Video test drive review: 1995 Mercedes Benz S500.

[96Fleetwood]

Originally Posted by Playdrv4me

Chad, if you happen to spot one in the Tampa area let me know and I'll go look at it for you. My standards are *very* high (just ask Jesda, he has to hear me bitch all the time).

Ditto, if you find one in Chicagoland.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

Ironic...I blew the T-fitting on my deVille a few months back. I didn't overheat the motor, but it got hot, hot enough to trigger the "engine hot, turn off soon" light. Not an expensive part by any means.

I never looked for that t fitting on mine but from what I understand its at the rear of the motor on the drivers side. Costs like $40-$60 from the dealer and SHOULD be considered an item that needs to be changed every few years. One of the guys in the Benz forum did blow his motor because of that fitting. Said it happened real fast and didn't have time to pull over or anything. Thing is, he wasn't even in the car when it happened and it was his wife that was driving it and that was her story. I think the dumb ****** just ignored the "engine hot" lights. Man, I wish you were looking when I was selling mine, that one was in absolutely "new" condition.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Destroyer...overall, were you pretty happy with yours and would you recommend it?

[Jonas McFeely]

DTS STS ETC. My buddy just got a MINT '99 Deville fully loaded with every single option available plus a ton of dealer add ons. Car has 30k on it. Paid a tick over $12k. Got a 36k mile warranty.Car is absolutely perfect in every way imaginable.

Do the right thing. Buy a Cadillac. Youre getting hung up on this Mercedes bullshit. Youre deciding on this WAYYYY too fast. Take a month or two. Drive everything youve ever wanted thats in your price range. Narrow it down, and then decide. And when youve decided, drive them all again.

Do NOT jump into this this fast, and be stuck with a huge debt and something you really dont enjoy and regret buying. If at that end you still come up with the S320. So be it. But i think you are deciding on this way too quick. People do strange things when they get excited about something.

I have made very poor financial decisions when i just knew i HAD to have something. A month later, i was like damn, bad idea.

[Playdrv4me]

Holy lord did that Deville come with diamond emblems and 24k gold rims for that price?. I would not touch a 97-99 Deville with a 10 foot pole, warranty or not. Those by far, are the Devilles we have the lion's share of problems with here, especially headgaskets and suspensions. Had you said 2000 DTS I'd be with you.

Cadillac loyalties aside, there is no way I would EVER spend the same 12k I could get a pristine E38 or S320 for on a Deville. With patience, I could score a 2002 STS with Nav for that price, but thats it. DTS too, but not a pre-art and science Northstar deville.

You are correct however about rushing the decision, I have made many a mistake that way. Oh hell who am I kidding, I live my whole life like Im gonna die tomorrow.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by Jonas McFeely

DTS STS ETC. My buddy just got a MINT '99 Deville fully loaded with every single option available plus a ton of dealer add ons. Car has 30k on it. Paid a tick over $12k. Got a 36k mile warranty.Car is absolutely perfect in every way imaginable.

Not a good example Jonas. Your buddies Deville is only worth half what he paid for it on a good day. And those after the fact warranties are limited in what they cover.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by I~LUV~Caddys8792

Destroyer...overall, were you pretty happy with yours and would you recommend it?

Based on my experience, yes I was very happy with it and I would recommend one. To tell you the truth I'm seeing a lot of people having a lot of problems with them on the Mercedes forums so I'm wondering if I just got lucky with a good example or what. I suggest you get back on Benzworld, post these videos, tell them your situation and ask those guys (many who have owned them for much longer than I owned mine) what they think and if they would recommend them as well. I loved the car and would buy one again but in all honesty I dont need a Mercedes. I bought it for work related purposes (realtor). Now that I'm not very active in that line of work I just dont need it. I'm just as happy in an old Chevy or Cadillac as I am in the fanciest of cars. Like Elias and others, I just constantly need to be changing vechicles but I get excited when I make a good deal on vechicles, real estate or whatever.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Alright, let's look at this one final time.

