Mercedes-Benz S-class

You might be a bit surprised to see another Mercedes on this list. The S-class is Mercedes’ top of the line car. The S-class is the vehicle of choice for heads of state, captains of industry, and Hollywood stars. Princess Diana’s fatal car crash was in an S-class. (Her driver, who wore his seatbelt, survived the 100+ MPH crash.) Without a doubt, the S-class is a more luxurious and comfortable car than the E-class, albeit less nimble.

The W140 S-class was sold from 1992 to 1999. It is perhaps the most over-engineered Mercedes-Benz of all time. For example, the W140 has dual-paned windows that insulate the cabin from noise and heat. When Mercedes built the W210 E-class, they picked a target price and built the best car they could for that price. By contrast, the W140 was built with no price target. Whatever the car cost to build, that’s what they charged plus a little profit. Consequently, the price of many S-class models brand new was north of $100,000.

Good news for the used car buyer! In our modern society, new luxury cars are the greatest transfer of wealth from the rich to the not-so-rich. These $100,000 S-class can be scooped up left and right in the pre-owned car market for between $10,000 and $20,000. In many cases, S-classes are less expensive than E-classes of the same age and mileage.

Why on earth would the S-class cost the same or less than the E-class if it’s a better car and cost so much more brand new? Two reasons, I think. First, the E-class looks like a newer car, because, well, it is a newer car. The S-class styling is about half a generation behind the E-class. Secondly, the S-class has so many gizmos and is so overengineered that when something does break, it’s more expensive to fix. For example, the automatic door (x4) and trunk closing mechanisms tend to be troublesome, and they cost $600 each to replace. The A/C evaporator core on the W140, particuarly the 1992 to 1995 ones, often develop leaks. This would not be a problem for most cars. However, Mercedes, in their infinitie wisdom, decided to build the entire car around the evaporator. The ~$3,000 repair requires tearing the entire dash apart.

The W140 was sold in the U.S. with one piece-of-junk engine and four excellent engines:

S350 Turbodiesel (OM603) — As nice as diesels are, avoid this car. Mercedes took one of their best diesel motors and bored it out for more power. Unfortunately, they bored it out too much, leaving insufficient material for cooling the number one cylinder. As a result of this faulty design, the engine fails prematurely under normal operation.

S320 (M104 Inline-6) — This is a wonderful motor: perfectly balanced, double-overhead cam, 228 HP. This same engine powers the 1996 and 1997 E320. Although not as powerful as the V8s, it can motivate the W140 far beyond any sane speed; it just takes a little longer to reach terminal velocity. Expect the low-speed acceleration to be placid. Once you overcome inertia, watch out — this car can move! Be warned, the M104 has trouble with a leaking head gasket every 75,000 to 100,000 miles (~$1100 repair). Despite weighing about 4500 pounds, the S320 returns about 22 MPG.

S420 (M119 V8) — This too is a wonderful motor. At 275 HP, it’s stronger than the S320, but doesn’t drink as much gas as the S500.

S500 (M119 V8) — Excellent engine. 300-322 HP, depending on year. Nearly the performance of the S600 without the maintenance tab.

S600 (M120 V12) — Excessive. 389 HP, 420 ft-lbs. There’s really no point to owning this car unless you want to tell your grandkids that you owned a V12.

If you buy an S-class, stick to the 1996 to 1999 models. The earlier models had the aforementioned A/C evaporator issues, suspension wear problems, and a short-lived and very expensive biodegradable engine wiring harness.