It’s truly sad that many people will buy a classic Mercedes and never realize the true beauty is a mechanically sorted Mercedes. It’s what the car is all about. Not just a pretty face. Many purchase a pretty face and get discouraged when the car is not a pleasure to drive. Even worse is good classic car mechanics are few and far between. So they go to the shop that installs the LS drivetrain.
Whenever I get a new old Mercedes, first thing my mates notice are the cosmetic defects. They can't care less if the car runs good and drives safe. We as humans eat with our eyes first.
Very true, never ever judge a book by its cover. My mercedes has some old battle scars but when you sit in it and turn the key and the engine purrs you feel the smoothness and quality oozing. 😸🍻
I bought a 300SE W112 in 74 senior year HS. I loved the fintails. It ran great but needed cosmetic repairs and replacement of rear airbags. It turned into my daily driver for almost 20 years. I learned a lot about repairing and keeping it maintained. Kept that car for over 30 years but had to sell. I can’t afford to buy that car today but looking to buy a 280SE 4.5 in the near future. Love to have a 300SE with the 6.3 but another one out of my league.
Multi-meters and gauges are a hell of a lot harder to use than a buffing wheel. The 40 year old Benz you see driving around your town every single day with questionable paint is infinitely cooler than the one that only appears at car shows.
When I bought my W116 300SD to daily drive, I found one that was about 7/10 cosmetic condition and 9/10 mechanical condition. I've slowly been bringing up the cosmetic details (8/10 now) which has been more work than maintaining it's mechanical operation. At 183k miles, it's been wonderfully reliable and a joy to own. Put mechanical condition first and you won't be disappointed.
No matter the make of the car, I always approach my hobby cars the same way: Brakes, tires, suspension, drivetrain, electricals, structural, then cosmetics last. The car has to stop before it goes, and it has to stop and go before it looks.
That's true, everyone keeps saying I need to get monoblocks blah blah blah. The 16inch wheels on my 129 run amazing and super comfortable. Keeping my car stock is 10/10
Change the R129 factory 16inch wheel to anything else destroy the design philosophy of the great Bruno Sacco original concept. For me, once it change wheel, I don't even feel to take a look at that car. If u truly admire the original design language of this R129, keep it at stock and never listen to anyone who is not a true admirer.
Having to fix beautiful restored cars so that they run was THE STORY OF MY LIFE when I worked on Lotus and Alfa Romeos. It is not just Mercedes. Having to fix restored cars always bothered me until I overheard Ralph Lauren after winning the Pebble Beach concours say "yeah, now all I have to do is tear it apart and rebuild it again so I can drive it". He should know! On a more serious note, every restored car I have ever dealt with had several MAJOR problems within 5000 miles after the restoration. That is just part of the game. The worst "after the fact" problem you can get is rust, followed by major paint failure. Everything else can be dealt with.
This problem is rampant in the 500E market, too. To be honest, rather few of my members care that much about the overall mechanics of the cars, and ensuring that the cars’ systems operate as they should. They tend to care about the “stance” and paint and interior looks of the cars. I coined a rule many many years ago, that ALL E500Es out there (even the best/most expensive ones) have AT LEAST $10,000 of deferred maintenance. With inflation, this is really more like $20-25K in today’s dollars.
@@christianwc9458 Basically everything rubber on these cars in the engine compartment and suspension needs to be replaced, if it hasn't been in the last 30 years. People just don't want to deal with it until something fails. Plastic vacuum lines under the hood, too.
@@gerryvanzandt7894 true, I'm in the camp of those who are at least slightly proactive about their cars condition, for the sake of keeping the daily driver, driving daily, with no unwanted surprises.
I am a detailer that loves making classic Mercedes’ look good, but I have miles of parts for my 300cd that not only make the car look better for what you can see, but also what you can’t. It’s a great running car, but will be a perfectly runnng and driving car in time. So yes, Pierrre, you are 100 percent correct.
Due to my work, I'm only able to drive my Mercedes on weekends. But I need it to be safe and reliable first. Doesn't matter to me how it looks if it doesn't function. Once I've sorted out all the mechanicals, then I'll make it pretty again.
Just found that a suspension rubber bush at the bottom of the spring was useless on my newly acquired Rover P4. The support plate corroded and collapsed, there was a metal-to-metal contact. People drive these neglected cars and think - "oh, this is how folks drove them 70 years ago, they were uncomfortable, rough etc". They weren't. Fix them first then try again.
