1972 Mercedes-Benz 600

The Mercedes-Benz 600 is one of the few cars that I’d love to own but at the same time be absolutely terrified of actually owning it. There is no “faking” ownership of a 600. You need to be totally unfazed about the possibility of spending $8,000 for a minor service at any time. A set of factory brake pads alone will run you over $1,000, although most owners just use the thinner W109 6.3 pads as “affordable” alternatives. If a 600 needs chassis rubber replacement, it’s not out the question for it to be over $20,000 in parts alone. Suddenly, you become envious of Ferrari 348 and 355 owners that only spend $10,000 on engine-out services. So when a 600 comes up for sale like this one in Alabama, I dream of scooping this thing up, but then think maybe spending $12,000 to make sure a 600 can sit in my garage without the body touching the ground isn’t the best use of money.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 on eBay

Year: 1972
Model: 600
Engine: 6.3 liter V8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 66,081 mi
Price: Buy It Now $90,000

1972 Mercedes 600 4 door Automatic V8. Hydraulic windows & locks. Kept in air controlled shop.

This 1972 is car number 2109 out of the 2677 W100’s ever built and it is the last year for the 600 in the US making it quite rare. The Horizon Blue paint isn’t a color I see too often and the grey interior looks to be in fine shape outside of the random clothes hanger in the rear seats. Being a southern car with a little over 66,000 miles, I don’t see any obvious signs of wear outside of the fading wood that the seller mentions in the description.

Speaking of the description, this is a fine example of how not to sell a 600. Judging by the setting of this car, the owner probably has more important things to worry about so maybe putting effort into selling this beautiful car wasn’t a priority. Buying a 600 isn’t your standard process of checking it out for an hour on a Saturday afternoon. Ideally you put this car trailer, send it off for to a 600 specialist for a few days then wait for bad news to come back at how much work it’ll need. Even trying to start a 600 that has been sitting for awhile can lead to catastrophic results as you have to potential to send contaminates into the very expensive injection pump.

For $90,000, you can’t even consider that number unless you get a full report on this car like mentioned. Gambling any kind of money on buying a 600 sight-unseen or without an experts report on it would be crazy. Personally, I prefer the pre-1968 600’s because of the wood binnacle instead of the leather covered one like this car. In my eyes, if you are going to buy a 600, you might as well go all out with it because you’ll be paying either way. So if you are searching for a 600, this one might be an option, as long as you do the homework.

– Andrew