rsr911

Help guys.

I have a 2002 AMG CLK55 and I am looking into mayby getting a late 90's S600. I must admit I am concerned about what I am reading here regarding maintaining d repairing one of these flag ships.

What can I expect and is it worth it. Should I just go get an AMG E55 and be done with it.

Thanks Owen

whoover

The W220 is a vast improvement over the W140 in terms of both performance and reliability. The V-12s take a lot of care and feeding; owning one off warranty is a big gamble. I wouldn't consider that gamble for a 140. I'd keep my eyes wide open before considering it for a V-12-engined 220.

The E55 is a great car too, but a totally different experience. It's a sad but true fact that an V-12 S-class is addictive. It's Business Class vs. the First Class cabin. But if you don't have a warranty, any V-12 Mercedes (or AMG for that matter) can be very unpleasant.

NZ_Benz

I don't know if I agree with that statement. As far as the W220 goes that car atleast untill 2003-4 was pretty bad or even worse than the W140. A late 1990's car would be a pretty safe bet IMO, trick is to find a good one, if you get a bad one then it will just live in the shop not your garage. The build quality of the W140 is so far better than the W220 it's not funny.

The thing with the W140 V12 is that the car is pretty soild it is however even the 'simple' repairs take so much extra time in the V12 because the engine is so huge and hard to work on, also it is the fact that the V12 has about two of everything as the car is designed to operate as two 6 banger engines in one block. Also with these cars alot of the stuff that goes wrong is a one in a lifetime thing, quite often you can like I did pick up a car where all the really big things like AC core etc have been done by the previous owner.

I think there is a huge difference between the 600 and E55, if you liek speed and thats all go for the E55, the W140 is the kind of thing we nutters buy knowing full well the thing may eat us alive in repair costs and will never be able to gain back the money we spend on them, it's the kind of car you but if you love the big boxy benz type of cars.

I would be inclined to go for it but get ready for a long and frustrating search there are even some out there that are starmarque pre owned with a warranty. It's a risk but whats the point of life if ya can't live a bit right?

whoover

My experience is aligned with my comment. My '95 S500 was much more troublesome than my '01 S55. And the heavier platform made for vastly inferior handling and performance, even considering the 220 was an AMG. I'm not the only observer to note that the overengineering of the W140 platform was a two-edged sword.

Also, most the early-220 problems (which I was lucky enough to have avoided) were fixed under warranty by now. I suspect that an early W220 will not be significantly less reliable than a 2006 W220 (of course considering accrued mileage).

NZ_Benz

A stock S500 W220 is only 0.8 of a second faster to 60mph than the W140. AMG is so far removed from regular mercedes in terms of handling they might as well be different cars, there are even changes to the chassis.

I'm not saying that the 140 is problem free in fact I even allude to that in my post and I've even described why so many people buy the thing for the emotional responce of the car.

That is as the thread says, my honest feedback.

516mbtek

It has been my experence that parts prices are outrageous for the 140 v-12... more so than the 220

NZ_Benz

Thats a very good point, alot of the stuff in the W140 is complicated where it need not be, also the way they designed the car with no budget in mind also added to that problem.

Thing is though look at if this way, save for a disaster of total engine failure what parts do you really need to replace that often with an engine particulary a Mercedes one? I still have perfect compression on my car at 13 years of age, just take care of the engines and they last and last, always use a high grade synthetic oil and run high rated fuels and in the long run you can just about double the life of an engine.

Alot of the problems that people bring up with the W140 are issues of neglect and abuse rather than general wear and tear.

bstbrgr7

I used to have a 1994 s420 in 1997 and drove it from 25k to 65k miles and had not one bit of problems. Then I bought a 2000 s 500 in 2002 again no real problems but the car did not drive like the 140 chassi. I remember the 1994 S car because it drove so well and I said I would one day go back to that body (140 chassi). My father has a 2000 E55 desighno package car with 12k miles on it that I was going to buy from him but instead I just bought a 1997 S 600 with 63k and I'm glad I did that choice, its roomier and is very fast, the handling should not be a issue for a luxury car (its the ride) if I want handling I'll take out my porsche 911 turbo. I feel very confident driving this car that there's no problems with it. Just make sure you find a good one. There was one on E-bay yesterday black with 43k in
excellent shape that just finished it's auction today. I would have bought that one if I was in the market.

PS my father even likes my1997 S600 car alot better than his!

516mbtek

I dunno bubba, I like 140' s... there is nothing like it. They ride much nicer than a 220 and feel more solid..but there are typical things on them that fail...no matter what you do or how you baby her. They are hard on suspensions....have typical oil leaks: ft. crank seal, oil level sensor, front cover...cyl heads on v-12's.--big bux---pse's, rear accumulators, the evaporators for a/c's all leak eventually on 140's---big bux, they center console LID for a 140 is like $1100 go figure. P/s gears will leak, I could goon (as with any car) but you will get taxed w/ a 140 much more. The engines are great mechanically its just everything bolted and screwed around it....

ghost

It depends on the car itself as well. Get a clean one, and you dont have to worry much, get a bad one and you will pay.

