Help with W140 S280

[ahmik]

Hi guys, I have been following adverts on the Luxury Car Classifieds for some time now and have been impressed by the W140 posted by Varun.

Here are a few questions I'd like to ask the Members of this forum:

1. Can any of the members vouch/declare that they know this car. Since this site has many users who inturn personally know many others, Im taking a chance by asking this.
2. Can someone help me with hidden truths about this ride.
3. Can anyone suggest the best places in Delhi to get an unbiased detailed report on this Merc.
4. And finally whats the best price for this W140 S280? I have seen the price of this ride coming down of late.

I'm in the lookout for a well maintained used Merc preferably an S class within a tight budget, is it possible to lay my hands on such a beauty?
I'm from Hyderabad so I have keep in mind the transfers and road tax issues which could be more than a couple of lakhs.

I would also like to take this opportunity in asking the Mercedes S Klasse members to give their feedback of various S classes including the performance, upkeep/maintenance cost, niggles, pros and cons.

Would much appreciate your efforts. Thanks.

[canonball]

ahmik That car has seen many owners and has been repainted on the side not shown in the ad there are pics of this car in W140 section where 2 doors are repainted which is not such a big deal but can effect its value as the paint does not entirely match. You can get an offcial benz dealer to do a complete tech check for Rs. 1500 to 2500/- and they have to provide you with a complete report (purposly go through MBIL pune) so no baises come through if they put you onto workshop (just an insurance) be aware that official dealers goes a little over board with their falt finding (a good thing) so you need to ignore the unwanted faultfinding and focus on the real problem areas. Their report makes things objective & real whilst engaging the seller. Although the car looks great in Pics she has seen many owners (including some political types duty see the pics) so the mechanical condition may be suspect/needs a complete checked.

There are better examples on autoxchange and one in Mumbai quoted at 5.6 and not gone GTO has gone and seen it so check with him cheers

[GTO]

Ahmik,

The said car is a '94. I'd recommend buying a '95 (and higher) W140 as several parts were upgraded + many niggles sorted out. Remember, this was a cost-no-bar luxury sedan. The W140 was expensive to build, to buy and to own.

Also, personally I'd go only for a V8 W140.

Originally Posted by ahmik

Can anyone suggest the best places in Delhi to get an unbiased detailed report on this Merc.

Authorised is best. Costs 4.5 for a complete evaluation.

4. And finally whats the best price for this W140 S280? I have seen the price of this ride coming down of late.

Don't know about this car in particular, but I'd not pay over 3.5 - 4.0 lakhs.

I'm in the lookout for a well maintained used Merc preferably an S class within a tight budget, is it possible to lay my hands on such a beauty?

The Indian W124 E220 / E250 is highly recommended to you.

[ahmik]

GTO and Canonball, thank you very much for the reply.

GTO, I shall give up my dreams about this car and earnestly search for a post 95 car. I was looking at Delhi and Bombay since the number of such cars are more compared to say Hyderabad. Btw why do you suggest a W124 instead?

Canonball, thank you for the suggestions. Since the car is in Delhi do you suggest sending MBIL mechanics from Pune to Delhi for an unbiased report?
I have seen a couple of S classes on the website of autoxchange but is it possible to get one through this forum as one lucky dude from Bangalore seems to have achieved?

Thank you both once again.

[nandishpal]

ahmik,
i was also on look out for an s class post 95 & was ready to pay anything for it.but after consulting a few bhpians i have taken a back seat & waiting for the right deal.abhishek (speedy) has bought a very good s600 v12 & that is the car i am targeting but seems to be very difficult.also heard that s600 v12's have been sold for a very reasonable price.i have seen a couple of s class in bangalore.a s300 SEL,S320.
none have been to my expectation.

[ahmik]

Thank you Nandishpal. I'll probably not look beyond a S320 if its a W140 according to my understanding after reading quite a bit on this series.
Happy hunting for your V12 - the ultimate.

[speedy]

Hi Ahmik.
I do not know much about the car you are talking off but seeing the pictures i would say the car is not in its highest order to the trained eye. Expect these cars irrespective of their model designation to be in the range of 4.5 to 8 lakhs with the occasional ones above 10 lakhs. What canonball means is get the authorised mercedes dealer to check out the car and they will get their feedback from MB Germany. I would not pay more than 4 for this perticular car. These models look fabulous but do not have resale. Autox had a 95 (i think) s320 along with the 500 for sale.
See like members say alot of upgradadation and niggles sorted out in the post 94 but there is not much difference. My car is a 92 and was imported in 97 so it has most of the upgradation done to it. The engine though remains the same and so do the electricals. They come with 8 individual sensors for all models irrespective of year.
Now if you do have money to spare and mind you free flowing. You should think of getting a W140. Parts are very expensive and have to be ordered some parts would be available in the market at a price. Also if you are looking at resale forget it, you would only be looseing money. If you do plan on retaining a car i would suggest you look for a 500 and not a 600. The 500 is a v8 and would return F.E. of 4 or 5 on easy driveing. The 600 would give you 3 or 4 if driven lightly and with the foot down 1. V6 is the most practical of them all returning 6. The v6 and the v8 are manageable cars as they can be teated as any normal car, the 600 cannot and you have to be very careful with her.
The w124 would be available in a cheaper price range and are work horses and parts are cheap in comparison and that is why GTO must hae suggested you go for it instead.

[ahmik]

Hello Speedy,
Thanks for your inputs.
Since you have a W140 V12, can I ask a few doubts. I have read a bit about the running costs of a W140 and all I get to hear are these problems; wiring harness, a/c evaporator core, vacuum pump, control arm bushings, shock mounts, front spring breakage & blower regulators.
Can you throw some light on the above issues as well as upkeep costs and from where you source your spare parts both OE and non-OE.
The W124 is right now not on my platter. If I go in for a lux car then I'm looking at an S class from Mercedes and btw I haven't yet found a W124 in the price bracket you have mentioned.
In general, I do not prefer a car from cities like mumbai or chennai for their corrosive reasons.
Thanks again for your time.

[varun m]

nice thread....i will join in a months time....suprise suprise !!!

[Mpower]

Speedy the old 280 engine is an inline six.

& the current 280s are V6s.