Bring a Trailer (BaT) Auctions: Worth Listing Your Car or Not?

[gerryvz]

The whole premise of BaT, until around the time they got acquired, and maximizing revenue and profitability became their driving goal, was providing an enthusiast-driven community of buyers and sellers. Which were somewhat vetted, and you knew would be on the up and up / honest, and if they broke the rules (not following through on a purchase) would have major consequences. Now they are allowing cars to be re-listed. They are not banning bad sellers. They are not banning bad buyers.

As with eBay, these consequences appear to have been softened to the point where they have very little teeth anymore.

But, they are quick to shadow-ban commenters and any references to external knowledgeable resources/references on the cars they are listing. Because, maximize profits by minimizing transparency to buyers. So there's always THAT.

 

[JAB12]

When this one popped up, I quickly bookmarked it. But didn't dig into it until last night.

47k-Mile 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 6-Speed

Bid for the chance to own a 47k-Mile 1997 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 6-Speed at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #43,813.

bringatrailer.com

This poor car needs vast sums of money throw at its cosmetics. Body work and a repaint. Interior is shabby, too. Might be one of the worst widebody 993 I've seen for sale in quite a while. Yet it's been bid up to $72K with five days to go. Even the tires are dry rotted.

Looks more like 200K miles, not sub 50K.

This car is a project, but appears to be heading for market money. I simply do not get it.

NFW this car is just 47k miles. It has a ding on the car fax and a 10 year mileage gap between 2003 and 2013. And an actual ding on the car behind passenger side door. That is not an easy fix. The long time ownership and claimed low odometer is what is driving the bidding on this one. Those seats are 100k miles plus. There is rust under the windshield, you just cannot see it. Rusted seat switch screws are a tattle tale. Underside of engine tray blasting is also not a good sign. And dry rot tires? C'mon man! I can go on and on. Good for the seller. Not sure what the buyer is trying to achieve here though. Agreed it is a project. BAH doesn't care.

 

[Bogeyman]

You know, the truth is it's still the used car business and the questionable characters that inhabit it will eventually appear.
A few weeks ago I had an experience with CarMax. They supposedly are the latest example of how to do it with their
no haggle pricing and robotic salespeople scripted to answer any question.
Bottom line no matter how much lipstick they apply, the pig is still there...

 

[msq]

The whole premise of BaT, until around the time they got acquired, and maximizing revenue and profitability became their driving goal, was providing an enthusiast-driven community of buyers and sellers. Which were somewhat vetted, and you knew would be on the up and up / honest, and if they broke the rules (not following through on a purchase) would have major consequences. Now they are allowing cars to be re-listed. They are not banning bad sellers. They are not banning bad buyers.

As with eBay, these consequences appear to have been softened to the point where they have very little teeth anymore.

But, they are quick to shadow-ban commenters and any references to external knowledgeable resources/references on the cars they are listing. Because, maximize profits by minimizing transparency to buyers. So there's always THAT.

100% on all points

(as an example - that 124 wagon from Japan is a microcosm of many of the issues pointed out above)

 

[JAB12]

(as an example - that 124 wagon from Japan is a microcosm of many of the issues pointed out above)

The car on post #839 above, the 993 4S seconds this case as well. $18K+ to make it a worthy market priced car yet bidding is already at $73K with unverifiable 10 year mileage gap on CarFax and with both a previous and present dings (accident) referred to as incident on the listing comments by seller. I don't get it. That is the definition of 'Sold as is'. But as I mentioned before, BAT doesn't care, it is obvious.

 

[gsxr]

I'm seeing more and more generic cars that aren't anything special... but since they are offered at No Reserve, BaH takes them. Meanwhile (last year) they turn down unicorn P30. But they'll take this beigewagen?

No Reserve: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300TE

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300TE at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #43,998.

bringatrailer.com

I think they're losing their laser-like focus on the customer:

 

[ace10]

I think they're losing their laser-like focus on the customer:

View attachment 126779

Losing?

 

[JAB12]

So this is what it's come down to now... Fake 500Es badged incorrectly.... SMH....

No Reserve: 500E-Powered 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 500E-Powered 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #44,161.

bringatrailer.com

 

[gerryvz]

So this is what it's come down to now... Fake 500Es badged incorrectly.... SMH....

