MPM77

I have long been searching for a '97-99 S500 with low miles (preferably below 55K) for some time now. I have a few questions regarding this model and would appreciate anyone’s input.


1. I have read that at some point in the mid 90's these cars were fitted with an electronic speed limiter, which limited the cars to 130 mph. Any truth to that? Has anyone in the forum exceeded this speed with a '97-99 S class?

2. I found a '98 S500 w/ 30k but the a/c did not blow cold and the ABS light was on. I have read about the a/c issues but what can the ABS light signify? Could it be as simple as a wear indicator (i.e. new brake pads) or is it only for problems with the ABS system. I have heard of this light coming on when the battery goes dead, any truth in that?

3. I know this sounds strange but I am cross shopping an S500 with a 2000 Jag XJR. Anyone have any comments on what they would choose? Keep in mind this is the supercharged v8 pushing 370hp with 0-60 times (about 5.4 seconds) equivalent with an M5 or E55 of the same year.


Thanks in advance for everyone's input.

dtkw

1. I am not sure about the limiter. I think it was still 155 until the 2000 models.

2. ABS light on means ABS unit is not working. Could be something very simple or could be something you have to replace the unit. If you could start the car, it's not the battery.

3. It's up to you. You like the big Cat over the Three Points Star, then the Jag is for you. But I am not a big fan of Jag and I think the rear seats are still kind of cramped in the back.

barry S320V

One of the reasons I went for the S320v instead of the jag xj, is the head room issue. I am extra tall and my head touches the roof in the Jag. Also the S has a real back seat, great for puting the cooler on a long trip, in-case you need a cold perrie' or a sandwich. The s has a real trunk too, great for puting people who owe you money! ...and the shovel!
Barry

MPM77

Thanks Barry! I have the same reservations myself about the back seat and trunk. I guess my main issue is finding an S500 that is clean and has relatively low miles. I have been looking for about 3 months now, and frustration is setting in, therefore, I am looking for plan B, a la XJR. For an all in price of a 1998 S500 w/ warranty I can get a 2000 XJR still covered under the OEM warranty. As I said in the opening post of this thread I have the luxury of going to dealer auctions since my brother is a dealer, so I most likely will not pay the premium and buy from a MB dealer. That said, I need to be well prepared to spot any problems with the car before purchasing it.

Thank God I didn't purchase the '98 S500 that I elude to in the first post. I found that car at a dealer auction with 30k miles, parktronic, sunshades, and the stability program in Obsidian Black with oyster interior. It seemed to be the car that I was searching for, except maybe the Obsidian black. However, the car seemed rough for only having 30k miles on it. The front cup holder was broke-off, the sunroof shade was offtrack, the antennae was not working, express up was not working on one of the windows, abs light was on, air con was not that cold and two of the speakers on the rear deck had the wires cut. With all these minor problems (except the air con and abs light), I decided not to bid on the car. It sold at the auction for $30,250, a bit high if someone noticed all the problems that I did. Anyway, after the auction I managed to take the car for a ride and discovered a constant rubbing and rattling sound from the suspension. At the time I thought to myself, it just wasn't meant to be. Then over the weekend I did a search for an S500 97-99 on the MB starmark site. One of the cars on the search was a 98 S500 with 30k miles, so I called the dealer. He said the car was listed for $39k, but not starmarked. The dealer told me that he was unsure if they were going to keep it b/c it needed about $5k in suspension work. At this point I got a little suspicious and checked VIN #'s. Low and behold, this MB dealer is the one who purchased the car at the auction. Sucker!

///S320

Actually 3 years ago i was looking for an XJR or a Vanden Plas. I drove the bmw 7er and loved it. One problem i have heard with jags is with the german ZF transmission. Iam not sure how reliable jags are today, but back in the 80s and early 90s they were nothing but problems.

