The W116 is such a gorgeous car in non-US trim. Here in the states it looks glaringly clunky with US bumpers. When the W126 came around, they did a much better job at integrating US bumpers.
Yes the infamous 'park bench bunpers'. I remember visiting the US in 1989 and being an avid Mercedes-Benz fan back then I was aghast at how ugly the W116 & R107 looked in the flesh with its oversized bumpers. Even the W126 headlight arrangement took me by surprise!
All have a differing perspective on style. I view the euro spec bumpers as making the car look a bit pug nosed. Maybe be just because I have looked at my 1974 SEL for decades and view the bumpers as showing prominence and authority!
I got a w116 280se from 1972 that was sleeping in a garage for 45 years, I got it for almost nothing and brought it back to life for around 1.5k, the car is brand new with only 56k miles on it, super happy with it :D
It doesn’t matter what shape it’s in. You need to encourage people to buy and save these cars. You realize there aren’t many left! Even if it’s in bad shape, buy and restore it! They all want to live man
I just bought one myself a 78 280se, cracked dark, dried and cracked wood trim around the shifter, the electric window switches look like they're sitting on rotted cork. The exterior has rust patches (all shallow and just spits of rust) few dings, few dents, peeling top clear, ding on corner of rear bumper, missing a chrome cover on the left rear arch. Has 274,xxxkms, engine has slight miss, needs wheel alignment and new tyres. Front doors don't lock (that's one thing I'll definitely fix) but I didn't buy it expecting a show car, I bought it because I want to daily a "classic" car without having to worry about other road users and car parks etc. My plan is to only fix it if it gets broken, and to drive it for as long as I can. I'll try keep it on the road unless it gets crashed or stolen. If it gets rust holes I'll practice welding and do it all myself, might end up looking like the hull of a fighter jet eventually but that doesn't bother me. I'll preserve the patina and just enjoy it, should I not find parts I'll retro fit and Frankenstein (in a proper way) I paid $4k for this car (I'm in australia) and honestly I'm happy with that, cars around where I am are expensive and what else can you get with that money? A 2000s corolla is about all... I'm happy with it and I hope to preserve it as tastefully as I can. My old man had many w126s growing up so I feel like it's honouring him, he used to tell stories of their reliability and safety and now that I know bits about cars, I'm not afraid to work on it myself, everything's fairly simple and well built. It's a bit of a head turner too! Thank you for the video! Very informative, these things are getting more valuable by the year, carsales had some for a pretty penny! But this thing is alright, gearbox has no whines or clunks and is smooth, engine is smooth despite the small miss, everything works fairly well, tinted windows and the old owner replaced all the suspension and brakes so it's a win really...
Good on you! I reckon the W116 would make a perfect daily driver. My 450SE is definitely not a show car and still retains her patina from years of Sydney use.
@@egsgarage to add to the mystery of the car, ive discovered a tonne of rust on all four floor pans, each one has a hole or two each, the old sound deadening was holding water, so i removed all the deadening and sanded it all down, and will just spray rustoleum and put the floor mats back on, the rust sucks but the holes are so small its not worth worrying about. there was also a largish hole behind the accelerator pedal, with probing it went to the outside of the car behind the driver wheel in the arch there, so i filled most the hole with metal epoxy and sprayed a tonne of that rustoleum paint on the outside, so theres still a tiny 20cent piece hole but the rot seems fairly large in that area and i dont want to probe too much... its because of the rubber coating, it was trapping the water in it seems. so i cut a lot of the rubber off to let the air get to it, the hole will be covered by the thick factory mat so it should be okay. im still going to daily it and not worry about the rust besides sealing whatever i can with rustoleum. if it survives the next 20 years ill strip it back and go full rotisserie. for now ill keep it running and weld whatever needs it (again i wont touch this corner because it looks like a few hundred hours work if i probe :P) p.s i grew up in sydney, now in tasmania for the last 6 years
Thank you very much for your time investing in this very good video in order to help people not doing the wrong decision. I did what you said last year. With an absolute W116 6.9 expert we looked very in depth in possible candidates. 20 ones we could exclude just by communication and looking at the pictures. 3 we inspected in person and the last one I took. Such an expense makes sense to avoid bad surprises. Now I am very happy with a 1979 6.9 first hand piece of art with the seldom ABS and electrical rear seat. The K-Jettronic is easier to maintain than the later KE-Jettronic from the W126. The older electric D-Jettronic from the fist W116 built till 1976/77is hard to maintain and less reliable but delivers better fuel economy than the more reliable K-Jettronic. Corrosion is the biggest problem with cars that age. The technique from the W116 is very robust and can be fixed even in 50 years. I think the W116 will slightly increase in value because they are the last real "Chrome-Mercedes" and the drive feeling is s much fun and you enjoy every Kilometer distance (just the 6.9 with its hydro pneumatic suspension). Best Regards from Germany .....PS: European V8 engines have more power than the US- Versions but need higher octane fuel.
