This 1998 Mercedes-Benz S320 was sold new in Roanoke, VA where it remained with the first owner through 2016 under regular dealer service. Two subsequent owners are noted with Virginia and Georgia registrations. The car is finished in Glacier White (143) over Grey Leather (268) and power is provided by a 3.2-liter inline-six linked to a five-speed automatic transmission driving the rear wheels. Factory equipment includes a power tilt/slide glass sunroof, remote central locking, rain-sensing wipers, power-folding mirrors, dual-pane windows, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, AMG 19” Monoblock Aero wheels, Becker installed bluetooth head unit, power-adjustable heated front seats with memory and a Bose audio system. The included Carfax report shows 84 service history records and the car comes with service records from new with a dealer brochure and original window sticker. Recent services performed by the seller include engine and transmission mounts, new Michelin tires, vacuum services, alignment, steering dampener, transmission service, tie rods, and new bilstein shocks. This S320 shows 171k miles and is now offered for sale with one key, factory literature, service records from new, the original window sticker, rare 19-inch AMG W140 Monoblocks, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Georgia title.
Finished in Glacier White (143), this S320 features dual-pane windows, a power tilt/slide glass sunroof, heated and power-folding door mirrors with an auto-dimming driver side, rain-sensing wipers, remote central locking and pneumatic closing assist doors which has recently been serviced. The seller has included paint meter readings of the body and it measures as all original paint from new. This W140 is a rust free example. Exterior flaws include a crack in the lower portion of the front bumper and some rock chips along the nose. A new hood star was replaced under the current owner.
The rare 19-inch AMG Monoblock alloy wheels have been recently refinished and show well with original machined lips with painted faces. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 A/S tires measure 245/45 at all four corners and show 2023 date codes. Standard equipment includes four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes as well as ASR slip control. A new steering damper, idler arms, shocks, and tie rods were done with the wheel alignment under 2,000 miles ago.
The cabin is upholstered in Grey Leather (268) with matching NOS Japanese market cloth floor mats front/rear and eucalyptus wood trim which lines the center console, dashboard and door panels. The wood trim is in good condition showing no signs of fading. A small chip is noted in the wood adjacent to the center armrest. Both front seats are heated and offer 12-way power adjustability with three-position memory. Driver side memory settings are tied to the four-way power adjustable steering column and power mirrors. Additional interior amenities include dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, an integrated garage door opener, and an 11-speaker Bose Beta sound system. The seller installed gray leather grab handles for the interior. A Becker installed bluetooth head unit wash purchased and installed by the seller.
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. Digital instrumentation consists of an outside temperature sensor, a trip meter and a digital odometer which currently shows just over 171k miles. New OEM instrument cluster backlight bulbs were installed recently.
This short-wheelbase sedan is powered by a 3.2-liter M104 DOHC inline-six which is factory rated for 228 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a five-speed 722.6 automatic transmission. Recent services performed by the seller include engine and transmission mounts, transmission fluid service, and oil service. Detailed images of the entire service history of the car are included in the gallery. The seller notes no oil leaks or head gasket leaks.
The Carfax report shows linear mileage updates from new. This S320 shows 171k miles and is now offered for sale with one key, wool floor mats, factory literature, full service records from new, original window sticker, rare AMG 19” Monoblocks, a clean Carfax report, and a clean Georgia title.
Detailed POV driving videos featuring a walkaround, cold start, acceleration, and features are included below.
If you squint, a short-wheel-base W140 sitting on Monoblocks looks a bit like a well done W124. That’s up until you stand next to one of these and you realize that a W124 is only about 70% of the size of a W140 S-Class. The size of these cars are almost downright intimidating when you park it next to any normal car of this era. The windshield is the length of an aquarium at a Chinese buffet and the hood is a king sized mattress. A 190E parked next to this will leave you aghast. The W140 was king. Even Bruno Sacco said it was 4 inches higher than what he wanted. The interior cabin was seemingly built for 7-foot tall basketball players to cruise at 150-mph for hours on end with the NVH a soft summer rain on a Sunday morning. What’s important about this S320 are the complete service records from day one, original paint, and the fact that everything on this car works as it did day one. There’s a lot of W140s out there on the marketplace, but no one has maintained them the way they were supposed to be maintained. A clean, well serviced, and fully functional W140 is rarer than finding a $100 bill hiding in your sofa cushion. The increasingly-valuable 19” AMG Monoblocks with freshly unpackaged Michelin PS4 A/S play a huge factor in the value of this car. Mileage is a moot point on these cars when they’re as sorted as this one. What a buy!
