W140 S Class; am I mad?
Discussion
One of those days has hit me again, where I ponder what it would be like if I bought an unnecessarily large, thirsty car just for fun. Today it is the W140 Mercedes S Class. I've always had a soft spot for old Mercs, and while it's probably not the best idea to have such a big car on such a small budget, the petrol head in me is saying just do it!
Thing is I'm a student, which realistically means I shouldn't need a car, my flat is across the road from work, and just a 20 minute walk to uni, so it's not a necessity. But since selling the Fiat, I've just been bored out of my mind on those days where all uni work is up to date, not been called into the shop and all I want to do is drive. The idea of an older car appeals to me, as I love getting my hands dirty and just fiddling with the oily bits.
Theres a nice looking 1996 S280 in the classifieds for £1500, with 88k on it. This is roughly the amount I have left from selling the Fiat (a few quid went on a new laptop). I wouldn't be driving too much in reality, perhaps a couple of times a week, so fuel isn't too much of a problem even with prices as they are. At 21 insurance is getting reasonable I.e. under a grand for the S280, whereas at 17 it was 15 times that. The only thing that worries me is if something goes wrong: I know Mercedes charge the earth to replace stuff, and while the W140 isn't quite the branch of Currys crammed into a car that the current model is, I kow they have a fair bit of tech on them. But this still doesn't put me off. So talk me out of it guys!
Just as an indication, mileage would probably be less than 3k a year, and 1k of that would be the annual trip to see the family in Leicester and coming back to Aberdeen, which is part of the reason a barge seems like a good idea, as doing 1000 miles in a Fiat in 3 days is seriously uncomfortable!
Thing is I'm a student, which realistically means I shouldn't need a car, my flat is across the road from work, and just a 20 minute walk to uni, so it's not a necessity. But since selling the Fiat, I've just been bored out of my mind on those days where all uni work is up to date, not been called into the shop and all I want to do is drive. The idea of an older car appeals to me, as I love getting my hands dirty and just fiddling with the oily bits.
Theres a nice looking 1996 S280 in the classifieds for £1500, with 88k on it. This is roughly the amount I have left from selling the Fiat (a few quid went on a new laptop). I wouldn't be driving too much in reality, perhaps a couple of times a week, so fuel isn't too much of a problem even with prices as they are. At 21 insurance is getting reasonable I.e. under a grand for the S280, whereas at 17 it was 15 times that. The only thing that worries me is if something goes wrong: I know Mercedes charge the earth to replace stuff, and while the W140 isn't quite the branch of Currys crammed into a car that the current model is, I kow they have a fair bit of tech on them. But this still doesn't put me off. So talk me out of it guys!
Just as an indication, mileage would probably be less than 3k a year, and 1k of that would be the annual trip to see the family in Leicester and coming back to Aberdeen, which is part of the reason a barge seems like a good idea, as doing 1000 miles in a Fiat in 3 days is seriously uncomfortable!
Here's our old one:
Fuel wise, the S600 isn't considerably more to run than the lower models...
But, if anything goes wrong on a w140, it's generally big money to sort.
Great cars though - we sold the one in that pic for (I think) £2600 a few years back and it's was in pretty good nick.
Fuel wise, the S600 isn't considerably more to run than the lower models...
But, if anything goes wrong on a w140, it's generally big money to sort.
Great cars though - we sold the one in that pic for (I think) £2600 a few years back and it's was in pretty good nick.
Sorry to bump the thread but wonder if you went through with this? Am in the exact same situation, student living 20 mins walk from Uni etc but bored and fancy a W140 smoker barge... would be used around once a week for a run out for an 80 mile round trip to do some clay shooting; so ideal driving conditions for longevity etc. Have seen a car but hesitating before proceeding! cheers A.
Edited by ajmcampbell on Saturday 7th March 14:11
ajmcampbell said:
Sorry to bump the thread but wonder if you went through with this? Am in the exact same situation, student living 20 mins walk from Uni etc but bored and fancy a W140 smoker barge... would be used around once a week for a run out for an 80 mile round trip to do some clay shooting; so ideal driving conditions for longevity etc. Have seen a car but hesitating before proceeding! cheers A.
Prices of W140s have firmed up an awful lot since this thread was originally posted, so if you've found a good car for 'smoker barge' money jump at it!Edited by ajmcampbell on Saturday 7th March 14:11
279 said:
ajmcampbell said:
Sorry to bump the thread but wonder if you went through with this? Am in the exact same situation, student living 20 mins walk from Uni etc but bored and fancy a W140 smoker barge... would be used around once a week for a run out for an 80 mile round trip to do some clay shooting; so ideal driving conditions for longevity etc. Have seen a car but hesitating before proceeding! cheers A.
Prices of W140s have firmed up an awful lot since this thread was originally posted, so if you've found a good car for 'smoker barge' money jump at it!Edited by ajmcampbell on Saturday 7th March 14:11
Good luck, the world of the uber barge needs chaps like you.
I hope some insurance company is sensible enough to provide reasonable cover. The classic insurers love car club membership; £30 buys a years subscription to the Mercedes Benz club and access to huge amounts of information and expertise on the W140.
I hope some insurance company is sensible enough to provide reasonable cover. The classic insurers love car club membership; £30 buys a years subscription to the Mercedes Benz club and access to huge amounts of information and expertise on the W140.
kapiteinlangzaam said:
Classic insurers will often not give cover to under 25 year olds.
Try Lancaster.... Thats who I used for my W140.
No point going with classic insurance when you're young as the majority will not accrue NCB, or at least a NCB that can be used outside of that insurer. Dodging accumulating NCB, especially when you're young, is a folly and could be likened to treading water whilst everyone else is swimming for the shore. Try Lancaster.... Thats who I used for my W140.
Baryonyx said:
kapiteinlangzaam said:
Classic insurers will often not give cover to under 25 year olds.
Try Lancaster.... Thats who I used for my W140.
No point going with classic insurance when you're young as the majority will not accrue NCB, or at least a NCB that can be used outside of that insurer. Dodging accumulating NCB, especially when you're young, is a folly and could be likened to treading water whilst everyone else is swimming for the shore. Try Lancaster.... Thats who I used for my W140.
A couple of years ncb is worth a few hundred pounds worth of savings. Having a couple of "extra" years on your license is usually worth thousands.
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