1992 Mercedes Benz S Class 400SE Near Mint

Description

You are bidding on my 1992 Mercedes 400SE with only 81308 original miles. The car has never been in a wreck, never smoked in, and still has a hint of that new car smell. This has always been one of my dream cars, but I was not able to afford the $80,000 MSRP price tag ($133,365 in today’s money) back then. Now that I am older, I decided to start collecting a few cars that I always wanted, and set out find a 400SE in the best condition possible.

I performed a nation wide search, and found some with fewer miles, but nothing close to the condition this one was in. I bought this from its original owner in Santa Maria California, where she always kept it meticulously maintained, and garage kept. I had it delivered to me in an enclosed car transport cross country. As you can see from the pictures, this 400SE looks almost like a new car. It spent its entire life in southern California, which is one of the best places to buy a used car due to the low humidity, and cool dry climate. In addition to that, the previous owner was an older lady who mostly drove the car to the store and back home, putting an average of 3400 miles a year on the car.

Since I have owned the 400SE, it has continued to be garage kept only. In the two years I have owned it, I have only put approximately 1300 miles on it, typically driving it only about 1 day a week around town, only in dry weather. To say it has been babied, would be an understatement. I will do my best to describe the condition of the car including any flaws. Please email me with any questions.

- Outside, the original paint still shines like new as you can see in the pictures. All 4 original aluminum rims are in great shape with no curb rash, and brand new tires. There are no curb scrapes or damage to the under side of the car. There are a few minor scratches, but they are superficial.

- There is one flaw in the paint/body that I want to make sure to point out (see last picture) and that is a small repair to the driver’s side rear quarter panel. The previous owner explained to me that about 15 years ago, a truck with a metal pole sticking out of the bed, was backing up in a parking lot, and the pole put a 2-inch diameter dent in the 400SE’s side. She had it repaired and all was well, up until recently when the bondo work started to fail. I knew this in advance of buying it, and had every intention to have it professionally restored, but since I have decided to sell, I will leave it as it is, for the next owner to best decide how they would like to complete the restoration. Please bid accordingly.

- The interior of this car is amazing for a car of this age. The thick leather seats are supple, and show very little wear. The passenger seat and back seats looks like no one has ever sat in them. The interior carpet, headliner, real burl wood trim, and basically everything inside is near perfect. The Pneumatic power assisted system works as it should which is actually rare in these cars. All power windows, power seats, heated seats, power rearview mirror and outside mirrors, door locks, lights, power rear sun shade, and sliding roof are in good working order.

- The only issue on the inside is with the original Blaupunkt stereo system. Everything works including the 10-disc changer, cassette, and speakers. The exception being that sometimes you get a popping sound. This is due to the amp that resides in the trunk that needs to be repaired. You can disconnect the amp, and ship it to several different repair shops that will fix it and ship it back to you to simply plug back in. This is one item that was on my list, but I never got around to getting it fixed. I can assist the winning bidder with some more info on getting this done. Please bid accordingly.

- The Engine, transmission, brakes and all mechanical systems on this 400SE are all in great shape. If you look at the engine closely, it looks as if it’s from a car that is only a couple of years old. There is very little oil residue, and all the rubber parts are great shape with no cracks or leaks of any kind. Speaking of leaks, you won’t find any oil leaks coming from this engine. I have it parked in my garage for two years, and have never had any drips on the concrete.

- The Poly V belt (serpentine) is almost brand new as I just had it replaced about 6 months ago

- Brakes are in good shape with about 75% life left on the pads.

- The transmission shifts smooth and was completely rebuilt by Pete at Sports and Imports of Columbus GA. Pete was a transmission tech at MB for 20 years before opening his own shop. He is well recognized as the best in the area for working on older MB tyrannies. He replaced all the clutches, and inspected all the gears. He stated that transmission really did not need to be done, as it was very clean with no metal shavings (indicating wear) when he opened it up. The only reason, I went ahead and had him rebuild it was because when I received the car, it had a very slight shutter in reverse. Because my intention was to keep this car for many years, I went ahead and paid him $3500.00 to get it back perfect again. All gaskets, seals, clutches and transmission fluids are new. You can feel free to call Pete with any questions about his work.

- Cooling system works great, and the engine never runs hot, even on the warmest summer days in Alabama.

- Had the wiring harness replaced (approx. a $1000.00 job) which if you know about these cars, needs to be done because the original wiring insulation fails.

- AC runs ice cold, and heater works good too.

- I had Ignition coil replaced by precision imports in Opelika AL (approx. $1200.00 job)

- Battery in the car was replaced about a year ago.

All told, there has been over $7,000.00 worth of maintenance cost put into this 400SE in just the last few years (much of that which was not out of necessity). Combine that with the condition that this car is already in and there is an opportunity here to own a classic in wonderful condition, at a good price. If you have been looking for a W140 body style Mercedes, one of the last true great Mercedes built, then you will be hard pressed to find one in better condition.

A deposit of $500.00 is due within 24 hours of winning the auction, and can be made with Pay Pal. The purchased car will not be released until the balance of the purchased price is paid in full. The buyer has 7 days to pay the remaining balance in full. The car is sold AS-IS and has no warranty.

Payment options are: PAY PAL. BANK Transfers’ and if financed through a financial institution, then I can accept the bank check. The car will be released after your check clears and my bank collects the amount from your bank. This is the only time I will release the car. Wire transfers will be confirmed by my bank before the car is released.

You are welcome to pick up the car in person once full payment has been received. You can also have the car shipped like I did. I can recommend the shipper I used, or will work with any shipper you choose.