It's funny what you say about the C/E class. Just 3 weeks ago I bought a w210 e430 with 63k miles, single lady owner, avantgarde spec from a reputable enough dealer thinking I got myself a car to treasure for years. Had a bit of rust on one of the arches and one of the rear windows didn't open, no biggie for me. I did all the sensible checks, even brought my own dipstick for the gearbox oil. The car drove beautiful on the hours drive home! Took it to my guy and that's when the issues started. Rust underneath, common I know but I asked the guys ahead of time and he swore blind it's clean underneath, leaky sunroof (perished drains) which is a massive job due to the headliner having to come out, Aircon which was working when I got it packed up 2 days in.. basically a lemon. Got my money back the following weekend. I do appreciate the w220 advice tho, I just like them slabby and 90' looking, it's a weakness I can't shakeI understand your temptation, I really do. Big cars offer crazy value for money - if that was a C or E sized car on that mileage, it would have been sold by now.
Engine size isn't an issue if you're not going to be "working it."
But wouldn't the beautiful, elegant, W220 would be a better buy for the same kind of money.
You'll be able to pick up an S320 or S280 for similar money, in glorious condition, and better colours. 8-10 years younger, with much fresher tech, and so elegant.
Here's an example at £3,800 (call it £3,250) - but there are many around.
You'll be able to knock 20% off the asking price. Large cars don't sell in days or weeks - they take months or years to sell. Just take your time and buy a good one that doesn't need immediate servicing, tyres or repairs.
(Personally, I'd buy a 2005 low mileage, 2 owner, high spec car with main dealer history for £5k, but each to their own)
2001 Silver MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 3.2 S320 4dr for sale for £3790
Should I consider a low spec but good condition w140?
- Thread starter Mike210
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That is sage advice!
MikeInWimbledon
Hardcore MB Enthusiast
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"Slabby" is good. Everyone to their own taste. But if a car hasn't seen a main dealer anytime recently, I'd be pulling in a specialist vehicle inspector to spend two hours working through the car. Rust, sunroof drain, and non-working windows are easy to spot - there are WAY more difficult and fatal things to find out there.
You can't assume that a car that hasn't been professionally / rigorously maintained is still working OK. Chances are some things have gone wrong that haven't been fixed.
You can't assume that a car that hasn't been professionally / rigorously maintained is still working OK. Chances are some things have gone wrong that haven't been fixed.
Yeah if I take the plunge on the w140 it won't be until my local mercedes specialist carries out all the PPI on it including compression tests and a proper suspension and chain inspection.
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I think it’s too small engine for such a big car. If you only need it for daily commute the MPG will be on the low 20’s/high 10’s and you’ll find it difficult shifting it when the time comes because of color and low spec. My thinking is that W140 that will keep the value and maybe even make a profit must be with 500 engine, as much toys as possible, and low miles. Hard to find, I know, but they must be there somewhere.
I mostly buy cars in the sub £1K bracket , and tend to know the ones to walk away from .
Mostly I’ve been lucky : my £700 300TE-24 turned out to be a well maintained one owner car after I bought it from a breaker ; it did turn out to have over 400K on the clock but it had been meticulously maintained regardless of cost always at the supplying dealer right up to 3 months before I got it , and when I got the history from the dealer there was even an invoice for a £6.5K new engine less than a year before , it ran beautifully until 18 months later an uninsured driver ran into it and wrote it off .
I’m on my 3rd and cheapest 190E , about 4 or 5 years in , bought for £250 a very tidy LE model , only fault of consequence was a failed CHG which became evident about six months into ownership. Rather than repair I swapped the 1.8L for a 2.3L out of a W124 , along with 2.6 brakes , which transformed the car ; this year I swapped the propshaft , diff and driveshafts for 2.6 ones to get the taller ratio , even now the car is still very lively , but I’m going to see if I can fit a 5 speed box for even more long legged cruising , and might look at a LSD to help in the winter . Next year will also see a visit to the body shop as , although sound , she’s starting to show her 25years , and I want rid of the chrome arches the previous owner had fitted rather than tidying the wheelsrches ( I already have genuine new front wings and rear repair sections ) . The car is definitely a keeper and a long term restoration project which will be my daily driver .
My £1300 W126 500SEL just never missed a beat over 5 years and 100,000 miles , nothing more to say - loved the car but not the fuel bills .
My £500 190E 2.6 needed a heater matrix when I bought it , fixed that and ran it for 4 trouble free years .
My W124 300TE needed 3 drivers door window regulators over 11 years and 200K , then I got rid when the ASD diff failed ; I bought that one at 3 years old and paid £14K , but it wasn’t really any better a car than the dozens of cheap ones I’ve owned .
