6.3 pr 6.9??

[chiwanga]

I am in the market for a pre smog Mercedes high performance car. I would like either a euro 75 116 6.9 or a 300SEL 6.3. I would like to hear what you all have to say regarding these two models. Pro and cons. Thanks

[deanyel]

Only cons come to mind - both are money pits with tepid performance by today's standards and neither has any prospect of future appreciation.

[david s poole]

the 6.3 is the absolute fastest but the upholstery is so old good parts few and far between.the best of the 6.9's were produced in the last 3 mths of 79 and were european.standard hp was at least 295 and those last 300 cars had abs brakes[if there was ever a car that needed abs brakes the 6.9 is it] i believe that the vin#'s were in the 006300 range[last 6 digits]you stand a better chance of finding good seats or parts for the seats with a 116 body and the parts for the hydraulic suspension were used on a number of 126 bodies. david poole european performance dallas tx.

[andmoon]

A rusted out gray market 79 6.9 was my first mb.
They are fast even by today's standards.
The 6.3s are more 'classic' imho.

As far as I can tell,

They all have suspension problems sooner or later.
Might as well carry a gas station in the trunk.
Dry sump setup eventually leaks.

Snub a Mustang from 60+ mph and all is forgotten.

Seems the 6.3s are costing more.

[Anthony Cerami]

Like any old car......
you will be spending lots of money ........
brakes....flex lines....calipers....discs
air suspension ….pump…bladders…..lines
Fuel lines…….
Anything rubber…
You can spend 20,000 grand on a nice car
And still need to do all this ……
Both vehicles perform and can suck German
shepherds off side walks…..

Everything is still available including Upholstery ........
Its what you like to do ….
If you tinker …..yes
If you don’t buy a new one….

[Tomguy]

Originally Posted by deanyel

Only cons come to mind - both are money pits with tepid performance by today's standards and neither has any prospect of future appreciation.

Tepid performance by today's standards? What standards are you looking at

6.3: 0-60 in 6.5 seconds
6.9: 0-60 in ~7 seconds

Plus an ungoverned top speed of probably ~140MPH on both models.
Compared to much newer MBs with V8s and V12s, they might be slower; but compared to even a 560SEL (~7.5s) they're much more powerful and faster. As for money pits, it depends what type of car you buy.

If you spend $20k on an m100 vehicle, EVERY rubber piece should be at MOST 6 years old. Every maintinence receipt should be in the glovebox. The interior should have no rips, the body absolutely NO rust, and the engine should run perfectly. Not a showcar - those are much higher - but a very nice example. The $3000 ones are the moneypits, with all 4 corners of the suspension needing major repair, the engine needing at least a timing chain, body repair and/or paint, etc. Stay away from the $3000 ones if you'e afraid of doing all this yourself - you WILL have to.

That having been said, ENGINE-SPECIFIC parts are VERY expensive. Water pump? At least $500. Injection pump? Buy a new car.

[TimFreeh]

Originally Posted by Tomguy

Tepid performance by today's standards? What standards are you looking at

6.3: 0-60 in 6.5 seconds
6.9: 0-60 in ~7 seconds...

This would make either "supersedan' about as fast as a garden-variety CLK320 - a CLK430 would blow either one into the weeds.

I've owned both a 6.3 and a 6.9, IMHO both are overrated from a performance standpoint. They may have been a hot car in the mid 60's and mid 70's but they are not very fast in a straight line or in the corners. They are both an absolute joke when viewed from a maintenance/cost of ownership perspective.

[chiwanga]

I have no interest in owning a newer model Mercedes like a CLK, simply because I can not maintain the car myself. Any new Mercedes must be maintained by a shop with the proper equipment to do so, and that is usually the stealership. I have owned many older Mercedes Benz and I feel confident working on them myself. I realized that M100 engine parts are expensive, but they are probably no more expensive than parts for a newer model high performance Mercedes, and at least I can install them myself on an older car. Also, even if the 6.3 cars do not go up in value, at least they will not depreciate like a newer model would. BTW I am leaning towards buying a 6.3 model.

[jhodg5ck]

working on a 6.3 is not what i would refer to as DIY friendly.. The engine is stuffed in on the level of an M120 in an R129 chassis.. Kingpin's on a set of jack stands is Not a good time..nor are sub frame mounts... Injectors are an appalling 1500 a pop last time I checked and to my knowledge no one rebuilds them.
I'd lean towards a pristine 6.9 if you were going to go the M100 route..otherwise for what a Nice 6.9 would cost you could buy a 560 and set it up to Eat M100's for less.


Jonathan

[t walgamuth]

the maintenance on either of those two is pretty scarey to me.

otoh my 500sec is pretty quick and is cheaper to maintain than my diesels.

but the old 6.3s have appeal. the 6.9, unless euro, seems like a lot of bother for the performance level.

both are extremely rust prone (the older ones)

good luck

tom w

[cbdo]

Re routine maintenance--The 108 has chassis lube points that need attention every 3K miles or so, IIRC. The 6.9 at least spares you that. And for either car, the fact that the engine bay doesn't really have enough free space for a mouse to crawl around will play a role in your reality every time you need to do something. That said, either one gives you a drive in a vehicle that when new was the pinnacle of auto engineering. The decision to own either one of these is not really based on logic at all, which is fine--so go with the emotions and find whichever grabs you the most.

[oxymoron]

well it's certainly not that they are rational or cheap to fix, but on the other hand, you WOULD be driving a 6.3 or 6.9.

when I get disgusted with costs and whatnot on my 6.9, I try to imagine what else I could be driving. Within limits, I could be driving just about anything.

Then I look at new or newer cars and weep for all the little polyesters who have given their lives so that somebody can have a nylon dashboard with vibrofoam inserts.

It makes me want to puke I tell ya.

I read all the comments from the sheep who think the styling on the 6.9 is VAHHSTLY inferior to the 6.3. They repeat what they've heard. 6.3s are funky and classic. Beautiful and I like em. Styling is subjective. I like my 116. It's the product of the experimental safety vehicle and blah blah blah. It's big and it's outrageous and it's just right when too much is barely enough.

These are not cars for the Jalopinist.

You're not gonna pick one up for a song and have it deliver 100k trouble-free miles. I suspect you are going to get one for all the right reasons. The same reasons that make owning one a sickness rather than a hobby. And I mean sickness in the kindest possible way.

I raise my cup to you in a toast.