No Reserve: 500E-Powered 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 500E-Powered 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #44,161.

bringatrailer.com

This car is already listed in the 400E cars for sale sub-forum.

It is appalling that HaT even took this car for an auction, given it is mis-badged and such. Its only saving grace is that it is a NO RESERVE auction. Otherwise, I don't think even THEY would have touched it with a 10-foot pole.

 

[JAB12]

It's a disgrace.

 

[gsxr]

This car is well-known, it's been around on the forums for many years. One of the PO's was Mike aka "Swordfish" from roughly 2005-2011. It's a shame the left rocker panel was never sourced - it was available back then, but is now NLA.

All the badging needs to go, especially the SLK thingy on the console.

More info here:

OWNER - Swordfish | Owners and Their Cars

Here she is......... Very sexy curves indeed. 113,700K Arctic White/Tan Goes like a stabbed rat :wootrock:

www.500eboard.co

FOR SALE - 1993 400E morphed to 500E, Arctic White/Cream-Beige, 129kmi/TMU, BaT ( Saint Louis, MO) | 400E / E420 Cars for Sale

ADMIN EDIT: For sale on Bring a Trailer, March-2021, see post #29. Thread title updated. No affiliation: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/330674501504 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/330708825616

www.500eboard.co

 

[JAB12]

My posting #858 above was less about the car and more about the inherent lack of vetting that is present on BAT nowadays. They simply do not care and also what is even more mindboggling (at least in recent Porsche examples 'sold) is that there are buyers out there who are loosely paying insane premiums for substandard subpar examples. I may have a bone to pick as I recall 4/5 years ago when they declined to list my 10k mile Panamera Turbo citing "In order to maintain the interest and spirit of our BAT community, at this time we are not considering any 4 door Porsche examples on our site, thank you and we continue to welcome you in any of our future listings" Look at them now...

 

[gsxr]

BaH vetting goes like this:

1) No reserve? $99 please, we'll list it in the order we feel it may sell (nicer stuff listed sooner).
2) You want a reserve? Either reduce or remove it, or we may not accept the car, unless it's a well-known seller OR is an odometer wrapped in a car.



4-5 years ago it was a very different place. They curated the selection. Now, anything goes, with no reserve anyway. Guaranteed $$$ in their pocket regardless if the sale consummates. They just don't care.

 

[Bogeyman]

Of course, none of this is unexpected and it will obviously continue in that direction.. The question is who will replace the old BAT with the same original formula.

 

[Kyiv]

Is there anything left that isn't going in that direction? Next quarter's bottom line has outright displaced ALL other principles.

 

[AMG5PT4]

This is the same question I have for the new MB Market auction site for the widebody W124 E36 up for sale. I can't seem to send the Seller a question - their email note system is a little wonky.

There are no pics of any AMG stamp on that 3.6 engine - and there certainly should be.

1990 Mercedes-Benz 300CE 3.4 AMG Widebody w/28k Miles For Sale | The MB Market

This 1990 Mercedes-Benz 300CE 3.4 AMG Widebody was ordered new in Germany and is now available in a special 10-Day auction with The MB Market. This unique 300CE features a 3.4L M104 engine tuned by AMG and an authentic AMG Widebody kit.

thembmarket.com

 

[msq]

This is yet another example that BAT is a "sellers" site and note really a "buyers" site"

2002 BMW Z8

Bid for the chance to own a 2002 BMW Z8 at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #43,812.

bringatrailer.com

The crazy thing is that it "sold" in Nov '20 (3 mos ago) for $60K less, but looks like buyer must have flaked

2002 BMW Z8 - 2 Owners, Rare Bright Red, ~27,000 Miles

This 2002 BMW Z8 is for sale on Cars & Bids! Auction ends November 2 2020.

carsandbids.com

... that Cars & Bids price seemed a bit more aligned with what I thought market prices were on these (lower mileage examples).

If this is not an example that BAT is now a "sellers" site, and also more a "dealers" site, than what it used to be i.e. a car enthusiast site from private party->private party, I don't know what is.

$60K difference between the two sites on the same exact car with same miles.

 

[gsxr]

Is it just me, or did BaH have a few weeks go by with zero 036's listed, and now they have 2 simultaneously (Trae 040 + PA 744)? At least they aren't competing for the same buyer pool, with a 200k odometer delta, but still...

