Bubs360
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2007
- Messages
- 902
- Location
- New Hampshire
- Car(s)
- '91 Sentra SE-R, 2003 Triumph Speed Triple 955i
My friends, please take the time to gaze upon this piece of automotive perfection that is for sale at a local pawn shop, and is apparently a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC. For anyone lacking in Mercedes-Benz knowledge, this means it is equipped with a 5.6 liter V8. The "S" stands for "Sonderklasse", otherwise known as "Super Class" in English. The "E" stands for "Einspritz", or fuel injection. The C, obviously, stands for Coupe.
This was once a car for only the most affluent and successful Americans. According to a very, very reliable source - Wikipedia - 28,929 of these rolled off the assembly lines in Sindelfingen. That makes it a relatively rare car here in the United States. This particular example, however, has not appeared to move from this spot in over a year.
Would you like to guess what sort of reasonable price this car is being sold for? That's right, a paltry $10,000. Not $1,000 or even $100.Ten thousand dollars. Now, let's explore what makes this car worth the price.
It has an incredibly low 214,550 miles. A phone call to the pawn shop tells me that the car only has 116,000 miles. Not that a lying pawn shop clerk is any real big surprise. The car is apparently in "great shape".
Note the incredibly thorough repaint. The door jambs reveal that this car was originally "Safari Beige", just like my old 420SEL - and just like every other god damn Mercedes around here built before 1993. So, it is high mileage and does not have the original paint. What else could make this car worth $10,000?
It certainly is not the trunk, which is a complete disaster. It is actually better than I expected - I figured there would be a human body or something of that nature in there. Apparently this is the way that the trunk of any $10,000 classic should look.
It would not be the interior either. It's there, but is not showroom in any way. Honestly it is in pretty decent shape for 214,550 miles, but it isn't making this car worth ten grand.
The tire condition also has nothing to do with the high price. Three are there, but heavily worn. One is flat. All are dry-rotted. All are nice and shiny.
The flat tire has pieces of rubber flaking off the sidewall.
The other tires are not exactly new either.
After entering the pawn shop and asking if I could hear the engine run, I was told that the car will need a battery to get off the lot. I also confirmed that the car is indeed for sale for ten thousand. I don't know any person who would pay ten grand for this boat anchor of a car, or any car that has a flat tire and will not start. I was also informed that it worth ten thousand in part because it is in "fantastic shape", and also because it is a "special edition". Unless anyone can correct me, I am not aware of any special edition 560 SEC cars sold in America. I was hoping to at least get a look under the hood, but it appears that the latch mechanism is broken.
Here's a checklist of everything the car has going for it:
It's a 560SEC, which is a neat and relatively rare car.
The 5.6 liter V8 means that, in running condition, it should be relatively quick.
It's a W126 Mercedes.
The tire shine they used is terrific.
Here's the checklist of why this car isn't worth anywhere near the asking price:
214,550 miles.
Horrendous paint job, not the original color. My research indicates that this repaint isn't even a stock W126 color.
Rust.
Three bald tires and one flat. All are dry-rotted.
Hood won't open. Trunk is torn apart.
Two inches of steering freeplay.
Won't start. Dead battery.
No inspection sticker or owner history of any kind. Typical pawn shop sketchiness.
Oh, and this:
Here is the Kelly Blue Book value for this car on a private party value. Just to give it the benefit of the doubt, I even checked options that the car doesn't even have.
In excellent condition, which is not anywhere near the actual car, it is worth a little under $4,000. When I took the KBB Condition Quiz to appraise the car's condition, it was so awful that it does not even get a blue book value.
So, there you have it. $10,000 worth of German Aluminum-und-Schteel. Come with a flatbed and take it away!