Testing the waters...

[anderzen]

Hello Everyone,

This is a BIG if... but if the need or want to sell the 6 speed manual swapped E420 comes about, I am trying to gauge what a realistic price for it would be?

I have a ton of time into the car obviously and have done my best to fix every issue I could find on the car to make it into a fun and reliable daily workhorse. Things like the cluster, wiring harnesses for lower engine and throttle body (upper is updated already), all hoses and seals on the engine, full bilstein sport suspension... etc.

I have about 3k miles since the manual swap and all bugs have been sorted out, it's easy to drive and definitely can be spirited when you choose to push it.

I have a 5.0 M119 as well that I am planning to put in this summer as well, would this increase value, keep the same? I am in such a grey area just have no clue really lol...

The car is rust free, paint is in decent shape besides hood which I will have repainted this summer. 182k miles on the cluster, transmission is at 30k now

Anyway, most of you here know the car well enough, just hoping you can give me an idea of a number, most people in the know have suggested 8-10k...

Thank you for any input in advance!

 

[winmutt]

When I was shopping 14k for a rust free Cali well sorted, low mileage example was pretty standard. You've done a good job of detailing your work, I don't know what shape the car is in overall, but I'd bet BaT would fetch some decent numbers. I'm not sure on the 500 upgrade, is it ASR? I personally have been looking at all the manual v8 sedan options out there for some time and a well sorted mostly stock e420 manual would speak more to me than one with a 500 in it.

 

[anderzen]

it's a year matching ASR motor (my car is also ASR) out of a good running R129 with 130k miles, all verified with video and paper work...

My only hitch with it is.... the car just works so dang well and the 4.2 seems so healthy, I feel bad ripping it out for not a gigantic leap in power... plus of course, lot of labor involved for myself...

Also I should mention, not a huge fan of auction sites and the thought of just auctioning it off is ehhh to me, I would want to know where it's going and that whoever is getting it is handy enough to keep it going on their own or has the resources to keep it maintained by a good mechanic.

 

[kegmankipp]

DM sent

 

[maw1124]

Watch this one... Euro 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300CE 5-Speed Manual For Sale | The MB Market

I understand the differences and similarities of the cars. But the driving fun factor here (see the driving videos) is being able to wring the gears out manually, which is going at a higher premium than I think most understand. This will be good news for you and bad news for some others (sorry @kegmankipp ... jokes).

GL, whatever you decide.

maw

EDIT ... I get to wring the gears out on my Allroad 4.2 (40v) courtesy of Tiptronic, and that engine to transmission connection (with the exhaust -- unresonated) is the best part of the car to me. Being able to control your shift points in a 90's ish V8 is basically unobtanium, sans BMW E39 cars, which are also trading highly for that privilege. Here's another example 45k-Mile 2001 BMW 740i Sport It seems to me the privilege to control gear shifts on a well built German V8 costs what it costs, usually around $20k.

 

[TimL]

When I was shopping 14k for a rust free Cali well sorted, low mileage example was pretty standard. Youve done a good job of detailing your work, I dont know what shape the car is in overall, but Id bet BaT would fetch some decent numbers. Im not sure on the 500 upgrade, is it ASR? I personally have been looking at all the manual v8 sedan options out there for some time and a well sorted mostly stock e420 manual would speak more to me than one with a 500 in it.

I'm not sure I would agree with the idea that a 5 Liter isn't a significant power upgrade to a 4.2 Liter engine. Difficult to argue with 80NM of additional torque that comes with the bigger engine. I'd think sticking the bigger engine in will yield you another $4K in the sales price, but that might not justify all the labor you'd have to put into it.

 

[anderzen]

I mean I feel like I should, it's already in the plans for summer and I definitely want to, but will make it very difficult to let go at that point, I am already in love with the car as is haha. Buying cars is easy for me... selling not so much, but without having a compound or big plot of land at home and not wanting to store them, it's kind of inevitable.

 

[maw1124]

You have it covered with the 6MT C55…

maw

 

[anderzen]

yea that one is good, plus once I got the C36 it kind of put the E420 on the chopping block so to speak... it's my favorite 90's Benz, as much as I love the 034/036

 

[winmutt]

Im not sure I would agree with the idea that a 5 Liter isnt a significant power upgrade to a 4.2 Liter engine. Difficult to argue with 80NM of additional torque that comes with the bigger engine. Id think sticking the bigger engine in will yield you another $4K in the sales price, but that might not justify all the labor youd have to put into it.

I didn't say it wouldn't be a power upgrade, just that it's not appealing to me.

 

[gsxr]

Im not sure I would agree with the idea that a 5 Liter isnt a significant power upgrade to a 4.2 Liter engine. Difficult to argue with 80NM of additional torque that comes with the bigger engine.

This: ^^^

The difference in horsepower may not appear substantial (when comparing "WOT" data, ~290 vs ~325)... but the difference in torque is something you feel constantly when driving around town at part throttle, at real-world RPM's.

Same applies to the BaT fanboi crowd gushing over the ~310hp from the "E400 4.2L AMG" (sic) that has "almost as much power as the 500E". Yeah, until you drive them and ride the torque wave from the bigger engine...

 

[Gatorblue92]

8k would be my minimum if I was selling your car. It’s been a few years since I sold my 5 speed swapped 300TE for 7k and it had lots of needs.

 

[anderzen]

Well guys, posting here without making a new post or 'Official Listing' but I am ready to move the car into the next caring hands. It is as solid as can be, I drive it almost everyday. Everything works, it performs great and is just a hood respray and paint correction away from being as beautiful as it drives... it still looks pretty great as is honestly...
I have thought long and hard about it and tbh if no bites I will probably finish the project entirely with the 5.0 m119 and sell for a good chunk more, but as of now I am ready to invest my time and money into other projects (mainly finishing up my M113K CLK55 and preparing my C36 for manual swap)

As is I will sell the car for 9k, for an extra $500 I will throw in the 5.0 M119 (out of good running 120k mile 94' R129) that you will have to figure out transport for. The motor is at my shipping warehouse now on a pallet so could be easily shipped or hauled off in truck bed.

If seriously interested please email me at anderzen.amg@gmail.com or dm me here. Doing this quietly as I want it to go into good hands, I do have a couple buddies actively interested in the car so I will update immediately when/if a deal is reached either way.

 

[Stevester 500E]

Emailed you Anderzen

 

[Ian White]

Email sent.

 

[anderzen]

A BIG HEARTFELT THANK YOU to everyone on this forum and specifically @gsxr for answering soooo many questions of mine on this journey.

The E420 is headed back to its original City of ownership, San Francisco with a good friend of mine, it will see a whole new evolution with the 5.0 M119 and a plethora of rare AMG and original parts.

I have my hands full with current builds and another otw, but sincerely thank you again. The 124 is imo after experiencing first hand one of THE Best cars ever built. I will definitely own another one day and I'll be browsing this forum plenty in the mean time, maybe I can get my hands on a real Wolfie one day.... This is the only forum I am apart of for good reason!

Thank you,
Brooks