450sel 6.9 F/S in San francisco CA

[winecountryone]

Reply to: sale-938399294@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-11-29, 2:15PM PST


This silver 1979 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9 is a high-performance version of the S-Class luxury sedan. It was built on its own assembly line by Daimler-Benz in Stuttgart, Germany and based on the long-wheelbase version of the W116 chassis introduced in 1972. The model was generally referred to in the company's literature as the "6.9", to separate it from the regular 450SEL.
The 6.9 was first shown to the motoring press at the Geneva Auto Show in 1974, and produced between 1975 and 1981 in extremely limited numbers. It was billed as the flagship of the Mercedes-Benz car line, and the successor to Mercedes-Benz's original high-performance sedan, the 300SEL 6.3. The 6.9 also has the distinction of being among the first vehicles ever produced with optional electronically-controlled anti-lock brakes, first introduced by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch in 1978. The 6.9's remarkable self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension is a collectable car you can drive and enjoy with a increasing value over time. price $2000. Victor 805 431-7311 available any time for easy viewing

I just found this on the San Francisco craigslist.It sounds awfully cheap for a running 6.9.I haven't called or tried to see it yet.Besides the obvious issues with the suspension,are there any other "trouble spots" on these cars?
I've lusted after one ever since I saw an article about them in Car & Driver magazine back in 77 or 78.I know you need a gas tanker to follow you as the fuel economy is probably in the 8-10MPG range.But what a cool "weekend" car.

[tompaah7503]

Sounds fishy, entire text in ad is copied from Wikipedia and pics almost seem to be taken from some distance..

[diametricalbenz]

The owner clearly doesn't know much about cars. That's not a 6.9. It's shod with US bumpers....450SEL bumpers. Perhaps it was converted over to US bumpers but a 6.9 has a solid bumper with no bumperettes front or rear.

Oh and the other trouble spot is the A/C servo for the climate control. I use mine as a weekend car and it gets 7 in town and 13 on the freeway.

[mercmad6.3]

You can't tell if it's a 6.9 by it's outward appearance. Better to email the seller and ask what the chassis number is ,or simply ask where the dipstick is located. if it's on the engine it's a 450 or 350 . If it's on the inner fender it's a 6.9.

[cth350]

Basic issues possible are...
- Rocker rust
- Sitting a while so the FI system is gunked up (look for lump idle, poor off the line pickup)
- Floor rust
- Cosmetic interior plastic things (fixable with persistence)
- Transmission needing overhaul. Hard parts are expensive compaired to other mercedes.
- Firewall rust
- Suspension not operating at all (bad pump, bad valves)
- Suspension leaking (look for weeping on the shocks)
- A very bumpy ride (is unfortunate, but not as expensive or challenging to fix as the other two issues)

Did I forget to mention rust?

-CTH

[diametricalbenz]

It's a CA blue plate car which increases the odds with continuous registration as it hasn't been sitting in a field for 20 years. It probably has no rust but if it's been near the coast all of its life there's a lot of moisture everywhere....