The s600 is basically the same body as an s500 or s420, except with v12...and of course some luxury features standard, like wood steering, shade, two tone...power heated seats..etc...

I have owned all w140's...s320, s420, s500 (owned the longest..time wise), and currently an s600...

I have found that most of the problems i have encountered in my s600, are basically problems that will also happen on s500 or s420. Example would be window regulator, air cells, soft closing, basically problems that can happen on any w140...nothing to do with the motor ..the v12, and mine has about 109k on it now.

So as my above statement said....find a clean one, have it inspected and you should be ok. Of course, its still a mercedes, so maintenance is expensive, even for little so called items like window regulator, would cost you at least $300....suspension if you need it will cost you at least $1000 for the suspension parts (since the s500 and s600 have the expensive hydrophmatic susp.) then you have to pay for labor, even fixing the rear shade would cost you about $500...

You have to ask yourself, do you want a pure luxury sedan (s600) or do you want a luxury performance sedan (e55). Some people like sports cars, other like suv's, some like performance cars. I admire all those above cars, but my love has always been BIG Luxury sedans .i.e s class, 7 series, etc..

My opinion is that buying a mercedes, particularly a w140 is an emotional decision rather than a logical decision, and when you are talking about the
s600 its more of an emotional decision.

BenzKid24

The W140 (depends on year model)was the last of true hand built MBs...Yes it was WAYYYY before its time,but I think thats the reason why till this day there more noticed then back...I have pulled next to the w220s(even my uncle had one,which LIVED in the shop)and to me they just dont scream "Hey im a benz...back off!!" unless you have the s55 or s65.the w140 is the best S class ever,might not have the toys of the w220 but hey you can allways install a NAVI system and DVD systems in it.IMHO.

PS THE W220 does have way better handling....but the w140 makes you feel like the KING BABY!!!!........were all MB fans who cares...and i say if your not down with MB we got two words for ya!! LEXUS SUCK!

NZ_Benz

I agree, the W140 could and in my mind should be the ultimate S class, I had a bunch of girls turn round, stare and wave when I was behind them in traffic today, to me the W140 is a car that never goes un-noticed. I'd like to see what other cars from that era get that much attention, also because mine was Imported here rather recently it was newer plates on it people think it's a 2000 upwards model.

Rod Spohn

My 2 Cents worth. Yes mine is just an S 320, nothing like a 600, but in the past 3 years & 50k+ miles I have put very little into this auto. ( I hate to say car - its much more)
As mentioned above - this auto is a head turner. Yes parts can be pricey but a little shopping and you can save a lot. As for handling, on the Hwy its a dream. Mountain roads leave you wondering where they came up with the speed limits on corners. Benzkid24, I guess as mentioned by others, just take the time to have the car looked at before you buy. Get a well maintained W40 will be a auto you will have and talk about for years to come. Good luck in you search

Drive On

rsr911

Thanks to every one who has responded!!! I drove a very tired 96 s420 with 150,000 miles on it this weekend and was still impressed. I can see where MB put everything into this car. It would be worth finding a good one and paying what it is worth to have it.

I would definately want an S600 for the power. Cost/costs be damned!!

516mbtek

LONG LIVE 140'S!!

Steve R

I had an early W140 - 1992 300SE.

Never could quite figure out the big deal about the engine size; 99% of the time you're just cruising and you'd never notice the difference between a 229HP 6-cylinder and a 408HP 12-cylinder. If you were on a nice twisty road, you'd discover that the early 300SE was much nicer to drive; it was 420# lighter on the front end so it handled much better. The 5-speed and 4.69 rear axle provided enough go to be entertaining.

Other advantages of the 6? Tires last longer, brakes last longer, suspension lasts longer, MUCH easier to work on, much better fuel economy, etc. In other words, all the benefits of a W140 without all of the headaches. The rides the same, the seats are the same, the interior is the same (not counting 2-tone seats and a wood steeing wheel). And the average passenger would never know.

I've owned several more powerful and faster cars. The big problem with really fast & powerful cars is how little you can use it. And then how quickly that rush is over. The guy in the E55 isn't having any more fun than the guy in a Miata is having; probably less most of the time because he can't use his car like the guy in the Miata can.

Had mine for 11 years. Put almost 200K on the clock and only had a few problems. I spent $11,200 on service & repairs total over the 11 years.

LIke the others have said, there's nothing like a W140 for "presence". If you want a car that drives like a Porsche, then get a Porsche. If you really want a challenge, try hustling my 32,000# Beaver through the mountains.