every M-B made since the mid 1950's.

There was a budget M-B article for the March 2008 issue of Classic Motorsports. No W140's, but we did find some big benzes that we liked.

Tom Heath wrote: First question-What are you hoping to do with the car?

Sit in traffic? I live in the D.C. metro, so something that's low impact to drive would be nice. Though, I don't actually commute that far, so a lot of my criteria are "nice-to-haves" not "need-to-haves."

For me in particular, though, it's less an issue of having a long checklist and finding what car checks all the boxes and more an interest in trying new cars. The S-class interests me but it's hard to find Grassroots-esque feedback.

My current transport is a substantially modified 9C1. I view an S500 as a move up in luxury and reduction in quirkiness at the cost of some speed. Given that I don't have a space for involved repairs, most of my maintenance costs are now tied up in labor. The older Benzes are sorta out since they are slow (450/560 SEL/SL), overpriced and slow (300 D/SD), or too quirky and old for someone with no garage (6.9 or 6.3)

Actually, the article Tom mentioned is online. Enjoy: http://classicmotorsports.net/articles/benz-budget/

If you're going to sit in DC traffic, you might consider one of the diesel variety Benzes :)

If the electronics work, it should make for a good commuter. Those cars do last forever. There are probably some decent springs and shocks you could install.

amg_rx7 wrote: If you're going to sit in DC traffic, you might consider one of the diesel variety Benzes :)

I just can't get fired up about competing with the greasel-heads and other MPG-chasers for a car that's dog slow. The market is pretty strong all around for the M-B diesels and the classics (300SD and 300D turbo) are pretty dang old.

I, on the other hand, couldn't care less about getting 15 mpg. Reference my not-too-far commute. All other trips fall into the "hobby money" category and are not value-add from mile 1.

The w140 is a really nice car. I don't know exactly about the engine and transmission but I can tell you that the long wheel base 140 600Sel with the V12 in there was suppossed to be the best car mercedes ever built. Mercedes put together good engines and transmissions, but repairs are very expensive. They also put together a very decent suspension and chassis, but if you get a car with a self-leveling suspension make sure it works the hydraulic stytems are very expensive to fix. It might also be difficult to find someone who is knowledgable to work on it, but given that they used the same engine in various models shouldn't be too bad.

The biggest issues you'll have is replacing all the worn out rubber bits. For like 30 years mercedes built the best cars in the world. Good luck!

Tom Heath wrote:

More please.

That looks like one of the first AMG mercedes. I think they modified a 300sel 6.3. Look all them lights.

I think it's the Red Pig, a hotted up 6.3 for road racing.

In German, but with motor noises: http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/0,1518,415796,00.html

I did some research for cars in the same price range and ended up with a '97 LS400.

I decided that the proven reliability of the LS outweighed the additional fun factor of the comparable 7-series or Benzs. I have other cars for fun. The LS is a hell of a cruiser.

Were you able to test drive and compare directly; any thoughts on how they stack up (S-class vs. LS)? I feel like the E32/E38 are well established as money pits, somewhat negating any latent BMW-ness in the driving experience.

I didn't drive the Benz nor the Bimmer. I'm at a point in my life where I need to make some decisions based solely on logic and numbers if I want to continue moving forward. I've no doubt that driving either of the other options would have made me instantly fall in love. They're brilliant cars... I don't need to tell you this. Countless hours of research led me to the conclusion that I just don't have the time nor the money to put into keeping one on the road and in top shape.

d_balls wrote: Were you able to test drive and compare directly; any thoughts on how they stack up (S-class vs. LS)? I feel like the E32/E38 are well established as money pits, somewhat negating any latent BMW-ness in the driving experience.

My dad has a '78 MB280. Built like a tank and reliable as all get up, but he's old and only drives 10k a year. I can't say about an E32/E/38, but I have an '84 E-23 I've owned for over 18 years. Over 250K, (never apart) and other than tires, an exhaust, brakes and rotors, it hasn't cost a thing. Still very tight, runs like a top, solid 25-27mpg highway, and still a joy to motor in. Problematic? No way.

My girlfriend's brother drives an LS400, and although it's a nice car, the ride and interior is 1000x better in the S420, with 50k more miles. In the two or so years that dad has had his, they've been equally reliable(nothing but routine maintenance for either).

I suppose I failed to mention that I was also able to pick up the LS400 from a friend at a good price. That helped. I also spent quite a bit of time talking to a friend's father who manages an upscale shop here in town. He said that while the later model Benzs and BMWs may be very reliable, and usually are, when other things go wrong it can get very expensive very quickly. The LS came at the top of his list of recommendations as a combination of value, reliability, and ease and cost of repairs.

I still think I made the right decision for me, though I understand completely why it may not be the right one for everyone.

(That's not to say that I don't still want an E39 in a bad way.)

Diesel benzes are cheap around here. They dont get terribly good mileage though from what I understand, like rarely over 25. I think if i was to get a ercedes it would be a 300e though.

Bringing a very old thread back from the dead.

Merc W140 S500. V8 power. Double-glazed windows (I don't even have them on my HOUSE.) Supposed "bank vault on wheels" build quality. 300 and some HP. Svelte 5,000-pound curb weight. They are made out to be very nearly the finest luxury cars ever built.

So we all know that these cars have about a million and one things that can go wrong. But it looks like you can buy a really nice one for five grand or less. If you could get even two years out of it, you would be driving an amazing car for $200/month, even if you had to just walk away from the burning wreckage in month 25.

Has anyone out there in GRM-land actually had the balls/idiocy to pull the trigger on one of these beasts?

I am very familiar with w124s. The w140's are similar cars. The biggest issue that I am aware of is the AC evaporator. I think it is something like a 40 hr repair in a w140. The m119 v8 is pretty bulletproof engine. The early w140 cars had wiring harness issues as well. The wiring harnesses are very easy to check and not terribly hard to replace.

My understanding is that the AC issue was a corrosion problem. It should have probably surfaced years ago at this point, so a car with working ac has probably already been fixed. Same goes for the biodegradable engine harness. It sounds to me like bad cars are very, very bad. But good cars are pretty amazing when you consider that it costs only a few grand to drive one of the most luxurious cars ever built.

Just went with the W126 and pretty geeked about it. Here she is.