Hi Guys,

I have been shopping recently for a nice late 70's early 80's SD or CD to handle some of my 20 mile daily commute and for general entertainment purposes. I was very close to making an offer on a nice 300CD in my area when what should appear about 30 miles from me? A pristine 1997 S320 LWB with 49k miles, no options, full service records, immaculate ext./int. and the evaporator and head gasket done within 10k miles with receipts to verify the claim. The 1983 300 CD I was looking at had less than 75k miles, looked as new and the asking price was around $11k. This S320 is for sale at a very firm $13k and is A LOT of car for the money as we all know.

My intent was to purchase a nice used Benz that has some character and gets 20+ miles per gallon. Both of these cars seem to fit the bill nicely. I have owned a 1995 S320 and 1995 S600 in the past, both Starmarked, and both had very few issues. At most, these cars will be driven 5k/year and will not be garaged, but covered. The 300CD can be repaired at my local independent and the W140 will be beyond his grasp for sure. This will be a fourth car for me so I will not take kindly to big repair bills on the W140, the 300CD doesn't scare me so much. And, to be honest, with the bigger items already tended to on the W140 it's starting to scare me less and less. I like the antique feel of the 300CD as much as i like the bank vault construction of the S320. What would you guys do?

Best and Thanks,

David

I drive 35k a yr and my work pays for my fuel to commute to and fro.....I'd take the W140 as it is lightyears ahead of the CD in terms of luxury and safety.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

I've got one, and its a great car. Check the maintenance records and see if the "big" repairs have been done. The A/C evaporator is a $5k job so if it hasn't been done you may be able to negotiate the price down a bit.

Maintenance-wise, the S320 is surprisingly easy to work on. There's lots of room under the hood, and since it's a '97, it will have OBD-II which makes diagnosis much easier.


I say go for the S320.

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"It's not about how fast you can go, but how well you can go fast."

Bob in Richmond

'97 S320 (LWB), Ruby Red Metallic, 73k miles
'97 S420V, Smoke Silver Metallic, 155k miles

I have a 1999 S320 and it has been the best car I have ever owned better than many new cars I have owned. Buying a 140 requires the owner to know about their car to make good decisions on repairs. There is nothing on the road like a well maintained 140 chassis car except for its big brother the Maybach which is built on the same chassis and is known as the 240.

On the S320 the major issue to be concerned about is the 722.6 transmission. If you buy one the first thing you should do is have the transmission serviced by a good indie mechanic. There was a bit of misinformation spread by a number of MB dealers about the transmission being "sealed for life". I guess its true if you plan on replacing it every 100K at $5K a pop. I was lucky and unlucky with my 722.6. After the flush my transmission stopped shifting requiring me to invest in a new valve body. This was lucky as $600 for a valve body is cheaper than $5k for a transmission. This is not something that you "predict" despite popular belief with a inspection or looking at service records.

Unless you want to part with money quickly don't go to a dealer. I was quoted $1000 just to change the spark plugs on my S320 by Mercedes Benz of South Atlanta. I have a great indie mechanic that does great work at realistic prices. If he says its broken it gets fixed period. I am very proactive with repairs and tend to bring my car in at the slightest perception of a problem. My indie is able to handle my S320 without any problems at all and the mechanic that works on my car has a w140 as a daily driver.

I tend to be a bit anal retentive on my car but this is roughly what I have spent on service and maint since I have owned my car. Keep in mind all I only use original MB or high quality German parts on my car.

Mobil 1 oil changes about $125

Transmission Valve body, Swaybar bushings, Front fluid filled joints, Transmission mounts. Many other Misc things $1900

Mobil1 Oil change, Spark Plugs, Wires Coil a lot of other Misc work $600

New Continental Tires $600

New pads rotors and wheelbearings $1000

There is such a stellar difference in the way the S320 and the 300SD that I own drive that I really don't drive the 300SD that often anymore. My car is Black and I live in Atlanta and even on the hottest most humid days the A/C system can freeze me out of the car if set to a low setting. Double paned insulated glass keeps the road noise and maintains the inner tempature of the car. The pneumatically sealing doors with multiple inner and outer seals makes this car seem like a rolling bank vault. The Bose Sound system with quad subwoofers and speakers mounted everywhere including behind the rear view mirror makes a silent car even more silent and is like wearing noise canceling headphones while gliding down the road. I think the S320 is a better value than the S500. The S320 develops 230hp and the S500 is 275hp. The S320 gets better fuel economy and the engine costs less to maintain. All the "classic" older MB's were originally inline 6's and the V8 thing is really just to appeal to the American market.

If you buy buy the latest model one you can find. 1999 was the last year of production for US models only as in Europe the 220 replaced the 140 in 1998. A 1999 model gets you all the final improvements on the 140 without any of the cheapening seen in the 220 chassis. The 1999 models also get you all the "final rev" firmware on all of the computer modules so compatibility with new parts is not difficult if you buy directly from Mercedes Benz. I have heard that the 140 has over 80 RISC processors onboard for many of the computer's that control the basic functions of the car.

The 140 is more expensive to own and operate than its counterparts and is worth every damn penny!! The 140 was a world class car and the 220 and 221 chassis cars pale in comparision in every way. I drove an 07 S550 and right afterwards stepped into my S320 and it was a much better ride and comfort level.

I agree on rchase that the S320 is enough equipped, with the variable
length intake of the latest M104, but the S500 develops 321hp, not 275hp...

br,
syljua

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1998 CL500 W140
1984 230E W123

Thats sort of right. I Checked my facts. The information that I have is the S420 develops 275hp and the S500 develops 315hp. Thats for the 1999 model year.

It looks like your from Norway and the European models that you drive probably have more power.

We had a 1997 S320 LWB in the family from new to 7 or 8 years old. It did not have too many problems. The head gasket got changed out due to the usual oil leak. A front wheel bearing went at 60K or 70K miles. My brother killed the heater fan by driving through a winter carwash with the heater on full. Not much to complain about, really. Never stranded anyone, never needed a jump start, never needed a tow.

I recall dad saying it would deliver 24MPG on the highway, or maybe just a bit more. For a highway commute, these days I bet the per-mile fuel cost of the 140 is lower than the 123 diesel.

The 140 isn't my style, so I elected not to pick it up when it got retired. Sure seemed like a good car, though.

- JimY

Sounds like a nice car.

I wonder though how common is it that the head gaskets need to be replaced on these cars before 50K miles?

I read somewhere this was resolved on the later model 140's. Car quality has gone down hill progressively over the past few years. A friend of mine is looking at an engine replacement in a 2002 Chrysler Sebring with just under 100K miles.