How'd it go?
negotiating a 560SEC with RENNtech engine.... info inside!!
Guys, so today i sat down to think for a while, and decided that what I REALLY wanted is an SEC body, so I gave it some thaught, and... decided to do the following:
now that I have completed the engine m117 engine swap on my 300SE back home, and the car is running very well..... I think that its a good moment to sell the car and get good money for it before I sink more money in to it..... all this with the following objective in mind:
Instead of restoring and investing so much money in a 300SE that has been through hell and dosnt even have a power plant, exterior / interior color combo that I like.....
BUY A GOOD 560SEC here in miami for a fair price in fair condition, and export back home to venezuela, and continue my w126 project from there.... the objective is to find a car that has the correct factory color combo, power plant, and a car that has not been wrecked, has kept its' condition fairly orioginal, and a free of rust or mechanial horrors....a car that serves as a perfect foundation for a hassle-free restoration.
so, after deciding what I want, I quickly began the search for this car....... and came up with this...
1988 560-SEC with 130K miles, black / tan..... and best of all, a RENNtech built motor with AMG-spec heads, cams, headers..... BEST OF ALL, the car is only 50 high-way miles away from home...... and with an asking price of $7,400.
So I call the seller, leave him a voicemail, and before I could finish my lunch, I get a call back from Charles..... he tells me that he is the 3rd owner of the car, the car has a clear title, it drives very very well, the paint is good, not rust, and trhe interior is in well-maintained condition. He tells me the the renntech engine and most of the "mechanical restoration" was done by the 2nd owner who originally baught the to restore and modify it, but had to sell it before he could keep on going with the project. He also tells me it has always been a florida car....
so we ended up arranging a meet for next saturday evening, where we are going to meet up at by his area...and I will get to drive the car...and hopefully get more info on it.
Now, being 18 years old and basically growing up around w126s in my family, and having owning one as a first car...etc... makes me very familiar with them, but I HAVE NEVER even ridden in a 560SEC, because back home they are EXTREMELY rare, also....my dad never baught one when I was a kid, he always went for the sedans or the SLs.
So I would like to get all the feedback from you SEC veterans and owners on what to look for in this car, what good or bad things whould I be aware of...etc.... and your heads up or not on it......
Remember, im not looking for an IMMACULATE w126, but I AM looking for a GOOD foundation in order to restore / modify. And with the $8000 I can get for my car back at home...I can make up for the investment of this "better car"...... plus a $7000 i need to put the car in venezuela, the total cost of it would be around $7k already sitting in my garage back home.... not bad if you ask me.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...2007&start_year=1981&isp=y&lang=en&cardist=54
now that I have completed the engine m117 engine swap on my 300SE back home, and the car is running very well..... I think that its a good moment to sell the car and get good money for it before I sink more money in to it..... all this with the following objective in mind:
Instead of restoring and investing so much money in a 300SE that has been through hell and dosnt even have a power plant, exterior / interior color combo that I like.....
BUY A GOOD 560SEC here in miami for a fair price in fair condition, and export back home to venezuela, and continue my w126 project from there.... the objective is to find a car that has the correct factory color combo, power plant, and a car that has not been wrecked, has kept its' condition fairly orioginal, and a free of rust or mechanial horrors....a car that serves as a perfect foundation for a hassle-free restoration.
so, after deciding what I want, I quickly began the search for this car....... and came up with this...
1988 560-SEC with 130K miles, black / tan..... and best of all, a RENNtech built motor with AMG-spec heads, cams, headers..... BEST OF ALL, the car is only 50 high-way miles away from home...... and with an asking price of $7,400.
So I call the seller, leave him a voicemail, and before I could finish my lunch, I get a call back from Charles..... he tells me that he is the 3rd owner of the car, the car has a clear title, it drives very very well, the paint is good, not rust, and trhe interior is in well-maintained condition. He tells me the the renntech engine and most of the "mechanical restoration" was done by the 2nd owner who originally baught the to restore and modify it, but had to sell it before he could keep on going with the project. He also tells me it has always been a florida car....
so we ended up arranging a meet for next saturday evening, where we are going to meet up at by his area...and I will get to drive the car...and hopefully get more info on it.
Now, being 18 years old and basically growing up around w126s in my family, and having owning one as a first car...etc... makes me very familiar with them, but I HAVE NEVER even ridden in a 560SEC, because back home they are EXTREMELY rare, also....my dad never baught one when I was a kid, he always went for the sedans or the SLs.
So I would like to get all the feedback from you SEC veterans and owners on what to look for in this car, what good or bad things whould I be aware of...etc.... and your heads up or not on it......
