Which is the better car and why

[Les Orth]

I have been pondering on this question and welcome comments from owners of the following vehicles...

Which is the better car a W140, W220 or W221?

Having never owned a W140, and only recently purchased a W220 S350 and wondering if one day I should upgrade to a W221 I would appreciate comments from owners as to the merits of each series and which model you would recommend.
Many thanks,
Les

[Ivanerrol]

Difficult question.

The great unloved W140 - yet D.B. managed to sell half a million of them.
The early ones were beset with electronic issues not helped at all by the eco wiring catastrophe.
Self closing door issues, ASB issues etc. etc.
Can't get around the fact that they are a great highway cruiser. Long wheel bases are ponderous around town - however surprisingly easy to park.
Really need at least a S500 motor for effortless motoring
Solid as a billet of iron, paintwork high quality - enamel and not water based like on other post '97 models.

IMHO DB should have installed the M112/M113 plus 722.6 in 1997 to update these cars.
If you get one with a good body, the eco wiring has been changed (early cars) and you can look after it yourself - great to own.
Caveat - I once owned a W140
Maybachs were based on the W140 chassis.

W220's

First of them - electrical nightmare - you really need to keep on top of any electrical anomaly
SBC brake system - one of Benz's silly ideas - seemed like a good idea at the time.
Build quality suffered as engineering quality was constrained by the bean counter and marketing ,men of the Daimler Chrysler era.

Having said that many owners get hundreds of thousands of trouble free motoring out of these cars - with careful maintenance.

W221's

Iphone on wheels.

[Les Orth]

Great comments Ivanerrol.....I nearly bought a W140 but held back because of the potential maintenance costs. My current car is a 2004 S350 and having owned it for three months and done 3000 Klms I can honestly say it in by far the best Mercedes I have owned. You can see below the ones I have owned. This one is near the end of the series and so seems to have been trouble free over its life according to the service records. My only disappointment is the outdated technology being, no Bluetooth, old GPS, no modern audio inputs. Having said that the sound system is very good. I plan to upgrade those things to modern technology and then the car will be perfect for me. The ride is superb and road noise very suppressed. Will I ever upgrade to a W221.....don't know..
Les

[ngruzevs]

I've been tempted on the odd occasion to invest in a used W220 (S350 or S500), but always been worried about maintenance costs and resale values. Seems to be a large difference in used values between private and dealers.

I note Lorbeck have an S430 and S350 L, but they are pricey, all over $25K. Were the last or later W220's any good?

What are the main errors to look at, apart from air-matic suspension?

I'm so tempted, but will likely stick with my 420SE as my daily, found it reliable and cheap to maintain, petrol is the only issue.

[T-Modell]

....
I note Lorbeck have an S430 and S350 L, but they are pricey, all over $25K. Were the last or later W220's any good?
....
I'm so tempted, but will likely stick with my 420SE as my daily, found it reliable and cheap to maintain, petrol is the only issue.

I wouldn't do that. If you change to a W220 you still have an old, outdated car. And 25K? Far too expensive, here's the cheapest in Germany:

s430-1.jpg

And the four most expensive, still under 20K AUD:

s430-2.jpg

Regards
Thomas

[ngruzevs]

Thanks Thomas. Private prices for W220's are significantly cheaper than the dealer (Lorbeck) I quoted. Most W220's seem to be advertised between $10-15K. Maintenance bills scare me on these models and my 420SE is really nice as a daily.

[Ivanerrol]

Here's a nice story about W220

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/5-things- ... 1582610274