levault

I'm considering making an offer on a '93 S420 with 137,000. It is in great shape with all the service records up to date. I have never owned a MB and am worried about the high maintence costs. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Snowman

Generally good car but you should look at the advice for the early W140. Maintenance will be fairly high. The electronics will get you.

Little note: In 1993 it was known as the 400SEL. Only in 1994 did it become the S420.

levault

Thanks for the information.... I am confused about the 400SEL vs S420 thing. The seller indicates that the car is a 1993 model and the trunk lid reads S420.

Is this call for alarm?

Snowman

Well it's either one of these 2 things: It's not a 1993 or it's been rebadged at some point and time.

The only way to be sure of what year it is, is to get the VIN and run it through Carfax. That will tell you exactly what model it is and what year.

A Carfax report is generally a good thing to do for ANY car that you are thinking of purchasing.

Another possible thing to look out for: if the car was rebadged, it may have been because of body damage. This is pure speculation but it's possible.


Look at that picture and where the badge is located. If the badge is higher or lower than that, look for body damage.

suginami

It really doesn't matter as both cars use the exact same engine.

All 400SE(L)'s have the same 4.2 liter engine as S420's, and all 300SE(L)'s have the same 3.2 liter engine as S320's.

Snowman

Yes but there must be a mistake somewhere that the buyer must be aware.

wmak8

Some people re-badge to make the car look like its a newer or better model. Most people relate to the S500, S420 and S320 as the w140 body style. If you tell them it's a 500sel, 400se, 400sel, 300se or 300sel, they will probably relate it to the w126 body. What you also need to watch for is an 300se rebaged as an S420 or S500. I'v seen many of these cars around. But I think most buyers will know enough to tell a 6 cylinder from a 8 cylinder engine. And yeah, Carfax is a good tool to use if you are buying a used car. Just my 2cents.

lrotondo

I have a 94 S320 and I feel that, lacking an autobahn, the 320 engine gives all the performance that you can use in real life USA driving. Why get 2 more cylinders and higher gas useage and higher maintenance costs??

EdS320

Use Carfax and, a little secret I learned...call your insurance company and give them the VIN Number and they can run it to see if the car has ever had an insurance claim filed against it for any type of damage or claim.

cjharris98

Don't rely on carfax alone, they are notorious for missing major repair claims for early 90s cars.

Look carefully for body damage and filler.

If it were my money I'd get a later model, 96 or newer as the 5-speed transmission is much smoother than the early 90s 4 speed.