1979 6.3

[Rusty Boltz]

What is this car? I have just come across a 4 door sedan for sale with a sign that says 1979 collectors car. On the trunk the badge says 6.3
Is it most likely the 6.3 liter V-8 that is in this car? Does anyone own one of these that would care to comment on the performance and handling?
This may be a stupid question, but I never saw this model before.

[suginami]

In 1979 it would have been a 450SEL 6.9.

If it was a 1969 model, it would be a 300SEL 6.3.

6.9 and 6.3 refer to the size of the engine in liters.

[Rusty Boltz]

I was wondering about that. It says 6.3 and not 6.9, so that threw me. The for sale sign says 1979, but no other info and no other badging on the car.

[alabbasi]

Best bet is to take some pictures and post them, we'll tell you.
A vin will work also.

[POS]

What body style is it? If it looks like alabbasi's photo above, then some bonehead had the car repainted and put the wrong badge on it. If it's a '79, then it's a 6.9 - IF it's got a 6.9 engine. Since the badge is bull, the engine might be bull too.

[Rusty Boltz]

The owners representative called me back and he says it is a 6.9 and maybe the brown leaf stuck on the brown car's badge tricked us from our viewing angle and made it look like a 3. It says 6.9 he swears.

I will go back and look. He says the double front bumpers and rear seat head rests make this a pretty rare car and that something like 500 were made.

The engine cratered in warranty and Mercedes sent a new engine from Germany years ago and it is identical but not the original. It has less than 20K on the engine. Is this car likely worth anything much in decent condition. original brown paint. 2 small rust spots on front edge of hood. Upholstery is somewhat bleached out by the sun he says.

I am thinking about giving the wife the 300TE and playing with this and making it into a daily driver.

[Emmerich]

1800 US models of the 6.9. Plenty if you want one.

[cth350]

lots of posts here and at www.m-100.cc about the 6.9. A parts car can be had for 1,000$ to 2,000$. A good daily driver from 5,000$ to 15,000$. There are great things about these cars as well as expensive pitfalls to worry about.

-CTH

Originally Posted by Rusty Boltz

The owners representative called me back and he says it is a 6.9 and maybe the brown leaf stuck on the brown car's badge tricked us from our viewing angle and made it look like a 3. It says 6.9 he swears.

I will go back and look. He says the double front bumpers and rear seat head rests make this a pretty rare car and that something like 500 were made.

The engine cratered in warranty and Mercedes sent a new engine from Germany years ago and it is identical but not the original. It has less than 20K on the engine. Is this car likely worth anything much in decent condition. original brown paint. 2 small rust spots on front edge of hood. Upholstery is somewhat bleached out by the sun he says.

I am thinking about giving the wife the 300TE and playing with this and making it into a daily driver.

Before you take the plunge, be aware that this car has four wheel hydraulic/pneumatic suspension, with very expensive parts. The tires are also a special size, that are hard to find and expensive.

If it has double front bumpers, it's probably a euro model, worth less than a U.S. spec car, and made in much greater numbers. Many euro spec cars were sent here after they were worn out in Germany. The U.S. version is slightly slower, but has no issues with EPA and DOT releases needed to register the car in some states that a euro model will have.

Watch out for rust and smoking engines on any euro Mercedes-Benz. This body style of Mercedes is very prone to hidden rust issues. The story about Mercedes sending an engine from Germany is just that, a story. Unless there is documentation, don't believe a word of it. The two rust spots tell me that there us more rust lurking somewhere.

I wouldn't pay much for a car like this unless I had a ppi done by a good MB technician, and you can easily spend more than the purchase price in one year's worth of upkeep if the car has unknown issues.

[POS]

I'd find a better toy.

[alabbasi]

Originally Posted by Rusty Boltz

He says the double front bumpers and rear seat head rests make this a pretty rare car and that something like 500 were made.

The engine cratered in warranty and Mercedes sent a new engine from Germany years ago and it is identical but not the original. It has less than 20K on the engine. .

This guy seems like he knows a little about these cars. However there are some information that would set alarm bells ringing.

First of all is it a Euro or a US model. If it's a US model, it's not a desirable.
The 500 made part is made up. 1800 US models came into the US, and there are a bunch of Euro cars also.

The 20K from a factory crate engine means nothing unless you have documentation that the engine came from the factory and he can verify that the mileage is genuine. If the car looks rough, the chances are that is is rough.

All that said, none of that stopped me from restoring one.

There is also a 6.9 in the Dallas Craigslist for around $2000 and another one in the Austin Craigslist for around $3000. Your close enough to both cities to be able to shop around.

[diametricalbenz]

A lot of people use "collector's car" very loosely. Expect to dump in a few thousand dollars upon acquisition. I would definitely not give up the TE for a daily driver. 10mpg of premium is not an economy vehicle. If you have the money to burn go for it because with enough funds any problem can be fixed