Tried to buy this today for a customer... 26500km Mercedes 450SEL 6.9

"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy) 04/11/2017 at 07:32 • Filed to: None

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Sadly we couldn’t win the auction... Sucks. We bid up to 3.5 millions yen but the car went up to 3.88 millions... Expensive as hell for one, true, but damn, it was PERFECT.

I even drove 4 hours just to check it out... But no luck. Others wanted it even more than him... Sucks, I would have loved to give it a try!

kanadanmajava1 > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 07:38

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That sure looks nice. I can’t even think up any better colors for it.

Tapas > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 07:39

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Whoa! That’s $35 grand!

Flavien Vidal > Tapas 04/11/2017 at 07:40

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Yeah, brand new looking ultra low mileage 6.9 are very desirable apparently...

pip bip - choose Corrour > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 07:41

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GIB!!!!!!!!

Honeybunchesofgoats > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 08:13

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Sage green is the second best green for cars after BRG, which makes it the second best color for cars.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 08:25

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I’d still be a buyer at $35,000...

If I had that much, of course.

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 08:44

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Is white acceptable? Or champagne ? 6.9 is a must I guess, otherwise you could also reimport this blue one to Japan, or if your buyer is more comfortable with RHD, there’s  silver .

AuthiCooper1300 > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 08:46

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That was James Hunt’s favourite everyday car (apart from his A35 van, of course). Last but not least Lelouch used his to film C’était un rendez-vous.

Hardcore M-B fans seem to prefer the 300 SEL 6.3 though.

Flavien Vidal > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 04/11/2017 at 08:53

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Buyer is American... Price is very different for 4.5. Not anywhere as expensive as 6.9... None of those come remotely close to the condition of the one I saw today though. It was like a time capsule... With over 3 times less mileage than this champagne one. :)

That one would probably sell for around 50 to 60k$ once imported in the states. The kind of car you only see at Barrett-Jackson.

Flavien Vidal > AuthiCooper1300 04/11/2017 at 08:57

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Oh that’s the one of C’était un rendez-vous!! Forgot about it! Damn I suddenly want it too lol

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 09:00

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As much as I like a perfect car, I would never buy one out of fear to drive it and destroying its value.

Flavien Vidal > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 04/11/2017 at 09:04

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It’s not a 500km car either... 25000... 40000km... Driving it a few thousand extra kilometers won’t destroy its value. The guy who wanted to buy it has many other awesome cars to play with so even if he wanted, he wouldn’t put that much mileage onto it...

Flavien Vidal > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 04/11/2017 at 09:10

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Et joyeux anniversaire!!

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 09:14

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I know the situation. Right know my choice is limited by the number of cars that are running, but even with just 4-5 cars, I often wondered which car to take.
Even though mine are far not as valuable

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 09:15

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Merci!

fintail > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 09:19

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It may seem crazy, but this might be well-bought for the right person who just has to have the best 6.9.

It has one significant thing going for it - it will be cheaper to buy one like this than to restore one with needs - and most of them have needs. These do have a small cult behind them - not as much as the 6.3, but this was a 150mph car in its day, a massive number at the height of malaise.

Other factors are in its favor too - great color combo - few cars wear brown as well as a W116. Some uncommon features - velour is not the norm on these, leather is more often seen, I believe the velour was a no charge option, likely a special order. Headlight wipers on 116s are quite uncommon. Becker Monza was a high end unit in the day, and not often seen. Wood looks as-new and I suspect all finishes are original - an important thing today. I wouldn’t call it a bargain, but I’m leaning towards good deal, for someone who wanted one. They are only original once.

Flavien Vidal > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 04/11/2017 at 09:37

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Haha, my choice of car is limited by the distance between them! 10000km or so... That doesn’t help :)

Flavien Vidal > fintail 04/11/2017 at 09:43

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All USDM cars had leather only... Velour was a common feature outside of the US. But yeah, I can’t help but think it’s a great price nonetheless... Not a car you can lose any money on, no matter the price. One owner too...

fintail > Flavien Vidal 04/11/2017 at 09:47

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I know for USDM W126 (aside from 300SD), all cars had leather - but you could special order a velour car. One could do a lot if they had patience and the right dealer - it wasn’t unknown to have Euro light conversions upon arrival, either. I believe this could also be done with a 116. I suspect that woolcloth velour is very expensive to replace, too. I’d have had a hard time bidding on this for someone else and not wanting it for myself.

An equivalent 6.3 would be 50K++, this was a fair deal for the right person. I’d rather spend 40K at once than buy a neglected 15K car and sink 40K into it over the next several years - and still not have originality.

Dsscats > Flavien Vidal 04/18/2017 at 02:23

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I’m still bummed about this :(