Description
Hi, I am selling my beautiful w140 Mercedes S class s280 in pearl white, with long MOT until June 2025. I have owned it for over 2 years and must say it had been an absolute dream to drive such a stately car across many cities within the UK. It is now however surplus to requirement thus genuine reason for sell, as the car deserves to be driven more than I have time for it.
Over its life time my w140 had also served me to drive many friends to their proms and weddings, as this particular S class was use to be more of a show car for special events given its rare pearl white colour combined with its stately presence and strong reliability.
Mechanically speaking my w140 is in excellent condition and has never broken down on me during my ownership, having taken it to Dundee and back to Leeds, also across Yorkshire regions for sightseeing and special events and Gainsborough now where I live - the engine is silky smooth and you can literally balance a one pound coin on it whilst its running. The gearbox is in good condition with gear changes as it should - both in manual and auto mode (I always just use auto as how they are designed to use), and this being the traditional 4 speed gearbox I believe it is the more reliable of the two. The car comes with completely standard interior including the original CD display but do have some aftermarket modifications on the exterior for show and presence, which is summarized below:
Classic 1994 Mercedes W140 S280
✅ 1994 S280 straight 6 swb w140
✅ June 25 mot
✅️ full v5, book pack & receipts
✅ refurbed genuine 18" dafidas
✅ 4 new tyres
✅ lowered on eibach springs
✅ twin exit stainless rear section
✅ jvc exad dvd stereo with Sony screen - with rear boombox
✅ hid 6k headlight kit
✅ full storm grey leather seats
✅ rear clear light lenses
✅ gloss Black front grille
✅ Mahogany Wood trim
It also does not come with an immobilizer which is a bonus as the later models - which I owned a few of w140 do run into annoying immobilizer issues they are notorious for, as well as the 5 speed gearbox which I was told have more issues. MPG is decent but not great at around 15-24 mpg (premium petrol preferred as I always used, but regular will do), but we both know we aren't using the car for the fuel economy.
No expense had been spared for my w140 during my ownership in which it has had the following -
- 2023 MOT - New backbox, New drive shaft, all electric checks, new ABS sensor, new battery, full service, new tyres since after (1100 GBP).
- 2024 MOT - caliper front reconditioned, welding to small patch underneath (caught something as car was lowered) - (750 GBP).
I do believe the modifications the previous owner had made costed in excess of 2k at least thus they come with the car for free which is a big bonus - all in all you probably won't find another car with styling like this, at least not in this price range, and it is not another one of those dealership cars where they have not owned for long enough to know the ins and outs of it.
As with any 30 year old car it is a running project and is in need of minor tlc bodywork wise, as the exterior is in good condition but is showing small signs of rust especially around both front wheel arches - however no rust elsewhere and these are not very noticeable unless you really look for it.
Other small bad bits is that the car is also heavily undersealed undeath and has a slight oil leak with I assume is due to the rocker cover gasket, although it is quite a small leak as I never needed to top up engine oil between services (and I service it around every 3k). It is also believed to be categories although I am unsure if it was S or N, but does not affect anything critical as had it thoroughly checked in the garage prior to buying the car. Finally the electric windows do not appear to work and I suspect it maybe the motor.
My w140 thus does not need much spending on it as a driving project and is road worthy with long MOT however naturally the sky is the limit should you wish to give it an overhual in any aspect to your desire.
All in all it is a reasonably priced classic given its condition, age, colour, maintenance records and use - being white it can easily be used as a wedding or prom limousine as I had been offered good money from friends for such uses - or as a personal stately showcar. It is not the fastest w140 but is certainly the most reliable mechanically, and would benefit perhaps from going to someone who would be able to sort out the bodywork or restore it to standard - well it is each to their own.
I would be happy to discuss more about the car in more detail for serious interested buyers only, and viewing is at DN10 Gainsborough where I live and offer a thorough viewing and test drive. I am hoping ideally for a straight sell although can accept px or reasonable offers if it is for the right person - genuine and sincere people only as I would much appreciate it. I actually brought this car when at a younger time where I had more time to explore cars and am into the old S classes, from Dundee Scotland from a nice young fella, and had since maintained it as a weekend summer car for the last years. The reason for the purchase was rather superficial, I loved the colour and style of the car, and that it has long MOT and drove fine and was fine on inspection, as at the time I also had a silver w140 which I liked but it was not a showcar like this white one is. I actually had went back to Glasgow with this car for the MOT in 2023 whilst also seeing a friend where much of the work was completed by a specialist who knew much more about these cars than the average garage would (engine transmissions Glasgow) - as you can see the MOT history he pointed out more failures than the first garage, and thus they were thankfully sorted. I since have driven to various weddings and proms to chauffeur friends for such events using the car and it had indeed created some lovely memories last and this summer, which will stay forever. My w140 in summary had been to Dundee, Leeds, Glasgow, Lincoln, Wakefield, Sheffield and surrounding areas during its lifetime and had never let me down - and I think now its time for someone else to enjoy it as due to ill health I am no longer able to give the attention and time it deserves, and it would benefit from someone who could drive or use it more as it simply deserved to be seen more on the road.
