This 1997 Mercedes-Benz S500 was sold new in Texas where it was registered through May 2023 when it was purchased by the current owner and brought to California. Finished in Brilliant Silver Metallic (744) over Gray Leather (268), power is provided by a 5.0-liter M119 V8 mated to a five-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. Factory equipment includes a power tilt/slide glass sunroof, Xenon headlamps, remote central locking, dual-pane glass, power adjustable front seats with memory, heated front and rear seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, Bose audio and self-leveling rear suspension. An engine oil and oil filter change was performed by the seller in preparation for the sale. Now showing 153k miles, this S500 is offered for sale by the current owner with the original manufacturer’s literature, two keys, a clean Carfax report and a clean California title in the seller’s name.
The body is finished in Brilliant Silver Metallic (744) and features paint-matched lower body cladding and clear front corner markets. Exterior features include a power tilt/slide glass sunroof, Xenon HID headlamps with heated wiper/washers, power-folding door mirrors, remote central locking, dual-pane windows and pneumatic closing assist doors. The seller reports that the power antenna functions intermittently, the soft-close function does not work, signs of fading clear coat and various dents and scratches which have been documented in the photo gallery. The brake light warning is said to occasionally come on with no issues with the brake lights themselves. A set of aftermarket amber corner lights are included with the car.
The cabin is upholstered in Gray Leather (268) with black leather accents, a black dashboard and gray floor mats. Burl Walnut wood trim lines the center console, dashboard and door panels. Cracks in the wood trim are visible on the center console. Both front seats offer 12-way power adjustability along with three-position memory with the driver-side linked to the mirror position and the power tilt/telescope steering column. Interior amenities include dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, an 11-speaker Bose Beta sound system and adjustable front-seat lumbar support. Interior imperfections consist of a sagging sunroof headliner, wear on the driver seat and a missing rear climate vent cover.
The leather-wrapped steering wheel frames analog instrumentation including a 160-mph speedometer, a 7k-rpm tachometer, an analog clock and gauges for fuel level, economy, coolant temperature and oil pressure. The digital odometer currently shows 153k miles from new with 1k miles added by the current owner.
This W140 is powered by a 5.0-liter M119 V8 which produces 315 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. An engine oil and oil filter change was performed in June 2023. A VMI has been included by the seller and is viewable in the photo gallery below. Underbody photos provided by the seller show no signs of corrosion.
The Carfax report shows Texas registration through May 2023 when the car was purchased by the seller and brought to California. Linear mileage updates are shown with no accidents or damage reports. This 1997 S500 is now offered for sale by the current owner in Los Angeles, California with the original manufacturer’s literature, two keys, a spare tire and tool kit, a clean Carfax report and a clean California title in the seller’s name.
A startup and walk-around video has been provided by the seller below.
Open Transit:
Enclosed Transit:
The winning bidder will receive an email with the quote and option to proceed with shipping.
