12th Oct 2005, 14:38

I agree with the comment that the 126 body style S-type Mercedes is a much better built car than the S320. I have a six cylinder 280SE circa 1981 with over 230,000 miles of reliable service which drives as well as the day I got it in 1986 with 40,000 miles on it. Then I had to get tempted with a lemon S320 1996 which not only had a leaking head gasket and transmission joints, but had to get the whole air-conditioning system rebuilt and several gauges replaced in the dash. After spending over $12,000, I gave it away free of charge to my sister last year.

1st Aug 2006, 11:14

I have been a Benz fan for years (12years) now. After I gave up my 300SD, I stumbled into my 1995 S320. The car looks like a beautiful woman with very dirty habits. I bought the car with 59K miles and its now at 85K mile.

So with under 30K miles, I have already changed:

* The entire brake system

*The reverse clutch in the transmission

*The AC is completely out

*Changed the Air flow meter (when the check engine light came on)

*The odometer panel light is out

*The Air control meter (I guess this controls how the doors close) is gone

* and so on.

These cars are a piece of junk. Mercedes needs to do a recall sooner than later. Guess what, my next car can't be a Mercedes. I am done.

Thanks.

Eyoh.

18th Dec 2008, 21:22

I have owned 2 E-Class cars (1992 & 1994) & they were absolutely bullet-proof. I made the huge mistake of trading the 94 in on a black 1995 S-320 LWB! Mercedes built them to be alluring & beautiful, but nothing more. I currently have 105,000 miles on her & have already changed the following:

Head gasket

Wiring Harness

Motor Mounts & Transmission Mount

Both rear window regulators (broken again)

Numerous dash light bulbs

MAF Sensor

Rear Upper Control Arms

Transmission Rebuild

I could go on & on. I have 12,000 miles on the transmission & it's already going out again! From what I hear, these cars eat transmissions like candy, because the transmissions are too small for the weight of the car. The trans rebuild cost me $3,400! I will be cutting my losses very soon & buying another W124 E-class.

15th Oct 2010, 17:52

I am a long time Mercedes Benz owner, starting with 1960 190 convertible, 67 250 s, 1986 hammer, 91 300e, 95 S320, 97 C36.

I am reading all these negative comments about the S Class LWB; I have over 200k on this vehicle, and drive daily and on long cross country trips, and this thing has been nothing but reliable!!!

Yes, there are typical wear issues, but that's because today's cars are built to have wear related parts. These days, that is how they make their money; they basically sell the cars for little margins, and get you on the parts.

Yes, I have the head gasket that leaks oil, the slow response reverse gear, and bulbs burned out in the dash and accessory buttons, yet the car starts every day, and goes and goes and goes.

I have been driving with the leaking head gasket for 4 years now, and there is a little oil in the coolant, but this car is a tank. I drive it at approx 80-85 mph every day, and it runs just as strong as it did when it was new.

Wake up people, they are machines with parts that need to be replaced at times. If you can't afford to maintain it, you probably shouldn't have bought it!!! Go get a Toyota and see where that gets you? If you're lucky, not seriously hurt, or worse yet, dead.

27th Oct 2010, 03:55

I bought my W140 Long Wheelbase used with 80K MI. It now has 185k MI.

Yes, I have replaced the ball joints (it is a heavy car), wiring harness (it is an old car), and reverse went out at 170K, which I had fixed for $1000.00 dollars. What do you expect to drive a comfortable classy performance luxury car for, peanuts? Get real, you want economy, buy a boring Mazda. You want a full size car that gives you a driving experience, buy an S Class.

4th Mar 2011, 22:44

Bought my 95 S320 2 years ago for the price of a used Taurus. Had 2 previous adult owners, and was in pristine condition with 88K miles. Now has 111K miles. This vehicle has been a real joy to own. Plenty of power, smooth and quiet, and gets 21 mpg highway. Based on my experience, I would not discourage others from purchasing this vehicle.

14th Feb 2012, 05:49

I own a 1995 S320 imported from Japan. The year is 2012, and I can't believe this is a 17 year old car! The interior black leather is as good as new, still smells new.

