[bass1175]

Was searching for another s class after I lost my 98 s420 but its getting harder and harder to find w140s in good shape with descent miles, sad to say theyre a dying breed.

The 94 s420 gave me more problems in 1 month then the 98 gave me in the one year of ownership.
Now for the new car, I picked up a 2000 740il with 86k miles, a one owner car in mint condition. I thought the ride would be similar to the s class but its no where as comfortable thus has a lot of power. Its 500lb (4288lb) or so less then the s class, 4.4 litres, and only 1mpg (23MPG Hwy, 17 city) extra then the s420. Lets see how it treats me.

 

[SoCal_Dan]

I remember a poster here having a 1998(?) 740il before buying a 1998(?) S500 and according to him, he spent somewhere around 12k+ to keep the car running which is somewhat ridiculous

I also pondered on getting a 740il to complement my S500 but the fear of constantly having the car in the shop gave me second thoughts.

Hopefully yours isnt a lemon. Congrats and good luck :thumbsup:

 

[bass1175]

Thanks! I think when we buy these high end German cars that went for 70k+ for less then 15, its my understanding now to just accept spending some money on them , how much is the question, and 12k to keep a car running is way too much. I think at one point I was spending 1200 every 6 months on the 94. Dont miss that distributor setup.

I already need to replace the window regulator in the back on the740.

One more thing I like to add, is how great of a forum this has been, definetly got some great people in here.

 

[SoCal_Dan]

I know this isnt w140 related, but how are your impressions of the car so far?

I've read countless times that the 7 series has some impressive handling abilities that make it feel like a small sport sedan and the acceleration performance is something to be proud of aswell.

You also mentioned something about ride comfort. Though it should be no surprise that mercs are usually more comfortable than bimmers, how's the ride quality on this one? does it take road bumps a little bit harder than a w140 or the seats arent quite as comfortable, etc.

Sorry for all the questions, tis curious thats all

 

[W140FTW]

Yeah, I'm also quite interested to hear a comparison between the two.

But if I was to ever stray away from a W140, the E38 would be the second choice.

 

[twalton]

I was the one that posted having a 98 740iL before my 98 S500. Bought it with 50,000 miles and at 75,000, it started acting up. Kept it for 6 years, up to 122,000 miles and $17,000 in maintenance. 90% of maintenance was performed at an indy, so the rates were better than dealer.

Needless to say, BMW is off my list for the near future. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me and I will be happy to share the horrors. At your mileage, if the radiator hasn't been replaced, carry a spare in the trunk. It will blow when you least expect it.

trey

 

[W140FTW]

I sat in an '01 740iL once, it was nice, but definitely lacked that "limousine" feel that the W140 had.

 

[560DBleu]

S and 7 series are both interesting cars. BMWs are all more tightly sprung, seats are less cushy and steering tighter. Less body roll. Better maneuvering in panic or high speed capers/situations.
The V12 is very fast and feels more like a sports car than the Merc V12. I like both very much. For average driving conditions I would go with the Benz. For playing on autobahns I would vote for the BMWs.
They tend to be driven harder, especially the 3 and 5 series so tend to fall apart sooner than C or E Mercs. Also having a manual option means driving them to higher RPMs, etc.
I have three 98 7s for sale on Craigslist. 740il 750il S500 S600 A8 BMW MERCEDES AUDI Excellent condition!
I have just bought an Audi A8L and Porsche.... from the dark side....

 

[NZ Benz]

I've been thinking about a 740iL for my next car so I'll be interested to see how it goes. They do seem to have nice modern interiors relative to the W140 though.

 

[bass1175]

Lots of people are asking me to compare the two, and without a doubt the S class performs better in every aspect, handling and comfort.


Some how Benz incorporated Comfort with great handling in one suspension. I dont think it lacks anything special over the 740. In fact I think the 740 is worse in handling. I used to be able to do 100 in the S Class very relaxed and if I needed to slow down for a turn, it was all done with no effort and can make a descent turn at good speeds. Just because you didn't feel every bump did not mean you will sacrifice in handling. you have both in the S class.

The 740 lacks comfort and I don't think it handles good at all, I bet its the same as any newer car, nothing spectacular about it that I noticed so far. You have to be real alert doing 90, and you feel every crack on the road, which to some might mean better handling but it sure don't feel that way. Ironically enough you will be all over the place taking a turn, while the S class you can easily stay between the lanes, with no effort. With the 740 I find myself in the rumble strips more often.

All I have is a little more power in the 740, but I think the 94 s420 had very similar power with a few hundred pounds extra. The 98 s420 lacked lots of power that my 94 s420 had.

