Just bought a 111 on eBay...your thoughts? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

suginami · #31 09-03-2006, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

Turks and their Mercs, it was a terrible scourge on the highways through southeast europe.

You know, that sounds poetic.

300SDog · #32 09-03-2006, 10:29 PM

Hey man, my 240D is one of those imports brought over with first 1,000 miles done in Germany according to service records. Still has the original oval shaped plate on the front..... 892 over Z-7709

Car itself is American spec 4-spd with exception of German trunk lid mounted warning triangle and w123 Euro white cross medical kit - rumored to include morphine syringes, but i've never opened it.

Thanks for the Zoonie lore, never heard that before.

t walgamuth · #33 09-03-2006, 11:34 PM

much more model specific posts above.

looks pretty nice to me too.

lovely lines. very nice looking interior. i didnt notice bondo from the not very good pictures but a hole inside the wheelwell is probably rust.

but a very rare and desireable model.

well bought i think.

tom w

Tony H · #34 09-04-2006, 01:26 AM

Great car for a great price. I think the 111 coupe has timeless, classic lines that will never go out of style. I only have one classic car and it is a 111. I like the "big car feel" that the 111 gives but it's still sporty.
I bought my 3.5 coupe on Ebay in the Bay area. It is a European model that came to CA early in it's life. I bought it from the owner of the Haight Ashbury Music Center in SF. He was having his garage remodeled and couldn't accomodate all his cars. I've been doing restoration work on it for about 2 years now-I dream about driving it every day.
Tony

Jim B. · #35 09-04-2006, 04:41 AM

Shab,
Looks like you are getting some positive strokes for your purchase, sounds like you may have made a pretty good gamble and won, I'm pleased and hope you'll be, too...

Jim B. · #36 09-04-2006, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 240Dog

Hey man, my 240D is one of those imports brought over with first 1,000 miles done in Germany according to service records. Still has the original oval shaped plate on the front..... 892 over Z-7709

Car itself is American spec 4-spd with exception of German trunk lid mounted warning triangle and w123 Euro white cross medical kit - rumored to include morphine syringes, but i've never opened it.

Thanks for the Zoonie lore, never heard that before.

I enjoy your posts and came close THATclose long ago to makeing a '77 240D stick, in mint condition, Pearl Gray, my first car. They were the the essence of the Mercedes, with every virtue of the flagship '77 model, the 6.9, and none of the drawbacks. I bet your 240 looks and runs great.

The warning triangle, WARNDRIECK, for some DOT reason was required to be deleted on US bound cars, so some customers carried them home as carry on luggage, and the first aid kits too in some of them, ditto for W126 cars, and the factory build sheet from Stuttgart I got, bore this out, so it's quite your US spec car made it here with those items on it. Good for you. You are one of few people who probably have the Z plate still on their car, you never see those on W123 cars. Sometimes you saw the red French TT plates on some of the 70's Peugeots,, though...

Jim B. · #37 09-04-2006, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony H

Great car for a great price. I think the 111 coupe has timeless, classic lines that will never go out of style. I only have one classic car and it is a 111. I like the "big car feel" that the 111 gives but it's still sporty.
I bought my 3.5 coupe on Ebay in the Bay area. It is a European model that came to CA early in it's life. I bought it from the owner of the Haight Ashbury Music Center in SF. He was having his garage remodeled and couldn't accomodate all his cars. I've been doing restoration work on it for about 2 years now-I dream about driving it every day.
Tony

I used to live a mile or so away from where you picked up your car, at Haight Ashbury Music center, I walked around there all the time, live maybe a mile or so away, up on Twin Peaks!!

Tony, I think I might be a neighbor of yours now!!! I'm in Grass Valley off Ridge Rd. Amazing!! Didn't know or see many Benzes here, except for a W124 coupe, a red one with a for sale sign in it.

Flagged down a fellow at SPD market in NC a few months ago and asked him about a good Indie shop up here and he mentioned Werner's way down by Lake Wildwood. He likes the old Mercedes to work on, and I went down there. Fascinating guy, great service and he knows these cars.

He really knows wwII history, his dad was a gunner in a tank in the Wehrmacht under Rommel in Africa!!! Said Rommel was absolutely loved by the troops, he would go out in the desert for 3 or 4 days, with only a canteen and sandwiches just to talk to his troops in the field.

Said his father then went to Italy and was at Monte Cassino in '44 when the tank was blown up and he became a POW, came to America and opened up his shop back in the 60's in Marin County, Calif (where I grew up).