My car didn't come with soft closing door/boot, but I don't really need them, as they're just extra things to fail in time. All electrics work, even the rear blinds, the only thing that is not working is the front head rest adjust; the pulley cog had worn out, no biggy. The car starts first time and sounds great!

She has parking antlers at rear that pop up upon reverse too. I think they removed it after 1995, and had parking assist sensors instead.

I paid $8000 NZD for her, and feel she is worth every penny. Had the radiator flushed and conditioned, air filter replaced & air con re-gassed; that cost me $600 NZD total. These are just regular maintenance, and a reasonable price to pay for a luxury car! I feel like the king of the road when I drive her around town. Family members are loving the ride too.

Certainly a well looked after car, and I hope to have years of trouble free motoring in this. Definitely the highlight of my motoring experience!

2nd May 2015, 15:40

Thank you kindly for your comment, it's only a machine. I had a 1986 300SE and replaced everything from the fuel pump, fuel distributer, drive shaft, and the gear box was replaced twice. When I bought it, the gears got stuck on the highway and the engine blew up. So I fixed it up, and loved it and treated the car as a family member.

I upgraded to a 97 S320, and wow, a big difference. Anything can happen to any car. I'm just a die hard Mercedes fan.

If you want to get yourself a 126, go for it S320, and reserve some disappointments as you would with anything else. MB rocks. Do not be discouraged.

7th Jun 2015, 01:56

Hello all. I have owned a 1995 S500 for about six months. Love at first sight. Body and paint are in excellent condition. Interior is a 9/10.

I knew of the inherent problems of this car (throttle body cable and throttle body, I paid $350 for the whole unit rebuilt and shipped on eBay, not the $2600 a Mercedes dealer wanted for the job. Paid a total of $575 including labor from my mechanic). I bought mine for $3000.00 out the door from a dealer, which means he paid the taxes of $270!!!

It has 134k original miles. All power options work except power antenna. I am running Kendall liquid titanium full synthetic 5w30. Just replaced transmission fluid filter and gasket (had a leak). Used Havoline full synthetic transmission fluid MBZ compatible.

The car is running excellent, but the check engine light is on with no codes. I suspect it is the bio degradable wiring harness, which will be the next repair. The last thing is I need to replace the valve cover gasket. All these things cost the same as a regular car if you can do it yourself or have a reasonable good mechanic. Parts Geek is fantastic for parts.

Driving the W140 feels like a million bucks. But if you need to ask what kind of mileage does it get, this car is not for you. If you want economy, buy a Toyota Corolla. The reasons to buy a Mercedes W140 S500 are safety, power and incredible comfort. Even as a 20 year old car, it still commands respect and receives compliments all the time. Love this car.

23rd Jul 2016, 11:03

I bought my 95 S320 4 years ago with 260k miles on it, and I love this car, it drives great, and handles even better. The only repair made was a 30amp fuse to the coffin box which controls all the major functions of the car like transmission, power steering, and even the speedometer. Anyone with this car should know about the infamous COFFIN BOX; it's located on the passenger side fire wall...

Other than that, I'm 280k+ and still looking good and driving even better!!! The best car I've ever owned and most definitely the most reliable; I didn't drive the car in 2 years... I gave it a jump and it's all good to go... LOL can't kill these cars; they run hard FOREVER and look even better.

24th Jul 2016, 15:08

I find it hard to believe you just jumped a car that sat for 2 years and it was good to go. I let a car sit for 7 months and it needed some odds and ends done to it before it was good to go. I didn't have to jump it because I removed the battery before I parked it. I needed to flush the radiator because the coolant had turned corrosive and blocked up the radiator, it needed fresh gas, and I had to put some spark plug wires on it because they had dry rotted.

25th Jul 2016, 16:16

I had a low mileage Crown Vic after my grandmother passed away. It sat for 4 years. New battery and changed the oil and filter before I turned the key. Added air in the tires. Started right up. I changed the oil and filter again after a couple of hundred added miles. That's it.

26th Jul 2016, 04:18

Those Crown Vics & Mark VIII are tough, nice, and undervalued... : )