I'm interested in picking up a 94-99' (something along those years) S500 and I'd like to know your overall opinion about your cars.

I'm curious about maintainance in general. Are there anything specific to look out for? Please fill me in with your knowledge. Thanks!

 

better if '96 up.

 

Maintence on these cars are good but it is said that the W140 is one of the more expensive Mercedes as far as parts, but then again these are cars that are just about at the top of the luxury car food chain just under Rolls-Royce/Bentley.

I agree with Sleepwalker, best if 96 and up. By then they worked out most of the W140 little kinks. Once you go Mercedes you'll never go back.

 

Yeah i also agree go 96+.

I would not say u never go back but u will always want to at least have one and a W140 is certainly one that you will enjoy.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I currently own a 97' Acura CL setup as a street/strip race car. I'm getting tired of it because it sits in the garage 24/7 and it doesn't go out. I haven't been able to drive it in over a year, so I want to get rid of it and pick up a luxury sedan. I always loved S500's, and I figured this maybe a perfect opportunity to fulfil my vip style needs.

 

I had a '95 S420 ( ex-wife got that too!) and it was magnifcant to drive. It had a major problem with an AC condensor leak which occurs behind the dash and the airbags. It was under warrenty and got fixed but it would have cost around $4500 if I had to pay for it. That problem was supose to be worked out in the '96 and newer. I was told by another shop that the same buying approach used for Porsches applies to Mercedes. Get the newest year that is in your price range.

 

You’re doing yourself a great service by asking current s-class owners about the Mercedes experience. My first Mercedes was a 1983 300SD with 350,000 miles and had relatively few problems, other than minor things like window regulators; which amazing lasted almost 17 years. I knew I wanted to buy a newer S-Class and most of the advice I received from mechanics and from this board was to avoid the first couple years of the W140 (1991) and go with 97-99. I assume because the engineers need to work out the bugs. But I will say this; I’m told that certain years had better leather than others. They also discontinued expensive features such as the reverse prongs and the electronic rearview mirrors. (if the valet moved the mirror manually it would instantly break it $$$$$) Hence, I was very diligent in my research in fact, when I was ready, I showed up at the dealer with a 3 ring binder just on the s-class so they knew they couldn't pull the ole Jedi mind trick on me. My biggest concern was being able to predict exactly which parts/ features would fail, weren’t designed well, or what MBUSA would not take responsibility for. That said, I ended up buying the last year of the W-140 chassis, 1999 S-320, (long wheel base) 52,000 miles, previously a lease vehicle and out of Florida. The most important decision I made was getting the STAR MARK WARRANTY, which was an extra 1,000 or so for 1 year. In retrospect, I should've bought it for 3 years because within' 3 months, I definitely got my dollars worth when the door assist pump failed and a host of other parts alleged by the dealer. But again, this was one the parts I knew could fail. If I didn't have the STAR MARK it would have cost me $900 for the pump/plus labor.[:'(] Also, be advised that the STAR MARK is the best warranty on the market except if doesn’t cover the radio. Be very careful with other after market warranties offered by mom n' pop dealers. There's always something in small print such as, you pay for the parts and they reimburse you later, filing for Chapter 13, covering parts but CHARGING you for labor three times the normal amount, having blind mechanics work on your car, or simply not honoring your warranty suggesting that it was caused by something else. So it's safe to say, I avoided all that by getting the STARMARK.

Picking the model comes down to what your preference is in terms of performance and how deep your pockets are. The S320 made good financial sense to me even though its a lil' lacking under the hood with a 6 cylinder. But it has presence, class, and can roll up to next to any Mercedes past, present or future and command respect. I will admit, it's a lil' slow off the line, but certainly cheaper to maintain than the 420, 500. Also remember this car doesn’t have a lot of the fancy electronics which came with the 2000 that turned out to be a DISSASTER! The fewer the electronics, the less expensive to repair. Or buy one with the fancy electronic and don’t turn them on. Your best bet is to search through this site and write down the most common questions, concerns and problems, i.e., air condenser, door pump assist, mono valve for heat and upper/lower control arms, etc. Visit a dealer and look and see which cars are on the racks. Don’t bother asking the sales team questions and for obvious reasons. You can do the same at cars.com and pay attention to how many cars of the model your interested in are for sale. Too many of a particular model could be a red flag. Other than that, best of luck to ya' and come back and let us know how your search turns out.