 

[ace10]

Non Mercedes BaH mystery:


FJ62 in Rhode Island runs through BaH with No Reserve.
"Sells" for $25,250 on 16FEB.

No Reserve: 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62 at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #43,211.

bringatrailer.com

Then is gets listed on a Copart auction in Rhode Island on 27FEB

Copart USA - Online Live Vehicle Auctions - Bid & Win

Leader in live online salvage and insurance auto auctions. Over 100000 vehicles on sale. Salvage, used cars, trucks, construction equipment, fleet and more.

www.copart.com

AND now on ebay

1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 62 1988 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ 62 CLEAN CARFAX | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 62 1988 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ 62 CLEAN CARFAX at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

BaH and ebay using the same pictures. Copart listing shows the truck in their yard.


Among the cars that I own, follow and am interested in owning, all I seem to see and read is money this, values that. Sell, sell, sell.
For the first time in decades, I'm losing interest in cars. Haven't looked at BaH in a couple of weeks. Barely look at other sites.

The people being drawn into the car "hobby" are doing so out of greed and/or appear to be chasing instatard cred.

I hate this feeling. Cars should be fun. They should offer utility or thrills or nostalgia. Not this money money money bullshit at every turn.

/rant off

 

[gerryvz]

@ace10 -- the easy thing to do is to just stay off those sites, and social media of all types. Focus on enjoying and owning your car(s) and trucks. When it comes time to buy or sell, then engage with the sites. Other than that, it's not worth the time. I only look at HaT when 500Es come up for auction, NEVER for any other type of car. I've even lost interest recently in the Price is Right game. There are just so many E500Es coming up for sale, so frequently there, that it's gotten boring. I'm glad folks track them here (as they should).

But I have to tell you, I had so much more fun WORKING on my car over part of last year, and now DRIVING it (like I just did last weekend, and will be heading to Tyson's Corner/Vienna VA on Sunday in it), than following pricing trends and such. I've sort of reached a point of saturation with HaT and the whole "buy and sell" thing.

You are right, far too many people are into cars now for the perceived money in it, rather than enjoyment of the cars themselves. When it gets to the point where it is now, with all types of people buying and selling and trying to make a fast buck, it's jumped the shark, and it's only a matter of time until prices will come back down somewhat. And yes, this applies to the E500E. Prices are going to come down as soon as the Fed stops pumping cash into the economy. With the $1.9 Trillion "COVID" package, this is going to be a bit farther off than I had originally thought -- I think we have another 2-3 years of pumping before things head downhill. But that piper is still coming, and will still need to be paid.

So my sense is that there is going to be another few years of ever-more-rabid buying and selling of anything with four wheels.

Of course, the antidote to all of this is choosing the car(s) you love carefully, and owning them for a long period of time. Oh yeah, and DRIVING them. IMHO/philosophy, people who don't "live their car interest" by daily-driving their cars (instead of having a modern car) aren't full-bore enthusiasts. That's just my opinion, it's free, and probably worthless. But it's still my opinion.

Meanwhile, I've got four shipments of ammunition of various calibers arriving this week. Continued preparation for the coming Civil War. Including some very rare 6.5 x 50mm Japanese for my World War 2 Arisaka Type 38 battle rifle that I refurbished in January. Looking forward to being able to shoot that one after owning it for 20+ years.

 

[ace10]

Full disclosure: I don't do any real social media. It just seems to creep into "enthusiast" forums where I participate.

I'm certain that my ill will toward the car hobby will recede a bit once the sand and gravel on the pavement has been washed away. The road salt is gone, which is nice, but still too much crap out there to go drive anything other than a DD.

I do have a few smaller car projects ongoing. Nothing that couldn't be completed in a day or two. I'd like to sell off a couple of vehicles that are not being used at all and are just taking up space, but dealing with buyers in today's market might put me over the edge. lol

 

[gsxr]

Non Mercedes BaH mystery:

FJ62 in Rhode Island runs through BaH with No Reserve.
"Sells" for $25,250 on 16FEB.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-toyota-land-cruiser-fj62-59/

Then is gets listed on a Copart auction in Rhode Island on 27FEB
https://www.copart.com/lot/34527501/1988-toyota-land-cruiser-fj62-gx-ri-exeter

AND now on ebay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/274708565801

BaH and ebay using the same pictures. Copart listing shows the truck in their yard.

