I am thinking on buying a 500SEL. For 3500dollars. Please advise

[peg0r]

Hey Everyone, I am considering buying a 1991 W140 500SEL with 170k on the clock. It has no history!. But the car is 3500 dollars, and spent much of its life as a wedding car.

The car is extremely cheap, I know the guy who is selling it, and prior to its purchase i'll be taking it for a 100mile test drive, so, I was wondering if you guys could give me any advice.

I want the 500 for the v8, however, I would wait and get a 320 if you guys advise against it.

I am not against doing work on the car. I spent time training to be a MB panelbeater and I have many friends who will work on the car cheaply when I can (MB Tech's) and I will be able to get a lot of OEM parts at trade.

The car is rust free ( a problem here in the UK) and aparantly runs and drives spot on. It leaks no oil, or uses coolant. I doesnt pull left or right when driving/braking. The gearbox works correctly and the ATF is cherry. I am working on the basis that the car drives well. If it does not, I will leave it.

It has a new MOT (our annual saftey inspection) and it passed without fault. It is of the age that it doesnt need a cat by our law so I can remove this for a straight through if needed.

It has original indicators and has not been debaged, and looks clean. I am of the belief its a reasonably unmolested car.

All the windows work along with the sunroof and heated seats and the rear blind.

The faults are;

The seats/Mirrors/wheel adjustment dont work. Aparantly there is a relay box in the boot that stops all this from working when it breaks. I've been quoted 200pounds (370 dollars) for a replacement.

The Central locking doesnt work. The pump is suspect. I assume this as the rear parking wands dont work along with the headrest. I've been quoted 650 dollars for a replacment.

It has had the becker taken out and a cheap radio installed. I will install a CD headunit. Is this a nightmare to intergrate with the speakers (it has the 10 speaker setup)

I am prepared for these costs. Even with them done it will still be a cheap car.

I am worried about what other costs a car of this type will entail. I am aware its a 140 ( I had a 126 Coupe before) and that consumables like brakes tyres fuel etc are $$$.

What should I look out for when buying this car. I appreciate this is not a good 140 and could easily turn into a money pit. I'd just like to know where. If I get 20,000 miles out the car I will be happy. The car will be lucky if it does 50 miles a week. It will be solely city driven.

Any advice would be fantastic. Thankyou.

[bass1175]

I think whether buying one with 110k miles or 175k miles your gonna run into the normal problems. vacuum Pumps, Ac trouble, wire harness, thermostat, tires, window regulators.
I would imagine with those miles they probably replaced many parts which can be a good thing.
If thats a competitive price in your area and you like the car I would buy it and enjoy the feeling of maintaning a 140. Aside from accessory problems and normal wear I would ask about the timing chain and transmission since those would be the most costly to repair. Check your gauges well, oil pressure and engine temp, let it idle for a while see where the temp goes to. see if your auxilary fans turn on with the ac and/or when the temp reaches 100. finally if you like the car give him 3k and see if he takes it and add the extra cash to your pump. Good luck

[peg0r]

Yeah, not a bad suggestion.

What issues will I need to look at on the wiring harness, and when is the timing chain due to be changed?

I am not bothered about functional aircon, just a good heater!

[bass1175]

You can check you wiring harness by removing your airbox and tracing your injector wires back. check for cracking in the insulation, if you need a harness this can cost around 550.00. go to pcmahers website and check his project and you will see exactly what the cracking looks like.
The timing chain varies from who you ask, my dealer said they dont need to be tocuhed for 300k miles but some may say 150-200k miles. Listen for any clicking or taping near the front of the engine which can mean a loose chain. cap, rotor, plug wires are also expensive for this vehicle, but again what car wont eventually need that. find a parts website and browse the parts for pricing.

[maci911]

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