MrX123

Okay let's hear it!!!

First of all, I just love sedans. I can't really explain why, but I've always driven them, and my favorite cars are them. Heck, I'm 29, no kids, etc., so IDK why honestly I don't flock to coupes and convertibles. I'm alone 99.999% of the time too. I just like the looks of a really hot 4 door.

They are both superb, superb vehicles (argued as the best S class and 7 series), but which one do you like better?

I actually have alot of experience with these two cars.

I'd love to have a copy of each in my garage....but if I had to choose one, it would probably be the Mercedes...an S500 to be exact. 1999. Grand Edition. One day before I die I will have one in my garage; it's seriously a life goal/dream of mine.

The E38 is a scarily good car too; I'd say most of my choice goes because I do prefer MB to BMW. Even though the E38 is the better driver's car, it just doesn't ooze "tank, bank vault, classic, overbuilt" the way the Benz does. And the E38 is timeless and will be looked at as a classic (and looks better than both generations that came after it IMO), but not nearly in the same way that this Mercedes will be/is. Every time I see a W140 (esp 97-99) everything stops and I gawk. It was criticized in it's day for being too blocky, too heavy, too over-the top (with the self closing doors, double paned glass, power interior rear view mirror lol), but that's EXACTLY why it's my favorite car ever. Ever driven/ridden around in one of these at 100 (thru South Florida traffic)? You hear NOTHING, and feel like you're going 40. I also love it because it was the last of the older (blocky) Benzes, with the old school gauges and the wipers over the headlights. The W220 was garbage compared to it; you couldn't hand me the keys to a 2000 S Class without me scoffing and demanding a 99. Lol.

This does not mean that the E38 wasn't a world-beater; in fact most reviewers preferred it. I guess it comes down to personal taste.

So, I'm curious. What car would you prefer and why?

PortlandRL

Congrats...you just listed my two favorite German sedans EVER made and the only two that I would develop a complex over choosing between. At the end of the day, though...I'd have to pick a W140 S500.

The W140 is eternally elegant, quintessentially German, and in the words of a retired Mercedes engineer I once spoke with, the very last Mercedes to be grossly over-engineered just for the sake of it. It's a car where cost-cutting simply never entered the design team's lexicon and a $400 wiper linkage was chosen over a much simpler $100 one just because it was the top-of-the-line showcase model. The interior is somber but luxurious, a wonderful place to spend time and the exterior, though not exciting, has aged better than the Mona Lisa. It is a car that announces to the world that you've arrived but does so without shouting it or making a scene. Even today it is the ride of choice for the wealthy and distinguished the world over and would not look out of place in the front row of a valet line outside a 5-star restaurant surrounded by the latest and greatest. It will always hold a place in my heart as my all-time favorite car to wear the three-pointed star and will forever rank near the top of my favorite cars of all time, regardless of brand.

If I ever find a clean, low-mileage W140 S500, I'll buy it cost of repairs and parts be damned.

Aman

IMO the looks of the E38 are more "timeless" than that of the Merc.

jangkai

W140 because Real Benz.

My personal favorite is the W124 500E. Hand built in close cooperation with Porsche? Yes Please!

Big problem with these cars is obviously the maintenance which scares me away from 500Es that go for around 10k today.

charliemike

Guy down my street has a 2001 S500 ... Very clean and very nice. An E38 750i Sport was something I truly lusted over when they were current. I still like them.

But as an owner of a 1998 3-series, I would wonder if those cars aged well from an engineering standpoint. My Jetta is a quieter and more solid car than the 328i. This isn't to say I enjoy driving it more but it feels like a nicer car.

After owning an E36 for a few months now I've come to realize that I'm not a classic car guy. I want the latest and greatest. LEDs, Navigation, 55 airbags, etc ...

That said, I think I'd take the E38 over the W140 because even the 740iL I drove a few times was just an amazing car.