Thank you so much for your generous comments and watching my video. I really appreciate it. Yes I wish I researched and vetted potential mechanics before I put trust in a person that I didn't really know could do the job. Oh well...you live and learn. I love what you said about the drive feeling of the W116. As you can see from the video I very much love giving my 450SE a good step on the accelerator! Thanks again
I've owned a '77 280SE for almost ten years now - I'd always admired the W116 and would have preferred a 450 but I had a complete parts 280 so I figured it'd be the better choice. I bought mine in California, the best example I could find - rust free original with 92,000 miles on the clock and one owner for almost all its life, and the interim owner who had considerable W116 experience had had the whole car gone through. I then drove it 5000km to my Canadian home with no problems at all. The 280 doesn't have a lot of power down low, in fact it is a bit of a pig around town - but get it out on the highway at 4000rpm or more and it hums along beautifully, a real cruiser. I haven't had many problems with it although I do worry about the automatic climate control that came in the American cars - mine doesn't get driven much and sits through our long winters and I really should pass it on to a new owner, but it's such a lovely car - even with the ugly US bumpers - and is built to a standard that you'll never see again, and for most smaller repairs it is not too difficult to work on. My fuel system works perfectly and the only thing I have done to it is replace the under-tank fuel lines and accumulator, as well as new injectors which were surprisingly cheap. I must say your warm up regulator is certainly more accessible than mine, which is buried down on the side of the block in an awkward spot.
Thanks for your comments. I can't see myself ever parting with my W116. I don't drive it much but when I do she starts right up and goes like the clappers!
Have been thinking lately of pulling out my 1974 450 SEL and giving it a once over. It ended up parked after the cold start fuel enrichment decided not to shut off. At 74,000 miles it is still in excellent shape having lived in the desert area of Eastern Oregon. Strangely the only part I ever replaced was the intermediate prop shaft bearing! Pastel blue with white leather! Sits next to the 1965 Jaguar Mark 10.
Love the vid on the w116. My 280SEL is my happy place. The KJet on mine seems fine, 4th owner with 400000kms. SLS is what I am currently working on to rebuild. Can sympathise when dealing with unnecessary spending with a mechanic that should have known better or at least fessed up that he was out of his depth. Current mechanic is great and will always tell me when something is not in his area of expertise. Happy owner for the last 2 years and for the rest of my time
Wow sounds like a nice car. Love hearing about high mileage cars that are used. Yes it's unfortunate that there are unscrupulous shops out there willing to take advantage of people. Once bitten twice shy as they say....
Hello. I do need your help. I found one in Burundi. Abandoned in back yard. The car has 51715 km only. But it's has been in the parking for 15 years. The body is not in good shape. But interior is good.
The paint will never be as good as factory if you repaint it. Looks like it just needs some PDR and a polish. So many people repaint cars unnecessarily and destroy the original factory paint which is hands down the best for durability.
The W116 350 SE was less powerful, but a somewhat livelier car to drive. Similar situation with the W126... the 500 SE was a nicer car to drive than the 560 SEL.
hey i just wanted to ask you a question i would really appreciate if you replied im looking to buy one of these im just concerned about finding parts availability and prices if something went wrong i also live in Sydney Australia thanks
*buying the wrong 450SE could cost you $$$ yep so by a diesel 116 lol or 115 for that matter. or a 114.. OR a 123! basically any diesel mercedes.. only advantage that gas mercedes has is more model and chasis diversity
Do you have an instagram or anything i just bought one would love to be in touch with someone who knows what there talking about please get back to me 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
![Classic Documentary: The Mercedes-Benz W116 - Part 3 [ Pros & Cons ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JVNTZD8Gq_8/mqdefault.jpg)
![Classic Documentary: The Mercedes-Benz W116 - Part 3 [ Pros & Cons ]](/img/tr.png)
The W116 is such a gorgeous car in non-US trim. Here in the states it looks glaringly clunky with US bumpers. When the W126 came around, they did a much better job at integrating US bumpers.
Yes the infamous 'park bench bunpers'. I remember visiting the US in 1989 and being an avid Mercedes-Benz fan back then I was aghast at how ugly the W116 & R107 looked in the flesh with its oversized bumpers. Even the W126 headlight arrangement took me by surprise!
@@egsgarage Yes, I was very happy that the previous owner of my W126 replaced the headlamps with Euro-spec units. Makes a huge difference!
Sadly soon all gas cars will be forbidden in EU and USA!!!
@@egsgarage😊
All have a differing perspective on style. I view the euro spec bumpers as making the car look a bit pug nosed. Maybe be just because I have looked at my 1974 SEL for decades and view the bumpers as showing prominence and authority!
