1997 740i or 1997 S420?

5754 Views 47 Replies 14 Participants Last post by I~LUV~Caddys8792, Nov 7, 2005

I~LUV~Caddys8792

Discussion Starter · Nov 4, 2005

I have been pondering what car to buy in the next few year for quite a while.
Right now, I am kind of thinking of getting a mid '90s BMW 740i/ 740iL or getting a M-B S420/ S500. I prefer the looks of the S Class, and the interior of the S Class, and I always preferred M-B over BMW. But I suppose the BMW handles better and is more sporty. What do you guys think?

1 - 20 of 48 Posts

Playdrv4me

· #2 · Nov 4, 2005

Everyone here knows how much I love BMWs, however the fact of the matter is that as they get older, part for part and year for year, the Mercedes product will almost always outlast the BMW product. Mercedes builds their vehicles with the intent of rock solid reliability and long term ownership (or they used to before the most recent models/reliability issues).

Obviously between almost any BMW and Mercedes however there is always going to be a tradeoff for agility and performance. In my mind the big BMW sedans just tend to outperform their Mercedes counterparts when it comes to driving feel and contact with the road.

No matter what, any of these cars without proper prior maintenance is going to be an absolute headache, but it really comes down to what you want out of the car.

Jesda

· #3 · Nov 4, 2005

Older MB is truly world class. I pick the S. Expect to be severely raped on parts. You can borrow the bottle of anal lube I use when I go to the Infiniti dealer.

mccombie_5

· #4 · Nov 4, 2005

S S S

My wife had a 1996 750IL and i loved it. It wasnt a scratch on my 94 320SEL though.

I recently bought the 98 S600 as you know, and id still take the S over the Beemer.

I~LUV~Caddys8792

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 4, 2005

Jesda said:
Older MB is truly world class. I pick the S. Expect to be severely raped on parts. You can borrow the bottle of anal lube I use when I go to the Infiniti dealer.

HAHAHAHA!! I dont know if I would like to share, I would have to go buy some Vaseline at Walgreens before I went to the parts department, because, god knows you can't take it dry!

I~LUV~Caddys8792

Discussion Starter · #6 · Nov 4, 2005

mccombie_5 said:
S S S

My wife had a 1996 750IL and i loved it. It wasnt a scratch on my 94 320SEL though.

I recently bought the 98 S600 as you know, and id still take the S over the Beemer.

mccombie, I knew you would help me with this one!

SpeedyArizona

· #7 · Nov 4, 2005

As a BMW owner, I'd pick the Bimmer over the 'Benz.

It depends on your style:

If you want the more performance-oriented vehicle, get the Bimmer.
If you want the sporty vehicle, get the Bimmer.
If you want a car that hugs the road, get the Bimmer.
If you want the best interior (in my opinion), get the Bimmer

If you want the larger car, get the Mercedes.

You better figure in the cost of maintaining each one though, the M-B would shock you!

See less See more

mccombie_5

· #8 · Nov 4, 2005

I~LUV~Caddys8792 said:
mccombie, I knew you would help me with this one!

If you want a quality, old school, luxobarge, the Mercedes is the best at it, also, the S is smoother, having ran both of them, the S isnt that much more than the BMW, if any at all. The S is better built (even my 98 S is better than the 96 7)

You will look classy and sophisticated in the Mercedes, these cars were the best.

Also, the S500 cost considerably more than the 750i in 1995, so even though it is about the same price now, you are getting $15k more car

( i think anyway my memory is rough, if i am wrong please correct me)

If you buy a Mercedes, you will look like a classy, corporate high flyer, with great taste, if you buy a BMW you will look like a BMW driver

:0

Playdrv4me

· #9 · Nov 4, 2005

SpeedyArizona said:
You better figure in the cost of maintaining each one though, the M-B would shock you!

I agree, however this is one thing youre really going to have to consider regardless of which one you purchase. These are simply not cheap cars to maintain even when purchased in the best of low mileage condition. If you dont plan to do the work yourself (which on these cars is not always feasible) its imperative to find a good local Euro mechanic who knows the ins and outs of the vehicle and has a source of either good used parts, or less expensive than the dealer new ones. Almost every major town Ive ever lived in has had one of these outfits specifically for euro makes for this reason.

mccombie_5

· #10 · Nov 4, 2005

Ian, I completely agree, if i had bought any other S600, i would be finduing an indipendant mechanic to do the work. AS it stands my S has a main dealer service history, and i want to coninue this.

90Brougham350

· #11 · Nov 4, 2005

mccombie_5 said:
If you buy a Mercedes, you will look like a classy, corporate high flyer, with great taste, if you buy a BMW you will look like a BMW driver :0

True, but if you buy the BMW, you're getting the ultimate driving machine. Let's face it, BMW's are fun! Which engine does the 740 you're thinking of have? I'd go with the BMW.

Caddy Man

· #12 · Nov 4, 2005

Id pick the s class, its always been the leader of the big sedans.

Elvis

· #13 · Nov 4, 2005

I like the looks of the BMW better than the Mercedes, but I can say from experience that BMW rapes you worse than Mercedes does.

Go with the S.

mccombie_5

· #14 · Nov 4, 2005

90Brougham350 said:
True, but if you buy the BMW, you're getting the ultimate driving machine. Let's face it, BMW's are fun! Which engine does the 740 you're thinking of have? I'd go with the BMW.

740 = 4.0 V8

My wife had the 750iL in 1996, and to be honest, it wasnt THAT good to drive. It felt faster, but that was it.

I prefer the Mercedes, and my wife does too. Thats got to be good from an ex owner?

The BEnzesarent exactly boats either, they are very agile consdering their 2 tonne + weight, the BMW isnt far behind, but the S IMO is better. It was definately better built.

I~LUV~Caddys8792

Discussion Starter · #15 · Nov 4, 2005

so in comparison to Cadillacs, how steep is repair and maintenace costs for a
M-B/BMW

mccombie_5

· #16 · Nov 4, 2005

I~LUV~Caddys8792 said:
so in comparison to Cadillacs, how steep is repair and maintenace costs for a
M-B/BMW

I can help a little here, but not much, because Cadillacs cost me a fortune here too, there is a limited dealer network and the ones i have arent cheap.

It is expensive to keep the BMW

It is about the same for the Mercedes

A Cadillac is about 25-40% less for me

I~LUV~Caddys8792

Discussion Starter · #17 · Nov 4, 2005

alright, thanks mccombie :yup:

haute_heir

· #18 · Nov 5, 2005

Jesda said:
Older MB is truly world class. I pick the S. Expect to be severely raped on parts. You can borrow the bottle of anal lube I use when I go to the Infiniti dealer.

Haha! Yeah I agree, I wondered if I was the only Infiniti owner that thought they were raping me... Everyone else seemed more than happy to pay whatever at the service desk whenever I was there! RIP QX4

As for the BMW or the Benz... Benz hands down! Yeah I have one, but I had a 325 before, and the Mercedes is a far better built car, nicer, dealership treats you nicer, maint. is cheaper (NOT CHEAP). Plus theres a tonne more upgrading you can do to a Mercedes than a Bimmer.

Leloz

· #19 · Nov 5, 2005

I have owned a 750iL, S500, and S600. I would take the w140 Mercedes hands down. Although they are less sporty than the BMW, the Mercedes wraps around you like a vault and makes you feel like a million dollars behind the wheel. Although my 1998 S600 is almost 8 years old, it still receives compliments everywhere I go

mccombie_5

· #20 · Nov 5, 2005

IM getting them for my S600 already Leloz!

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