w140 S320 as a daily driver

[andysgriff]

Hi

I've recently bought a W140 320 and would like to get a view from those who have more experience with the motors than me. The car so far has been very good, apart from a boot closure problem. Its reasonably low mileage (80k) with 1 previous owner. Its featured in the Merc Enthusiast magazine this month. Would it feasible to run this car as a daily driver? I'd be doing about 20k miles per year, are they better used a lot or used at weekends? Hope you get my drift.

What are the highest mileages anyone has ever seen these get to?

Thanks
Andy

 

[219]

Should be perfectly practical - I've been running a 500SEL for the last 18 months and have covered 20,000 trouble free miles - mine is a 1986 model so the earlier W126 series . All S Classes are built to cover high mileages with ease .

With the 320 , do check the maintenance history and try to find out if the engine wiring loom has been replaced : the wiring insulation was designed to be biodegradable for environmental reasons , but only after the car reached the end of its life - unfortunately the insulation has been found to break down after about 10 years age - regardless of mileage - leading to expensive electrical problems and damage to some of the car's expensive electronic components . If you're unsure whether it has been done , cost to replace is about £400 and a wise investment .

These cars do have a lot of gadgets , so make sure everything is working while any warranty you might have is still in force .

Having said that , they are lovely cars and I'm sure will give you a lot of enjoyment .

I ran a 300TE-24 ( very similar engine ) to 430,000 miles at which point it was written off by an uninsured driver who crashed through my garden wall - otherwise I'm sure it would have passed the half-million by now ! Plenty of these cars run up high mileages - especially on the continent covering long motorway journeys - which is what they were designed for .

 

[kps70]

Hi - my W140 S500 is a daily used car. However, I've had it a few months and the list of repairs is already quite long (and pricey). I feel that I have been catching up on money not spent over the past few years. Hopefully, yours has a more comprehensive service history! I have replaced the wiring loom at a cost of £40 as I made one for myself from scratch!!
I am planning to drive it down to Bulgaria in the summer. That will be a test of reliability. Probably going to convert it to lpg before the trip.
Good luck with yours.
I keep a trusty Passat TDi as a reserve, but always choose the Merc as a more relaxed carriage to work!
Cheers
Kieron

 

[frog1520]

Ive used my W140 almost every day for the 5 years or so I've owned it. They like to be used - I've put 90K on mine so far and it had 75K on when i bought it. Get it serviced every 9K and try and get someone else to pay for your petrol and just enjoy it

Its a superb car - I've had loads of opportunities to change it, but theres nothing else I really like - certainly not enough to justify a massive price tag!

 

[pyth0n]

hi Kps70

please could you contact me in regard to making a loom by yourself.

kind regards

 

[donubenz]

I ran a W140 420 for 6years and covered about 50K miles. Great as a daily driver but poor fuel use for short trips 10-15mpg and 22ish on a run.
Only issues were having to free off sunroof manually each spring due to lack of Winter use (best to fully open and close every week to exercise it). Rot in one front wing due to pipe feeding headlamp washer coming adrift and pumping water into wing when washers operated at night. Serpent belt tensioner died. Oh and it ate front springs, had about 3 sets fitted all genuine Mercedes and was told it was because the engine is heavy it puts the springs under extra load particularly over speed bumps. Use it and enjoy it I still miss mine and SWMBO would not drive it as it was too big so ended up with an E class and still looking for a modern S to change to.
Don

 

[sarangimaster]

These things are really build to last, many go to 200k miles but just need to keep it well maintained, regular servicing and it should do you proud! I myself own a W140 S500, uneconomical in the city, much better on the motorway. But its just my weekend/long journey car. S320 should be better in the city, but stopping and starting is what causes bad MPG, takes some petrol to get these german tanks moving at the traffic lights

 

[d w124]

Well not a petrol one but my mate had a diesel one that I used to drive every now and than
At the time the car had 960-970k can't remember correctly but the car drove just like a 50k one

That was 10 years ago though and my friend still has the car and loves it