The CoPart listing shows 3 miles extra on the odo vs the BaH listing. eBay listing claims same odo number as CoPart.
AFAICT, the BaH winner (vintagecarcollector) is a professional flipper claiming to be a "private collector". Check out the eBay feedback as gr8dayca (Great Day California).

The same flipper bought the cheap 500E in CA, did some minor repairs, and is re-selling for nearly 100% markup:

https://www.500eboard.co/forums/thr...ver-cream-beige-130kmi-33k-glendale-ca.15980/

Ace, why would he hide the VIN on this 69 Cruiser shown with a WA license plate, that got the negative feedback?

 

[ace10]

The CoPart listing shows 3 miles extra on the odo vs the BaH listing. eBay listing claims same odo number as CoPart.
AFAICT, the BaH winner (vintagecarcollector) is a professional flipper claiming to be a "private collector". Check out the eBay feedback as gr8dayca (Great Day California).

The same flipper bought the cheap 500E in CA, did some minor repairs, and is re-selling for nearly 100% markup:

https://www.500eboard.co/forums/threads/1993-500e-smoke-silver-cream-beige-130kmi-33k-glendale-ca.15980/)

Ace, why would he hide the VIN on this 69 Cruiser shown with a WA license plate, that got the negative feedback?

That '69 40 Series is a hot steaming pile. The VIN wouldn't work with the regular ebay format, but it certainly could be entered free form elsewhere in the listing. Likely the rig has a history. And not a good one. Poor truck is probably filled with bondo. Heck, the original side steps are missing, and that never happens. Probably not enough metal to keep them attached.

The white '88 6X Series is definitely wearing a lot of mud in the sills and fenders.

Buyers are getting porked left, right and center on Land Cruisers these days. And even when you tell them to run away, they often don't. The stupidity is contagious.

 

[gsxr]

As a BaH peanut gallerist axed... why is the 88 Cruiser sitting in a CoPart lot in RI right now, with a future auction date TBD, while the eBay seller is located in CA? Because Platinum Flipper-Dealer. Why send it to CA when you can flip it on CoPart?

Note that only DEALERS can list vehicles as eBay Classified Ads.

On BaH, seller is correctly listed as "Dealer"... not "private collector".
https://bringatrailer.com/member/vintagecarcollector/

 

[dionphaneuf]

I actually didn't really mind that 400e 500e mash up. BaT used to be where you could find oddballs like that, where you actually needed to bring a trailer to grab some half finished project with some level of transperancy. I love this uber ratty basket case W140 S70 AMG for sale now - it needs a lot of work, but good luck finding that car anywhere else, and maybe, just maybe, the right enthusiast could nurse it back to its full glory.

1994 Mercedes-Benz S600 AMG 7.0L

Bid for the chance to own a 1994 Mercedes-Benz S600 AMG 7.0L at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #44,433.

bringatrailer.com

What really grinds my gears are people flipping late model 911s and other high end cars for profit. Maybe your family bought Porsches and you got a GT2RS Weissach allocation, and now it nets you +30%. These cars just aren't all that interesting to me, at least in the context of these sorts of auctions; I can read all about them in magazines in websites when they come out, but it seems silly and just not that interesting to be on what used to be a cool/quirky auction site.

 

[ccrelan]

Non Mercedes BaH mystery:


FJ62 in Rhode Island runs through BaH with No Reserve.
"Sells" for $25,250 on 16FEB.

No Reserve: 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62 at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #43,211.

bringatrailer.com

Then is gets listed on a Copart auction in Rhode Island on 27FEB

Copart USA - Online Live Vehicle Auctions - Bid & Win

Leader in live online salvage and insurance auto auctions. Over 100000 vehicles on sale. Salvage, used cars, trucks, construction equipment, fleet and more.

www.copart.com

AND now on ebay

1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 62 1988 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ 62 CLEAN CARFAX | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 62 1988 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ 62 CLEAN CARFAX at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

BaH and ebay using the same pictures. Copart listing shows the truck in their yard.


Among the cars that I own, follow and am interested in owning, all I seem to see and read is money this, values that. Sell, sell, sell.
For the first time in decades, I'm losing interest in cars. Haven't looked at BaH in a couple of weeks. Barely look at other sites.

The people being drawn into the car "hobby" are doing so out of greed and/or appear to be chasing instatard cred.

I hate this feeling. Cars should be fun. They should offer utility or thrills or nostalgia. Not this money money money bullshit at every turn.