Few things i dont like about jags:

The rear antenna is too high.
Its the same company that makes ford taurus engines
Interior wood is cheap looking
I dont like the function of the steering wheel (it pops up and down and in and out when you turn the key)
You cannot mod this car with low profile tires/performance wheels and other stuff


Few plus points:
Nice powerful 300HP engine
Overall designing is very unique and does not look outdated

barry S320V

I just got home from a 4 day holiday to Osoyoos B.C. It's a 800 kiometer trip. 500 kilometers of it mountain driving. The S cornered very well considering it is such a heavy car. The real prize was the fuel economy from the 320. I left with about 3/4 of a tank 75 or 80 liters or so. When I got back I still had 9 liters left.
Here is a web site for a used Mercedes dealer in our area for comparison purposes. I bought mine here. He is no more crooked than any other dealer!
WWW.euromerc.com

Barry

99bmw740il

Forget the benz and broken azz jag. Go drive a 7er, you'll buy one. The w140 has its share of probs so does the jag- major, but the bimmer does really have too many expensive probs. I love mine and its fast and sporty, plus more rear leg room then the w140.

dtkw

I don't think the 99 740iL has more legroom in the rear than the S500's. My wife's 97 740iL has all the things you mentioned except the navigation system. Yes, it has a lot of legroom in the back, but so is my brother's S500 sedan. The only thing good is that the Bimmer looks slicker than the W140 body and handle better. But I cannot say it is more comfortable. In fact, on long trip, I'd be in a Benz because the way the Bimmer's rearseats are, my back started to get uncomfortable and sored after hours of sitting on, but not with the Benz. However, I am happy that you are happy with your Bimmer. No question it is a nice car and better looking the the newer 745Li.

barry S320V

I found it difficult to believe the 97 BMW 745li has more rear leg room than the S500, So I checked the stats on www.consumerguide.com well 745li= 41.9 min leg room , the S500= 39.6 min leg room. So the bimmer wins by 2.3 "

Who wooda thought

Barry

dtkw

Er...he was talking about the 97 740il, not the 03' 745Li. And yes, the new 745Li is little bigger, saw one the other day parking next to a S500.

barry S320V

The leg room is the same from 95 to 2001, on all 7 series cars. 740 745 it makes no difference. long wheel base of course.

Barry

///S320

Hmmm .. i think a slight difference here..
740iL is from 95 to 2001 (www.edmunds.com)
745Li is from 2002 onwards (www.bmwusa.com)

99 740iL rear legroom is 36.7in (www.edmunds.com)
2003 745Li rear legroom is 43.4in (www.bmwusa.com)

99 Merc S500 rear legroom is 39.6in (www.edmunds.com)

ghost

Here is the specs on the 740il

overall length 201.7 new 745li overall is 203.5


The w140 s500 as an example:

overall length 205.2 in new s class overall is 203.1


So the w140 is bigger then all of them... the bmw might have an inch or so room in the back seat ...but thats irrelevant..because room is sufficient in the back of s class or bmw...


Having said all that.....i sold my 99 740il, before i got my 97 s500 and s420....... Now dont get me wrong..i love the 7 series....its my second favorite sedan after the w140.. Its nimple, drives and handles like a sporty car....and it has fancy electronic gadgets inside...very modern...

But i prefer the powerful look of the w140, the classyness... i think if i had to pick a perfect sedan...i would have the interior and handling of the 740il but the exterior and power of the w140.

Also for some reason i seem to get more looks and more respect with my w140 then when i had my 99 740il...

I dislike what they did to the new s class (220)..and the new complaints about the problems about them, no wonder benz slipped many spots in the j.d power ratings.

i am an auto broker, and i think fixing problem on w140 or 740 could be expensive, it comes down where you take it to and how crafty you are about getting parts. The advantage though is that the w140 holds its value much better then the 7 series..


