I know someone who is selling a 1974 w116 450SEL, maybe a 6.9, not sure yet. He said, MB says it's a 6.9, but the 6.9 appeared in 1975. I'll check tomorrow, the 6.9 has a hydro-pneumatic suspension and a speedo to 260km/h. Car has 160.000kms on the clock. I'll see it tomorrow and will post some pics. The car was in good conditions 2 years ago, but spent the last 2 years under a cover and did not move. Now the brakes are stuck and the motor stops after running a few minutes. He says the car is not rusty, some points of rust here and there. Chromes are very good, interior too, and he changed quite a lot of pieces in the motor. An engineer said there is 2.000€ work maximum to make it run perfectly, and I could touch the car for around 1.000€ I think, so it would make 3.000€ for a nice 450SEL. What do you think of a w116, what do I need to check, is the car worth for 3.000 or 4.000€? Can I make it work with unloaded petrol? If it's a 6.9, is the hydro-pneumatic suspension reliable? As I don't drive much, I think I'll sell the Golf IV and drive the Benz...or will I have problems with it? Knowing that I know nothing in mechanics (but would love and will try to learn a bit) Any info on this model would be helpful, any advice... Christian, especially... Thanks in advance for the feedback! :t-cheers:
I'm happy for you. Wow! it'd be a huge shift from a golf to a 450SEL ... in size especially. Can't wait to see pics...
Wimmer hates the W116 so I think he would say no!!! If it is good condition and only needs a few K in repairs cool, but do keep in mind it wont get cheaper to drive. If you can get it for a good price and it doesn't take too much to keep going, in a few years you could make back most of what you put into it.
About the quality - back in the seventies, my parents had no problemt with it . It's a great car ... but right now, the W116 is a dinosaur and (IMHO) nothing for daily use (but great as a second car). I think you won't be able to drive it with less than 16 liters per 100 kilometers. Keep in mind that the gas prices are rising and rising. Just my two cents.
Nope. I hate the W140, I love the W116 S-Class. The hottest S-Class ever! :bowdown: Raoul, I have a number of publications on the W116 in both English and German (which I believe you can read). The German publication is from Mercedes Classic and they do mention the pros and cons of ownership. The English sources are from Mercedes Enthusiast. I just searched GCF for them because I posted them here before but the search function on these forums is so worthless if I may say so! Will need to scan them again. :t-cheers: One of the salesman at MB used to drive a 450SEL 6.9 during the late 1970s. I once asked him about his car when were driving home together when I worked for the local dealership a few summers ago. He said the car is generally ok but the fuel consumption is extremely poor, even if the car is driven in a normal fashion. Also, there is so much torque available that driving the car in rainy weather takes skill, especially since there was no ESP available (ABS was standard on the W116 though) back then. The pneumatic suspension was inspired by Citroen I believe and is of a similar design. It should work just fine if the car is driven often. If the car is not moved for long periods that's where the problems with the suspension begin. Like I said, will scan the reviews. Can you read German? :t-cheers:
Thanks a lot Christian! I can read German, no problem for that. I'm not sure it's a 6.9, it may be "just" a 450. Will see it tomorrow. My concern is rust, I know these cars get quite rusty... I know for the consumption, I think I'll do around 15 or 16l/100, I drive slowly. Can I put unloaded fuel in it (it's a 1974 model)? I played with the idea of an old Merc since a long time, here is an occasion, so I'll see if the car is in a good condition. I hope so! It's a pity I won't be able to testdrive it because of the brakes and motor troubles...
Will look for them and scan them ASAP. :t-cheers: By the way, the official fuel economy figures from Mercedes about the 450SEL 6.9 were "16 L / 100 km". According to my friend who used to work at the dealership (and older man who was driving MBs in the 1960s and 1970s already), his 450SEL 6.9 could never reach this figure. The usual consumption was around 19-22 L / 100 km. That's the reason this car has a 100 liter fuel tank!
I saw the car. First thing, it's no 6.9, but a 450SEL. Not a 450 SEL 6.9. The car is blue with beige interior, and is quite rusty. I don't know what it could cost to cure it and protect it (Hohlraumversiegelung)... Looks splendid, really. No leak, motor runs quite good, but then it stops. However, it's a 2 years old petrol, surely water too in it, so it could come from that. Here some pics of the beast!
And now, where I could find rust... Front door Rear left door (the worst) Front fender Underbody Footcell The area around the sunroof, jointure with windshield and windows... The boot is surprisingly rustfree!
Very elegant car and beautiful I'm sure you may just be able to replace rusty parts (if your able to) because I'm sure there a ton of old 450's out there in scrap yards Edit: Ahh yeah not sure you could replace them panels but usually there is some kind of filler which you can cover over the rust holes if the hole isn't to big and also a panel beater can chop the rust out and weld an other panel in it's place
I know pretty much nothing about mechanics, that is my problem... I'll show the car to an engineer who will say me if the car can be fixed for not too much, and after that I'll try to learn how to make it run and repair easy things. Here some pics of the motor:
So, I'm still hesitating. Furthermore, I think I'll stay in Paris, and thus there is the problem of the parking... I'll have to think about all this, but the car is very tempting! I think I could touch it for 1.000, there is around 2.000 of mechanics, and imo at least 1.500 for the rust... Makes around 5.000€ to have it fully working and in full beauty, which is not nothing...
The rest of the pictures have loaded now A lot of that rust is only surface rust and can be grounded down and re sprayed there is only a couple of major rust holes which will need abit more attention but the engineer will point them out But on the whole the car isn't to bad :t-cheers:
It is a nice and cool car but knowing it's almost 35 years old I wouldn't like to have it as a daily driver. It could brake down, it's rusty as you see, the fuel consumption is too high. In my opinion, it is too much of a risk. You decide, good luck!
I think I would wait and see if another car comes available. This car isn't in a good condition, even the interior hasn't been taken care of. There is a lot of visible rust and I'm even afraid to think what mechanical problems the car might have. No matter how precise your repair budget estimate is, there will almost always be surprises (which unfortunately usually are of the expensive kind). Not a car to replace your Golf in everyday-use IMO.
My advice is get an estimate of how much it will cost you to fix first. You just don't a rusty car like that.
From my experience with old cars i think that it will need much more than 5.000€ to run perfectly, but you can fix the car partially, so that you can make it perfect! But with all that rust and mechanical problems it is not ideal for your everyday commuter! It will need to stay many times in for service leaving you without a car for many days. With only 5.000€ it will be too much of a risk for your daily drive. I don't think it's worth replacing the Golf with this. The best thing you can do is have them both, but if you can't afford two cars, then there is no point in making your life worse with the W116. Sure it's a beauty, but as much as I love my grandmother, so much I hate taking her to the doctor every two days
Thank you for the comments! I think that, like many of you said, it would be too much of a risk, I can't even drive it to see if the drivetrain, gearbox or steering are right...And surprises are alwyas for the worst in these case... However... I saw a splendid W107 450 SLC for sale in Paris... 1974, certified 140.000kms, and in a very good conditions. Only minor rust, the car is driven regularly. It's for sale for 7.400€. I have no idea if it's too much for an SLC, if it's really in a good condition? It would be less risky to buy such a car, with nothing to fix at all, only rust to take care of. I know it won't be completely reliable, it's 35 years old, but it won't broke every two days will it?
