I'll start by saying I've bought a ton of salvage vehicles out of this auction. Mostly German but had been BMW's and Audi. There is a particularly clean 98' S500 going thru this week with very minimal damage. Obviously an auction is a gamble I'm aware of as far as previous owner Ect ... Anyways this is a car you can just look at and tell it was cared for and not used and abused. It's at 196,000 miles and listed at "run and drive". So is a W140 at that mileage something to avoid like a plague ? I am a BMW guy and would not consider a 4.4 at that mileage any day .. It seems that these cars can keep goin passed the 200k mark but I'm not certain. Also do the 98 S500s have full air suspension ? I know that is something I'll need to keep in mind if that is the case. Any info is appreciated , thanks.
If the car has been serviced properly the mileage shouldn't be an issue. If it hasn't been prpierky serviced the transmission and suspension components may be a concern. The W140 didn't have the air suspension (was supposed to have it but cost overruns delayed until the w220 and w211 started the air suspension craze).
Do you know why it was a salvage title vehicle? Was it because it was stolen or did it get water damage? The W140's have a hydropneumatic self leveling suspension. It's expensive if you need to replace the hydraulic shocks themselves, but most of the time it's the accumulator spheres that leak. Another thing to check are all the electrical accessories and window regulators. Besides that, I'd say go for it. The M119 engine is probably one of the best Mercedes has ever made.
