Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W116)

60 sales analyzed · 19 topics from real Bring a Trailer & Cars & Bids comments.

“Ah yes, the Luxobarge that was. The W116’s. What a Mastermind Car that Mercedes made for the road. The best that prowled the Earth.”whipcity76 · Apr 24 at 4:09 PM

• The 450SEL 6.9 flagship: M100 engine and characterdriving
  The 6.9 sits at the top of the W116 hierarchy and is treated as a holy grail: a 417-cubic-inch M100 V8 from the Pullman line delivering massive torque and effortless triple-digit cruising, though owners repeatedly correct the myth that it was a fire-breather, pegging real output around 250 hp. Commenters describe it as a wolf in sheep's clothing with limousine ride and freight-train pull. …
• 6.9 hydropneumatic suspension: best-riding but the weak linkmechanical
  The 6.9's self-leveling hydraulic (not air) suspension is praised as among the best-riding systems ever fitted, but owners flag it as the number-one maintenance concern at high mileage and hard to find someone who can work on it. US cars had a collar over the ride-height adjuster to preserve federal bumper height, and owners carry rubber support blocks in the trunk as a limp-home fix. …
• Rear-seat horsehair padding deteriorationcosmetic
  A near-universal W116 flaw is collapse of the rear-seat cushion padding while the front seats hold up; the horsehair stuffing disintegrates and, left unaddressed, damages the leather above it. The community treats a documented rear-seat rebuild receipt as a major value-add and points to specialists (Woods and Barclays in Georgia) who rebuild the padding while retaining the original leather. …
• Rust: rockers, jack points, firewall, and salt/coastal carsbuying
  Rust is the W116's defining structural threat, concentrated in rocker panels, jack points, and the firewall, and worst on cars that lived near the ocean or in salt-belt states. Rocker replacement is described as a big but doable weld job with panels available from Germany (roughly $900 shipped via MBCC), while firewall repair is more involved. …
• US 'diving-board' bumpers versus Euro bumperscosmetic
  The federally mandated US impact bumpers are widely disliked likened to cattle catchers or diving platforms and swapping to slimmer Euro (or early '73) bumpers is the single most recommended appearance upgrade. A minority defend the US units as genuinely protective, and note the fully rubber-clad US 6.9 bumper was one of the few external tells of that model. …
• Euro manual V8 350SE: rare and highly desirable in the UShistory
  The Euro-only 350SE with the M116 3.5L V8 and 4-speed manual is treated as one of the rarest and most special W116s in the US, since 450 models were automatic-only. Owners rate the 3.5 as punchier than the 2.8 six and less thirsty than the 4.5, and some place a sorted manual 350SE just below the 6.9 in desirability. …
• M117 4.5 V8: highway cruiser, tall gearing, and shrinking powermechanical
  The volume M117 4.5 V8 is characterized as a relaxed, tall-geared highway cruiser (around 24.5 mph per 1,000 rpm) rather than a sprinter, with excellent engine braking. Its rated power is a point of dispute in the threads roughly 180 hp, with claims of 190 hp and a well-documented drop to 160 hp for the final 1980 model year before the switch to the 3.8L. …
• M110 2.8 inline-six (280S/280SE): noisy but tough entry pointmechanical
  The six-cylinder 280 models are the entry-level W116, and while the M110 2.8 is willing to rev to 6,000 rpm for around 185 hp, an engine builder in the threads calls it among the noisiest inline-sixes made and prone to oil leaks from an archaic wax-rope rear main seal. Straight-line performance is modest, with a mid-15-second 0-60 cited. …
• 'A/C just needs a charge' skepticism and R12/R134a conversionsownership
  Listings claiming the A/C 'just needs a charge' provoke open distrust the community reads it as code for a leaking or dead system that would have been recharged if it were that simple. The consensus fix is a Sanden rotary-compressor R134a conversion, and owners note the simpler Euro manual HVAC is far preferable to the complex US ACC/climate-control unit. …
• Vacuum-operated central locking and accessory systemmechanical
  The W116 runs its central locking, trunk/gas-cap release, cruise control, and climate flaps off engine vacuum, and leaks are a common ownership headache one failure often signals wider vacuum trouble. A known diagnostic: with A/C on, flooring the throttle should not cut airflow at the dash vents; if it does, there is a vacuum leak. …
• Fuel injection: D-Jetronic versus K-Jetronic/CISmechanical
  Early W116 V8s used Bosch D-Jetronic while later cars (and the 6.9) moved to K-Jetronic/CIS. Some owners, especially from the diesel side, say to avoid D-Jetronic 'like the plague' over complexity and parts, while CIS is defended as robust and 'not voodoo,' with a poorly-running CIS car seen as an easy fix that sellers leave money on the table by not sorting. …
• Values and market: long undervalued, now climbingmarket
  The W116 is repeatedly called the 'ugly girl at the Benz dance' and 'the most undervalued car' on the collector market, with commenters predicting a breakout and pointing to w116.org as the community resource. Recent results show real movement one 10k-mile 450SEL cited jumping roughly 50% in months, and standout cars reaching the high $30ks to $58k while typical drivers still trade under $15k. …
• 450SEL versus 6.9: the ownership trade-offbuying
  Buyers weigh the standard 450SEL against the 6.9 flagship. Fans of the 450 call it bulletproof, cheaper to maintain, and just as sure-footed some prefer it outright to the venerable 6.9 while others insist the 6.9 is worth the stretch, arguing that plentiful, well-built 450s make the extra spend on a proper 6.9 the smarter play. …
• Bank-vault build quality and the door 'thunk'ownership
  The single most-repeated praise across listings is the W116's build quality, epitomized by a door that shuts like a bank vault. Owners describe rattle-free bodies, industrial-grade switchgear, and a solidity that they say sells the car before the drive even begins a benchmark few cars of the era could rival. …
• Safety engineering and the 'finest sedan in the world' reputationhistory
  Owners frame the W116 as a landmark of automotive safety and engineering four-wheel discs, crumple zones, and a structural cell that occupants credit with saving lives in real crashes. The era's press verdict is repeatedly invoked: Road & Track's July 1973 declaration that the 450SE(L) was the finest sedan in the world, priced against a Rolls-Royce but seen as better engineered. …
• Dash cracks and interior woodcosmetic
  Cracked dash pads are a common W116 affliction and among the hardest to fix, since replacements are NLA; the accepted remedy is professional crack-fill and re-dye, with JustDashes and Bud's Benz named as specialists (or a protective cover as a cheaper stopgap). Interior wood varied by chassis number, with mahogany interiors paired to Zebrano/dark walnut trim on later cars. …
• Timing chain, guides, and oil-change disciplinemechanical
  Owners flag the timing chain and its brittle plastic guides as an inspect-and-replace item on aging W116 V8s, well within reach of a home mechanic if done before failure. There is also a strong maintenance warning that lax oil changes on the M117 accelerate camshaft/OHC lobe wear, plus small preventive items like the plastic cam-lube oiler clips. …
• Upholstery: MB-Tex versus leather versus velourcosmetic
  Interior material is a frequent authenticity discussion: leather was standard on the 450SEL with velour a no-cost option, and no 6.9 came with MB-Tex only leather or velour so MB-Tex on a 6.9 is flagged as incorrect. MB-Tex vinyl is considered near-indestructible, and tears in it are read as a sign of higher-than-stated mileage. …
• Differential whinemechanical
  A rear differential whine, usually in a narrow speed band, is described as common and generally livable so long as the fluid is clean with no metal present and topped up with quality gear oil. If a rebuild is needed, owners note replacement with a known-good used unit is usually more practical than a costly rebuild. …