In conclusion the 740 and w140 are one the best classy sedans. The w140 is my first choice and 740 is my second.. But then again, everyone is entitled to their opinion.


ghost

MBCL500

I looked at both the BMW750 and merc cl500 few years ago.
choice=MBCL500 and still driving it .........

s500c

I had a 740il before i got the 140 Benz. The 7er had tighter suspension and good handling. The Benz kicks the 7er in the a$$ on just looks alone, not to mention the sheer luxury of that smooth, but robust power plant. I had some problems with both cars and the bimmer was just not worth the repair bill.
Now about that Jag. We are on our fourth (1 S-Type and 3 XJ's) and Jag still can't get it right! Our XJ8 has very good power but the handling is PRIMO CRAPO!! My mother is British and was stuck on Jag till she road in the old Benzo.
hhmm... 95 s500 coupe vs. 2001 XJ8... even mom chose the benz, maybe she does know best!!

99bmw740il

The refrigirator on wheels kicks the 7er? Hey i like the mbz but lets own up to the fact that the w140 does resemble a refrigirator or sherman tank. Both weigh similarly too check the gvwr on the 7/s. Plus my 7 is faster and much more modern on the inside. The s is just dated. I gonna trade mine in soon for the 750 v12- as soon as i can find one But both are certainly nice cars

s500c

Look little guy, calm down... if you hate the 140 chassis so much why are you even here ??? I'm sure somewhere there is a 7 series forum that would appreciate your immatuer comments. BTW I would love eat that 740 for breakfast, of course the left overs would go in that fridge.LOL

dtkw

We have a 97 740iL and 95 S500C. The Bimmer is for my wife. The Bimmer is fun to drive and handle typical BMW's and pretty solid all around. However, my S500C built quality is much better and after all these years, fewer things broke than the Bimmer in its first 3 years. Strange, ever since the IN dealer touched the car, it started to literally fell apart. The dual a/c is one minded now. The passenger is always cold, no hot air. Even the dealer couldn't figure out why. Then, the phone did not work well. My MB phone works far better than the Bimmer's. Then the seat control broke, must be the way we get in and out of the car. And the cupholder has been replaced twice. So, over all, I enjoy driving the coupe far more better than the big Bimmer. I don't care much about rear legroom, I'd be on the driver seat anyway.

///S320

Hmmm.. I think there must be a BMW forum where "BMW fans" stick to..? Wonder why they show up here..

99bmw740il

I still love the s class, but when compared to my baby i get a little touchy . I was going to buy a 98 s500 lorinsor kit car with chrome lorinsor 20's. I did like how its was so big, i do appreciate the german enginering in audi/bmw/merc/porsche. I did not like how it was slow and did have kinda old looking instrumentation. But i sure did feel like a pimp driving it

MPM77

Well, I shopped for quite some time, began to get discouraged b/c of my lack of finding the right S-Nickel, and came close to settling for a XJR. I even went as far as test-driving a 99 750il, which by the way was very hard to turn down. Then, finally, I found a polar white with oyster 98 S500 with 64k miles at a reasonable price and purchased it. Wow! I must say I am very happy with my purchase and must thank the contributors to this forum and others for their informative posts that helped me ask the right questions about the car.

I test drove a few S500s before I purchased and as most of you know short test drives from private owners do not provide the time needed to accurately get the feel for the car, mainly b/c your mind is going crazy making sure everything works and there are no problems with the car. That said, the first time I took my car on the highway I was amazed at the composure this car had while turning. My last car was a 2000 Acura 3.5RL and while the ride was nice, the car leaned quite a bit on high-speed turns. Not the S-Nickel! When I took that first turn, the car leaned a bit and just stayed composed through the turn. Even while hitting bumps in the turn, the suspension just soaked them up without the usual wallop that I was accustomed to in the RL. Now I can't wait to get those 18' AMG's!

dtkw

Congrat, post some pictures, enjoy the Benz!

MPM77

I just tried to attach some pics, but I need to take some more photos of the car. I am new to the whole digital camera thing and the pics I took were set at too high of a resolution resulting in very large file sizes (over 1 meg). I will readjust my camera settings and post as soon as possible.

Michael