/rant off

You should consider subscribing to www.dailyturismo.com email for a more lighthearted non commercial take on things.

 

[gsxr]

I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner. It gives them the ability to list even more cars, especially no-reserve nothing-specials.

Soon to follow: Pay a premium to get your desired day-of-the-week auction end.

​

BaT Auctions Expanding to 7-Day Schedule

We began launching weekend auctions on Saturday, March 13th and that first batch of listings closes this Saturday, March 20th! BaT will now have auctions that open and close 7 days a week.

We are very pleased to have added substantial capacity to our team and are confident that we will provide a great customer and auction experience on any day.

We started off with only Wednesday auctions in 2014. In 2015, we added Tuesdays and Thursdays. In 2016, we launched Mondays and Fridays. We have now eclipsed 400 listings per week on the M-F schedule and are ready for the next frontier that the 7-day experience will provide.

 

[gerryvz]

The Hearst influence continues to creep in and corrupt......

 

[ace10]

RM Sotheby's is doing online auctions in batches. First I'd really looked into it.

A group of lots are listed and open for bidding for one week with all hammering at the same time.

RM Sotheby's - Online Only Auctions

View information on all our upcoming online collector car and automobilia auctions. Learn how to register to bid, how to consign, schedule details, shipping information and more for an RM Sotheby's online auction. Learn now!

rmsothebys.com

A Mazda 323 GTX on steroids? YES PLEASE

1994 Mazda 323 GT-R | Open Roads, March | RM Online Only

Rare Italian delivery example, first registered in Genova in March of 1994 and has remained in Italy ever since Exceptionally well preserved, showing less...

rmsothebys.com

1994 Mazda 323 GT-R​

 

[gsxr]

Anyone notice some of the BaH auctions which ended over the weekend seemed to have very few comments, or other action, in the final hours?

Maybe the Sat/Sun ending days aren't ideal.

 

[Jlaa]

FYI - Bring a Trailer and its role in the asset-inflation-bubble, specifically with respect to obscene Ass-Engined-Car prices, has now made the New York Times.

Here’s How Bored Rich People Are Spending Their Extra Cash (Published 2021)

The value of collectibles — like coffee tables, whiskey, Air Jordans and Pokémon cards — has soared.

www.nytimes.com

 

[CRodgers]

Evening fellas, I’ve decided to part ways with my E500E. I absolutely adore the car, I’ve had it about years now but I like to tinker and think I’ll have more “fun” with a project w124 wagon.

Up until I saw this post, I figured the BaT would be the best place to list it. I’m not trying to get rich off the thing, but like anyone, I do want to try and maximize the return on it (whatever the market will allow).

Would you list it elsewhere if you were in my shoes? Either way I’ll put it up here in the FS section for tracking purposes before the auction goes live. Also any advice on when to have the auction end? I’m guessing not weekends.

 

[LWB250]

End your auction Tuesday through Thursday. Lots and lots of pictures, be engaged with the peanut gallery even if they're jerks. Check BaT's ad copy carefully, as their proofreaders rarely know the car their writing for.

Good luck!

Dan

 

[gsxr]

More BaH fun & games. The first comment nails it (pasted below).

No Reserve: 2001 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 2001 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #46,000.

bringatrailer.com

Why would BaH list this at "58k Miles Shown, TMU" when it's clearly a replacement cluster and 115kmi+? As if buyers aren't going to catch the discrepancy on Carfax? Seller was painfully quiet in the comment section. Nobody noticed the center catalysts were deleted. I couldn't resist asking, and the seller's response didn't sound kosher (there are 4 cats, 2 are missing; and since the replacement/rollback cluster didn't fix the cruise, why wasn't the original cluster/odometer re-installed?).

Of interest on this particular car is that AutoCheck does NOT have the multiple records of higher miles, while Carfax has multiple records confirming the rollback. Meanwhile, AutoCheck also shows TWO accidents, while Carfax shows ZERO. Wow.