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20 Comments
Hey everyone, just wanted to say the car did sell yesterday and it's staying local which makes me happy. I'll have The MB Market team update the banner and mark it as sold since they helped me put together a deal with a bidder. Thanks!Are you open to selling just the wheels?Thank you to everyone who participated! We were close to the reserve! I appreciate the questions and interactions I had on this one.$8,000 bid placed by @JchromeZ
$7,750 bid placed by @OldVicker
We're in the final 30 minutes of the auction! Thanks for all the interest and some really good PMs and phone calls I've had in the background. At the current bid, you're essentially getting a free W140 as these wheels are worth a small fortune. This has been a fun one and I'm always happy representing Mercedes maintained by service psychopaths. It's right up my alley. Good luck everyone! Hopefully I'll be chatting with the winner very soon! Few worthy metnion: -Head gasket done -Refinished 19" Monoblocks with NEW Michelins that are probably worth a little north of $6,000. Lips were not painted over but repolished. -Original paint -Window sticker -Records from new! -Open wallet maintained since it rolled off the lot -Cloth JDM W140 floor mats -Completely gone through suspension$7,500 bid placed by @JchromeZ
$7,250 bid placed by @DLB79
$7,000 bid placed by @TokyoBound
$6,500 bid placed by @OldVicker
Good morning everyone and thanks for the bids/comments for the last week. Let me know if there are last minute questions to answer. Happy bidding!$6,250 bid placed by @JchromeZ
@Axle All the seat controls work including the seat back and seat bottom heating elements. The last owner replaced one of the seat switches in the last couple years (because the backlighting wasn't working) and the lumbar works for both seats although the driver seat lumbar takes time to inflate. Thanks!All seat controls work along with Lumbar adjustment?@Axle Always happy to answer any questions!@Stuttgart_Steel excellent thanks for the response.@Axle The records show the head gasket and valve cover gasket replacement in 2017, photo 322. Thanks re the video! As far as rattles, not at all. It's a solid W140.Hi, any squeaks or rattles from the door panels or other interior parts? Also is there history of the head gasket being replaced in the long set of service records? The PPI video is very reassuring.$6,000 bid placed by @OldVicker
$5,750 bid placed by @Lyubimchik0000
$5,500 bid placed by @WAlahh
Amazing how much 19"s change the look of these. very cool!Nice to see the service history on this, you NEVER see that anymore,let alone an interior that well kept over time. Good luck with the auction, it's a clean one!That bid just about covers the cost of buying 19" Monoblocks WITHOUT new Michelin tires!$5,000 bid placed by @Andrii
$2,500 bid placed by @JTBshaw
@Stuttgart_Steel That sounds good! Thank you for following up on it!@Max100500 I just went down to the car and scrubbed on it for a few minutes and the seatbelt stain is coming off with some light duty fabric cleaner. I reckon you'll have to removed the seatbelt and soak it in a tub of water and soap to extract it all, but it will come out. Everyone please check out the PPI video and undersides added to the gallery. I hope it comes across how well maintained this one is.The wheels are worth more than the car!$2,250 bid placed by @Boatymcboatface
@Max100500 You can always ask questions! That spotting on the belt was something I had asked about as well. The first owner of 18 years owned a packaging business and apparently that was something related to their prep materials spilling. I had planned to try and clean that over the weekend to see how good it can be- suppose replacing a belt wouldn't be impossible if it can't come clean. I, along with the owner of the car, are sensitive to smoke. I'm confident in saying this car has never been smoked in. Thanks for the compliments! Undersides and a PPI video to come as well!The car looks great! May I ask a couple of questions? In photo 166, there seems to be something on the seatbelt at the bottom—sorry if this sounds strange, but it looks like dried blood. On the ceiling, I noticed several small spots that resemble those caused by smoking. Do you happen to know if anyone smoked in the car before?Everyone welcome to the auction of arguably the best maintained W140 I've ever come across. I am hosting this auction for a very well known Atlanta based Mercedes-Benz enthusiast with whom I know very well. He's one of the few people that give myself a run for my money when it comes to dialing in an older car. Please watch the very thorough videos and view all the images in the gallery. The entire service history is photographed and it starts from day one. The car is located in Marietta, Georgia at a collector car storage shop and will remain there until it sells. I'm more than happy to host showings, take phone calls, Facetime, or text with whoever. Transparency is the name of the game which is important on a W140. Thanks for stopping by! Happy bidding.$2,000 bid placed by @kmr9146