[Phillthy]

come up!

[noyd666]

nice fouf, i like this one.

[foaf]

seeing you admit to certain things being out of your prince range, with all due recpect, if i were you, i would get rid of it. its not in your budget,

well, I appreciate that sentiment, and I do see what you are thinking. I agree that that should be a consideration in a situation like this and others considering such purchases should be careful.

mostly a normal 15000 miler at 70 - 80 k would be out of my "emotional" price range cause I'm a cheapskate, or at least I try to be efficient with my fun money. And I never do loans on cars.

This is my 7th mercedes, mostly I get vintage ones. I just got rid of a 560 SEC that I had for years in addition to my old SEL. I do always buy them in the 10 year + old range and the 70-100k mile range. I do this so I can write a check for them, Ive never had a car note and don't now. I bought a 5 year 100k mile warranty that my mechanic says is good and will pay him for mostly what might come up. And my mechanic of 20 years was the head of a dealership garage for years till he opened up two mercedes only shops, he knows what's up.

But you are right, there are risks buying such cars and the purchase price is just the start.

A few years ago I was seeing these mercedes SL65 AMG supercars with V12 twin turbos, usually multi hundred thousand dollar cars, selling for 40k or so. I asked my guy what was up, should I get one. He pointed out that they went on sale after the warranty was out for cheap cause every visit to the garage cost 5k and any major work cost 10k. They are much more exotic and prone to issues, so I passed for sure. This car isn't like that, it is a bit more if there are problems, but Im aware of that.

thanks for the insight

[frito bandito]

^^^^ if nothing else he can just keep it stored in the garage then turn around and sell it in 5-10 years for a profit. thats a hell of a nice score that would not be possible if the economy werent in the state its in. somebody was desperate.

^ fuck a warranty, they are always a losing proposition. if not a mechanic oneself then having an old pro with all the right tools at your disposal is certainly the next best thing. sounds like youre set on that front.

i think you made a great snag and your attitude indicates you are the type of person who has the discipline and patience to wait for the right deal to come along, and the wisdom to know when the jump on it. well done and enjoy your sweet ride.

[Bobby Stainless]

Flip that bitch and make 10 grand.

[Yikesy]

Congrats. To the people saying to flip it, he paid about what it's worth with a rebuilt title. He wouldn't make that much, if anything, if he were to turn around and sell it. Check the completed items on eBay.

[Desert Hydro]

that car is beautiful. how much hp does it have? i got my first hot shit car. my dream car actually. been a few years in the making and it finally came through. right now im pushing about 400 out of a 2.0 4cylinder but im on my way to 500 and then i gotta call it quits so i dont kill myself or others haha.

[anditwasfun]

Congrats and best of luck...newer Euros are a pain in the ass. I'm partial owner of a European service/performance business. If I were you i'd enjoy it for a little while and maybe part ways with it when it loses the thrill...talking about that, I have an m3 for sale that'll make you shake in your boots

[foaf]

Ok, 510 HP is fun, but its kinda losing a little of its thrill. Im this close to getting a performance kit that has improved exhaust, a supercharger, and a few other tweeks that brings it up to 769+ hp they say and 667+ torque. And especially one gets proportionally more low end torque with the supercharger setup. It's a pricey kit, and it voids the warranty, but I got the car relatively cheap and have an aftermarket warranty that should hold up for most issues.For quite a bit less I can get to 640 hp, without modifying the exhaust system.

For those of you who have played with higher HP vehicles, I haven't, how much more fun is say 640 hp or 769+ hp vs the stock 510 hp? Mostly just punching it on the highway now and then and would certainly go to the drag strip a couple of times if I upgraded.

[Swamp Thang]

Hello Foaf, I too am a huge fan of Mercs of mid 80's to late 90s vintage, but ONLY with V8 engines. Generally I buy them in very poor shape, and have them fixed up by shade-tree mechanics, to produce true wolves in sheep's clothing that are still capable of leaving many "modern" cars in the dust.

My modest stable at present comprises a 1985 500SE, a 1983 Euro 500 SEC, and a 1994 E420, all of which are capable of eye-watering acceleration and handling when needed.

Yet, I still nurse dreams of owning a 1997 or 1998 Mercedes R129 Roadster, the fabled SL500, for no other reason than the sheer beauty of that powerful beast, which I still find WAY more appealing than anything produced by any manufacturer before or since.

I guess I get a thrill out of now being able to afford to own performance Mercs whose prices when new were way out of my league, but whose full potential can be restored by a skilled mechanic decades later, all at a tiny fraction of the original sticker price.