[MercedesTheBest]

hi everyone,

i normally stick around the R129 forum mostly but i wanted to move a bit into the R129 age except with the W140 model instead.

so, i wanted to ask about how tall an order this would be for me in terms of actually finding a vehicle that matches what I'm trying to find.

i know the model i want, the S600 Long-Wheel-Base Left-Hand-Drive from years 1997-1999. but i want to find one with certain options though i am not sure if this would be even possible. i am looking for one with;

- a centre console in the rear seats making it 2+2 seating
- a refrigerator in the back seat for the rear passengers
- the control to adjust the front seat from the rear seat
- the power adjustable rear side curtains to add some privacy as well as i think it is quite a cool option to have in a car
- the power adjustable rear seat tables that fold out of the front seats

i have been looking around for a car that at least partially meets what i am looking for, though no such luck. maybe i am just looking in the wrong places, i dont know. but i wanted to know if what i am asking is even possible to find anywhere and where would my best bet be to find this?

thanks for the help,
MtB

 

[Joflewbyu2]

Looks like your looking for an undesirable W140. Looking at the least reliable model years and the least reliable motor with options that break and add weight. To each their own. Good luck finding your vehicle.

 

[LWB250]

Wow. Such a positive comment. Good thing people are helpful around here...

Don't worry about the haters, as they're woefully ignorant in most cases. Some people enjoy being negative.

What you are looking for is unlikely to be found, as the combination of options you want aren't typical of this car. The best approach in my opinion would be to find the latest model possible (1999) to get the best of the design, then start looking for the options.

The fridge was very rare, and is sometime retrofitted by owners. It requires a totally different fuel tank and all the parts related to the fridge itself. A tall order if you're looking for this.

The rear and side curtains are the most common, and can also be found in the aftermarket, at least the side curtains can. People here have successfully retrofitted the rear shade, so do some searches on the forum and you'll find their posts. It doesn't involve a lot of change, mostly an additional wiring harness, a different parcel shelf and the shade mechanism itself.

The split rear seats and seat back tables can also be retrofitted, however, both are fairly rare and would take some time and effort to source the parts. You might even have to look in Europe for these, as they are almost unheard of in the States. There are a couple of companies that make aftermarket seat back tables, but we're talking $1,000s for these.

I can understand your desire for these options and the car, but in all honesty, the cost of finding a car and sourcing and installing the options you describe would probably exceed the value of the car itself.

If you're really serious about this and have the funds to commit, you might consider employing the services of a high line car broker. These sorts of folks can find cars like this and handle all of the work up front, but there are fees involved, typically a percentage of the purchase price.

I have used brokers in the past to find a specific model or car, but it's not cheap and will take some time, especially if you are very particular about what you want.

Good luck!

 

[Brett San Diego]

It is an extremely tall order. I think you're most likely to find something like that in a Japanese import. I don't think I've seen any North American delivery cars with the rear side shades or fridge.

There are a couple nice threads here documenting conversion to 4-passenger seating. If I recall correctly, z168 had rear seat tables in one of his cars. Aftermarket I think, but all wood and sharp looking. You might search his posts or contact him by pm. OEM Mercedes tables would be difficult to find, but there are cars out there (just not in North America, I don't think).

Brett

 

[Krician]

It is an extremely tall order. I think you're most likely to find something like that in a Japanese import. I don't think I've seen any North American delivery cars with the rear side shades or fridge.

There are a couple nice threads here documenting conversion to 4-passenger seating. If I recall correctly, z168 had rear seat tables in one of his cars. Aftermarket I think, but all wood and sharp looking. You might search his posts or contact him by pm. OEM Mercedes tables would be difficult to find, but there are cars out there (just not in North America, I don't think).

Brett

+1 for looking in the Japanese market. Here's one of the members that almost has what you want. http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w140-s-class/1436376-w140-all-options-whos-lucky-1-a.html#post3409561

 

[MercedesTheBest]

Looks like your looking for an undesirable W140. Looking at the least reliable model years and the least reliable motor with options that break and add weight. To each their own. Good luck finding your vehicle.

i am not to worried about reliability issues much. i have a 1995 R129 and i have replaced the wire harness, distributor caps, wiper motor, wiper relay and 4 new tires 18" staggered AMG's. not cheap to maintain at all but i do it because i take pride in it looking good and actually working. it was recently leaking power steering fluid, first drop into the dealer and fixed up. i keep my cars in mint condition. i like to have cars with as many options as possible because they add luxury, a hint of uniqueness and it is a conversation stater.

