considering blasphemy ..... - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

CzarN · #1 06-12-2003, 12:12 AM

so i was heading down the road last week and with great suprise saw a mid-80s s class sitting on the side of the road out in front of one of the local ford dealerships.

apply brake, u-turn

not a diesel, turns out it's a 1984 500SEL

i have been shopping for an '84 or '85 300SD and getting the run around. cars are all either in florida (2700 miles or $1000+ shipping) or they're overpriced, some to the tune of double.

does anyone have any comments on the '84 500SEL ? i know very little about old gasoline engine mercedes, i haven't researched them a bit. here's the kicker. the car only has 87,500 miles. what is more important to a gas engine, age or mileage? is that particular vehicle known for any failures or annoyances? what kind of fuel economy is it likely to get?

i haven't taken it for a test drive, but i sat in it and turned it on and it fired right up. things i noticed were rear passenger side window didn't work, AC didn't work (looked under hood i think there's no belt), not sure if heat worked as i didn't have it on all that long, some of the trim by the steering wheel was coming off but i think super glue would fix that ....

here's what i'm thinking. their business is new fords. not mercedes, and DEFINITELY not old mercedes in need of repair. the sales guy i talked to had no clue whatsoever about the car, and pretty much just wanted it off the lot. the moons are clearly aligned in my favor on this one . i might be able to get it for a song. and i can always buy a 300SD in a year or two.

is there any glaring reason why i SHOULDN'T buy that car, if the price is right? i really like the body style, and my 240d is only getting 16 miles to the gallon anyway so it wouldn't be much of a difference in the cost of my weekly commute (i think), and it is SURELY a pimp ride.

i would of course take it to a mercedes mechanic and have it inspected before i made them a (lowball haha) offer.

comments / thoughts please.

--Nick

Zoonhollis · #2 06-12-2003, 08:22 AM

A friend of mine (from whom I bought my 300D) drives a big 500SEL (W126). It's a very fast car, and no doubt a sweet ride, but at 12 miles per gallon...no thanks.

TX76513 · #3 06-12-2003, 08:32 AM

Possibly you could purchace at such a steal that everyone on forum would hate you - make the needed repairs and pad your wallet for you dream car (SD). Maybe think short term ownership.

P.E.Haiges · #4 06-12-2003, 11:15 AM

Czarn,

Have you tried looking in TX? Its closer to you and there seem to be a lot from there on Ebay.

I bought 2 from TX and am happy with both. Drove both home, 1500 miles, with no problem.

The 500 SEL sounds good but I gave up on gasoline engines.

P E H

#5 06-12-2003, 06:10 PM

I owned an '85 500SEL. Great car, great ride, immense power. The thing only got 12-14 mpg and I could not handle that. I highly doubt it has only 84,000 miles on it, if it really does it should look absolutely brand new inside and out. Valve seals were a bit of a problem, if they are going bad you are going to use some oil and foul spark plugs. Timing chain and tensioner need to be done every 100-120k. That's about it. Oh yeah, and if it's a euro car, there is no way the odometer is accurate.

CzarN · #6 06-12-2003, 06:17 PM

thanks for the responses guys. i'm a bit suspicious of the mileage also, but hopefully a legitimate mechanic would be able to determine if it is accurate. i presume that he would know where to look for wear. HOHO ! where to look where for wear.

--Nick

#7 06-12-2003, 06:43 PM

Seats - at that mileage they should not look worn at all. No sagging, wear spots or tears. The leather should be soft. Steering wheel should be very texutred with no rough spots. Driver side door handle should be tight with no slack. Brake pedal should have no significant wear. Carpets should look new. Window switch decals should not be worn. The needles for the instruments should be orange in color, not faded yellow. The numbers on the odometer should be bright white, not grey. The tenths number in the trip odometer should have a white background, not grey. Try to snap some photos, we will determine if it's the original mileage!