I got a w116 280se from 1972 that was sleeping in a garage for 45 years, I got it for almost nothing and brought it back to life for around 1.5k, the car is brand new with only 56k miles on it, super happy with it :D
I've been looking to buy a 280SE or maybe a 450 W116. Great content mate, not enough of it coming from Australia so much appreciated.
Thank you so much!
It doesn’t matter what shape it’s in. You need to encourage people to buy and save these cars. You realize there aren’t many left! Even if it’s in bad shape, buy and restore it! They all want to live man
Anen to that my friend! I consider these cars like orphans. They need a good home! Only wish my wife would see it that way 🤣
I just bought one myself a 78 280se, cracked dark, dried and cracked wood trim around the shifter, the electric window switches look like they're sitting on rotted cork. The exterior has rust patches (all shallow and just spits of rust) few dings, few dents, peeling top clear, ding on corner of rear bumper, missing a chrome cover on the left rear arch. Has 274,xxxkms, engine has slight miss, needs wheel alignment and new tyres. Front doors don't lock (that's one thing I'll definitely fix) but I didn't buy it expecting a show car, I bought it because I want to daily a "classic" car without having to worry about other road users and car parks etc. My plan is to only fix it if it gets broken, and to drive it for as long as I can. I'll try keep it on the road unless it gets crashed or stolen. If it gets rust holes I'll practice welding and do it all myself, might end up looking like the hull of a fighter jet eventually but that doesn't bother me. I'll preserve the patina and just enjoy it, should I not find parts I'll retro fit and Frankenstein (in a proper way) I paid $4k for this car (I'm in australia) and honestly I'm happy with that, cars around where I am are expensive and what else can you get with that money? A 2000s corolla is about all... I'm happy with it and I hope to preserve it as tastefully as I can. My old man had many w126s growing up so I feel like it's honouring him, he used to tell stories of their reliability and safety and now that I know bits about cars, I'm not afraid to work on it myself, everything's fairly simple and well built. It's a bit of a head turner too!
Thank you for the video! Very informative, these things are getting more valuable by the year, carsales had some for a pretty penny! But this thing is alright, gearbox has no whines or clunks and is smooth, engine is smooth despite the small miss, everything works fairly well, tinted windows and the old owner replaced all the suspension and brakes so it's a win really...
Good on you! I reckon the W116 would make a perfect daily driver. My 450SE is definitely not a show car and still retains her patina from years of Sydney use.
@@egsgarage to add to the mystery of the car, ive discovered a tonne of rust on all four floor pans, each one has a hole or two each, the old sound deadening was holding water, so i removed all the deadening and sanded it all down, and will just spray rustoleum and put the floor mats back on, the rust sucks but the holes are so small its not worth worrying about. there was also a largish hole behind the accelerator pedal, with probing it went to the outside of the car behind the driver wheel in the arch there, so i filled most the hole with metal epoxy and sprayed a tonne of that rustoleum paint on the outside, so theres still a tiny 20cent piece hole but the rot seems fairly large in that area and i dont want to probe too much... its because of the rubber coating, it was trapping the water in it seems. so i cut a lot of the rubber off to let the air get to it, the hole will be covered by the thick factory mat so it should be okay. im still going to daily it and not worry about the rust besides sealing whatever i can with rustoleum. if it survives the next 20 years ill strip it back and go full rotisserie. for now ill keep it running and weld whatever needs it (again i wont touch this corner because it looks like a few hundred hours work if i probe :P)
p.s i grew up in sydney, now in tasmania for the last 6 years
Thank you very much for your time investing in this very good video in order to help people not doing the wrong decision. I did what you said last year. With an absolute W116 6.9 expert we looked very in depth in possible candidates. 20 ones we could exclude just by communication and looking at the pictures. 3 we inspected in person and the last one I took. Such an expense makes sense to avoid bad surprises. Now I am very happy with a 1979 6.9 first hand piece of art with the seldom ABS and electrical rear seat. The K-Jettronic is easier to maintain than the later KE-Jettronic from the W126. The older electric D-Jettronic from the fist W116 built till 1976/77is hard to maintain and less reliable but delivers better fuel economy than the more reliable K-Jettronic. Corrosion is the biggest problem with cars that age. The technique from the W116 is very robust and can be fixed even in 50 years. I think the W116 will slightly increase in value because they are the last real "Chrome-Mercedes" and the drive feeling is s much fun and you enjoy every Kilometer distance (just the 6.9 with its hydro pneumatic suspension). Best Regards from Germany .....PS: European V8 engines have more power than the US- Versions but need higher octane fuel.
