RE: Shed Of The Week: Mercedes S500
Discussion
BigBen said:
That was my thinking as well.
The over 2 ton thing is only true of a 600 SEL, the rest are a rather svelte 1900KG or so.
Later cars sadly lack the pop up parking antenna as they have parking sensors instead as well as improvements to the climate control and a restyling making them look a bit less bulky than the early cars.
I have been on the lookout for a late 600 for a few years now, difficult to find.
The later ones (1995 onwards) also had 5 speed electronic gearbox and the climate control was far far better.The over 2 ton thing is only true of a 600 SEL, the rest are a rather svelte 1900KG or so.
Later cars sadly lack the pop up parking antenna as they have parking sensors instead as well as improvements to the climate control and a restyling making them look a bit less bulky than the early cars.
I have been on the lookout for a late 600 for a few years now, difficult to find.
Missed out on a few good S600's over the years which rarely pop up. Currently trying to move forward on a a 1998 four-seater one here in the UAE (not any AMG hooligan car though - it is difficult enough trying to get a standard one maintained let alone an AMG one!)
The W140 is an impressive car, particularly for rear seat passengers. They ride very well indeed and are impressively quiet. They feel vast to drive though, so make a Jaguar XJ feel tremendously nimble in comparison.
The W140 was hugely expensive new - over priced, really. Mercedes mis-judged the market for them and the price they wanted was more than people were prepared to pay. Breath taking depreciation didn't help - not only was the w140 one of the fastest depreciators on the market, the W123, W126 and W124 had traditionally lost very little value, so the W140's plunge came as a shock to buyers.
My brother had an S320 in the 1990s, in a kind of blue-black metallic. It had amazing presence and was quite characterful as a consequence. I liked it. It had surprisingly good performance for its relatively small engine size and felt unstoppable. Unfortunately it proved unstartable on more than one occasion since he had quite a lot of trouble with it. It proved not to be quite so well made as people say - though it felt good quality and heavy. Fixing it was an expensive business - I don't think it ever generated a three figure bill. It would be much cheaper to run now though, since all the parts will be available at scrap yards and you can fix the car yourself.
In short? I'd say the W140 is excessively lionised on PH, but is rather wonderful nevertheless.
The W140 was hugely expensive new - over priced, really. Mercedes mis-judged the market for them and the price they wanted was more than people were prepared to pay. Breath taking depreciation didn't help - not only was the w140 one of the fastest depreciators on the market, the W123, W126 and W124 had traditionally lost very little value, so the W140's plunge came as a shock to buyers.
My brother had an S320 in the 1990s, in a kind of blue-black metallic. It had amazing presence and was quite characterful as a consequence. I liked it. It had surprisingly good performance for its relatively small engine size and felt unstoppable. Unfortunately it proved unstartable on more than one occasion since he had quite a lot of trouble with it. It proved not to be quite so well made as people say - though it felt good quality and heavy. Fixing it was an expensive business - I don't think it ever generated a three figure bill. It would be much cheaper to run now though, since all the parts will be available at scrap yards and you can fix the car yourself.
In short? I'd say the W140 is excessively lionised on PH, but is rather wonderful nevertheless.
Wonderful car. Mercedes of this vintage are fairly DIYable compared to today's stuff.
Best shed this so far year with some caveats:
1. Thirst.
2. If anything big goes wrong it's could well cost about what you paid for the car to put it right (even if you do it yourself).
3. Sheer bulk (already mentioned in Shed's article) will limit it's usefulness in some situations.
4. Something like this is perfect for long distance wafts across the U.S., Canada or Australia, just remember that if it breaks down it's not going to be a quick fix (although Mercedes do support their older products much better than some other manufacturers).
5. Not sure what an insurance policy would cost in UK. In the U.S. It's surprisingly reasonable for something like this, as 5 litre engines are not that big by their standards. (These cars are cheap there too)
Could be quite a lot of fun if you managed to run it for 9 to 12 months with minimal maintenance :-)
Best shed this so far year with some caveats:
1. Thirst.
2. If anything big goes wrong it's could well cost about what you paid for the car to put it right (even if you do it yourself).
3. Sheer bulk (already mentioned in Shed's article) will limit it's usefulness in some situations.
4. Something like this is perfect for long distance wafts across the U.S., Canada or Australia, just remember that if it breaks down it's not going to be a quick fix (although Mercedes do support their older products much better than some other manufacturers).
5. Not sure what an insurance policy would cost in UK. In the U.S. It's surprisingly reasonable for something like this, as 5 litre engines are not that big by their standards. (These cars are cheap there too)
Could be quite a lot of fun if you managed to run it for 9 to 12 months with minimal maintenance :-)
Oh YES. Epic shedding. I'm having to tell myself not to lift the phone. Actually, to be honest, I really think I'd want the M120 V12 in this... somehow anything less would seem like second best. Still think it's such a good-looking thing, and no, the Princess Diana associations wouldn't put me off. The perennial 'run it for six months then scrap it' argument is particularly irrelevant here - they're more-or-less indestructible and deserve TLC. I know it'd end up costing vastly more than its resale value, but that's just not the point with cars like this. They're usable modern classics which get you out of shelling out a ton of cash for something infinitely duller.
Incidentally, if there's ever been a cooler barge than this S140 S73 AMG estate, let me know:
.
Incidentally, if there's ever been a cooler barge than this S140 S73 AMG estate, let me know:
.
fatboy69 said:
Suggested to SWMBO that she gets rid of her awful Saab thing & moves into this beast. She just gave one of 'those' looks that we all know so well!!!
yes, the one that's usually followed by a suggestion that one is jesting, or something about her dead body. I like this car. I really need to find a job that doesn't require the car to commute any distance so I can get V8 barge out of my system. Fifteen to twenty quid a day in fuel isn't going to fly unfortunately.
In a previous life I had an S500 nicked overnight by a Nigerian who swapped the keys while I looked for the paperwork. Plod didn't want to know, saying it would be in a container on the way to Africa before they finished their morning cuppa.
The S600 didn't feel a lot quicker and used loads more petrol.
Then we got a Brabus 7.0 V12 on tyres so low in profile that it was dangerous in the wet. Apparently it was giving about 500BHP but I can't verify that as I was too busy trying to keep it in a straight line.
The S600 didn't feel a lot quicker and used loads more petrol.
Then we got a Brabus 7.0 V12 on tyres so low in profile that it was dangerous in the wet. Apparently it was giving about 500BHP but I can't verify that as I was too busy trying to keep it in a straight line.
Turbobanana said:
The S600 didn't feel a lot quicker and used loads more petrol.
I think it's more to do with the fact the V12 is a more refined unit, with turbine-like power delivery. The V8 has more of a growl to it, and when you open them up, they can seem faster.But you are right, there probably isn't THAT much difference in them in real world performance..
Still though - it's nice to have a V12 in your life!
XB70 said:
Not sure too many other cars have that cult following!
I'm sure that Борис Яковлевич Чубаров was an interesting character anyway.
Edited by RobinBanks on Friday 3rd July 11:47
pSyCoSiS said:
I think it's more to do with the fact the V12 is a more refined unit, with turbine-like power delivery. The V8 has more of a growl to it, and when you open them up, they can seem faster.
But you are right, there probably isn't THAT much difference in them in real world performance..
Still though - it's nice to have a V12 in your life!
There's a video somewhere of an S600 with open headers and it sounds like a frikkin' Zonda But you are right, there probably isn't THAT much difference in them in real world performance..
Still though - it's nice to have a V12 in your life!
.Anyway, epic shed! I have a huge softspot for big wafty barges, and this is just the king of the barges!
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