Wow. Such a positive comment. Good thing people are helpful around here...

Don't worry about the haters, as they're woefully ignorant in most cases. Some people enjoy being negative.

What you are looking for is unlikely to be found, as the combination of options you want aren't typical of this car. The best approach in my opinion would be to find the latest model possible (1999) to get the best of the design, then start looking for the options.

The fridge was very rare, and is sometime retrofitted by owners. It requires a totally different fuel tank and all the parts related to the fridge itself. A tall order if you're looking for this.

The rear and side curtains are the most common, and can also be found in the aftermarket, at least the side curtains can. People here have successfully retrofitted the rear shade, so do some searches on the forum and you'll find their posts. It doesn't involve a lot of change, mostly an additional wiring harness, a different parcel shelf and the shade mechanism itself.

The split rear seats and seat back tables can also be retrofitted, however, both are fairly rare and would take some time and effort to source the parts. You might even have to look in Europe for these, as they are almost unheard of in the States. There are a couple of companies that make aftermarket seat back tables, but we're talking $1,000s for these.

I can understand your desire for these options and the car, but in all honesty, the cost of finding a car and sourcing and installing the options you describe would probably exceed the value of the car itself.

If you're really serious about this and have the funds to commit, you might consider employing the services of a high line car broker. These sorts of folks can find cars like this and handle all of the work up front, but there are fees involved, typically a percentage of the purchase price.

I have used brokers in the past to find a specific model or car, but it's not cheap and will take some time, especially if you are very particular about what you want.

Good luck!

if i were to buy a W140 without all the options is it still possible to buy the parts from the dealer? do you happen to know by chance? i know that is a very costly route but it is nice to know that it can still be an option for the future if need be.

the rear shade i actually thought was standard. is it really an option? i assumed all S600's had those. though i know the side curtains were optional as there doesn't seem to be many around. i assumed the split rear seats were european. that is why i am fine with importing a car, as long as it is a LHD vehicle I'm all for whatever market it comes from. i do also like the lumbar for the rear passengers, an option i am looking for as well. i would like to stay all OEM as i am not a fan of after market, unless it is pre-merger AMG then I'm all in. haha.

i was afraid of the fact it would be very costly to get these options in the car i thought that may be the case but i thought i would ask you guys here, as this site seems to have a lot of experts in the respective model boards. i will probably go the car broker way, though. it sounds like that would be the easiest way and best way to find one matching what i am looking for.

thank you very much for the info and for everyone else with directing me to different threads as i saw a few models very close to what i am looking for actually. pretty much dead on some of them, wow. i like to see that at least what im asking for is out there, even if rare.

good thing i am in no rush for this project as i have a feeling it may be awhile until i get any results.

 

[LWB250]

To get what you want you're probably going to have to engage a double-sided approach. That is, some of the things you might be able to find in a particular car, but the other may have to be done yourself.

As we have all stated previously, the likelihood of your finding a car with the whole laundry list of accessories you want is pretty slim. As you might have figured out from looking at the various threads, people with particular wants usually end up compromising on what they can find and then adding the remaining items on their own.

A good example is the rear seat cooler. This is a really rare option in the States, but found more commonly in Europe and Asia. It's a tough retrofit, as it entails replacement of the fuel tank, among other things. There is a more common option that was very popular in Europe that allowed for the storage of skis in the trunk through a hole or opening above the center console in the rear seat. This also used the fuel tank that the cooler option required, so you might have better luck finding a car with the ski storage option then retrofitting the cooler.

You have a daunting task before you. I can only hope that you have unlimited finds, as trying to obtain all your want in one vehicle will be costly.

Good luck,

Dan

 

[Brett San Diego]

The rear window shade is included on all S600s in North America to the best of my knowledge. I don't know if it was a package deal or left as an individual option for ROW.

For original parts, contact the MB Classic Center in Irvine, CA. Supposedly, you can get anything from them. Don't know if that's true, but it's worth the call if you have the pocketbook.

I have seen it said that 4-place seating ("split rear seats") was available in the USA only for 1998 and 1999. I don't know if that's entirely true, but it is rare to see on NA delivery cars. I've seen a 1998 S600 with it for sale on a used car lot in southern CA.

Brett