Thank you so much for your generous comments and watching my video. I really appreciate it. Yes I wish I researched and vetted potential mechanics before I put trust in a person that I didn't really know could do the job. Oh well...you live and learn. I love what you said about the drive feeling of the W116. As you can see from the video I very much love giving my 450SE a good step on the accelerator! Thanks again
Gorgeos car and good work man. But I have to tell you that "ehm...and that sound" is annoying if said 20 times per minute😂
I've owned a '77 280SE for almost ten years now - I'd always admired the W116 and would have preferred a 450 but I had a complete parts 280 so I figured it'd be the better choice. I bought mine in California, the best example I could find - rust free original with 92,000 miles on the clock and one owner for almost all its life, and the interim owner who had considerable W116 experience had had the whole car gone through. I then drove it 5000km to my Canadian home with no problems at all. The 280 doesn't have a lot of power down low, in fact it is a bit of a pig around town - but get it out on the highway at 4000rpm or more and it hums along beautifully, a real cruiser. I haven't had many problems with it although I do worry about the automatic climate control that came in the American cars - mine doesn't get driven much and sits through our long winters and I really should pass it on to a new owner, but it's such a lovely car - even with the ugly US bumpers - and is built to a standard that you'll never see again, and for most smaller repairs it is not too difficult to work on. My fuel system works perfectly and the only thing I have done to it is replace the under-tank fuel lines and accumulator, as well as new injectors which were surprisingly cheap. I must say your warm up regulator is certainly more accessible than mine, which is buried down on the side of the block in an awkward spot.
Thanks for your comments. I can't see myself ever parting with my W116. I don't drive it much but when I do she starts right up and goes like the clappers!
Have been thinking lately of pulling out my 1974 450 SEL and giving it a once over. It ended up parked after the cold start fuel enrichment decided not to shut off. At 74,000 miles it is still in excellent shape having lived in the desert area of Eastern Oregon. Strangely the only part I ever replaced was the intermediate prop shaft bearing! Pastel blue with white leather! Sits next to the 1965 Jaguar Mark 10.
Love the vid on the w116. My 280SEL is my happy place. The KJet on mine seems fine, 4th owner with 400000kms. SLS is what I am currently working on to rebuild. Can sympathise when dealing with unnecessary spending with a mechanic that should have known better or at least fessed up that he was out of his depth. Current mechanic is great and will always tell me when something is not in his area of expertise. Happy owner for the last 2 years and for the rest of my time
Wow sounds like a nice car. Love hearing about high mileage cars that are used. Yes it's unfortunate that there are unscrupulous shops out there willing to take advantage of people. Once bitten twice shy as they say....
I had 77 just like this one same color my favorite car ive ever owned .
Wow what a beautiful car! I am also owner of a w116 and i even have a model with steering wheel mounted on the correct position :)
Right on
I bought one for $200 and its loves the freeway cruising 300sd
Hello. I do need your help. I found one in Burundi. Abandoned in back yard. The car has 51715 km only. But it's has been in the parking for 15 years. The body is not in good shape. But interior is good.
The paint will never be as good as factory if you repaint it. Looks like it just needs some PDR and a polish. So many people repaint cars unnecessarily and destroy the original factory paint which is hands down the best for durability.
The W116 350 SE was less powerful, but a somewhat livelier car to drive. Similar situation with the W126... the 500 SE was a nicer car to drive than the 560 SEL.
I'm in Sydney and have the same car in 350SE guise - looks like it's twin.
Very nice! White seemed to be a very popular colour for the W116. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the great video! Really enjoyed watching this. 🍷🍷
My absolute pleasure! Thanks for watching.
hey i just wanted to ask you a question i would really appreciate if you replied im looking to buy one of these im just concerned about finding parts availability and prices if something went wrong i also live in Sydney Australia thanks
Saw a W116 in perth yesterday :D I almost got a 280 SE in 2018 BUT sadlyshe had some rust
They all have rust... cut it out and weld it up treat and paint
It appears this series of Mercedes had an unusual mounting position for the windscreen wipers, they are too close together.
Good video... I have a W140. I notice you're in NSW... know any good knowledgeable mechanics in Sydney you can recommend?
I'd only recommend Karlo Kittl in Willoughby.
Got the 74 d jetronic on lpg, no probkems, 1.300.000 km
Just rust..
There are no videos for BMW
Yet. I've always had a soft spot for the E38 7 Series so you never know....
Gorgeous car❤
Mine has the inline 6
I think that.pount that you are misding is thatnit was s durable wrll designed car..there were many that were more expensive.
*buying the wrong 450SE could cost you $$$ yep so by a diesel 116 lol or 115 for that matter. or a 114.. OR a 123! basically any diesel mercedes.. only advantage that gas mercedes has is more model and chasis diversity
In Australia, the 116 wasn't available with a diesel engine nor was the 115 or 114.
@@egsgarage even so at least the petrol engines we all power and smoothness hehe
Do you have an instagram or anything i just bought one would love to be in touch with someone who knows what there talking about please get back to me 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hey, yea it's @egsgarage