Mercedes Benz 600SEL a good choice for Labor Day

September 7, 2009 by Evan

What better way to celebrate labor day then by looking at a car that was designed to take the labor out of the automobiling experience.
Do you remember the good old days when Mercedes put the letters describing their models after the numbers? Remember when those numbers and letters really stood for something instead of arbitrary model distinctions? 1992 was the last year before the switch. That year the king of the Mercedes line was the 600SEL. This was the first Mercedes V-12 since after World War Two. So at the time a Mercedes V-12 was much more a rarity than they are today.

Despite packing a V-12 this car was more than just a high power autobahn cruiser. It was packed with technical goodies that made it stand far above other models at the time.
The car had self closing doors, a power trunk handle, double pane power windows that stopped going up if your hand got in the way. Power front and rear head rests, heated headlamp washers, Bose stereo, the car even has a built in trickle charger. Perhaps most above and beyond were the two little antennas that popped out of the rear fenders when you went into reverse to help you see where the end of the car was. Remember this was well before the days of navigation, i-drive, and other now common technical gizmos.
1992 is also a significant year as that year the 48 valve V-12 put out 408 horsepower. Again remember, this is 1992 and that type of power was virtually unheard of in a sedan. By 1994 those pesky U.S. emissions requirements strangled horsepower down to 389 so the early 600SELs are the prize of the W140 bodied cars.

appears to be a fine, unmodified, low mileage example, only 59,000 miles. There should a ton of life left in the engine as long as the massive amounts of electrical components don’t cause a new owner problems. Not only is the car nice, the seller does a very good job with the ad text. This car was purchased new for $152,896.90. When you figure there is at least a $125,000 worth of depreciation to account for, purchasing a 600SEL today seems like a deal. Not a bad way to get a car in your driveway with V12 badges on the side. Just make sure you get the most well cared for example or you’ll be left with an empty wallet trying to fix peripheral items.

Here is a clip of a younger Jermey Clarkson talking about the 600SEL, scroll to 4:42 to see the over the top rear fender aerials in action:

~Evan

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Posted by Evan in Mercedes Benz | September 7, 2009 |
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2 Responses to “Mercedes Benz 600SEL a good choice for Labor Day”

  1. #1
    Dan Crouch
    September 8th, 2009 9:19 am

    That video is fantastic in describing what made this car so special. I’m eager to see where this auction ends up!

    dc

  2. #2
    Cheap 1993 Mercedes 600SEC in Denver | German Cars For Sale Blog
    September 22nd, 2009 9:46 am

    [...] Mercedes Benz 600SEL a good choice for Labor Day [...]

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