JoMaHa This author's likes: 722​

I don’t understand why BaT will say “TMU” and then put the mileage of the replaced gauge cluster instead of the original. It’s pretty clear the car had 115k on it, the cluster was replaced with one that had 57k and now has 58k. Sure, we can say “TMU” but no sense pretending it “might be what it says, 58k” when it’s really 116k and we see that in the records.​

​

https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=BTR_0&vin=WDBJF74J61B195301&source=BUP

 

[gsxr]

This poor fellow doesn't understand the long game on a 7-day auction. The auction has been live less than 24 hours, there are 51 comments, of which FORTY-NINE are by the seller:

1990 Mercedes-Benz 300CE - Largely Unmodified, 3.0-Liter 6-Cylinder, Recent Major Servicing

Looks like a good project candidate at the right price, a lot of work has been done. But... no catalysts... new struts with no accordion dust boots and no stop buffers... ??

 

[ace10]

FFS, cocaine must be back in fashion in the GTA.

 

[gsxr]

The total on the receipts can't be any more embarrassing than the $40k spent on this one.

 

[JAB12]

The total on the receipts can't be any more embarrassing than the $40k spent on this one.

Spent $40K to sell for $20K? That's rough.

When my car gets back from @jhodg5ck, hopefully before the summer is over, I will have no shame nor frown to post on my owner's thread exactly what was done and how much was spent. I'll let others get embarrassed about it for me. It's already been a year!

 

[Jlaa]

Spent $40K to sell for $20K? That's rough.

When my car gets back from @jhodg5ck, hopefully before the summer is over, I will have no shame nor frown to post on my owner's thread exactly what was done and how much was spent. I'll let others get embarrassed about it for me. It's already been a year!

@JAB12 out of curiosity did you anticipate having to do so much work / spend so much time when you bought the car?

I would say I anticipated having to do 60% of the work that I have done on my car so far, but with each passing day I can find more things to address. TBH much of the enjoyment I derive from the car is in researching, procuring parts, and then executing the work needed to be done - preferably by my own hand.

 

[JAB12]

@JAB12 out of curiosity did you anticipate having to do so much work / spend so much time when you bought the car?

Negative, I did not, AT ALL. Remember, I bought without really knowing what I was getting into. My sole AMG experience was my W202 C43 which took about 5 weeks to bring up to par and my shop did that. However, I've enjoyed the learning experience too, although annoying to be sans car for so long, the research and reads primarily inside this forum, as well as the sourcing of parts to help the cause and @gsxr 's treasure trove X-files. All have given me 'hope'. Would I do it again? Ask me that again next year after I have some meaningful miles behind the wheel of the car once I get it back. For now, the answer is probably no. All this said, it's also my fault as I don't like halfsies and my OCD will not allow me to accept anything less than perfection. And that, as we all know, comes at a high cost when someone else is doing the wrenching. That said, no regrets!.

 

[Jlaa]

Negative, I did not, AT ALL. Remember, I bought without really knowing what I was getting into. My sole AMG experience was my W202 C43 which took about 5 weeks to bring up to par and my shop did that. However, I've enjoyed the learning experience too, although annoying to be sans car for so long, the research and reads primarily inside this forum, as well as the sourcing of parts to help the cause and @gsxr 's treasure trove X-files. All have given me 'hope'. Would I do it again? Ask me that again next year after I have some meaningful miles behind the wheel of the car once I get it back. For now, the answer is probably no. All this said, it's also my fault as I don't like halfsies and my OCD will not allow me to accept anything less than perfection. And that, as we all know, comes at a high cost when someone else is doing the wrenching. That said, no regrets!.

I thought (am I incorrect?) that you had previously conducted a PPI on seemingly 5 dozen cars before you purchased your car? So are the issues that you are addressing that is taking so long related to :

1) E60 being an AMG car and the issues themselves are different from pedestrian cars and so previous PPIs do not count as “experience” OR

2) The difficulty in finding AMG parts OR

3) Regular w124.036 stuff needing attention OR

something else? Just fascinated.

 

[JAB12]

