Any Mercedes W140 owners on here?

Had one approx twenty years ago. There isn't much too lose. If you buy a good one you should be in a position to get your money back. They are "engineered like no other car". I believe the only serious issue to look out for is a degrading wiring loom, which you can avoid by chassis number. The last real Mercedes Benz.

I wouldn't call them beautiful or pretty, but they have a characterful shape and a strong presence; I like them. Perhaps the best value classic car in the now declining classic car bubble, as long as you are buying it for what it is and to enjoy. Quantifiably the "best" car in the world in its day, and I would still prefer one over the current model, or a new 7 Series or A8.

I would push the boat out and go for the V12.

 

I've always loved these and in particular S600 (CL600 for the 1999 years). I'm probably in the minority, but I do like the looks (not mechanicals) of the W220 S-class sedan and C215 CL-coupes more than their predecessors and haven't liked the models after those generations. Maybe I just felt the S/CL in 1999 were long in the tooth for their styling at the time. I loved them in the mid 90s and would pick it over anything else because they don't have nearly as many electronics as the 2000+ cars.

 

They’re wonderful.

Matt

 

Fun cars and you can’t beat the current market values.

We have had one for many years now as a winter beater/run around.

$4-6k can get you a nice one with some searching.

They are far from perfect and very complicated but if you keep your expectations realistic, they can be fun.

Modern resources like Rockauto.com make it possible to keep one running without spending half of the cars value each year in maintenance.

Good luck!

LSJ

 

Yes, it’s the same wiring loom issue.

They are quiet, smooth, solid, refined and relaxing to drive. I used to feel like I was piloting a nice ocean liner. It’s a nice sensation.

The BMW’s are drivers cars, you feel that all the time. The S Class feels different, not totally detached, but as if the focus is on enjoying the journey over enjoying the drive.

However underlying that the car has a lovely balance. I remember I hit a patch of oil perhaps on a very large roundabout in heavy rain, at about 35 mph and the back end gently lost all grip and slid out. I just wound a little lock on and applied a little more power, and it gracefully and gently power slided round the long curve, past one exit, I pointed it at the next exit I wanted to take, and it straightened up without even the slightest flick and carried on serenely. I decided there and then it was a great car. No skill was required, it’s a very balanced and honed chassis.

As a place to be it has an atmospheric best of german appeal. The luxury comes from the sense of good design and inherent quality and strength. It is from the era when Mercedes focused on the almost minimalist highly refined solid qualities they used to be so good at. The earlier ones do have nicer switchgear.

I imagine the coupe is very similar. If you already like the way the SL drives you will probably like the S / CL.

 

I bought a 1996 S320 as a daily driver last month. It was very cheap to buy. I'm used to the V8, had an S500 and a 500SL. But so far for grocery shopping, its a great little car.

 

The six is decent. I had a 95 S500 and a 1991 500SL, so kind of miss the V8. I regret selling both the S and SL, but its hard to find low miles cream puffs these days. Add in I want CDN market cars, its real slim pickings.

 

Obviously an import but there are lots of mint low mileage under 20,000 miles S Class being exported from Japan at the moment, both RHD and LHD.

 

I had a 1995 S600 coup white/tan fully loaded which I really liked. I used as a DD for several years. I had an 100k extended warranty which I used to the tune of $40k. The dealer service writer and I became very good friends until he retired. He said the V8 version was very reliable-- the V12 not so much. My next MB was a 2003 CL55 (2003 - 2006 I believe). Very reliable and put 200k + miles on the clock. Suggest you go w/ the V8 or up grade to the AMG version 2003-2006 CL 55, again not the CL 65. The same service writer said the 65 (V12) was more problematical. Just my experience and that of my favorite MB service writer.

 

Usually the other way round. The 2000's cars problematic. The V12 has a pretty good reputation though I accept yours wasn't a good experience.

 

The $40K service was fully covered by the extended warrantee (I believe it cost was $1500- $1,800 range hard to remember that far back exactly) I purchased so not a $$$ issue just a hassle bringing it in but I got a loaner every time also w/o charge. The service writer told me the V12 in the 90s were problems in the mid 90s and the V8s were pretty trouble free. However I didn't have his recommendation when I got the 1995 S600 coup which only had about 5.8k miles on it and it was a year and half old when I got it.

The 2002 CL55 was NG but the 2003 -2006 were very trouble free. Also my service writer said not to go to the CL65 when I talked to him about trading up. I ran the CL55 to 130k miles without any issues except for a broken motor mount. It started needing service/repair issues at about 150k miles and was costing about $4k - $6k per year for my last two years of ownership. It wasn't worth much in 2016/2017 and I liked the car so I just went with maintenance/repairs as depreciation had actually been more in previous years.

That is my experience and that of my service writer who had over 25 years with MB dealership in my area. So I don't know where your information comes from but mine is the real deal. The S600 I owned for about 8 years (105K miles) and the CL55 for 12 years (207k miles). So listen to who ever you want everyone has their own stories.