Well if you sit in a well kept 300se.w140 build in 1992 and 5 minutes later in a 1999 W140 S320 ,one of the last build,same miles,just 7000$ difference in price,it is like sitting and looking at a whole different car.The impression on a 99 is like any generic Taurus or Chevy interior...cheap leather,cheap dash material and door panels,disgusting paint(starting 1995 actually),under the hood it actually had spots where you still can see the primer...overall same design,just cheap,cheap materials...,even the sheet metal/doors feel lighter,92 is just quality materials,everything feels more solid,better build,healthier,I dont know,just better...and still they never had wiring harness problems,only starting 93 model and no hydraulic suspension,just my impression based on looking at two cars next to each other.

There are differences but I don't think that they are that major. You hit on a good point though "well kept" there are not many of the older 140's in reasonable condition anymore. Most of the ones that I looked at had sun dried interiors and lots of cosmetic issues that I just was not willing to deal with. On top of that the older's cars interiors just look outdated. Palomino and zebrano look great in a 126 or a 116 chassis but are out of date in the 140. The A/C controls and the old style Becker radio really date the interior as well.

I'd also say go with the '95 up models with the emphasis being on the newest model and best kept up one you can find. Dark metallic colors look best on them. Service records are critical, don't buy without.

I'd look for them in wealthy suburban areas, call or visit the Mercedes dealers and explain what you are looking for, and ask them to keep an eye out for a nice one that gets traded in and leave your name and telephone number with the salesman. Go to several Mercedes dealers with that request.

You just might find one that's had one fussy owner who traded it in on a new car. That would be good as one that has had 4 or more owners might have devolved to owners who couldn't afford to take proper care of them as a first or 2nd tier owner would have done.

They won't win any economy awards but they are real haevy safe and supremely comfortable interstate gobblers, and feel much more luxurious, heavy, solid and comfortable than their W126 predecessors.

For the mother of all accidents, they are a very good car to be in (unless like Princess Diana, you dont wear your seat belt, the one person in that car who did, survived)

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I hope it gives you many more years of faithful service.

There are a number of downsides to owning a pre 97 car and while the later models did loose some options they gained some as well. Not to mention the increasing difficulty of finding cars like yours. All of the older 140's I drove were not acceptable to me cosmetically and most had some kind of issue.

Not to mention dealing with wiring harness issues within the next 5 - 10 years when the inside wiring starts to disintegrate like the wiring under the hood.

I bought mine at a BMW dealership. It was a trade in on a new 7 series.

I looked at the MB dealers. Unless it can be Starmarked most MB dealers don't even want to bother with them. They go straight to auction. Most of the salespeople can't be bothered with a new C class let alone a preowned unit.

And of course if its a nice enough car most salespeople will buy it for themselves and then resell it. A friend of mine got his 89 560SL that way with 40K original miles. The salesperson at the MB dealer bought the car at wholesale from the dealership and sold it to him at a "low retail" markup.

My 1998 S500 has the Obsidian Black paint which is metallic.The leather in the cars smell fresh in both the 94 and the 98,even the 95.94 is high mileage and still smells good.Now,I dont think I could make the change back to the older ones (pre-1997).Honestly,my 1998 has been maintained without cutting any corners.It needed a passengers mirror assembly,so I bought two to see which one works better.Really,if your interested,its a great car.

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1998 S500
2006 E320 CDI
1963 220S
1994 S500
1995 S500
2005 BMW 545i sport
2007 GL320 CDI
2007 ML320 CDI
1991 Toyota Previa White over Blue
2000 Lexus RX300 White over Beige
2008 Audi Q7 Black Opal over Grey
1993 Toyota T-100 Silver over Grey
2002 Chevy 2500 Express White over Grey

[Hi Jim! Long time since I have heard from you on the board]

I totally agree with Jim, my S 500L has proven to be the most reliable Benz I have owned (including one W123T and various W124Ts). Comparing parts and systems it is obvious that the W140 was built as tank (regardless of well-known problems like the A/C evap).

About the comments on the Palomino/Zebrano interior combo as being out-dated, I just consider them classic instead. Anyway, during the last three years of its production, at least in Germany and other world markets, the W140 was offered with an inmense combination of colors and wood finishes (to widen the appeal). Don't know if they were available in the U.S., but they certainly uplifted the spirit of the model. Here is a pic from the interior of the 1997 S 320 owned by the Ambassador of the local Russian Embassy (Black Leather with Bird's-eye Maple Wood):

Attached Thumbnails

 

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

Very pretty! I have seen the dark birds eye on some other models but never a 140.

