W140

[Ilike300sd]

IMO how the car makes you feel when you drive it is everything.  I like w116s better than 123s for example because of how they feel.  But I still like w123s and just bought another 123 diesel 4 sp yesterday.  Somebody on here had the quote something like "sell the others, keep the w116" and that sums it up pretty well for me.  I could sell the others and it's no big deal really.  Selling the w116 feels like losing something special.  They are all nice in their way but the missing component on many of the other MBs seems to be "elegance" IMO.

[powerglide]

Hmm, Ilike300, that's about how I feel now I have had the W140 six months: it's a beautiful thing and it does everything SO WELL!  The 350SE and the 280SE are on the market, and I am sure the 350SE will sell, judging by inquiry levels, but I might just end up keeping the 280SE and this will make me happy because I just like the way it FEELS to drive.  If the W140 goes, Ilike300, it may be replaced by a 928: what is your experience with the 928? - I missed a nice 2-cam manual shift 928 last year and bought the W140 instead.  I understand cam belts are an issue with the 928, and all the Porsche guys I know say 'forget it and buy a nice 911'.  Problem is I like the engine in the front driving the rear wheels - just the way Nature intended.

On the W140, I do find that the trans is reluctant to shift down when the load is increased, and I have to use the kickdown switch by flooring the throttle pedal, and that usually gives too much power, so you lift the foot, and it just changes up again - no good.  With the W116 you can control the gear it selects fairly well with throttle control, but not the W140.  I think I saw a post by a guy with a six cylinder W140 who reported something similar (mine is an S420), and I think he ended up with an S500. People shy away from the V12 model that is said to be quite expensive to own and has some extra layers of problems beyond those of other W140 models.  The frustrating thing is that the S420 does have lots of power - plenty for almost all situations - but getting it on to the road in the right gear is the hang up.  It seems to be the same in E or S mode, so it could be that that function is u/s and it is just working in E mode all the time.  Of course you can select the gears manually, but you shouldn't need to, should you?

[jbrasile]

powerglide,

Two of my best friends own 928's, one of them actually had two, a 79 (sold) and is finishing the restoration on an 83. The other has the holly grail in the 928 universe... the GTS... great cars to drive when they work... the early versions I find to be a  little bit rough and noisy inside.

The whole issue with 928's is how complex and expensive they are to maintain. The GTS adds a lot of electronics to the package which can make things escalate to prohibitively high levels...

Working on the cars is not hard but can be irritating at times for someone used to MB engineering, it is almost as if Porsche made  simple tasks like changing spark plugs become an event instead of second nature. Personally I love the 944 especially the S2 with the 3 liter engine, light, powerful, quiet, very comfortable, easier on gas, just a great package. 944 Turbo's (951 I believe is their Porsche designation) are legendary for  performance, balance and reliability

928's are tiresome to drive around town and just feel heavy in my opinion.

Tks,

Joe