[W126 Coupe] Sale of my 500 SEC

[Zachary Sank]

Jay,

Your question about what the car is worth goes back to the original reason I contacted Jonathan. Have you called him? I have seen 500 SEC's listed for sale from less than $2000 to just shy of $20,000. (The asking price, not necessarily the selling price.) I do not know where my car falls in that wide range of values. I wonder what Jonathan would sell my car for if he owned it. He has a business selling W126 models, http://www.blueridgemb.com. Maybe we should ask him. 

Jonathan should be able to say what a fair price is. I do not care to extract the last dollar that it would sell for. I want its new owner to appreciate that the W126 represented the best grand touring automobile that Mercedes could design and make in the early 1980's, price not a consideration. Its appearance and performance have not often been exceeded in the past 24 years. It is really a work of art. 

I have not seen Jonathan since the day he came over to my house to look at the car. I talked with him a few times by phone, but that was just to see if his father would be interested in buying my car. I never asked Jonathan his estimate of my car's value, nor did he offer it. I do have a sense that Jonathan is a very honest person. When I first saw Jonathan, I had not yet decided to sell my car, but I had started thinking about selling it. As the technicians familiar with the car started to retire, and as replacement parts started to become a chore to locate, I started to think more about what else I would drive.

Also, through Jonathan's enthusiasm and through my joining a number of web newsgroups devoted to the W126, I realized the special nature of the W126 series of cars. I have become more uncomfortable driving my car as a daily driver. The fear of the nut that hits you from the rear, or backs into you in a shopping center parking lot, has made me uncomfortable owning a (almost) pristine version. Thus, the decision to sell got made.

If you are serious about a car in this condition, I am confident we can find a mutually acceptable price. If you are looking for something to restore, this is not the car for you. 

I hope you are in the first category,

Zachary


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: jflyer2 at aim.com 
  To: zsank at comcast.net 
  Sent: Saturday, August 18, 2007 12:57 PM
  Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] Sale of my 500 SEC


  Zach, 
  Looks in pretty nice condition. How much are you asking for it?
  Jay


  -----Original Message-----
  From: Zachary Sank <zsank at comcast.net>
  To: jflyer2 at aim.com
  Sent: Sat, 18 Aug 2007 1:16 am
  Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] Sale of my 500 SEC


  Jay,

  Jonathan has seen my car. We live reasonably near each other. I had seen Jonathan's ads on the W126  web site. Our first contact was when I called him for help selling my car, about three or four months ago. I told him I had no idea how much it was worth. Jonathan very generously offered to look at my car. His father is a collector, and did not have a W126. 
  maybe his father would be interested. The modification (differential change) was not done by Jonathan. It was done about 10 years ago, before Jonathan had a driver's license. 

  In the course of talking to Jonathan, I mentioned my car has a varying cold idle. Jonathan offered to help, but the only way to see the problem was with a cold engine. Jonathan came over to my house one morning to see for himself. He instructed me on how to fix it, which I did while he watched, and It worked!  (All I did was spray WD-40 on the idle speed control slide.) 

  Jonathan looked over the car, including the touched up (by me) paint scratch at the top of the right rear wheel arch. As I remember it, he suggested that I wet sand the surface, but not get a body shop to repair it. The body shop would have had to repaint the entire right rear quarter panel. I believe Jonathan said a collector would prefer to repair that himself.

  That was about three or four months ago. My wet sanding and sale process was interrupted by a ruptured disc in my lower back. After successful surgery and rehab, I am now going to complete the selling task. (I am not yet allowed to bend, such as wet sanding, so that area is the way Jonathan saw it.)

  I am sending you a bunch of photos of the car, some were in the Craig's list ad, but all are larger. I do not have a close up of the damage at the wheel arch. The car is spending the weekend at a Mercedes shop. I am having the oil and filter service, and I told them I had another car, so they did not have to rush to finish it. Obviously, they didn't rush. They have only one mechanic who specializes in the older Mercedes 380, 420, 500 SELs, and SECs, etc. I dropped it off Thursday evening, and It is not uncommon to not get the car back the same day. And he does not work on weekends.

  See attached photos. I hope they answer a lot of your questions. I will send you one of the wheel arch damage if you are still interested in the car when you see these photos. If you are not interested, please tell me why. To me, the car looks like new.

  Zachary
  zsank at comcast.net

  PS: 
  My second car is the Miata, with stage III turbocharger, 195hp.




  ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: jflyer2 at aim.com 
    To: zsank at comcast.net 
    Sent: Friday, August 17, 2007 5:57 PM
    Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] Sale of my 500 SEC


    I'd like to see a few pics. Especially of the damage. I noticed you siad near Atlanta. Did Jonathan do the mods to your car? Just curious.
    Jay


    -----Original Message-----
    From: Zachary Sank <zsank at comcast.net>
    To: Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists <mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com>
    Sent: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 2:18 am
    Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] Sale of my 500 SEC


    KBF,

    Thank you for your interest.  I did not list a price because I do not know how to value it.  I have seen prices from $2000 to $20,000 for the early SEC's. Obviously, the variation is due mostly to condition. This car has one external flaw,and one internal flaw. The external flaw on the right rear wheel arch, that I scrapped backing out of too tight a parking space. Basically, I scrapped the paint an dented the wheel arch. The internal flaw is the clock does not work. The car is not only a one owner car, but also a one driver car. The driver's seat is not worn, as I only weigh 135 lbs.

    The car is close to showroom condition. I have made 2 changes from stock. I had the original 2.24:1 rear axle ratio replaced with a 2..82:1 ratio. The car is dramatically more responsive in city traffic, and does not need to downshift for brisk highway passing. There seems to have been little change in fuel mileage.

    The other change was to install a set of 15 ",  late 80's, 8 slot Mercedes SEC wheels. I was not able to find 14" 225/50x14 tires after a few years.. It now has on it 225/50x15 tires. I still have the original 14" alloys, with excellent tires on them. After the wheel change, I had the car lowered 1". The car is now 1/2 lower than stock. I had the speedometer recalibrated, but I did not have the odometer gears in the transmission changed. The odometer reads 10% too many miles. That means the car probably only has about 90,00 to 95,00 miles on it. (I live 3.5 miles from my office, not much of a commute.)

    Everything works (except the clock). Anything that needed replacing was replaced with a Mercedes part. If you are serious about such a car as this, I will provide any pics or any other info you need to make an informed decision. Seeing and driving the car is crucial. I want to sell the car to someone who will care for it as neurotically, and compulsively as I have.

    Thanks again for your interest. I hope I haven't scared you away. A good home for it is more important than selling it for the highest dollar.

    Thanks again.

    Zachary Sank
     zsank at comcast.net

    ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: KBF 
      To: 'Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists' 
      Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 9:25 AM
      Subject: Re: [W126 Coupe] Sale of my 500 SEC


      Nice car how much?

      From: mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com [mailto:mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] On Behalf Of Zachary Sank
      Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 1:20 AM
      To: mbcoupes at mbcoupes.com
      Subject: [W126 Coupe] Sale of my 500 SEC

      I hope it is acceptable to list my 1984 Euro 500SEC for sale here. This ad is a copy of its listing on Craig's List. I apologize if this violates club rules.

      zsank at comcast.net

      Mercedes 500 SEC, 1984, 110,000 miles, 1 owner - Euro - Atlanta, GA 30306

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

      Reply to: sale-394811646 at craigslist.org
      Date: 2007-08-11, 6:25PM EDT


      500 SEC, Midnight Blue, Beige Leather interior, ABS brakes, Euro high intensity lights. This model was Mercedes most luxurious,and fastest (and most expensive) grand touring automobile of its time. (It is rarely exceeded even today.) 

      Original owner. The car has 110,000 miles. I have the purchase order and option list sheet, as well as the EPA and DOT documents that show it is US legal. I ordered the car from a French Mercedes dealer. It has unique French alarm equipment: ultrasonic glass breakage detector, vibration sensor, and separate alarm siren and horns. I have every record, from purchase, through its maintenance and repair to date. Added GPS navigation screen visible in interior photo. 

      Performance is flawless. The car has its original 245 hp, even with the added catalytic converters for US emissions. With a calibrated speedometer, it reached 138 mph before I ran out of empty expressway. Mercedes says the car's top speed is 140 mph. 

      The car is just shy of showroom condition. It has never been in an accident or been repainted. I want to sell it to someone who appreciates a rare classic example of Mercedes best grand touring cars. Much of the car was hand made. Only 30,000 500 SEC's were sold world wide during its 11 year model run. 

      More detailed photos available. I want to sell it to someone who will enjoy it and appreciate it as much as I have. 
            
            



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