CzarN · #8 06-12-2003, 08:53 PM

it's not really at a used car lot. it's at a place that sells tons of new fords. it was a trade in toward a new ford of some sort, supposedly.

the trip odometer is 8 miles. i presume from test drives.

and holy cow mr. turbodiesel, thanks for the tips! unfortunately my report is wishy washy at best, i can't tell what to think:

seats - very comfy
leather - seats are not leather, some sort of fabric
driver handle loose, not tight
brake pedal has no significant wear, but parking break pedal has most of paint worn off it.
carpets look ok
window switch has wear (driver's only)
instrument needles ... some orange, some fading
odometer numbers very white
trip odometer tenths quite grey

known problems:

- ac doesn't work, missing belt so harder to test
- can't tell if heat working
- wood veneer on dash, all is peeling needs to be re-glued. one piece missing on far right passenger side
- trunk wont open
- passenger side rear window wont roll down
- no service records or history of any sort

good:

- sunroof works fine
- blower blows strongly
- driver's seat adjusts fine in all directions
- starts smoothly on first try, no cranking
- passenger mirror adjuster works fine
- rear seat adjuster works fine

i really cannot say i got any reading from the car in person as to whether the mileage is legitimate. 87,500 is SO low .... i just dont know enough about cars.

maybe i should rephrase that. i dont know ANYTHING about cars.

however, for $35 i can get it inspected by a legitimate mercedes mechanic, hopefully i can get that done tomorrow.

one thing i do know however is sales. the salesman today tried to close me like 6 times, hoho. i can't be sold, at least not by standard car lot amateurs.

--Nick

CzarN · #9 06-12-2003, 10:39 PM

i was thinkin about this whole issue at the gym tonight, and a similar thought crossed my mind also spock. i think i'm going to start tomorrow by calling the dealership and asking to speak to the sales manager. then telling him that if he wants to move the vehicle, to GET the service records.

--Nick

jassz · #10 06-12-2003, 10:47 PM

Have you tried Carfax? You can usually detect an odometer roll back there. If you don't want to pay for a report, get the VIN number and see if anyone here already has carfax access.

The other thing to consider if it IS really low mileage is that it was parked for awhile. This can be harder on a car than actually driving it a little bit. Condensation can cause a lot of problems.

Good luck!

psfred · #11 06-13-2003, 07:34 PM

If it has fabric seats, they are either replacements (unlikely) or the car is "grey market" and originally delivered in Europe. The velour seats are the best, last forever and more comfortable than the leather, but MB only sold MB Tex and leather here as far as I know.

This means the speedo is an american replacement, and the milage is only from date of replacement. Original was metric. Not likely there are early records, as this isn't an official import.

It also means you may have the Euro spec engine, too -- more power, better milage, but will flunk emissions testing most likely.

Peter

#12 06-13-2003, 07:41 PM

Yep, its definately a euro car. Is the car sitting low or bouncy when driving it? Most euro 500SE/SEL's had hydropneumatic suspension and is a weak point. IMO, there is no way in hell the car has just 89,000 miles.. sounds like 150k+ miles to me. Unless you can steal it (in the area of $1000-$1500) i'd stay away.

CzarN · #13 06-13-2003, 09:21 PM

you guys are good.

i took it to a legitimate mechanic today. yes it is a euro-car, yes it is the wrong speedometer. mechanic suspects 150k miles, he has a customer with the same car with 130k so he could compare easily.

has had body work done, the sun was shining brightly and it was easy to see when he pointed it out. "see the orange peel" he said, and yup there it was, just like an orange peel.

and yes, it has additional non-MB equipment that he said was emmissions related.

fortunately i learned all this for the refer-a-friend price, since a buddy of mine down at the gym goes to this mechanic.

well worth the money in lessons learned if nothing else.

--Nick

whunter · #14 11-08-2004, 11:37 PM

on buying a used MB.
This is a good reminder for all of us.

Tirebiter · #15 11-08-2004, 11:52 PM

If the information is properly tortured….. it will confess.