1990 420 Sel - 122,000 Miles. White Exterior, Gray Leather Interior on 2040-cars

Hello Bidders!

I will give you the history behind this car to the best of my abilities and if you would like more information or just prefer to talk to me in person please use the contact link through Ebay and I will provide my personal contact information. I am the owner and a private individual selling this car, not a car lot.

I purchased this 420SEL back in the late nineties from Shelby Auto Salvage here in North Carolina with around 50k miles on the odometer. As I understood it from researching the car at that time, the original owner hit a parked car on the right front corner back in the mid-nineties and because of the age of the car, and because the right air bag deployed (it was replaced), the insurance company totaled the car. The car sustained light sheet medal damage only and the front clip and all damaged parts were replaced with new or donor parts as needed. I am a licensed auto and aircraft mechanic by trade but to confirm the quality of the work done on the car at that time I took the car to Hendricks Mercedes Benz of Hickory, North Carolina, and had them perform a Mercedes 100 point inspection, just to make sure there so no hidden surprises. My main concern at that time was possible frame damage, and they confirmed there was none.

I drove the car as my primary transportation until around 2004 when I purchased a newer model car. I kept the Benz as a secondary car because my daughter was approaching driving age and I wanted to give her a nice safe car to drive, which she later decided was too big – and it wasn’t cool enough! Go figure!

I continued to drive the car as a secondary car until 2007 when I ended up with a third vehicle. So I canceled the insurance and parked it. Even though I tried to get out and start it from time to time to keep it running, it sat for a whole winter without being run and I believe the fuel pumps froze up. And since the battery was 10 years old it died too and wouldn’t take a charge. So it hasn’t been started since late 2007.

Condition:

At around 90k miles I did a complete tune up including distributor cap, button, wires and plugs. At around 115k miles I installed a new A/C compressor, expansion valve, drier, pressure switch, o-rings, etc., and recharged the system with R12. I will also include a retrofit kit with a new drier if you want to convert to R134a, which I can’t see doing since R12 is still available. I still have two extra cans of R12 I’ll include.

Around that same time I also purchased all new front and rear Benz brake parts and Bilstein shocks. I replaced the complete front brakes and shocks but the back brakes, shocks, and parking brake shoes didn’t need changing at that time. But I still have those parts that I’ll include in the deal.

The radiator, belts and hoses were replaced right before I parked the car. The tires have relatively low miles and hold air but I have no doubt they are dry rotted and flat spotted for sitting so long.

Everything worked on the car when it was parked except for the sunroof, which I had opened one day and when I went to close it wouldn’t move. It had just starting raining so I had to use the emergency hand crank in the trunk to close it. I haven’t worked on it so I don’t have a clue what’s wrong with it, but the drive motor is mounted in the trunk and uses a cable to drive the sunroof. And since I was able to hand crank the roof closed at the motor I’m assuming the motor is bad and not the cable, but no guarantees on that one!

The light gray interior is in excellent condition for its age with no tears in the leather. The white paint is original from the front door jams back. The front clip, which was repainted when installed at that time, has some blistering on the left fender and a couple of small blisters on the hood which could be rust under the paint from the donor car, or improperly prepped sheet medal prior to paint matching. Assume it is rust. The clear coat is peeling badly on the hood too. Replacement fenders are readily available if you go that route. Also the sound deadening foam blanket under the hood turned to dust and crumbled.

The engine and tranny were in excellent running condition when I parked the Benz but plan on replacing the timing chain since there is 122,240 original miles on the motor and it's due to be changed per the Mercedes manual. I also haven’t replaced the tranny filter and fluid and I’m sure it’s due – and yes I have a new filter for that I’m including too.

Speaking of the engine, I always used Mobil 1 motor oil and replaced it every 9000 miles. During those 9000 miles, the filter was changed every 3000 miles and the oil checked monthly. The engine never used any oil. I have a few extra filters I’ll toss in too.

I spent a lot of money in up-keep over the years and the car was always meticulously cared for and maintained. If you want to drive the car at a bare minimum plan on new fuel pumps and fuel filters, a battery, and it definitely needs tires it you plan to put it back on the road.

If someone is willing to spend a little money on the car for the parts mentioned above and maybe a fresh coat of paint, they would end up with a really nice looking classic Benz!

 Or, this car would make a great first car for a teen driver because of the dual air bags and the really good gas mileage, which averaged around 20 or 21 combined city and highway. And obviously with the beautiful interior, great engine and drivetrain and many, many new parts it would make a fantastic parts car!

If there are any additional pictures you need I’ll do my level best getting them to you. If you want to come see the car in person it’s located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Again, contact me through Ebay and we’ll talk over the phone about what you need or want to do.

I have a clear N.C. title for the car but under N.C. law it’s titled as a salvage/rebuilt since the insurance company totaled the car and paid off the original owners. In some states it may not be considered a salvage title. Check with your state DOT.

I’m starting the auction at a very low $500. That doesn’t even cover 1/2 of the cost of replacing the A/C system!

There is NO warrantee implied or stated. Car is sold as-is/where-is. It will be YOUR responsibly to pick it up or have it shipped. Bring a roll-back! If you are new to Ebay with no prior bidding history or positive feedback CONTACT ME BEFORE YOU BID.

If you want to pull a carfax report the VIN number is: WDBCA35E7LA504994.

Thank you for your interest and good luck bidding!