Great used buy or worst mistake ever?
Discussion
Hi,
I need a car to cover the motorway commute after the mondeo passed away a couple of weeks ago. I have seen a S280 on a 97 plate with 106k, FSH, in black, seems to have all the toys and looks clean. The price is 1300 pounds which seems like a huge amount of car for the money. I know the major issue with MB of this vintage is rust but I have read that, other than the usual problems you could get from any car, they are solid cars that will run forever? Is this a sensible purchase for a 100 mile daily commute which is all on the motorway/fast A roads? I love the thought of driving looking down over that 3 pointed star! Any other suggestions on what to buy for with budget of 2000 pounds gratefully received. Planning on buying a C32 AMG in a few months
Just a quick note of thanks to whoever designed PH - an amazingly useful and entertaining site, well done!
I need a car to cover the motorway commute after the mondeo passed away a couple of weeks ago. I have seen a S280 on a 97 plate with 106k, FSH, in black, seems to have all the toys and looks clean. The price is 1300 pounds which seems like a huge amount of car for the money. I know the major issue with MB of this vintage is rust but I have read that, other than the usual problems you could get from any car, they are solid cars that will run forever? Is this a sensible purchase for a 100 mile daily commute which is all on the motorway/fast A roads? I love the thought of driving looking down over that 3 pointed star! Any other suggestions on what to buy for with budget of 2000 pounds gratefully received. Planning on buying a C32 AMG in a few months
Just a quick note of thanks to whoever designed PH - an amazingly useful and entertaining site, well done!
Is that a 100 miles each way commute ? Have you thought about the MPG of this car , perhaps you could get an ESSO tanker to follow you ?
Seriously unless somebody else pays your fuel costs and their happy for you to use this then id stick to a Euro box and get the Merc for wafting about at the weekend .
Seriously unless somebody else pays your fuel costs and their happy for you to use this then id stick to a Euro box and get the Merc for wafting about at the weekend .
Good point - should have included that we get a fuel allowance that will cover the commute which is 100 miles in total daily (Mon - Fri) and we can claim VAT back on additional fuel so not so worried about that. As a marker, the Mondeo V6 was doing approx 30mpg and we were coming out with a little cash in the pocket each month based on that so I guess we would break even on the S280?
Massively underpowered
Watch out for non-working aircon - 99% of the time, it is the evaporator or condensor - if the former, you will exceed the purchase price of the cars in repair (that is why I am suspicious of any ads that say needs a re-gass - it is £50 quid so just do it if you are selling it)
I've had an S500, a 750il and now an LS400 and the LS is by far the best "I need a cheap barge to waft along in that won't break down and is actually very good on fuel considering it's a V8" car that I have owned
Watch out for non-working aircon - 99% of the time, it is the evaporator or condensor - if the former, you will exceed the purchase price of the cars in repair (that is why I am suspicious of any ads that say needs a re-gass - it is £50 quid so just do it if you are selling it)
I've had an S500, a 750il and now an LS400 and the LS is by far the best "I need a cheap barge to waft along in that won't break down and is actually very good on fuel considering it's a V8" car that I have owned
I thought that that era of mercs were the really good ones and that rust wasnt an issue. I thought the W210s and other models designed as next generation were the problem ones in lates 90s and early 00s.
I have driven my dads old S280 (when it was brand new). I was suprised that it was actually not a bad drive and certainly the power was ok.
I have driven my dads old S280 (when it was brand new). I was suprised that it was actually not a bad drive and certainly the power was ok.
The W140 (sedan) and coupe version (C140) suffer from rust in the front and rear wheel arches (a forture to get fixed properly, especially the rear ones as double skinned) and also from delamination of the front and rear windows (look for milkyness along the edges - looks like mould inside the window).
Have driven virtually all combinations of the W140/engine (except for the Euro only diesel) and a huge difference beween the 2.8, 3.2, 4.2, 5.0 and 6.0 engines
For that price, other marques offer better performance/value but at £3000, then the S500 sedan is the best value)
Have driven virtually all combinations of the W140/engine (except for the Euro only diesel) and a huge difference beween the 2.8, 3.2, 4.2, 5.0 and 6.0 engines
For that price, other marques offer better performance/value but at £3000, then the S500 sedan is the best value)
r129sl said:
I am afraid that unless you are very lucky, you can't get a good car for less than 3grand. A S280 will be slow but not the end of the world. A £1,300 S280 is likely in need of serious backlog maintenance.