Said all the mechanics spoke German in the shop when they worked on the 108s and fintails. So different from today...

Tony H · #38 09-05-2006, 04:30 PM

If you live on Ridge Road you are within shouting distance.
Tony

#39 09-05-2006, 09:08 PM

I just parted a 70 3.5 coupe its whole life was in the SF bay area it had 69k on the odometer which for several reasons I believe was the true mileage. The car looked perfect original paint was a 9 out of ten a real winner. Then I took a roofing hammer it is a sharp edged hammer and started hitting the panels from the under side those lushes fenders crumbled like sand the mint rockers held up no better than an ant hill so much for how good it looks at least the interior and mechanical parts were great with some brand new expensive parts some one threw at trying to start it after it had sat unregistered for ten years. Watch out for rust it looks mint but the paint and undercoating are all that is holding a lot of these cars together. And you can not tell just by looking no matter how good you thing you are.
Dave S

#40 09-05-2006, 09:21 PM

PS I am local if the car is not in a garage I can go take a look see with my roofing hammer no problem if it is in a fenced lot dosent bother me unless the dogs are actually trained otherwise there just loud pussy cats. You can work with the meanest untrained dog and get him to carry your tools in a jiffy. 10K and up exacutive guard dogs take an MP5 to deal with. I can do that too but I fear you would find the fee way out of your budget.
Let me know if it is within 70 miles of San Jose I would be willing to try and poke around for you.
Dave S

barry123400 · #41 09-06-2006, 10:34 AM

Mattdave, I always thought the kind of rust you well describe was a northern rust belt exclusive. I also considered it to have been the total metal reduced to iron oxide (rust) between the paint and undercoat as well. A real shame when you find it as you know the car is usually garbage. Yet the illusion of there being real metal in there persists until you probe it. Good information that it is not confined to our regions as I would have never expected you to find it in places like California. I hope the buyer will still hopefully luck out. To purchase an ebay deal without at least having a board member have a good look for you mind a pre purchase inspection is exactly like russian roulette. Photogaphs can and are quite often decieving. Although the dash and front seats look reasonable in this example. A repaint in white is also a danger sign if a car was another color before. White can hide a really lumpy body to some extent. Do not consider the above remarks just negative. I have driven far to inspect ebay cars that looked pretty good in photographs and descriptions. Landed up not driving home with several of them. Odds of the average ebay deal being what it seems are probably less than 50-50 now in my opinion. Still there are always the exceptions that are better than described and expecterd as well. Buyer beware especially on ebay. Been there done that.

Shab · #42 09-07-2006, 12:23 AM

Here's what MB USA Classic Center sent me. I assume I have an aftermarket or dealer installed sunroof on this car? MB confirms car did not leave factory with a sunroof. Spent most of it's life around San Jose, CA. Was wholesaled from Munich in 67', left the factory August 1966. Anyone see anything worth mentioning in this data?

chassis number: 111 021 12 086854
engine number: 129 980 12 008364
transmission number: 019192
front axle number, l: 042006
front axle number, r: 041980
rear axle number: 3932
steering box number: 45361
exterior color code: 050 - white
interior color code: 201 - black leather
option codes
401 single seats
420 automatic transmission, floorshift
426 power steering / automatic transmission, floorshift

Regards,
Mercedes-Benz USA
Classic Center

___________________________________________

Munich, Germany wholesaled city

ex. factory Aug. 24,1966

Regards,

Mercedes-Benz USA
Classic Center
Classic Parts Support

Shab · #43 09-07-2006, 12:45 AM

Here's more pics of the car and underside. Note big hole. My best friend has a 69' 280SE 111 NY car. It was a rust basket case and was welded and put in good order. Much worse than this but I would be delighted if a knowledgeable member had a look.

Thanks!

http://www.advanced-events.com/shab/W111.html

wbain5280 · #44 09-07-2006, 01:15 AM

Your shifter bushing needs either to be replaced, or one installed. You have your rust work cut out for you. (pun intended)

rs899 · #45 09-07-2006, 06:48 AM

Doesn't look too awful from those pictures. Certainly will be a safe , sound car, but if there's a lot of "mud" in the fenders ( which is what it looked like to me in the ebay ad) etc it will be a constant PITA. Assuming it was not done right (or even if it was) that stuff will constantly pop out and rust along the edges. You will have to periodically re-patch and paint unless new metal is welded in and most of the putty is eliminated.

Rick