AMG W126 anyone?

[alabbasi]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250141310151

[t walgamuth]

That is an interesting car.

Does anybody have any direct experience with such an animal?

I would have said nothing like that was ever built but it has some features I have never seen on it, for sure.

Suspiciously low miles too, and a very high bid already.

Thanks for posting this.

Tom W

[POS]

No mention of any AMG docs - that means everything. The gold-plated radio was an 80s thing - I've seen photos in the AMG brochures, but I've never seen the real deal. The car looks real - it has all the right things. Bad seller because he made no mention of documentation, history, or even condition.

If the docs are there and the condition is excellent (verifiably), then the $29,500 he's asking is about reasonable. No bids yet, Tom.

PS - He posted about this car on Benzworld.com, and I asked him some questions he never answered. Nice car.

[ADP]

just out of curiousity - is it possible to fabricate such a thing with this much detail?

I'm just curious because he has no documentation, yet so many features and components of the AMG.

I s'pose if you got one that was totalled you could have parted it into another SEL - but how likely is that?

Not that I'd ever buy such a thing - and the husband person would kill me if I spent any $$,$$$ on that...

Ann

[alabbasi]

Go on Ann , it's got your name all over it. You can then give the Focus to the kiddies.

[Tomguy]

I dunno, for $30k I'd rather pick up an S55... Yes, it's nice; yes, it's rare... but when you spend that much on a car like that, you want power!

[POS]

1) I don't think you can find a radio like that in 2007 - hence, I'd think it's almost impossible and unlikely that someone would "build" themselves an AMG using the original AMG 1980s's stereo as part of it. It just wouldn't occur to anyone to add that in - I'll bet it's real.

2) An S55 would be fun, but after two years of driving, the SEL AMG is still worth $30k and the S55 is worth $10k less.

[alabbasi]

There is an AMG coupe, stereo stolen but the dash mod still in place
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300129002619&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Look at the instrument cluster, appears to be a german computer.

[POS]

Now that one is definitely Euro, although not definitely AMG. AMG records would be nice, but even then, how do you make the stereo look stock again (you don't)? In the early 80s, the AMGs were about engine/suspension mods, in the late 80s it just became fashionable to have it "look" AMG. That's what this one is; that car's a nightmare and should be passed on by anyone with common sense.

[London380sl]

[QUOTE Look at the instrument cluster, appears to be a german computer.

[/QUOTE]

It's a trip computer. It's a fairly rare option that never seemed to work. No doubt a big part of the problem was that the instructions are in German. It also meant changing the gauge package around. You now see the tach is combined with the guages on the left.

[ADP]

Originally Posted by alabbasi

Go on Ann , it's got your name all over it. You can then give the Focus to the kiddies.

My 34mpg, always runs, fits in any parking space, has working AC and I don't cry over door dings? Naw....

I have to drive something when Brunhilda is in the shop...

Ann

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by POS

Now that one is definitely Euro, although not definitely AMG. AMG records would be nice, but even then, how do you make the stereo look stock again (you don't)? In the early 80s, the AMGs were about engine/suspension mods, in the late 80s it just became fashionable to have it "look" AMG. That's what this one is; that car's a nightmare and should be passed on by anyone with common sense.

Not necesarily, it is a decent builder, and appears to be honestly described.
The headliner sag is typical on those, replacement burl wood is difficult to find, the trip computer is useless and the tachometer is missed, the "wood" steering wheel looks terrible and would make fast parallel parking hard, new wheels would be nice, and the fluids should all be refreshed.

Back in the 80's the preferred radio upgrade for AMG Mercedes cars were the Nakamichi stereo units. That was the "HOT" set up then. Put in your Andreas Vollenweider cassettes.....

What made the car an AMG "1000 SEC" was never clear to me. there is no mention of it in the AMG catalogue from 1987 I had.

I did once see an AMG "1000 SEL" outside Barry Taylor's yard. It had belonged to some footballer from Arizona, but the car was totally trashed when BT acquired it. I don't know what became of it.

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

That is an interesting car.

Does anybody have any direct experience with such an animal?

I would have said nothing like that was ever built but it has some features I have never seen on it, for sure.

Suspiciously low miles too, and a very high bid already.

Thanks for posting this.

Tom W

Yes indeed, and it led to my decision to eventually seek out a 560SEC.

Back in December 1985 the man I worked for had a new 1984 euro spec 500SEC AMG that Barry Taylor of AMG West had imported, certified and sold to him.

That was the heyday of the Gray Market and business was booming in those cars.

This car was Lapis Blue with gray interior, a gold pinstripe, gold BBS wheels, a full AMG suspension, engine, drivetrain, and body kit upgrade, newest car alarm, Nakamichi stereo, eurolights, euro bumpers, and warning triangle retained.

It cost the customer $40,000, and $30,000 additional for the full AMG package and importation and certification costs, so at $70,000 you had a brand new eurospec 500SEC AMG, and that was a real bargain for what you got, compared to the cost of what buying a new SEC from the dealer would cost.

The car had 8,000 miles when I got my hands on it, and was asked to take it from San Francisco to Denver, where the owner wanted to pick it up for a Christmas vacation in Aspen.

It was fitted with Lapis blue AMG Penta Wheels and new mud and snow tires for the journey.

The car was wonderful for a cross country journey in winter. Truly a joy to drive, and looked very awesome with the skiis on top.... It was like piloting a spaceship, as it carried on through evey kind of rain, wind, and snowstorm.
Nothing fazed it, even a sudden bout with black ice in a whiteout that would have put any other car on its head. I hit a patch in Wyoming at 60 mph (had never encountered black ice before) and was able to keep control of the car.

I never forgot the trip, and it convinced me I'd like a car like that one day.

The owner tired of the car within a year after that, and disposed of it.
Many years later, in about 2000, I chanced to see it again, parked in Jordan Terrace, a wealthy area of San Francisco. It had 82,000 miles on it and was an absolute mess. It was sad to see it in such a state of decline, but you could still see its essential worth and goodness.

It really brought back memories!

[mercmad6.3]

It looks like a typical AMG body kit special to me.I have a friend here who was a diplomat in japan when those cars were current and left hand drive AMG cars were the fashion accessory of choice for yakusa.They also got the most options offered to them,No smog requirements etc etc .

[t walgamuth]

Well, I was thinking why would anybody build an amg sel?

I guess the AMG limo kindof blows my question into the weeds!

Tom W