Seat comfort, I really had to get out of the car after a 2 hour road trip to stretch, my lower back was starting to feel some pain. Something never experienced in the S.

I read about the 740s cooling issues, they tend to use lots of plastic parts and their radiator and pumps always fail as mentioned, might really get a spare and throw it in the trunk if I find a deal. But believe me if you were taking a sharp turn doing 40-60, you would be more stable in the S class then the 740. The S class is no Cadillac and has a suspension that's untouchable.

 

[Wisegy123]

I just went the opposite direction. I recently sold my 1994 740il and bought a 1995 S420. The BMW is more of a "driver's car" and the Benz seems to be more of a "rider's car". The BMW experienced quite a few problems and was not inexpensive to keep on the road. Thankfully, I have a good independent mechanic who specializes in BMW & Mercedes. Part of the reason I went with the Benz is because I was always "holding my breath" with the BMW hoping that something else wouldn't go wrong with it. I had a Benz in the past and always had good luck with it. I didn't exactly dislike the BMW. But, I just hope that this Benz treats me better than the BMW and as well as the last one did. I would definitely have to think twice before buying another BMW.

 

[in2dwww]

When I was 19, I bought my first BMW: 1990 735i

I was lucky to get the short wheel base model because that meant I could avoid the catastrophic repair cost of the rear self-leveling suspension.

Needless to say, I still miss that BMW... even though I bought it when it was 8 years old, drove it for 2 years while in school, and just recently added up all the repair bills. I spent $8k just keeping that car on the road.

Just recently, while I had a CarFax account, I checked out to see if the car still lives... and IT DOES. It now has 205k miles on it and the same guy who bought it from me still has it.

All that money I spent certainly paid off for the second owner!

The S500 is in a whole different league.

 

[600amg]

850CSI for my dreams.

 

[Brett San Diego]

I'd be surprised if the BMW doesn't have a confidence inspiring suspension. I'd be looking at getting an alignment and maybe think about refreshing bushings everywhere.

Brett

 

[twalton]

I'd be surprised if the BMW doesn't have a confidence inspiring suspension. I'd be looking at getting an alignment and maybe think about refreshing bushings everywhere.

Brett

Absolutely agree 100%. After 6 years in the BMW and more than 1 in the Merc, the BMW is definitely a fantastic handling car. The 500 is no slouch, but I never, NEVER felt uneasy driving the BMW in any conditions, at any speed. If anyone states it handles worse than an S-Class, there is definitely something wrong with the car.

As for seat comfort, I agree the 500 is cushier and doesn't incite fatigue, but neither did the BMW for me. The 16-way power seats are infinitely adjustable and I feel the correct setting may not have been found just yet.

Still, I'm now a Benz guy now and think BMW SUCKS!!! Just kidding.

trey

 

[bass1175]

I'd be surprised if the BMW doesn't have a confidence inspiring suspension. I'd be looking at getting an alignment and maybe think about refreshing bushings everywhere.

Brett

I know what your saying Brett, but if comparing the overall ride between the S class and the 740, I think the S class would win hands down. Its hard to describe, it has the comfort of a limo and a nice tight suspension. The 740 is fun and all at speeds of 50 or so, very fun to drive, you feel the road more as mentioned, but if you start speeding I think the S class is a lot easier to control and handle. I know we all felt this when doing 85 and just amazed of how easy the car is to handle, in the 740 your less at ease at 85. Same with cornering, the S did that pretty well also. Might have something to do with the 740 being lighter and narrower. If comparing it solely to the S which what Ive been used to for 5 years, I think the w140 is impressive in more then one aspect.

 

[syljua]

All,

For a view on how Mercedes compared the two cars at the time, have
a look at this .pdf;
http://www.pvv.org/~syljua/merc/ImVergleich.pdf

Its in German, but I think you can get a lot from just looking at the images...

br,
syljua

 

[SoCal_Dan]

We need a translation of that book! :crybaby2: I tried translating some text on google and needless to say, google fails :teach:

Theres alot of sections where they compared each others technologies and I cant understand a darn thing!

 

[600amg]

750 IL

Now for the new car, I picked up a 2000 740il with 86k miles, a one owner car in mint condition. I thought the ride would be similar to the s class but its no where as comfortable thus has a lot of power. Its 500lb (4288lb) or so less then the s class, 4.4 litres, and only 1mpg (23MPG Hwy, 17 city) extra then the s420. Lets see how it treats me.

I just looked over a One-owner private sale 1998 750IL black/grey int with 115KM what are the trouble spots of these cars, I'm intrigued to know. What are they going for as well? Thanks.

 

[Megadiesel]

Interesting topic I like the w140 due to the spacious interior it's great. The 7-series BMW is alot less roomy inside.