03tLsNBP

iTrader: (9)

my great aunt and uncle used to have a W140 before they got t-boned at 50mph. that car saved their lives.

but my all time favorite sedan is the E38.

JJ92799

iTrader: (1)

To the OP, too bad you aren't in Seattle.....I would love to have this

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/ctd/2598233545.html

MrX123

Great post, and I couldn't agree more nor have said it better. To this day a W140 still holds its own with whatever the newest and best is, anywhere.

I just like the idea that they had no cap on their budget (and therefore no cost cutting, like you said), and pretty much the sky was the limit with it. Ever opened/closed the trunk on a W140? You know, where the handle pops out from nowhere so you don't have to get your hands dirty? It's little shit like that that makes it such a special car. That car was designed to handle Bentleys and Rollers, and I think it (while not nearly as exclusive) is every bit as good of a car as a Silver Spur/Arnage (probably better, actually, not counting the brand cachet) of the same era was.

And yes, one day I will find a 99 S500, park it in my garage, keep it for life, and be happy. Lol. These were cars designed to last 25 years and 400k miles, not 6/100 like most other cars. Not saying it's cheap to get there, but they will last if you maintain them.

MrX123

Nice listing. I'd take any good condition W140, but there's a W140....and then there's a W140 in black. Huge difference.

MrX123

And there's just nothing like piloting this beast with that fabulous hood ornament always visible. You're king of the road in this car.

MrX123

http://autocollections.com/index.cfm...car,year&sr=56

:moans:

JJ92799

iTrader: (1)

Now ya got me counting the pennies in the piggy bank....getting interesting. Besides the 91 560SEL, this has got to be my favorite

MrX123

Oh yeah man....it's definitely a good debate, W126 v W140.

The W126 was FAR less complex, easier to work on, and said to be the better driver's car. Definitely a timeless classic as well. A buddy of mine has an 89 560SEL, black on black, it was actually Whitney Houston's car but she never took delivery.

It's hard to pick the "better" car IMO, but I prefer the W140. It just has presence (that's very subtle, BTW) that demands respect. More so than the 126, IMO.

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

i hand you 2 keys: one to a brand new 2012 S65 and one to a 1999 S500 Grand Edition. you can only take one, what do you choose? and no you cannot sell them.

MrX123

Lol ummmm, S65. It's not like that won't be a sick ass classic one day either.

But the W140, well that's a dream that's actually attainable one day. I doubt I'll ever have 200k to blow on a car

Costco

W140 Grand Edition, easily. I don't care too much for the bling factor or the speed in such a car either. The W140 and E38 are two great examples of the two big German manufacturers at their prime. I would also take a pristine E38 over the new 7-series.

My dad once had a champagne/tan interior W126. I was embarrassed of that car for a good while, and made my thoughts known to him. It was old and obviously showed it's age, but in retrospect it was a really great car. My older brother has driven probably 3x more cars than I have even now and he said it drove really nicely (he drove it on a well-known twisty road around here, Highway 17 to Santa Cruz) despite having close to 180,000 miles on it. God knows what condition the bushings were on that car, but still.

He owned it for a few years, but I can't help but still feel guilty that he got rid of it. He now drives an 04 Camry I can't help but feel like a jerk, I was a dumb kid but still. I was too in love with the AMGs of the time, but these days W220s are highly forgettable, AMG guise or otherwise.

I hated that car for some reason, though to be fair I wasn't the only one embarrassed by it. Still, in retrospect it's one of my regrets. Today I wished he still had it. He loved his 380 SEL, he has a Camry now and doesn't really care for it.




There's my confession for the day.

MTEAZY

My father almost bought a W140 back in the day.. but my mom stopped him because it was too much of a "mafia car"

mrmako

For me I'll take a Ford...Just kidding.

The E38, to me, has always represented the finest in BMW's fight versus the S Class (given the time period). The latest of those, the 2001 model, I always thought would be one of the best cars to own, with a little work it would be stunning (just add nicer wheels than stock, slightly lower profile tires, and tinted windows would make it complete). I would love to have one, but the repairs would worry me (as many above stated).

