1991 Mercedes-Benz

420 SEL W126 Sedan

8 Cylinder 4.2 Liter

Automatic

WDBCA35E8MA568401

Rear-wheel Drive

Gasoline

Air Conditioning

I bought this car for my parents to use during the winter when they come down to Florida, but they want a convertible. It feels like a mini-limousine. The car has been in Florida since 1996, when it was purchased by people from Michigan who left it at their home here in Florida. They traded it in at the Mercedes dealer here in 2008, and that's when I purchased it. It had 78k on it at the time of purchase, and it has almost 81k now. The dealership performed a very thorough inspection when I bought the car, and every item on their check list was corrected, including tie rods, ball joints, caster struts, idle arms, steering shock, all four shock absorbers, power steering pump, rear sway bar links, rear differential speed sensor, hood pad, engine and transmission mounts, belts, and shift rod bushings. The car was repainted some time ago in solid metallic black, but the finish stills shines up very nicely. The interior is in amazing condition, especially considering it has spent the last 15 years in Florida. The car is equipped with a HomeLink compatible 3-channel garage door opener in part with the automatic rearview mirror. This car is also equipped with a remote keyless entry system with 2 fobs (featuring parking-lamp lock/un-lock confirmation), and an additional factory key. The car is equipped with a professionally-installed DVD-based navigation system from Eclipse, with disc and manual included. The system also has an 8-disc CD changer in the trunk, as well as a single slot disc player up front, along with a DVD (movies) play function. Additionally, the car is equipped with Sirus/XM radio - all integrated with the Eclipse head unit. The GOOD - A/C, heat, seats, stereo, cruise control, telescopic steering wheel, tilt/slide sunroof, electric front-seat head rests, 2-position memory for both front seats, even the headlamp washer/wipers operate properly - and the car starts. Engine runs at correct temp. and correct RPM. Tires are nice. Brakes feel good. Engine and transmission fully operate. I have driven this car myself many times back and forth to Orlando (60 miles each way) on the highway at 75mph, and the car feels just fine. Everything is there - factory floor mats, owner's manual packet, rear-seat head-rests and foot rests, spare tire and jack, tool kit, first-aid kit, footwell lamps front and rear, puddle lamps on all four doors, rear console with cup holders. The BAD - there are a couple "bubbles" beneath the paint surface just above the lower door moldings on the doors - I believe this to be surface rust. There is a spot of touched-up surface rust on the roof, at the front passenger side of the sunroof opening. There is a scuff mark on the front passenger-side bumper chrome. The clear-coat on the center console wood is beginning to crack. Then there are the usual nicks and chips from highway use on the front bumper. This is NOT a museum piece, a collector would not be happy with this Mercedes unless he was looking for a daily driver. Please e-mail me with any questions or comments, I do not want any disappointments.On May-13-10 at 07:13:28 PDT, seller added the following information: I have received a few questions about the car. According to the AutoCheck vehicle report provided by ebay, the information the dealer gave me appears true - that the previous owners used it as their winter car for several years here at their home in Florida. I do not know why the report says that blurb about actual miles removed on later title, other than Florida is anxious to exempt cars once they are 10 years old. I do not have a reserve price. I do not have a buy-it-now price. Whatever the auction ends at, that's what it will sell for. I am aware I will never recoup my purchase price. I am selling it because we have purchased an additional car, and will no longer have the room to store this car in the garage during the summer months. Because of the limousine-like interior room and decent trunk space, it has been a great "airport" car. Acceleration is decent for a car weighing almost two tons. Gas mileage is predictable for a car of this size - I would say an average of 18mpg, with a mix of highway and city travel. It has a 201 horsepower engine, and at 75mph, it is under 3,000RPM. There is still plenty of power reserve even at highway speeds. The only body damage aside from the bubbles on the lower doors is a dimple in the hood, on the passenger side, just behind of the grille. It is about the size of a dime, and I don't see a way to push this back out, because the hood has an inner panel in this section that would prevent access to the backside of the outer panel. A sharp-eyed ebayer noticed I recently purchased a set of visor clips. Yes, they have been installed. Judging by the number of these clips available on ebay, I gather it must be a common problem. It's odd that Mercedes didn't engineer the part better, like they did for the rest of the car. I also find it odd that for a car costing almost $64,000 new - the driver's side mirror is manual, and there are no automatic headlights. Cadillac has offered automatic headlights since the 60's. The navigation system works flawlessly, and it even has a points-of-interest feature, kind of like having directory assistance right in the car. It gives you names, addresses, and phone numbers of businesses. Power windows all work, as well as the vacumn-operated door lock system. Seats operate in all 10 power directions, and both sides have a