The way I look at it is , buy them cheap enough I can afford to keep them going ( and do just about everything myself ) but if something goes disastrously wrong , I can afford to shrug my shoulders and move onto the next .
Mostly I tend to get several years out of my cars - the only two bad ones were the £700 Fintail which was superficially good but rotten in so many hidden places ; still got my money back out of it in parts though ; and my troublesome S203 , which wasn’t a cheap car but was and will be my first and last modern CDI car .
Don’t see it as a problem - any wedding hire place will snap up a clean white W140 - and the 2.8 is fine for pootling along to the church .
I’d be surprised if it hadn’t already been a wedding car before
You are not wrong, all my mercs have been bought for sub £1500. 190e with single owner and 78k miles cost me £850, the w210 I'm running now was £1400 and had so far done 40000 trouble free safe miles so I get your point. I guess I'm at a stage in my life where I can get a car that I know will need less work and more of just preventative maintenance. I'd also like it to be a more unique motor that I could take to local meets and on the occasional Sunday spin whilst still being able to load up the entire family and travel in ultimate comfort to France or Spain.
That's exactly what I was thinking, the s500 is the absolute pick of the bunch with a peach of an engine. Sadly very hard to find and starting to get expensive, my budget is 5k and there is no chance of finding one with such low miles and good history as the s280 I've been offered. The mpg doesn't faze me as my commute is so short it really will cost me an extra £250 a year in fuel. The low spec and smaller engine is the real worry when it comes to resell time.
I'm not buying a wedding car but I guess that's my target market when it comes to reselling it!
popuptoaster
Active Member
I paid less than 4K for my E55, I'm guessing its more fun, more practical and probably has more chance of holding on to it's value than a low spec S class, of course if you really want the W140 all that is irrelevant, but I still wouldn't buy the povo spec version of any old car unless you had a specific reason to do so.
I bought an early 2 litre Rover P6 because it has cleaner lines and i was going to chuck the engine away anyway for example, most people want the V8 version these days.
I bought an early 2 litre Rover P6 because it has cleaner lines and i was going to chuck the engine away anyway for example, most people want the V8 version these days.
I would love an e55 w210 but good ones with low miles are 8k plus these days. In fact, I just bout and returned (too many hidden issues) an e430 w210.
D
Deleted member 6183
Guest
I'd be looking at a Lexus barge in this age/price bracket.
popuptoaster
Active Member
I wouldn't let mileage put you off, mine has 225000 on it but came with a huge folder full of bills for stuff that's been replaced over the years, I think the only parts that have actually done that many miles are the engine gearbox and body shell, even the paint has been replaced.
It's not the miles or the age that are important, it's how it's been taken care of, mine was one owner and was sent into the same main dealer to have anything it needed, even tyres. It totalled up it's mileage driving from London to Cornwall and back most weekends for seventeen years and sat in a garage during the week but the high mileage kept people from answering the advert i think so the price was low but i'm using it as a daily driver with no issues so far although it's not perfect most of the expensive stuff has been done already so i'm happy to trust it over a low miles one with less history.
popuptoaster
Active Member
Years, you can still buy new parts for 60's Mercs, i got a new headlight glass, from Mercedes, next day delivery for a W114 for less than 20 quid.
I agree with the buy on condition not millage statement but most of the high miles low price e55' have 5+ owners and plenty scope to be lemons. Yours sounds like a one off find which I guess is great for you!I wouldn't let mileage put you off, mine has 225000 on it but came with a huge folder full of bills for stuff that's been replaced over the years, I think the only parts that have actually done that many miles are the engine gearbox and body shell, even the paint has been replaced.
It's not the miles or the age that are important, it's how it's been taken care of, mine was one owner and was sent into the same main dealer to have anything it needed, even tyres. It totalled up it's mileage driving from London to Cornwall and back most weekends for seventeen years and sat in a garage during the week but the high mileage kept people from answering the advert i think so the price was low but i'm using it as a daily driver with no issues so far although it's not perfect most of the expensive stuff has been done already so i'm happy to trust it over a low miles one with less history.
I have one big issue with Lexus that I can't see past; it's not Merc
D
Deleted member 6183
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That's very loyal of you.
Doodle
MB Enthusiast
Unfortunately that's not necessarily the case for examples from the 90's. Remote keys have been problematic for a while, although Mercedes are currently looking into a new solution/supplier. ISTR a member here recently found M119 throttle bodies were NLA from Bosch for the moment. Certain ASR sensors are not currently available. These sort of things are a showstopper if you can't find/engineer a way around it or turn up a good used part to keep you going.
That legendary unshakeable parts supply has arguably had some wobbles lately
