hunterp27

hello forum,

My first post here........
I am a long time car enthusiast and have loved the W140 since I was in college. It was way outta my price range at that time and many other cars fit my lifestyle better in the ensuing years. Fast forward 23 years and its still captures my attention. I think its because the car still to this day feels more solid and vault-like than any other car I have ever been in. Closing the doors just feels so solid and produces that unmistakable "THUNK". In any case, I am looking for a project car to sorta restore. Not concours, but a project to put things correct and have a nice 3rd reliable vehicle. Right now the wife drives the family hauler a 2007 Escalade and I have a car that satisfies my sports car and sedan needs all in one; a 2007 Audi S8 V10. I have had a long list of cars over the years and have satisfied just about every itch within reach and now I'd like to scratch this one. My question is this, of course the V12 speaks for itself in terms of power so I am interested in the real world difference between the 420 and 500. Is it basically the motor? And, to that point is there really that big of a difference between a 4.2 liter V8 and a 5.0 liter V8? I found the actual horsepower figures which aren't that disparate but what about the butt dynometer? Can you really feel any difference that's noticeable? I cannot imagine the parts or mechanics or available knowledge base is any greater on one versus the other. So, why does one get chosen over the other?

HP

bzliteyear

HP,
i'm surprised no responses, yet.
i'm going thru similar questions as well and have always liked the W140 S-class as the ultimate cruise. That said, I've personally experienced 2 V12s w/ both SL600 as well as a V12TT S600 sport, and I can honestly say that those two engines are not good ideas out of warranty. Imho, the engine runs too hot/tightly under the hood and many of the parts do not last - and they are VERY expensive to fix as often times the engine needs to come out.
Therefore, i'm focusing on the S420 vs S500, but it doesn't seem like there are that many of them around(that are clean). I think the power difference between the two V8s are probably not that noticeable - would appreciate everyone's input.
Let me know what you find out - good luck!
PL

pncurtis

I have an S420 1997 that runs as smoothly as they day it came off the showroom floor and it has 260,000 miles on it. Needless to say, there has been a lot of maintenance done over the years but it has all been worth it. We use this car as a spare car and so only drive it when needed.

I was on the highway the other day and was attempting to change lanes. I had my turn signal on and the moment I turned it on the guy behind me in the lane I was changing to sped up and attempted to block me. At that point I was traveling at 80 MPH and I decided to punch it and see if I could get over. I did and it did and surprised two drivers in the process; me and the guy trying to squeeze me out.

I can't compare it to an S500 because I have never owned one but have driven them from time to time. My take is that the 420 has all the power I need and then some. Most of the time I am the little old man over in the right lane enjoying the drive and not in any hurry to get there. That's most of the time.

My Benz is one of the better investments I have made and is the third one I have owned over the years. I couldn't be happier with it.

Paul Curtis
Fallbrook, CA

bzliteyear

Thank you Paul.

Btw, has anyone suggestions on how to value these cars as KBB shows them worth $2kish for private party excellent condition, but most decent cars asking $5-9k.
PL

bzliteyear

Just test drove S420. Many small dings, but inside pretty clean. The seat belts don't retract smoothly, broken trim on mirror and arm rest, and vibrations on driver and at 50mph. Are these hassles wroth fixing or not worth the $?
PL

pncurtis

The problems you describe indicate to me a lack of upkeep and maintenance on the vehicle. In and of themselves they are probably not too difficult or expensive to fix but when I see a vehicle like that the first thought that comes to mind is what does the engine oil pan and the transmission oil pan look like.

It is hard to judge without seeing the vehicle but that is my initial impression which means I would tread very carefully and ask for all of the maintenance records. it is as important to know who did the work as it is to know what was done.

Paul Curtis

bzliteyear

Thanks Paul.
Only reason why I am considering is they there is an inch of service record from original owner from the MB dealer, and most mechanical items were addressed right away, so I'm surprised these items were not done. Either that or I'm just super picky, lol.
Patrick

pncurtis

Often when a well maintained vehicle is found in this condition it is because its owner was elderly (like me) and simply did not continue the maintenance as it had been in the past. If that is the case here (or something similar) you may indeed be lucky.

steelers6nj

Hey Paul i just bought a 96 S420 with 200,000 miles in your opinion what are the best things i should do to keep the engine running like new and what have you done over the years as far as maintaining the engine???? Thank you in advance...

Beverly Sharp

Hey, Pncurtis, so you have ---hole drivers in your community, too? The Dallas area is FULL of them. I wonder what it is about people who can't seem to stand someone else getting "ahead" of them or "interfering" with what they want. BTW, has anyone noticed the huge number of cars with front end damage? Like, cell phone inattention, maybe???
JS