two-position memory setting. All the dash gauges function. I don't see any reason why this car would not pass inspection anywhere, except for the window tint. All the lights operate, the engine runs smooth and even, but the window tint may be illegal in your area.On May-14-10 at 14:43:48 PDT, seller added the following information: A few new questions have been asked, that I thought may be of interest to other potential buyers. The roll-top center console cubby is in perfect operating condition, and it locks as well. There is no glove box (the space on the dashboard for the glove box on older models has been occupied by a passenger airbag), but the covered bin on the passenger side of the rear parcel shelf is the perfect size for the owner's manual packet and navigation system instruction manual. The front seat center arm-rest shows no signs of wear, and locks in all 3 positions (up, down, and reclined). The rear seat is in perfect condition, and the floor mats, foot rests, and center arm rest show no signs of any use. The carpeting beneath the mats throughout the car is in incredible shape. The jack is in place inside the trunk, as well as the tool roll. The spare tire in in there as well, along with the retaining "bucket". I, personally, would not hesitate to jump in and drive anywhere in this car. It feels good on the highway - strong and solid. The coolant temp. gauge never reads above "80" - even on our sunniest day in Florida, and in two years, I've not needed to add even a drop of coolant. The oil pressure remains strong at "3". The gas tank holds 23 gallons, which averages out to be around a 400 mile range. The title is clean and current, issued in Florida, in my name for the past two years, and is free of any liens.On May-16-10 at 10:39:07 PDT, seller added the following information: A few more questions, and a few more answers. The A/C works!!! I will be the first to tell you that the air conditioning works better when the car is moving, as opposed to sitting in traffic, but the A/C and it's components operate. It was retrofitted to R134 in May 2008, and I was told at the time that the new system would not be as cold as the original system, but since I was not paying for the repair, I did not complain. When you press the "defog" button on the climate control, piping hot air shoots from the windshield vents immediately, and when you go back to the "normal" settings, the correct temperature air flows from the correct vents. It all works the way it is designed to do so. The rear window does not leak, there is no rust anywhere around the glass. There is no discoloration on any of the glass. The trunk does not leak, in fact, the trunk even smells "brand new". The radiator was replaced when I bought the car. The battery is two years old, and shows no sign of problems. All the door, trunk, and window seals feel soft and do a find job of keeping out water and noise. According to the Mercedes dealer, the warranty start date was October 30, 1991. This car has been garage kept here in Florida since 1996 The previous owners were seasonal residents who lived in a condo with underground parking, and it has been in my garage since 2008. The brakes are in fine shape. There is a slight sensation that tells me a disc may be out of balance. This could be from being driven into a puddle (or car wash) when the brakes were hot, I do not know. I tend to believe that this will even out during normal driving because the brake system is all in good repair. The electric steering column adjusts, and the memory system holds the position. The cruise control system operates as intended. The radio theft code card for the Eclipse unit is with the owner's manual.On May-19-10 at 04:34:52 PDT, seller added the following information: A couple questions rolled in over night... The fuel door locks and unlocks with the door locks. The headlights are the blueish / bright white bulbs, which I bought three sets of for all the cars at the house because I liked the look of them so much. The fog lights operate, and they light up yellow. The automatic rearview mirror is fully operational, and includes a garage door opener. The navigation system is really what makes the car stand out from the others. It's an amazing system, and it's incredibly easy to use. It looks and feels like a factory installed system, no tricky buttons, and it speaks two languages (English and French). Again, as far as passing a vehicle inspection (which we do not have here in this part of Florida), I do not see any reason (aside from the window tint) why this car would not pass inspection. There are no rust perforations, all of the lights operate, all the mirrors are in place, the glass is free of any chips, discoloration, or defects, and the horn works. When the car is at idle in Park, the RPM is about 700; but when in gear, the idle drops to a steady 500. The engine temperature is quick to reach at '80', and it will remain there - even standing in traffic. I went out and sat in this car yesterday. The new buyer is really going to be very happy. The car was obviously never smoked in, and it still has that "new Mercedes" smell inside. Outside, the paint has a nice shine, and the black finish with the tinted windows leaves the car with a very 'diplomatic' look to it. It has been a great car to keep in the 'fleet' simply because of it's size and dependability - having a large sedan comes in very handy, and the '91 models were the last "simple" S-Class automobiles for maintenance. I will answer any questions right up to the end of the auction, so if you have any concerns, please ask.