Mercedes S-Class W140

[Styria]

Short and sharp video of this fabulous, yet much maligned, Mercedes. I quite like the style, albeit a little bland, but from a distance, the rear end treatment is impressive. Obviously, the V12 and V8 models are complex cars and, by definition, expensive and difficult to maintain. Matt, one of our long time members, has the poverty version, namely a 280SE. He bought that model because of its perceived simplicity, but he swears by it and absolutely loves it. Anyway, it is what it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mK7jub4x_o

Regards Styria

 

[SEL_69L]

Very strong styling cues with the smallest in the Mercedes range at the time: the W202.

Some other manufacturers now put as much development effort into their new products: notably Toyota. They cannot afford to make a mistake with the Corolla.
A simpler product that has had as much effort spent on it, add up to greater reliability over an extended period.

Interesting servicing costs / reliability comparison: W140 400 SEL vs Lexus LS400. or
W202 c180 vs 1.8 litre Corolla.

 

[c107]

Matt did post a very good buyers guide on this model when he was more active on the forum:

http://www.topklasse.org/forums/showthread.php?t=2663

I have to say that while I admire the engineering in the W140, I it is a model that I overall don't particularly care for. I personally think it looks like a bloated W124.

Stil, the current S Class has more W140 DNA than earlier models with the focus on tech.

The W140 does seem to have missed the interest of collectors and I don't think survival rates will be that high. I would say if you're a fan now is the time to buy a nice one and maybe a parts car as well.