I think my opinion is because the body was long and thin, relative to the upright W140. Those seemed to be for the "Head of State" crowd. Nice, but not my style.

Legend2TL

A friend and his brother both bought used E500 Hammer's. The engine had two cap and rotors (4 cylinders each). One cap/rotor set was $300, so for a tuneup the cap/rotors would run you $600.

One of the Hammers had reverse gear break in the 5AT, it cost almost $3K just to remove and replace reverse gear.

Both sold their Hammers after a few years, excellent drivers car but extremely expensive to maintain.

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

No doubt, E38 for me also.

Stapler

I like the e38's low slung look as stated above. I imagine the Mercedes is actually better in a crash test because of it though.

Anyway. As long as you are fine with ~14 mpg in town (my average speed barely cracks 20 in Tucson), a 90's German boat is a neat car to have. The thing is with both cars I like the idea of the top end v12, but would be hard pressed to buy anything but the v8.

BigPZ

My pick would be the big body Benz....A friend of mine used to have one until it got destroyed in a parking lot by some woman driver

With the AMG wheels, this thing just exudes class and demands respect!!



Princess Di would disagree....

Stapler

Seat belts are an amazing thing

AMGala

iTrader: (4)

E38 for me please

paperboy42190

iTrader: (7)

i meant if they were both free.

PortlandRL

If she'd been wearing her seatbelt, she'd still be with us today. The three people that died of the four in that car were not belted. The bodyguard in the front passenger seat was wearing his seatbelt and survived although he was a bit messed up, hitting a cement pillar at 85 MPH will do that to you, no matter how safe the car.

MrX123

I still prefer the W140 to the 221, and that will never change, but just from a logical standpoint, if someone offered me something for free worth 20k or 200k, I'd probably have to go with the latter. I could sell the S65, buy a top-dawg S550 with the AMG package (the 550 is certainly enough, esp now with the new TT V8) and a 99 Grand Edition and still have shit-tons of money left over.

PortlandRL

Ugh...this one has been torturing me for the last few weeks.

'98 S600 Sedan

MrX123

It looks great, and I'd love to have the top dog V12....but the maintenance on that is borderline scary. The 500 is fast enough, although that 600 will crack 60 in less than 6 seconds...which is crazy given the weight...

Sorta OT, but I was actually surprised how speedy the damn 320 was when I drove one years ago. I wouldn't call it super fast, but it got up and went and it made me raise my eye...

MrX123

Whenever I do get my S500, I'll have a personalized plate that says "500BENZ". Sick with a capital S!!!!!

MTEAZY

love the W140 coupe.. wanted it so badly when I was younger..






the sedan is not bad either

MrX123

Those are both ruined, IMO. To each their own, but take a 100k car and turn it in to pimp my ride? No thanks.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Cool. If it were me I would go with the E38. I've always loved those. There was one for sale on my commute route and if I had extra cash burning a hole in my pocket it would now be in my garage.

Sclass88

I think my Username says it all...

The W140 S-Class is by and large one of the greatest sedans ever built in the last quarter century. Unfortunately, I've only ever driven in one but before I die, I will own one. Absolutely timeless pieces of machinery.

PortlandRL

That's the only thing that kept me from making them an offer. I'll look locally, I guess.

MTEAZY

guccigucci louislouis fendifendi prada

MrX123

Haha.

MrX123

I drove every single one--320 to 600 back in the day...all brand new 5k mile '98s. The car stunned me. From the way you hear NOTHING when in it (no matter what speed), to the solidity and workmanship, to the Bose stereo that sounded like a "system", the car is amazing. One of the best cars ever. 100MPH is like 40 in most other cars...The E38 was heaven to drive too, but I don't remember it being quite the tank.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

One word. Alpina.

MTEAZY

^hot stuff.. I got some more pics the OP is sure to love.