6.9 for sale (Dallas)
 

Hey guys, got a Mercedes for sale, contact me for details and pics........

JUST KIDDING!!!

Location: Dallas
Asking price: $7800

I am placing my 1977 6.9 up for sale. I don’t *want* to sell it, it is a great car and I love driving it. The reason for the sale is I am planning on buying another Porsche, and I do not have garage space. I have a 6.3 which I love as well and I plan on enjoying it as much as I have this 6.9.

I will not bore you with the propaganda concerning the 6.9 model, rather I will tell you about THIS car. It is a 116 body car, and if you know nothing of Mercedes, this was the large, S class sedan of the late 1970's. It has the bigger 6.9 liter motor and the hydro-pneumatic suspension (front and rear). It goes real fast. Everything else is standard 116 stuff.

Exterior color is silver-blue. Interior is dark blue. Wood is burl.

The car has approximately 156,000 miles. I purchased it in 11/1998 with 111,000. The car has been fully maintained and I have all my maintenance records as well as those dating back to 1990 with the P.O. The car has been in Texas (Austin/Houston/Dallas) since 1990 as far as I can tell. I have the original window sticker as well. ($37k in 1977)

It is an extremely reliable car that I would not hesitate to drive across the country. I have driven it from Houston to Pennsylvania in 2001, and Houston to California in 2002 with no problems. I have made numerous trips between Dallas and Houston with no issues at all.

The condition of the car is as follows:

Wheels/tires:
I replaced the original 14 inch wheels with 15" 8 hole wheels, which is what came on the S class of the early 90's. They have BRAND NEW Michelin MXV (great tires) on them right now. The original spare tire and wheel is in the car and it is a Michelin XWX. There is also an extra set of lug bolts for use with the spare. Toolkit is present, as is the jack.

Exterior/Paint
On the rubber bumper pads, there are a few scuffs and normal wear but nothing significant. None of this is very noticeable unless one is specifically looking for it.

Paint is in good/fair condition. The car had been clear coated at some point. There were a couple of small surface rust spots when I bought the car, which have not changed. There is one at the corner of the sunroof. There is another at the bottom of the A pillar. Also a ding on the gas door edge has some surface rust on it. The car has various marks from typical road use. There is also a scratch near the drivers door lock that someone previously had tried to touch up with little success.

Interior
The dashboard has a couple of cracks. One is at the temperature sensor on top of the dash. I understand this is a common place for the 116 dashes to crack. The car has MB floor mats, dark blue. The carpet is in very good condition. There is one wear mark, on the drivers side where you get in and out.

I installed a new cassette stereo (Sony) and upgraded to Polk speakers in the factory locations.

The HVAC system works great, I replaced all the usual components (servo and amplifier) and the a/c blows cold. It is R12, which is what should be used with the GM A6 compressor in this car. The a/c compressor was replaced in 2000.

The headliner is solid and has no tears.

Wood: The car's wood is in good condition but faded a bit. There are 2-3 small corner edge cracks in the clear finish at the edges of the climate control panel - a very common 116 problem. There is also what appears to be the remnants of something stuck on the wood in the center of the dash. I have not tried to scrape off the remnants.

Leather: The leather is in good condition - no blemishes and it is all original as far as I can tell. Cargo nets are nice and taut.

The front seats are currently covered by sheepskins. The front leather is less than supple, and I am planning on having it reconditioned. If someone wanted the car with the seats as-is, that would be fine. I had the springs in the drivers seat rebuilt.

The rear seat leather is in very good condition, but I think the interior support needs to be redone.

Suspension
Works perfectly. New rear spheres in 2004 and new fronts in 2005. I installed new rear struts in 2005 as well. New hydraulic pump in 1998 with the previous owner. Car comes with all the suspension blocks in the trunk.

Misc:
The standard MB first-aid kit is included.

Mechanicals
Mechanically, the car is in excellent condition. The biggest issue I ever had was in 2002 when I had a weird failure in the differential. I replaced the differential and rear axles as a unit.

