Got a friend looking to buy a W116

[ngruzevs]

Hi all, I have a friend that's looking to buy a V8 W116. He's looking to spend about $10K and has seen this one on Ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/233367262656?ul_noapp=true

Does anyone know car or offer advice/feedback based on listing?

[CraigB]

What would make me nervous, or at least i would want to check closely, is $2000 for what sounds like fairly extensive bodywork and a $4000 paint job. He might have really good mates to do the work, but that sounds very 'budget' level. If they have not cleaned it all up properly, patched over rust, not used correct panels etc. and if the paint starts peeling off or rust breaking through, then it is a big job to put it all right again and I would say cost more than the purchase price. Hopefully he has photos of it during resto (eg. in the green beast thread - and for reference i think that is something like a 30k job) and it was actually minor stuff, then maybe it is all good. The problem with fresh paint is that it can cover all manner of sins.

[AMG]

I don't know what it is about people, but rule #1 about buying any mercedes is Get a Pre Purchase Inspection performed by a reputable independent mercedes specialist.

Ebay or not... no way in hell should you buy without one - and more to the point ESPECIALLY if you are not extremely familiar with the nuances of a particular model you are interested in.

Tell your mate to take 3 steps back and learn about the cars a little before shelling on anything.

There is no such thing as a cheap Mercedes-Benz.

Not only that, but a cheap one will be the most expensive car you will ever own.

save more pennies if need be, and buy the absolute best example you can afford.

If that's a $1500 car, then don't expect it to be anything other than misery.

If you're a good mate, you'd probably already have mentioned this, but ram the point home, go with him and check out as many as you can, whether they are affordable or not, so you can see what is out there and what's value for money.

You never know, you may get a seller in a weak moment and they might be willing to let it go for a whole lot less than the asking price.

but..... Caveat Emptor.

[Omar]

Can't go wrong with an inspection by a specialist.

[CraigB]

Agreed - but also I reckon that's a reasonable original question and part of the education - unless he was about to press buy it now! It can be a small world and somebody might know the car and the owner, but even then the PPI is not a bad idea.

This might sound like a silly question, but has your mate driven one? I would say to drive as many as you can before deciding on one. And the reason for the question is that I sold my 116 to a mates son as his first car. He fell in love with it (and the affair continues) but my mate also fell in love with it and was always borrowing it. Then my mate decided to lash out on something flasher and had his heart set on a 107. We drove all the way to Port Pirie to look at one.... he drove it around the block and didn't like it! The low seating position etc made him feel really uncomfortable!

The story continued with his son having a minor bingle in mine, bought a 280SEL for $300 to get a guard, bumper etc...... drove it up to me to check out and was a really good car apart from a bit of rust in easy enough places....... he drove it around and loves it and even a/c works perfectly..... he bought another 280SE to get the guard and bumper and same colour to get a rust free door for his car too for similar money....... i did a few repairs, cleaned up the rust and cleaned up paint and he entered it Bay to Birdwood - proud as punch, so many people taking photos and admiring (I went with him and I was proud as punch of the admiration of my work)........ aaaand, part of the deal is i get the 280SE (and his wife gets a clean yard) and I have given it to my 13yo who loves welding and is keen to do Khanacross next year after doing the SDCC junior development program.......and there is a certain serenity in all this for me and order out of disorder..... lots of happy people!

Currently looking for a guard of suitable quality for a khanacross car!! No need for a bumper but my mate's wife seems to also drive the 280SEL quite a lot and had a mishap and a dent in the front bumper.

[ngruzevs]

Thanks guys, really appreciate your input.

I came into W116 ownership some time ago and fell in love with the character, in my case it's a 450SE. On every objective measure the W126 is a better car, but there's just something about the rawness of the W116, the lovely burble from the V8 and the overall weight that ties it down to the road. Reading the listing I did become concerned, as I can say from experience, labour quickly runs away, could say goes like water, in my case I spent 160 hours dealing with rust issues, mostly in the wheel arches and boot floors and miscellaneous places so $2000 won't go far unless you're using silicon and fibreglass.

My mate has an extensive collection of cars, from W126 (380SEL), W140 (500SEL), W220 (S500), W210 (E320), EH Holden. I think he knows what he's getting into but I still advised a PPI was the way to go (prior to starting this thread).

Looking at the listing I noted a couple of items

- Seatbelts are wrong, they don't attach to seat (sliding on bar)
- Dash has a fibre glass cover, not sure what its hiding
- Door trims look terribly dirty
- Missing chrome headlight eyebrows

Not sure if it's Australian delivered, given lack of sunroof (Did MB Aus spec sunroofs as standard in 450 models here) and seatbelts.

Here's my 79 UK delivered 450SE.

IMG_5434.jpg

[CraigB]

About the Oz delivery, I guess it needs to have a compliance plate and for SA rego, that means complications - not impossible but you get the run around and expensive things can go wrong..... speaking from my brothers experience. I hate sunroofs though!

I absolutely get what you are saying re 116/126 and that's a great description. The 126 pushes towards that 'perfection' but the solid grandeur, rough edges like the exhaust give it that real classic car feel while the 126 feels so much more modern.... but better than modern if you jump from a lot of cars back into a 126. He needs a 108 too so he completes the evolution! Less evolution finnie to 108, but then quantam leaps and complete character changes after that, although I haven't driven a 140 to see how different to a 126 - lots of difference on paper but don't know how different it feels.

[Pete49]

I know what you mean about the W116. I have a W116 450SEL (1975 UK delivered) and now rarely use my W123 TE anymore. its such a great car to drive and I can see why your mate wants 1. A class all of their own.

[ngruzevs]

Seems it sold, to a chap who posted on the OZBENZ FB Group

"Totally impulse purchase. 450SE 1978 with 4 months full rego. I could not resist. Previous owner has had it for 16 years. Christmas has come early for me!"

[AMG]

Well perhaps Christmas did come early for them - on the other hand, his new years resolution may be to fix everything he overlooked....

You can't win 'em all as the saying goes, and perhaps this was a blessing in disguise.

If your mate's still looking seriously, then the previous still stands IMO - get out there, look at all and sundry, from basket case to billionaires restoration.

Somewhere there is a w116 worth owning.

Come to think of it, Michel was selling his 6.9 some time ago, and then withdrew it. Perhaps it was a moment of temporaty insanity or weakness...
While a 6.9 can be a frustrating thing to own, they are the ultimate w116.

To my own way of thinking the w116 needs a more modern auto gearbox, but when it comes to owning an 'original' there are concessions that have to be made in the interests of preserving originality versus usage.

[ngruzevs]

Who knows what he's purchased, guessing he'll/we'll find out shortly. Not something you want to purchase on an impulse