@Jlaa

I will post all details on my owner's thread once I receive the car back and inspect everything and make sure all was done up to par. The short answer to all 3 questions is all of the above plus my OCD which basically wants a new car back. No 5 star PPI trumps my OCD perfectionism. If I had left her as she was, nothing wrong with her, if you watch the 2020 youtube video on my owner's thread of her feature which was shot about 3 weeks after I got her, I probably would have sold her by now. Once I got the diagnosis back from @jhodg5ck it was downhill from there. Starting with reversing all the DOT weird stuff they did to the car back in 1996 to get her federalized and return her to full Euro Spec including KMs dashboard cluster (OEM), and getting into every nook and cranny for cleaning and replacing consumables from here to Affalterbach and then some. The gut punch was the cats, they were clogged and unserviceable so had to get new ones (at least new to me) that was $$$$$$ but she was not hitting 6.0 numbers, barely 5.0 numbers with existing cats so that cleared that up when the new ones were installed and at that point I wanted new exhaust piping too so it just kept piling on. If she had been a pedestrian 036 I wouldn't have let it get that far, but the car deserves it and I will make sure it is documented all in here in case she ever sees the market again (I doubt it) but one never knows. I mean, it took me 6 months to find out how to get the AMG production letter knocking on every Mercedes resource's door. Those 2 pieces of paper alone are priceless IMHO, now add a fully refreshed, fully brought back to OEM factory status E60 car. She's basically a retirement plan..

One of the craziest stories my car has is that back in the year 2001 when she first changed hands from the original MB Exec owner, the second owner hired a company to appraise the car for insurance coverage purposes. The car had about 75k miles then, not even properly broken in yet. That appraisal company had nowhere to go as there was no comparables in the USA and no information on the internet to research. They then turned to several Euro publications and enlisted the services of none other than Blue Ridge MB to get some sense of value on the car. All of these geniuses came up with a whopping US$25K AV back then. I still currently bust one @jhodg5ck chops for that singularity, let alone for having sequestered my car for 12 months+. All of this is within the records binders passed onto me by the previous owner. Another nugget that again, IMHO is priceless. If I ever sell this car it will be for F.U. money and I will be unapologetic about it. In the meantime I am more than happy to keep sharing her with the world. She had been tucked away by everyone before me for over 25 years, which is totally unbecoming of any pre merger AMG car.

 

[8899]

Easy to "hate" on BAT, but this is definitely one of coolest things they have EVER auctioned:

Custom 1950 Westcraft Capistrano Park Trailer

Bid for the chance to own a Custom 1950 Westcraft Capistrano Park Trailer at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #52,910.

bringatrailer.com

 

[JAB12]

This and the collection of cars and figurines from one of our members are way up there in Cool.

 

[Jlaa]

Easy to "hate" on BAT, but this is definitely one of coolest things they have EVER auctioned:

Custom 1950 Westcraft Capistrano Park Trailer

Bid for the chance to own a Custom 1950 Westcraft Capistrano Park Trailer at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #52,910.

bringatrailer.com

Wow. This instantly makes me think of this:

 

[8899]

Wow. This instantly makes me think of this:

Hahaha...I'll NEVER get that 3 minutes back

 

[gsxr]

This is awesome. Dealer buys a supposedly low-mile car at auction, sits on it for 18 months (no explanation), lists it on BaHaT with no reserve and opens with a snarky response to the first comment.

Oh, and an eagle-eye observer (who sent me the listing) noticed that the speedometer is not original. Sure enough, photo 64-66 shows the speedo/odo in this V140 with 4-speed auto, is from an early R129 300SL with automatic 5-speed transmission.

The correct speedo only goes to 140mph and has no transmission shiftpoint indicators.

No Reserve: 1994 Mercedes-Benz S350 Turbodiesel

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1994 Mercedes-Benz S350 Turbodiesel at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #53,016.

bringatrailer.com

 

[gerryvz]

This is awesome. Dealer buys a supposedly low-mile car at auction, sits on it for 18 months (no explanation), lists it on BaHaT with no reserve and opens with a snarky response to the first comment.

Oh, and an eagle-eye observer (who sent me the listing) noticed that the speedometer is not original. Sure enough, photo 64-66 shows the speedo/odo in this V140 with 4-speed auto, is from an early R129 300SL with automatic 5-speed transmission.

The correct speedo only goes to 140mph and has no transmission shiftpoint indicators.

No Reserve: 1994 Mercedes-Benz S350 Turbodiesel

Bid for the chance to own a No Reserve: 1994 Mercedes-Benz S350 Turbodiesel at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #53,016.

bringatrailer.com

View attachment 136350

Does this car happen to be located in New Jersey, by any chance?

 

[gsxr]

Does this car happen to be located in New Jersey, by any chance?

Why, yes. Why do you ask?

 

[gerryvz]

It seems to lend credence to my warnings to people to be wary of cars from New Jersey, because of a higher-than-normal incidence of cars with replacement or rolled-back odometers coming from that state.