'Less than 3 grand' is perhaps a slight exaggeration, but a good example of that vintage will sell for about £2500 (I sold a superb full spec 96N/108k/FSH example for this amount in June). I do agree that at under £1500, you could quite easily be buying 'a serious backlog of maintenance' however! The w140s are just fantastic. They still look so imposing and I can't believe how cheap they are now.
My Dad had an s280 back when they were new and it didn't feel massively underpowered. It cruised along very nicely and was such a serene experience. My Dad and I still miss it to this day.
The S320 is also worth considering for a bit more poke and similar MPG.
IMHO the best colours are black and blue/black.
Make sure the car has leather and original Mercedes alloy wheels as not all of the smaller engine ones did and these are essential. Also, try and get a car that is original and doesn't have any tacky add ons - so unbecoming of the old girl.
Worth the purchas price alone for the rear vanity mirrors, the double glazing, the little aerials that come out of the boot to help you reverse (if you don't have Parktronic) and the recessed boot handle to stop your hands getting dirty.
The W140 is Mercedes at the top of it's game. Hell, at those prices I may even go out now and try and get one for myself!
My Dad had an s280 back when they were new and it didn't feel massively underpowered. It cruised along very nicely and was such a serene experience. My Dad and I still miss it to this day.
The S320 is also worth considering for a bit more poke and similar MPG.
IMHO the best colours are black and blue/black.
Make sure the car has leather and original Mercedes alloy wheels as not all of the smaller engine ones did and these are essential. Also, try and get a car that is original and doesn't have any tacky add ons - so unbecoming of the old girl.
Worth the purchas price alone for the rear vanity mirrors, the double glazing, the little aerials that come out of the boot to help you reverse (if you don't have Parktronic) and the recessed boot handle to stop your hands getting dirty.
The W140 is Mercedes at the top of it's game. Hell, at those prices I may even go out now and try and get one for myself!
Ecurie Ecosse said:
The w140s are just fantastic. They still look so imposing and I can't believe how cheap they are now.
My Dad had an s280 back when they were new and it didn't feel massively underpowered. It cruised along very nicely and was such a serene experience. My Dad and I still miss it to this day.
The S320 is also worth considering for a bit more poke and similar MPG.
IMHO the best colours are black and blue/black.
Make sure the car has leather and original Mercedes alloy wheels as not all of the smaller engine ones did and these are essential. Also, try and get a car that is original and doesn't have any tacky add ons - so unbecoming of the old girl.
Worth the purchas price alone for the rear vanity mirrors, the double glazing, the little aerials that come out of the boot to help you reverse (if you don't have Parktronic) and the recessed boot handle to stop your hands getting dirty.
The W140 is Mercedes at the top of it's game. Hell, at those prices I may even go out now and try and get one for myself!
I really do think that the values of them have bottomed out now, and they will soon start to firm up a bit (for decent examples of course). Many people seem to be realising that they are the last of the 'true' Mercs. And we can fix them!My Dad had an s280 back when they were new and it didn't feel massively underpowered. It cruised along very nicely and was such a serene experience. My Dad and I still miss it to this day.
The S320 is also worth considering for a bit more poke and similar MPG.
IMHO the best colours are black and blue/black.
Make sure the car has leather and original Mercedes alloy wheels as not all of the smaller engine ones did and these are essential. Also, try and get a car that is original and doesn't have any tacky add ons - so unbecoming of the old girl.
Worth the purchas price alone for the rear vanity mirrors, the double glazing, the little aerials that come out of the boot to help you reverse (if you don't have Parktronic) and the recessed boot handle to stop your hands getting dirty.
The W140 is Mercedes at the top of it's game. Hell, at those prices I may even go out now and try and get one for myself!
Edited by MZ on Sunday 12th October 16:24
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