Over the years I've owned a hell of a lot of different MBs. Blame my father; he loved them when I was growing up so I learned to drive on a 1971 280SE 3.5 Coupe (auto) and a 1971 280SL Pagoda (manual). Then he bought a 380SEC for mom and loved it so much that he bought a 500SEC for himself. I drove the heck out of those too. Rough upbringing I've had. So my attraction to the MBs has been baked-in. I've always had a thing for the euro versions - they're way more interesting to me than the US versions. I've cruised mobile.de for low-mileage cars, but I never thought I'd find a cool one to buy. I've also always thought that the build quality of a w126 is very high - higher interior quality than the w123s.
This car came up for sale in Seattle. Seller was a cool guy (an experienced flipper), and the previous owner before him was also a real cool guy - engineer-type. This was originally a Japanese car, then brought to Canada, then Seattle, then to me in Houston. 1989 500SEL with 9500 miles on it - condition is brand-new. Still smells new inside. Has the 117.965 engine, high-compression, tri-ys, but with cats. Screams like a burned dog. Highway torque is more of a thrust-mode. Dig. A ton of options; Classic Center suggests that it could be an embassy car; Japanese history totally unknown.
I have a rule; all MBs I buy immediately need $2000 in work. Thought I might get past that this time, but when the AC got weak, I learned that it has been 98% filled with R134. So, $2000 later, I have a new compressor, drier, exp. valve using a very cold R12 system. Perfect condition w126, and it still needs $2000 in work the day I buy it. Still true.
Okay, so it's not a do-nothing car; they all need something. And it's not much of a POS either.
Here's the pics:
This car came up for sale in Seattle. Seller was a cool guy (an experienced flipper), and the previous owner before him was also a real cool guy - engineer-type. This was originally a Japanese car, then brought to Canada, then Seattle, then to me in Houston. 1989 500SEL with 9500 miles on it - condition is brand-new. Still smells new inside. Has the 117.965 engine, high-compression, tri-ys, but with cats. Screams like a burned dog. Highway torque is more of a thrust-mode. Dig. A ton of options; Classic Center suggests that it could be an embassy car; Japanese history totally unknown.
I have a rule; all MBs I buy immediately need $2000 in work. Thought I might get past that this time, but when the AC got weak, I learned that it has been 98% filled with R134. So, $2000 later, I have a new compressor, drier, exp. valve using a very cold R12 system. Perfect condition w126, and it still needs $2000 in work the day I buy it. Still true.
Okay, so it's not a do-nothing car; they all need something. And it's not much of a POS either.
Here's the pics:
