What happened to all the W116 - '73-'80 450 SEL's?

[royalpagoda]

To "PJ67COLL"...

I finally posted some pics to the shopforum gallery. Look for the album titled '1978 450 SEL' posted on 8/1. Granted these pics were taken after a TLC session a couple of years ago but they are still accurate representations.

Happy Motoring!

[pj67coll]

Originally Posted by royalpagoda

To "PJ67COLL"...

I finally posted some pics to the shopforum gallery. Look for the album titled '1978 450 SEL' posted on 8/1. Granted these pics were taken after a TLC session a couple of years ago but they are still accurate representations.

Happy Motoring!

Nice. That's a beauty all right despite the hideous bumpers.

- Peter.

[royalpagoda]

Definitely no fan of the bumpers but they will have to suffice until the day comes when a set of nice home-market bumpers and headlamps (plus hardware) magically appear on my doorstep. Not only will the car instantly lose about 12 inches in length but it will look SOOO much better!

[redbaron76]

I have a '76 450SE Federal (about 15 years now). Runs like a champ. I don't drive it in the winter anymore....It hates that, but the salt and snow are no good. It's had the normal problems, door locks, CC solenoid, squeaky brakes. Every now and then a window switch will need to come out and get cleaned. The seats are in need again. But what a car!!! It always runs great, It always starts right away. Give her a minute to warm up and you can drive to the moon and back...no problem. Not bad for a 32 year old car. I don't know how many miles it has...the odometer works when it wants to, so I change the oil every other month to be safe. The oil looks pretty good when I drain it and it is never low even though the cam cover gaskets are about ready to be changed again. I see no need to ever buy another car. The cost to maintain and repair this car ongoing is ridiculously inexpensive. But, every 5 years or so, It needs a $2000 shot of cash for a paint job or cams or interior repairs and your good to go again.
If your thinking of buying one...do it. But remember, buy it bone stock and keep it that way. No aftermarket anything (not even a filter) and you shouldn't have a problem. Authentic parts are easy to find and reasonably priced and they last. 116's are great run forever cars

[redbaron76]

13 years ago, I followed a good friend of mine to the junkyard, where he dropped off his '79 Cadillac. He got in my (then 19 year old) 450 SE for the ride back. I took him straight to the dealership, where he bought a new 95 Towncar. On the way, I politely suggested a Mercedes and explained that my car runs and looks beautiful and it's three years older than the POS he just junked. He was not moved.
Last year, I followed him to the very same junk yard to drop off the Lincoln, which has a bad valve and chronic air ride and transmision problems. He got into the same 450 SE (then 31 years old) for the ride home. The A/C was ice cold....The buckskin leather and zebrano dash was clean and shiny....as was the garnet red paint and the classic matching MB hubcaps. He didn't say a word....not one word. It was so quiet, I just had to fire up the old becker and launch my perfectly operational power antenae to break the silence (and rub it in).
He's now driving an Avalon....I guess he got a good deal. Round 3 coming up!

[gs sparhawk]

I just couldn't keep from throwing in a comment after reading the whole of the postings. My recent aquisition of the 79 6.9 (7252) simply added to my appreciation of the MB line, haveing been in two 300 CDs since 1992. I have replaced all five of the accumulators ( spheres ), the upper strut bushings, exhaust system. & tires -to-come (Bridgestone Potenzas or Mich MXV4s). Black leather seats are perfect. A little rust that I can manage. Got to get to that miserable steering box adjustment. ( Any wonder why it has never been adjusted?) The difference between all of the accumulators being bad and all being good is a genuine eye opener. Can't wait to have that long trip after the complete resurrection. ( got 16.2 MPG on 220 mi trip home with it)

Thanks, alabassi, for your enthusiasm. Thanks, Aaron, for the long-ago-and-probably-forgotten advice and encouragement. (Hope the new endeavors are successful)

It's hard for even an old duffer hotrodder to keep his foot out of the go-pedal when you have a 6.9. I'm still driving it like I stole it------oh, yeah, I just about did.

Sparky

79 6.9, black / black, euro H-Lites, 15" wheels
couple of 300CDs
79 300TD
79 300TD euro
78 230
couple 240 Ds ( Do I qualify ???)
looking at 85 380 SE (oh, man, I'm a mess ---and wife hasn't left yet)

[Pooka]

John Frakenhimer was a Mercedes nut. The car uses in 'Ronin" was a 6.9, and yes, it was as stock as a 6.9 can be if any 6.9 can be considered 'stock'.

Pooka

[pop & blow]

Well I still own one and I drive it often, It was fully restored by me To take me beyound the next million miles, It was and still is a classic of all times, There is not much I haven't done to this particular model from totaly disassembling down to the bare frame, it,s like all the rest of classic cars ever made the more people love them the more you see less of them, there are a lot of them left and parts are still very easy to get from a lot of sources. The bumpers are rebuildable, as are most all the other parts Diesel engine parts are still being made I know I have built several,I love the way it handles on the roads and it does catch peoples eye at the intersections, But who am I ? I am a Auto Nut who Loves all old Cars, and restores them everyday, I love to get my hands in there and repair and rebuild, and then sit back and admire what it turned out to be, w116 is a reaL work of ART that I enjoy everyday. .Not retired but doing what I love every day.Jerry ASE Master Mechanic

[Funky d]

Got my 75 450SEL right here.
I don't know of a single other one in my town

[mrkozzy]

It's an old post but a goodie.
I got my 116 up on bricks in the garage. It gets started about every 2 weeks and taken for a run every month. It's just turned over 303000 klm's. (genuine)
I know its genuine because the 1st owner was my dad. The car is a dream to drive and as there are fewer and fewer good ones on the road, I try even harder to maintain it and keep it in tip top condition. I bought a cheap donor car last year which I raid for the occasional part. (Mostly interior trims that have worn or faded, carpets etc).
Many of the 450's here downunder have been dismantled because of the high cost of gas. The motors are very popular with ski boats as an inboard. Slap on a V drive universal and watch those baby's fly! Cheap to buy and tough as a tank.
I hope to pass my 116 on some day.....it is after all a member of the family!

[berfinroy]

I had a pristine low mileage '76 euro 6.9, so it had no smog equipment nor, thank god, the battering-ram bumpers that Mercedes slapped on for the American Market (and never bothered to better intigrate even on the SL model that was produced until the late 80s). Although the engineering was not compromised from the previous generation 108s, the cosmetics were, even on this top-of-the-line model. Much more plastic and much less wood. I never liked it as well as the 109s, and so it was sold and replaced with a fine 300SEL 4.5, which I plan to keep until I die or run out of money (the latter case looking more likely than ever these days).

Parenthetically, the cost of mechanical refurbishment of my 37 year old 300, though low mileage and garaged for life, was much higher than expected. So many rubber parts and seals need replacing, not to mention the plethora of "O" rings in the 5 air suspension valves.

[thebenzbar]

W116 450SEL cars still deserve praise... I enjoyed mine for 2 years, and sometimes I miss it.
The only drawback to me was that it's thirsty with the M117 but I didn't mind since it was safe & solid, roomy, rides great, and has classic lines written all over it.

1974 450SEL

[brownrestoratio]

I was pleased to read all of the good comments on the 450SE's, someday I hope to get my 1974 450SE to run so that I can say how nice it is.

[tonkovich]

there's two 116s for sale here in l.a. on craigslist. i am tempted, but i must say the bumpers and (maybe its just me? - probably ) the ac controls are really fuggly.

[strelnik]

Originally Posted by suginami

It goes without saying that there are quite a few 116 diesels still on road. I see them occasionally on the freeways out here. But my question is about 116 450 SEL's, not 116 300 SD's.

I've seen a few of the 6.9 owners on this site,

Many of the 6.9 equipped drivers belong to the M-100 club