I think Zebrano looks classic in a w126 but to me at least its out of place in a w140. But it all really depends on individual taste. With the larger windows and glass moonroof and lighter colors that the 140 interior comes with zebrano looks dark and out of place almost like wood panels in a 1970's home to me.

The fortunate thing is Mercedes does do their wood MUCH better than many of the other car makers out there. I test drove a Lexus once and felt like a chest of drawers had exploded inside the car with all the wood everywhere on the dashboard. I would take a 140 with a black dash and palomino interior and zebrano trim any day over that!

Thanks for everyone's replies. It appears the issue remains subjective to the person/owner. (especially for owners ) I think that one thing that EVERYONE can agree on is the importance of trying to find a car that has been cared for as if it were the owner's child. (Easier said than done) I'll use this as a solid starting point and go from there I suppose. Also, I remember hearing mention of a higher grade "Nappa" leather from Mercedes that was available post '94. What is it??

Thanks!!

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1995 E420
1998 SL500 Sport
2009 E350 Sport
1995 S500 Coupe
1992 500 SEL

Usually with leather the higher the grade the softer it is and the finer the grain it has. The softer leathers unfortunatly don't do as well over time as some of the other leathers because they tend to be thinner. For a car thats designed to last a long time the comfortable thin leather can be problematic years down the road unless the original owner kept up with keeping it conditioned and keeping the sun off of it.

Im not sure what "grade" leather my car came with. Its an S320 so likely its the standard grade but the backs of my seats and the storage pouches are leather rather than vinal. Many car makers use vinal on the backs of the seats and I was surprised to see the suede lining of the back of my storage pouches when cleaning the car one day.

Here is my interior of the same combination, dark
but I like it;



br,
syljua

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1998 CL500 W140
1984 230E W123

My fellow afficianados of the S Class;

This is why MercedesShop.com is one of my favorite sites in the www. world!
What an information banquet it is for us. I have been looking for maybe my last car (health issues), and I have considered many makes, new and used.
I keep coming back to the Mercedes-Benz S W140 and it's several models.
They are something SPECIAL!!! They are more than transportation. I think they are the Heart and Soul of Daimler-Benz, as much as the pre-war 500K's and the 300SL's of Rudi Ulenhaut's era, and now of the modern era also. Even in it's 320 form, it is not a simple car, in it's V12 form, you need a Rocket Scientist, or become one yourself, to maintain it! I can't do my own work anymore, not even an oil change. Where I am now, I have found some great independents but, no one can handle an S Class. I have met a new friend who has an S420, and he verifies my thinking on this. It's a 100+ mile round trip or more to the dealer. I still want one. The S320 makes more sense and is practicle, almost. The 350 DSL, was my first choice, but having learned of the 603's Russian Roulette character... The 500 has it all, whatever you need and more. The 600 your in fantasy land, more than your dreams will desire and for low to mid-teens, for a good car that has been properly cared for. What do I find new? I may as well stay in my wheelchair!
I would like to find a Dealer like Herb Phillips or an MB Dealer, that actually likes these older S Class cars around here (Michigan), as I don't get around much anymore. German Car You Know!

At the 1995 facelift, when Mercedes decided to cheapen many production issues of the W140 so it could still be producing it instead of killing it, they decided to cheapen the standard leather fitted as an option on most world markets and standard in the U.S.

To widen the appeal and to make an extra profit, it started at the same time offering the Nappa leather option. A much soft grained leather which was substantially more expensive than the regular leather.

The Nappa could be ordered in just one color or a bi-tone combination. I think in the U.S. the Nappa option was available only as a bi-tone option and fitted standard to the S/CL 600, but I could be wrong on that issue.

You must take into account too that in Germany and most world market the standard seat finish was cloth, and besides the three leather options, velour was also offered.

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

If one was so motivated by the quality of the leather in their car they could employ the services of a custom interior shop. You could then have the seats covered in whatever you wanted. If you shop around for a skilled shop most people would never know that you had anything done to the interior of your car other than the really nice leather.

With the cost of wiring harness and A/C evaporator job you would have more than enough money left over if you bought a late model car and had this done