| FAQ | Member List | Albums | Today's Posts | Search  |
| Welcome Guest. ( logon | register ) | |||||
| ||||||
|
| Topic Tools | Message Format |
| ||
| Checked Out a EuroBenz the Other Day A coworker mentioned to me recently her husband had an ’80 Mercedes gas sedan’ for sale. So I’m thinking US market: 280 SE 116 or 280 E 123. She brings me the title to the car Friday and the VIN says: 126022… It was a 1980 280 SE 126 chassis. Intrigued I asked her where the car was and went over after work to check it out. It was in a paint and body shop lot. As I parked behind it I saw the trunk lid model badge was removed but the A pillar VIN tag read 126022, this was the 280 SE. I’ve never seen a rust bucket junker MB up close before. I’ve seen pics but it’s very sad in real life. That it was a European market car made it even more depressing. She was grey market, needless to say, with DOT spedo/instrument cluster. But there were the funky cloth seats and door panels, the desirable manual AC, and – get this – a pair of very clean, crack- and pit-free OEM Bosch Euro lamps. Either the importer did not replace with DOT lights or the Euro lights were retrofitted some time in the past. If so that was the only modification done correctly. Apparently a PO or few tried to make it some kind of ‘sport sedan.’ It had these awful raised white letter tires on the 14 inch bundts, those ugly chrome wheel arches, some dreadful trunk lid wing thing, and ridiculous, silly looking pseudo SEC fog lamps in the DOT bumpers. Ugh. Either the original paint was in horrible condition or she was subjected to a bad repaint. The rust was in all the usual places, even some places I’d not seen before. Just above the driver’s side headlight on the hood, for example, there was a piece of pealing paint with a patch of rust peeking out from under. Jeez. So, a new set of Bosch lamps can cost as much as $600, around $350 on eBay sight unseen (pics don’t show everything…). I’m going to offer $300 for the car for the lamps and part out the rest, assuming the owner takes the offer. It seems he bought the car for around 50 bucks so that should be no problem. It’s sad, though: my love for 126s makes me want to restore it. It is MB history. A 126 from the second year of the production run not yet sold in the US. A classic EuroBenz where quality and reliability were more important than comfort. But I can’t afford to restore it. Her life is over – the rust has seen to that. 26 years is an honorable run. If only she’d been better cared for she’d still be running. (watch me end up restoring it…)  | ||
| ||
| ||
| RE: Checked Out a EuroBenz the Other Day Do it, do it, do it!!!!   | ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| RE: Checked Out a EuroBenz the Other Day jdc1244 - 5/29/2006 9:57 AM Buy it, resotre it, or both? Restore the car, but give me the Euros. | ||
| ||
| ||
| RE: Checked Out a EuroBenz the Other Day Restoration is out of the question – you’ll see with the pics. Everything would need to be replaced bumper to bumper; that’s assuming the drive train is in decent shape. I forgot to note the odo died at 305,000 miles or so – that’s pushing it for a gas engine, even well cared for. Jillian80 - 5/29/2006 12:01 PM jdc1244 - 5/29/2006 9:57 AM Buy it, resotre it, or both? Restore the car, but give me the Euros. Hmm… I wonder what a lady would do for a nice set of Euros.  | ||
| ||
| ||
| RE: Checked Out a EuroBenz the Other Day jdc1244 - 5/29/2006 11:25 AM Hmm… I wonder what a lady would do for a nice set of Euros. ;)Give you a very very very nice.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...'thank you'. Edited by Jillian80 5/29/2006 1:55 PM | ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
| NZ Benz Expert Date registered: Apr 2006 Location: New Zealand Vehicle(s): 1993 300SEL/S320 Posts: 2555  | ||
| ||
| ||
| RE: Checked Out a EuroBenz the Other Day jdc1244 - 5/29/2006 1:22 PM I say $10,000 at least... to fix the EuroBenz, that is. Being respectfully parted out to save other worthy MBs is just as honorable an end as a restoration. That's a lot. It sounds really beat up. What color is it? I hope he accepts your offer of $300.?  Edited by 1996_S500 5/29/2006 9:46 PM | ||
| ||
| ||
| ||
|