I want a car newer than 2000. A good condition A8/740/W140 is the only exception to this rule, as prices are high for these still, and the last good Mercedes (IMO) was the W140 and that died in 1999, and an entire era of M-B died with it...the good era. I do not want a Cadillac older than 1999 as they revised the head bolt design in 2000, making it more reliable and the reduced the chances of blowing a headgasket. Now Tim, you mention the DTS, STS and ETC. I do not like the 00+ deVilles, will not buy one, never liked the way they looked, inside or out. The 98+ Sevilles are ok, but I've driven both those and the W140s, and I'd much rather have the M-B. The ETC is truly the only post 2000 Cadillac I'd pay money to own, but guess what? There are two of those in the twin cities that are sold through a dealer which makes them eligible for an extended warranty, which is a MUST when buying a Northstar, and both of those are 2002s, and one is $22,000, and the other is $23,000. I'm not paying twenty three thousand dollars for a five year old Cadillac, especially when I can get into that Benz, a car which I've wanted to own since I was about 10, for half that. And even if the S320 isn't up my alley, there are a few 740s and A8s out there too, and I've liked those almost as much as I like the W140, ever since they were knew. I've wanted to own one of these "executive class" german luxury sedans as long as I can remember, and now I'm finally able to get my foot in the door, and damnit! I'm gonna!

I'll be back in a Cadillac again, in a classic, vintage '70s model, like I've always wanted.

[Playdrv4me]

Yea Im with you on that. My next expensive Caddy will be a Classic Eldorado. Short of that Id probably only take a 05 STS with every single option short of AWD, or an 07 Escalade.

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by Playdrv4me

Yea Im with you on that. My next expensive Caddy will be a Classic Eldorado. Short of that Id probably only take a 05 STS with every single option short of AWD, or an 07 Escalade.

I think we are on the same page here. Aside from the Escalade the only other newer Cadillac I would consider is a CTS V but it would have to be a real good deal cause I'm not crazy about the styling and would take a Charger SRT 8 over it. A classic Caddy is definately in the cards in the future. As of yesterday I was high bidder on this beauty: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...MEWA:IT&ih=019 . I probably wont bid much over where its at now, so it probably wont happen but this is a cool car no?.

[96Fleetwood]

I am bidding against you... muhahahahah!

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by 96Fleetwood

I am bidding against you... muhahahahah!

You SOB

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Cool car, but I'd rather have a very clean stock one.

[Night Wolf]

Originally Posted by Jonas McFeely

DTS STS ETC. My buddy just got a MINT '99 Deville fully loaded with every single option available plus a ton of dealer add ons. Car has 30k on it. Paid a tick over $12k. Got a 36k mile warranty.Car is absolutely perfect in every way imaginable.

Do the right thing. Buy a Cadillac. Youre getting hung up on this Mercedes bullshit. Youre deciding on this WAYYYY too fast. Take a month or two. Drive everything youve ever wanted thats in your price range. Narrow it down, and then decide. And when youve decided, drive them all again.

Do NOT jump into this this fast, and be stuck with a huge debt and something you really dont enjoy and regret buying. If at that end you still come up with the S320. So be it. But i think you are deciding on this way too quick. People do strange things when they get excited about something.

I have made very poor financial decisions when i just knew i HAD to have something. A month later, i was like damn, bad idea.

I agree, we go from "just looking, maybe sometime in a year from now" to "my car is going for sale tonight, I am gonna test drive these cars tomorrow to see which one I want"

But, I gave enough input in the thread, seems like its the wrong kind of input, and nobody really cared so I just decided to stay out of it.

If this is the car you really want, then awesome, you know your financial situation and future plans better then any of us here, so go for it!

[Cadillacboy]

You can also consider of buyin '94-96 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham
W140 is rock solid . I heard many complaints from the people switching to W220 .W221 is not my taste either .