Hello Gentlemen,

I needed some expert opinions concerning a car purchase. See, my son (20) got his license around a year ago. Now I think it is time for me to buy him a car. He wants an S-class I had trouble deciding between the W126 300SE/L vs the W140 S320. Our budget is $3000-$4500. We need something which will be very dependable and not a money pit which will cost a fortune with endless mechanical, problems - and also at the same time, something that is quiet and comfortable (I think the 300s/S320s have adequate highway passing power) - something which he will enjoy and have a bond with, not hate. Do you think we can get very well maintained examples within our price range? What do you chaps recommend? Please also include some lines about why you recommend it. Everybody please chime in with their two cents

Cheers.

 

Buying a 320 was a good investment,beware of cars below 1996,unless they had wiring in engine changed.
Add a 125 shot of nitrous to the 3.2,and you have a v8 killer.I did.

 

I would look at a 1997-1999. Can find them on ebay every week.

 

1996 to n1997 should have enough money some 98 and 99 with less than a 100,000 going for $6800.Which is good deal.Mileage no problem,I've seen owners at 325000 wanting info on small repairs.

 

You want an S Class for 3-5gs? Yeah you can buy one that cheap, but the amount of miles and age it will have on it will cost you alteast $1,000 everytime you bring it in for service. It's never for major problems though, it's just 3-4 $300 items.
I'm not sure what you're used to driving (maybe 4 bangers?) but your son will be very disappointed with the acceleration of a S320. I would get him a lower model with a bigger engine, or tell him to pitch in a few g's (he's old enough to have a decent job) so that you can afford a bigger engine. Also, when look at 15 year old benz, the price difference in a S320 and a S500 is going to be insignificant, and I would highly recommend finding a way to get an S500.

 

Yes...but sometimes an extremely cheap cherry of a car comes along. I am looking very aggressively for that cherry. I think you are right - I am not looking at the 300 SE or the S320 anymore. This has nothing to do with what I can afford. I could've spent $15K on a much newer '99 S600. But, this being my sons first car, I am not willing to shell out much more than $5K even-though I can shell out quite a whole lot more for this. I think $5K is around how much a first car should cost. I am waiting for that opportunity where a very cheap mint condition car comes along (it should eventually after a month or two) - why not wait and save some Gs. I always try to look for the killer deals, and not spend more than needed. Thanks for pitching in with your opinion.

 

You mentioned you don't want a money pit, but buying an older S Class is just what that is. They require a lot of money to keep properly maintained. My 07 s600 just went out of warranty and I'm spending tons of money to maintain it. Also, my 2000 e430 has about 180,000 miles and it also requires a lot of things to be replaced when I bring it in for service, never being less than $1,000 total. I am the original owners on all my mercedes and unfortunately after they get about 120,000 miles on them they are very expensive to maintain. Maybe you will find that diamond in a ruff that that has less than 100,000 miles on it and is a reasonable price... good luck. Are you looking on ebay?

 

Regarding maintenance costs, wouldn't you agree that the earlier W126 or maybe W140 don't have much to go wrong? I guess you could be right; I should increase my budget by a few grand to maybe 6-7K. I am leaning away from the W140, but the W126 should easy fit into my budget right?

 

w126 leather is at its last life,the gassers are a pain to maintain.As for the s320 a nitrous kit,you'llsmoke several s500.

 

If you buy a w140 S-class for $4,000, you should budget that much again to make it a reliable "every day driver," and have another $4,000 in a jar in case you get an ugly surprise.

 

I paid 8.900 for my 99 with 98,000 miles

 

The big items known to go wrong on the W140 are (1) the wiring harness in pre-1996 models, (2) the air conditioning evaporator, (3) the rear suspension. Any of those will cost you well over $1,000, more like $4,000. In addition, the timing chains do not break but they do stretch, and after a time (like every 70K miles) they start slapping the guides, which chews up the guides, which can break the guides, which can cause the chain to slip, which can cause catastrophic engine failure. Unless you know for sure when a car last had its timing chain checked, check it before you buy it, because there's another $1,000-or-more surprise lurking there.

The good news is, once you get everything up to snuff, I'm told that regular maintenance only runs $2,500 a year or so. I sure hope so; I'm still at the "get everything up to snuff" stage.

I hope that what you are coming to understand is that these cars are not "cheap reliable transportation." They are collector cars for people who have the time, money, and skill to keep a finely crafted machine on the road. If you've ever driven an S-class, you know why people do this. There is nothing like them.

 

Just yesterday my s600 had the steering pump go out. It has had many problems but this is the first since the warranty expired. Yearly maintenance is definitely higher then 2500 probably closer to 4000

 

sure repairs can run higth onm some of the cars.But if you repair yourself like I do,you can save huge.

 

Not sure if you're still looking but I hope this helps. I've owned my 560sec (w126) going on 4 years and put about 9,000 miles on it. I picked it up cheap so the first 4 months of ownership I got stranded 3 times (only once required tow truck), but after fixing it up (just under $4K with initial purchase) it's been awesome, and I could hardly call it a money pit. The only reason I picked up a diesel wagon as a daily driver is because I'm a college student and filling the 560 got to be a bit too much, but it looks great and it's still very much an open road king so not only could I not get rid of it but it became "until death do us part" after about 7 months of ownership.

I haven't got experience with the w140, but because the production numbers are much greater and from what my mechanic told me about the difference between the 2, the w126 should be cheaper (but not cheap) and is easier to work on, I do all my own regular maintenance with ease. As far as the s320, I have heard complaints that the weight & lack of power take a bigger toll on the transmission, so a bigger engine may be better in that regard.

I consider both my cars very reliable, but from your original post it sounds like a w126 300sd is the right bet, I've driven a couple and the power doesn't make it fast but it's certainly enough. Any model well cared for fits your original price range for w126 but not so much a w140 (at least in Oregon, USA). As far as reliability from all the reading I've done here as long as it was well kept & had maintenance records they're all good. The impression I got from reading the forums is that with the faults(mostly wiring) of the 92'-95' w140 fixed it's better then the 96'-99', not by much, but enough that more people recommended a good 92'-95' over the later models.

Finally mpg, 300sd great for car that size, again only personal experience with diesel & 560 w126 but I've gathered that the w126 will deliver better gas mileage then the w140, but not by a lot. I get ~16 mpg in town with the 560, 24 mpg doing between 72-80 mph, sedans maybe a tad different in town, may as well be same on the open road. A classmate reported same mpg with his w126 420SEL as my 560SEC.

 

My s320 gets 29 mpg hwy and I raced and beat a 500 with NOS,and mustangs.I plan to Supercharge another engine which I will build to get 500 hp at the wheels.I perfer inline engine over V blocks as they are balanced better.

 

I'll drag race your 500 anytine.My car is lighter,not like a E but lighter than heavy 500s,and 600s.The M104 is a high mileage ataining engine.Head gasket problems are due to overheating.Thats why I run colder thermostat.
V8s are nice too,would be better with forced induction.I will purchase a 420 engine in next 2 years,to nitrous also.I will have electronics to run my nitrous this year,as a safety feature.I only race on the track,they take your car here if your caught racing.So April come on down to Bristol,your welcome to stay at my place.I also plan to add lighter rims and tires.
We really should lift each other spirits here ,than bicker ot tear down another ride.We all like w140s no matter the engine.I just like to race against other luxery models.

 

I second this - Even with DIY work on the easier things, $3000+ per year to keep on the road is what you should budget. NOT a car I would buy my teen...