I decided a few months back it was time for a V12 in my life. Given my intimate familiarity with Mercedes, I didn't want to stray from my favorite marque. After tons research I eliminated the 220 S-Class (2000-2006) because.... they suck.... big time. Underwhelming styling, cheap looking interiors, coupled with horrific quality. Due to poor paint bonding, the 220 S-class is just as susceptible to rust as the Yugo. Mercedes dealer technicians are often left scratching their heads when diagnosing the hilariously named ABC hydraulic suspension. The next generation S class (221 chassis) solved these issues by going with air ride suspension, upped overall quality, and a more stately look, but they were out of my cheap V12 budget. That's why I decided to go older, the 140 S-class, which ceased production in 1999. Despite the older V12s not having twin turbos or ridiculous torque figures, they still had gobs of power, and are much easier to wrench on.
The early model run 140 S class had serious issues like biodegradable wiring harnesses (which tend biodegrade prematurely and wreak havoc on the electrical system) and poor quality air conditioner evaporators (40 hour billable job to tear apart the dashboard to remove and replace). I limited myself to only model year 1996-1999. The problem with that was very low production numbers. We're talking well under a thousand S600s made in those four years. Despite the rarity, I found many seemingly good candidates.
When I would call a S600 seller, the conversation would go great at first. They were described as perfect cars, impeccably maintained, thousands spent on this and that, until I brought up getting a pre-purchase inspection. Then I'd hear excuses like being too busy to take it to a mechanic, or the dealer will lie about non-existent issues so they can make money, or they would actually start disclosing what was really wrong with the car. Things like "Something drains the battery so I just disconnect the it when I park the car for more than a few hours" or "It was running rough so I unplugged the mass airflow sensors, runs great now".
To sum it up, there wasn't a single example for sale that wasn't a basket case. They were good cars, but just too old and ruined by the neglectful third, fourth or fifth owners. I was dejected, about to give up on the whole notion of cheap V12 ownership, when I found this. On one of the Mercedes forums I frequent, a vaguely worded ad was posted.
"2007 S600, 149,XXX miles, $10,000 OBO. Car got hot and died now it cranks but wont start. I started taking apart to run compression but don't have the time. Car is in great shape with pano roof."
Wow, I thought, a super cheap newer body bi-turbo V12 and it was only a few hours away from me! I look up the cost of a used motor and I overheated myself. $6000-$8000. Yup, you could get a beater Honda S2000 for the same price as a motor. The math didn't make sense.
Because I was curious for the story behind the car, I started chatting with the seller anyway. It was his father's car, who is a big enthusiast and the second owner. He also owned a V12 Bi-turbo SL65. It had high mileage because of his 120 mile a day commute. It started leaking coolant and the owners wife died. He was busy with arrangements and put off getting the car to the shop, topping off the leaking coolant every few days until it totally let go severely overheated on him. He took it to an inexperienced mechanic who charged him $1200 for maybe a few hours of dishonest work, said the motor was toast, and quoted him $12,000 for a used replacement. He decided to get a new S400 and let his son deal with selling the car.
So I had to at least try to buy it, and started the negotiations by doing the math for him. A good running 2007 S600 can be bought in the low $20,000 range, so it wasn't worth it to fix the car up at the $10,000 asking price. The son noted he's "very open to offers", but the panoramic roof assemblies are selling for $3000, and door skins for $400 a piece, so there's significant parts value. I decided to offer a little above the two parts he quoted.... $4000. Worst he could say is no, right? He countered at $5000! Thank goodness this was over email because there was no keeping a poker face with that fantastic deal. Because I'm a jerk, I decided to go for the extra $500, and he agreed at $4500. A few days later, I borrow my buddies trailer and make the trip to Grove, Oklahoma to pick the car up.
Loading the car was interesting. Being an electronically controlled transmission there was no popping it in neutral. The ignition needed to be turned to the run position, and the battery charged enough for the computer to engage neutral. The battery still had some juice, but was weak from sitting for a month. Every time it started to go flat, the car defaulted back to park and engaged the brakes. I didn't know this information until I attempted to load the S600 with the winch and watched in awe as the 2,000 pound trailer and my 6,000 pound truck started dragging backward, while the behemoth Bi-turbo didn't budge.
Eventually I got it loaded and made the 200 mile trip home, with my nose heavy load testing the maximum towing capacity of my half ton GMC Sierra 1500. It felt like I was towing the space shuttle, especially on braking. My friend, that I borrowed the trailer from, informed me after the fact that the trailer brakes weren't functional...
So it may not be running, but I own a 700 torques bi-turbo S600. This may be the most beautiful lawn ornament ever. Stay tuned as the car is assessed and I bring it back to life.
No comments:
Post a Comment