Remember, im not looking for an IMMACULATE w126, but I AM looking for a GOOD foundation in order to restore / modify. And with the $8000 I can get for my car back at home...I can make up for the investment of this "better car"...... plus a $7000 i need to put the car in venezuela, the total cost of it would be around $7k already sitting in my garage back home.... not bad if you ask me.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...2007&start_year=1981&isp=y&lang=en&cardist=54
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goin to see the car today, im meeting up half-way at about 8pm, im taking the camera!! wish me luck.!!
10
Car has 130K..... engine has ALOT of renntech refurbishment work done to it as well as mods such as port and polish heads, cams, exhaust manifolds.....
it has a 3.5K re-spray (paint job) done back in 1998 as well as almost $10K of renntech work done back in 1998. Car has been driven about 20K miles since 1998-99. Car is not PERFECT, but with a little work done to it can be made perfect..... it is VERY VERY strong....... let me know what you guys think. pics are kinda sucky, taken at night with sucky cam. enjoy.
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it has a 3.5K re-spray (paint job) done back in 1998 as well as almost $10K of renntech work done back in 1998. Car has been driven about 20K miles since 1998-99. Car is not PERFECT, but with a little work done to it can be made perfect..... it is VERY VERY strong....... let me know what you guys think. pics are kinda sucky, taken at night with sucky cam. enjoy.
My 500SEC has a little over 130k miles. I don't want to be a spoilsport, but the interior looks older than 130k miles, especially in the back. Or could it be the bad lighting? Good luck, Teutone (aka Horst K)
I agree on the interior..either this guy Really doesn't care about his car or the mileage is incorrect. Also, never buy a car that you have only looked @ in the evening...it's the best way to hide lots of imperfections.
What kind of other records does this fellow have? Has any other major service been performed to the car? Has he taken this car to a dyno?
Also, if I spent that kind of $$$$ on my engine I'd keep it a little cleaner/looking nicer...this guy worries me as a buy it --> drive it and nothing more sort of fellow.
Jonathan
What kind of other records does this fellow have? Has any other major service been performed to the car? Has he taken this car to a dyno?
Also, if I spent that kind of $$$$ on my engine I'd keep it a little cleaner/looking nicer...this guy worries me as a buy it --> drive it and nothing more sort of fellow.
Jonathan
The leathers look as if they have faded, car has probably never been garaged... Front ones look ok i have 160k on the SEL and it looks more or less the same. Is there no other history from before this guy had it ?
Faded interior and guage dials
The interior color has faded quite dramatically, but that can be fixed with a complete leather rejuvenation and re-coloring (Mike Ramay did a great write-up on mbcoupes.com).
However, anyone who lets their car deteriorate like that probably did not take care of the mechnical parts either.
Have to agree with the others here, be very cautious.
The interior color has faded quite dramatically, but that can be fixed with a complete leather rejuvenation and re-coloring (Mike Ramay did a great write-up on mbcoupes.com).
However, anyone who lets their car deteriorate like that probably did not take care of the mechnical parts either.
Have to agree with the others here, be very cautious.
Well it could be that it was bought with a bad motor etc back in 98 and alot was put into it but not the interior. I would need a little more history! Have a thorough ppi done. Might be a find but be leary.
here is the thing, the seller is the 3rd owner. The car was baught back in 1997-98 by a wealthy man in palm beach to the original owner in poor condition, with the intention of restoring / fixing up the car.. the second owner was the one that performed alot of the work on the car, such as engine work, paint job....etc. A couple years ago, the 3rd owner, who is the seller, purchased the car. It is the 3rd owner who has the car in a such a poor condition...... although he does have TONS of paper work....dealership serivice, there are 3 more pages of renntech work and service, as well as alot of things the third owner has baught, basically regular stuff....oil changes, brakes, tires, battery....... etc. The seller told me he does not garage the car, and I can tell...obviously.
The way I see it, its a car that with a little restoration (mostly interior) can be made beautiful...... and I have to be honest with you, what attracts me the most is the model / color combo / and engine + engine work.....
Meanwhile im sorting out how to get this thing to venezuela to see if im going to buy it or not......... if I can sort out the shipping and expenses.... I will take a second look at it, probably on a saturday afternoon, with more time and detail, and negotiate.
for now, the asking price is $7,200.
The way I see it, its a car that with a little restoration (mostly interior) can be made beautiful...... and I have to be honest with you, what attracts me the most is the model / color combo / and engine + engine work.....
Meanwhile im sorting out how to get this thing to venezuela to see if im going to buy it or not......... if I can sort out the shipping and expenses.... I will take a second look at it, probably on a saturday afternoon, with more time and detail, and negotiate.
for now, the asking price is $7,200.
Couldn't agree more with that statement, I've made this mistake before...jhodg5ck said:Also, never buy a car that you have only looked @ in the evening...it's the best way to hide lots of imperfections.
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
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