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11 Comments
The market has spoken. This was a project car and the hammer price was just about what I expected. New owner would have spent more than they paid for the car to make it 100%, and that's not including paint or bodywork. Dropping the reserve was a desperation move. The market shows that cars with this many issues, albeit mostly minor ones, can't and won't command significant prices.$3,000 bid placed by @Marin88
The reserve has been reduced to help her find a new home ! Good luck to all in the final moments !What is the reserve?$2,750 bid placed by @Stiliamon
We are about an hour from the close of the auction! To any bidders that may have any questions, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer in time! Good luck to all! Hope she finds a good home!If the price stays here, it's a good deal. Anything higher is unfortunate for the potential buyer who might want to repair and upgrade this old gal. If you just want to drive a W140, great but many of us (specifically me) want a sorted car. Paint & Bodywork alone will run well in excess of $7K. Accumulator R&R isn't cheap, nor are a replacement set of wheels & tires. Before you know it, you're into her for $15K or more. GLWTA and to the new owner. What a great thing if the new owner does in fact freshen her up, then shares what has been done and what was spent to get back to her original glory!$2,500 bid placed by @ReallyCheapGeek
$2,250 bid placed by @sugarcaneshane
$2,000 bid placed by @RandRJ
@KingKitty It does need TLC to make all the options/features that came factory with the car to work 100% in agreement to that. It takes someone that knows these cars well to make that happen also. However, it is a great entry point for one that wants to enter W140 ownership, with the reserve that is considerably lower in comparison to recent sales of W140s to reflect the repairs that would need to go into it. Not a show room car by any means, and never advertised to be one. Calling it a project car is harsh, but is relative to the person calling it a project-car, depending on how far deep they want to dive into repairs and options they want to address, everyone has different wants/needs. If it does not meet reserve id likely address the rear suspension/accumulator concern you mentioned and keep it as a weekend cruiser, though lord knows I don't need to add another weekend cruiser to the stable. It presents very well, has a straight body, clean interior, ice cold a/c, no accidents, no rust, drives great, has a solid drive-train with a recent pass on the strict California smog check.@hktheman Long story short, when you collectively consider all the issues and what needs to be done just to make it mechanically sound (not bodywork), this is pretty much a drivable project car. I'm probably close to being a subject matter expert on W140s, and as these cars age the ability to repair or replace failed components is getting harder and harder. For example, the lumbar bladders haven't been available as service parts for some time - consider that option gone. But - you need the PSE pump to be operable for other "convenience" features, so you've got to know how to bypass these.. Add to that the close assist for the doors - many of those components are NLA, but not common failure items. If the suspension is marginal at this point, replacing rubber bits will set you back an easy $1k or more in parts alone. If you're not capable of working on the suspension yourself, probably triple that to cover the labor. Way too long of a list of issues for me, too bad. Truly a "project car" in my book. GLWA!@KingKitty The lumbar support for both sides do not seem to inflate or make any noise when switched anywhere between 1 to 5. As far as the rear suspension feel, I would say that is accurate, either a bottoming out or a drop off type feeling over bumps is the best way to describe it.@hktheman Thanks for the response and he honest description, I look forward to your answer(s). As for the rear suspension, does it seem harsh when going over bumps or like it's bottoming out? I ask because that would be an indicator that the hydropneumatic accumulators (often referred to as "spheres") are bad.@KingKitty Thank you for the questions! Ill be more than happy to answer them about the S500. I will copy paste your questions below for clarity. It is my goal to be fully transparent with the condition and items listed as I have been, no surprises. For local bidders; all are welcomed to message me to see the vehicle in person if interested. Other than this being an obvious flip, it's spent a lot of time in the Texas sun to have caused the clear coat to fail on the plastic parts (bumpers/door cladding). -Yes, I purchased it with no intention of keeping it. I have been enjoying the car for two months, it drives and presents well for a 1997 year model S500. The bumpers and door cladding do have clear coat concerns, they are clearly photographed and presented in the photos. Along with the that I have attached photos pin pointing various scratches and or dings around the car. Any chance the original wheels are still around? And how has the "worn out rear suspension" been identified, that is, what exactly has made it apparent that the rear suspension is worn out? -The original wheels are not available, as the previous owner had aftermarket wheels, I had them removed and installed the current wheels you see pictured from a 2002 S55 AMG. As for the rear suspension, mainly when going over severe dips/bumps the suspension feels it has more drop off/motion than it should, I do not feel anything on smooth surfaces with no bumps or going in and out of steep driveways. But I do mention this to potential bidders for full transparency. Does the lumbar support work on both front seats? -I have not tested the lumbar function, I will test it tonight when I get to the car and post back with updates!"An engine oil and oil filter change was performed by the seller in preparation for the sale." And not a whole lot else from appearances. Other than this being an obvious flip, it's spent a lot of time in the Texas sun to have caused the clear coat to fail on the plastic parts (bumpers/door cladding). Any chance the original wheels are still around? And how has the "worn out rear suspension" been identified, that is, what exactly has made it apparent that the rear suspension is worn out? Does the lumbar support work on both front seats? Tell us more, please, before we consider bidding on this car with "various imperfections". Thank you,$250 bid placed by @Stiliamon