Great video, and message LOL... I love these cars too, and it's something I also spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about. Wish you lived closer to me Pierre so I could come hang out with you!!
Couldn’t agree with you more .. very few are true enthusiasts and primarily into looks .. not to mention the technical know how of mechanics is limited now
I start with cosmetic appeal then boil it down to a PPI. I spent a couple thousand on PPI fees before buying the best looking AND maintened 560 SL. Lucked out on a good looking documented 87 SEC as the 1st one I had inspected. Even after all that I still have preventative done at my MB shop.
Spot on again! My 91 300D had been totaled by the insurance co. BC of a hit to the headlight and grill when it was 20 years old. It had all the foundations, rust free, clean and dry underneath, the engine started like it was supposed to. I’ve spent a year making it into a distance driver. I’ll get to the fender dent when I get to it, it’s kind of a badge for me, it’s 34! Underhood, it’s industrial jewelry, Pierre you have set me on the right path!
I had a 1980 300sd and spent way too many hours getting road worthy. I got tired of it and sold it. Turned around and bought a 84 300sd that needs less work overall but it will eat countless hours of my time. For me the cosmetics make the feel good part of the ownership. But driving it after extensive mechanical work is magic!
I’m with you all the way. Just bought an 1986 Mercedes 560SL in light ivory, and I’m budgeting 3.5-5K for mechanical maintenance. I don’t care that the hood is slightly off color due to the missing hood pad. Yeah, I’ll replace the pad, but I want a car to drive and preserve for posterity. Kids are telling me to put a color wrap on it 🤮. Thanks for all your advice on the videos!
For me personally, being mechanically inclined, I always look for a project that needs little to no body / interior work. I despise doing bodywork and finding shops that do quality work is difficult. So I don't mind mechanical messes. But I am fully aware of what I am getting into.
Just watched a video about a Rolls Royce that was used for weddings. The owner polished it and washed it. It was shiny and beautiful. He had to let the car go eventually because it became unreliable and he wasn't sure whether he will be able to finish the wedding :) I treat classic cars like living creatures. It's sad to see a car suffering from a clogged power steering filter or rich mixture etc. Driving a mechanically perfect classic car is certainly more enjoyable that looking at the shiny non-original paint.
there is,at least at a distance,a beautiful forest green with tan int. 280se 4.5 at a dealer I saw on line.The price was only $8900.00,so that alerted me.The interior looked great,the exterior looked good,under the hood,there was some corrosion.However,one photo told the true tale.The photo of the i'd plate was heavily painted,and surrounded by heavy,deep (if possibly stabilized) rust,probably under all of the paint
You see this concerpt inplimented at Barrett Jackson and Mecum auctions all the time. How many times do i see beautiful cars come across the auction block that ignore the mechanicals but the cosmetics are pristine and the bidding goes crazy. SMH
Who do you recommend in the Phoenix area to care for a car I just got from John Woods? Mechanically perfect now; I want to keep it that way. Or can I talk you into moving to Phoenix?
People with money will always pay what they want to. Sadly it drives up the value of these classic cars. Mechanical faults are always harder to predict and will only emerge over time. The looks of the car presents and sells the car immediately.
I don't think people buying for appearance is a new concept in the new, used, or collector market. In the American collector car world, it was once the (now collectable) beloved muscle cars---they were bought new for the visceral impacts of colors, shapes, sounds (or noise, to some of us)...and, at least in the earliest years, they handled and stopped like pigs--no, or small sway bars, small brakes, modest tires, slow manual steering, etc. And they were very willing to overlook these shortcomings in the name of appearance.
I love my Euro series 3 W123 300D in Nautical Blue but if I had focused on only color combo without regard to condition I would have bought a Euro series 1 W123 280E in English Red with a Olive Green interior that had documents back to the original owner but was a rust bucket sadly.
BaT brings 30% premium on average, imo. Comparing auction results with bonhams, mecum, etc. over the last 5 years or so. Lesson is if you're selling a decent, lower than average mileage, specced car, BaT is a no brainer.
This is the reason why unreliable British cars still yield decent numbers on Bring a Trailer and Cars and Bids lol. People love the way Jags and Land Rovers look. On the flip side, Mercedes paint from the 60s to the 90s is so good, that it doesn’t take much to remove swirl marks and scratches out of it to make it look new again. Add on ceramic coat or paint protection film, and you can have a car that both runs well and looks amazing for not that much work.