Here are some of the major items I fixed:

1998
Rebuilt power steering pump (was leaking a little)
Replaced tie rod ends

1999
Replaced flex disc
Rebuilt transmission (was leaking a little fluid)

2000
Replaced fuel pump, filter, and accumulator
Replaced steering coupler
Replaced front rotors and pads
Replaced a/c compressor and a/c drier
Replaced thermostat
Replaced air slide valve

2001
Replaced motor mounts and transmission mounts
Replaced front crank seal
Replaced upper control arms (bushings are made into these, whole unit must be replaced)
Replaced timing chain (Preventative)
Replaced drag link

2002
Replaced differential and drive axles
Had valve covers powder coated black
Replaced all heater hoses (preventative)
Replaced climate control servo, amplifier and aux. water pump. Installed new dash pushbutton unit in dash

2003
Resealed steering box
Installed new Bosch alternator
Replaced 3 fuel injectors
Replaced all brake hoses
Replaced all belts

2004
Replaced 3 window regulators
Replaced leaking door vacuum pots
Rebuilt oil hoses (3)
Replaced oil pan gasket
Replaced rear N2 spheres

2005
Replaced front N2 spheres
Replaced rear struts
Replaced vacuum transducer
Replaced a/c hoses
Resealed PS pump
Replaced transmission cooler lines
Replaced rear sub-frame bushings
Perform fuel system flush

2006
Rodded radiator
Replaced warmup regulator
Installed new adjustment rods on front and rear leveling valves.

2007
Replaced front windshield seal
Replaced tie rod ends.
Replaced motor mount

2008
Replaced all 4 tires
Had car aligned

Noteworthy items by previous owner:
1990 - new front struts
1991 - New front leveling valve
1993 - New starter ring gear (hard to find)
1994 - New transmission modulator
1995 - New water pump
1997 - New starter

Engine oil has been changed every 3,000 miles.

Bottom Line: This 6.9 is very original and in very good condition, certainly for its age. I would rate it between a 2 and 3 on the SL Market Letter scale of car condition. Maintenance has been performed correctly by professionals who knew what they were doing.

I have used the car since 11/1998 as a daily driver (not my only car however) and it is extremely reliable. It is very strong and it drives tight and straight.

Price is somewhat negotiable but I will not accept lowball offers. This is not a $3,000 6.9 with torn interior, non-working windows, no HVAC, and a poor running engine.

Feel free to ask any questions.

Pictures coming!!


thanks for looking,

Fred Emmerich

With ads like yours, for-sale ad critics like me are going to be out of a job!

Good luck with the sale, sounds like a very nice jumping off point for someone that wants to do cosmetics to make a mint 6.9.

Bruce

You know, I'm not in the market for a "Big Dawg", but when I do buy another car I hope the description is half as complete and informative as yours. That is the standard for accurate "for sale" offers, and I would feel very comfortable buying a car with that level of maintenance being performed.
Good luck with your sale. Shouldn't be a problem. :)

Thanks for the kind words! This was my first MB I ever owned and I feel like I am selling a family member. One that I like.......

I was truly amazed at how much I love driving the 6.9. I never guessed it would be so much fun. My girlfriend had an E430 for a bit and I drove it on a 180 mile round trip, and although it has a lot of nice creature comforts, the fun factor didn't touch the 6.9.

Here are the pics, this is the first time I have ever loaded any so I hope it works.

Fred

More pics

More pics, this seems to be working

The last 3 pics

That's how you create an ad, nice work.

Best of luck with the sale!

Very nice!

Just curious, but what kind of milage were getting on those long trips?

Thanks.

Probably just enough to get from gas station to gas station. :D :D


Sorry I couldn't resist. :D

I would bet it gets frightening mileage though.... :eek:

12-15 mpg

Compare to 6.3
 

I had a '70 6.3 for about 12 years; purchased in 1973. Loved that car. How does the 6.9 compare to the 6.3 as a driving experience? Always had problems with the air suspension on the 6.3; is the nitrogen 6.9 better?

The 6.9 is a generation more refined than the 6.3. The 6.3 is raw power, the 6.9 is that plus a smooth ride. The air suspension on my 6.3 has not really been trouble, had to replace an air bag a couple of years ago, and just recently the air pump ate its rod bearing. But the car stays up forever. The hydro on the 6.9 is pretty simple (they both are actually). Had to replace leaking rear struts (didn't have to but I had an extra set). Lost the rear N2 spheres, that feels like your ass is connected to a metal plate being dragged down the road, its HARSH. But replacing all that stuff is real easy.

How Much?