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German W116-Forum

Started by Wolfgang Germany, 21 August 2007, 07:13 AM

Wolfgang Germany

Hello,

in Germany this great S-class become more and more a rare. Therfore it´s nice to see, that there are W116 enthusiasts outside of Europe!

In Germany we have also a forum for the W116.

You can join it under the following adress

http://www.sternschuppen.de/html/foren.html 

or direkt

http://f27.parsimony.net/forum66611/


Best regards from Germany and cu at the forum!

Wolfgang  :)

CraigS

Hello Wolfgang. There are probably quite a few of us that have visited this site, but since it is only in German or Dutch, not too many of us can understand it. Unfortunately, not too many of us are multi-lingual like our European counterparts, and I don't think too many of your members would prefer us to post in English. Same for the M100.de site.

The W116 is not regarded as being particularly rare in Australia, and I'm sure you will have seen postings where people have picked up various examples for amounts ranging from $100 upwards. Even 6.9's, of which I have 4, are not really considered collectible, as the Australian versions of the American muscle cars are. A mint example of a 6.9 can be had for A$20,000 (under EUR 12,000) whereas the price in Germany for a # 1 example, according to the price guides, is EUR 41,000 - but rarely seen of course.

Even 6.3's are still plentiful, and although more collectible, can still be had for prices not much more than a 6.9 - except for exceptional examples.

Please do drop in from time to time and give us an update on the European market. I will be in Germany in a couple of days, but you cannot get a good feel for the market when you are not living there.

Craig
[url="http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/"]http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/[/url]

oscar

Hey Wolfgang

About time some Germans joined.  I bought an English/German dictionary a couple of years ago so I could understand ebay.de adverts and read your forums to see what information you lot know in your forums.  I'm reluctant to say I'm still monolingual.  :-\  
Thanks for those links, I'll have to get motivated again to learn German.

Where are all the w116's in Germany?  Is it the price of petrol that stops people from buying them? Are there big taxes on these older cars?
Styria can perhaps repeat what he said a couple of years ago about going to Salzburg Classic days and only seeing one W116, a 6.9, and never saw any on the road.  Very dissappointing.
1973 350SE, my first & fave

CraigS

The W116's are starting to come back. Once a car is 30 years old, the annual tax reduces significantly. For example, a 6.9 would go from in excess of EUR 2000 per annum (A$3,350), to about 10% of that ! So, all of the W116's before 1977 are coming back onto the roads, but only as Sunday drivers from what I have seen, but that tends to be the case for most classic cars in Europe, and then only in Summer. There are also laws regarding Summer and Winter tyres, which may be another reason, but I'm not sure whether they apply to classics. Perhaps Wolfgang could confirm.
[url="http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/"]http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/[/url]

116Benz

Welcome Wolfgang,

It was only a few years ago that 116's were still a semi common sight in Germany...where have they gone? is there a barn over there hidding a lost German's gold mine of 116 booty?

Love to hear updates from the other side of the globe!!

CraigS

Ahhh Styria. So that's where the name comes from !
[url="http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/"]http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/[/url]

CraigS

"Floor change" being a manual transmission, or auto shift lever mounted on the floor ?
[url="http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/"]http://s109.photobucket.com/albums/n77/Aegeanfoods/My%20Cars/[/url]

Wolfgang Germany

Hello,

@ all

Your friendly feedback is great! It´s intersting to visit your site. I will join this site and forum often, because it´s nice to have a relation to other W116 Fans in the world. A positive side effect is to practise my badly english vocabulary. Please excuse the grammar mistakes. :D

@ CraigS

On the forum you can write in english every time. Theres´s maybe under 1% who don´t understand english.
In Germany the W116 isn´t considered collectible too. Only the W108/109 are accepted as Oldtimer. The others like W116 or W126 are Youngtimer or old used cars.
I have a 6.9 too. It´s a late ´79 in black 040. You can see it on the site www.sechsneuner.de  Look at "Fahrzeuge" ! It´s the the black one downright with original and rare mobiltelephon.

@ oscar

Yes, the price of petrol and the high taxes are causes, why these cars are unpopular. But there is another cause (i wrote it further on top). The W116 isn´t the most popular old mercedes. W108/109 and W126 are more popular. The W116 is an underdog into the s-class series. For many people he is to swank (to show off) like the W140. By the way the type W140 was plentiful exported to russia at the end of the last century. 

@116Benz

Many of the W116 were in the early 90s used cars and were consumed. And too much were destroyed by corrosion. So there is a small number of cars who have survived.

@ styria

It´s nice to read your answer in german. Your german is good since this long time. I came from the Black Forrest in the southern part of Germany. My second domicile is in Stuttgart direct. So i live in the near of the birthplace of our cars. This is a big advantage when you need parts! I don´t know how it is in australia with the supply of parts. Is it good? How are the prices?





Brian Crump

Welcome Wolfgang,
I hope you will enjoy this forum.
Your English is excellent.  ;D Unfortunately, my German is totally hopeless!! :-[
Regards,
BC

116Benz

Whats the most popular W116 type in Germany and whats the most popular colour / trim combination?

Andrew280SEL

Welcome indeed Wolfgang! ;D

Your English is certainly excellent. Actually, you seem to speak it better than me. ;) :D
'79 280SEL- 560,000 Kms
'73 350SE- getting an AMG facelift
'79 450SEL 6.9

michaeld

Wolfgang,
None of us will ever pick on your English; we're a positive lot, and are 1) simply happy that you joined the forum and 2) aware of our own (rather profound) grammatical limitations in German.  I hope you post often, and share some of the better w116 insights of the sternschuppen forum with us.

I have a question: in the United States, w116s have been completely overlooked - whether they are 'rare' or not - simply because they are "1970s cars," and the 1970s cars are universally seen as dismal cars from a dismal era.  This is principally due to a) federal smog and fuel requirements and b) federal bumper requirements. (Some forum members have recently charicterized the American w116 bumpers as epitomies of ugliness).  I myself LOVE 1970s cars.  Always have.

Does the curse of 1970s automobiles extend to the Continent as well?  You mention that the pre-1970s Benzes (the w108/09s) and the post-1980s Benzes (w126s) are popular.  Could you describe the thinking that goes into this anti-w116 prejudice in Germany?

I have never learned to speak German (although it IS a very important language for theology), but have always appreciated it's power of expression and clarity.  I clicked on your link to the forum (thank you for that!), and was actually able to make out a great deal.  [I probably wouldn't fare quite as well on a Chinese forum!].

I got to go to Germany in 1983 as part of the Reforger NATO exercise.  Apart from a very tough few days' worth of tough training in Bad Tolz, I had a blast!  I would recommend Munich to anybody who said, "I would like to drink beer and party!"  I remember being very suprised by Germans: I kind of had this picture of everyone being humorless "SS-type" drones - and the only folk who lived up to my image were some of the bundesgrenzshutz and the grenzshutzgruppe 9 fellows we trained alongside (they were certainly a rather serious lot)!  I've still got a H&K 9mm P7 pistol I won in a training event.   Most all the Germans I met totally blew my "World War II movie" conception of Germans out of the water.  I very much enjoyed my all-expenses-paid visit to Bavaria, and couldn't imagine friendlier people.  You could ask someone on the street where a good restaurant was and get invited for a home-cooked meal (that actually happened to me one afternoon!).  I've had a positive memory of Germany ever since those days.   




oscar

Quote from: michaeld on 23 August 2007, 07:26 AM
I got to go to Germany in 1983 as part of the Reforger NATO exercise.............. I remember being very suprised by Germans: I kind of had this picture of everyone being humorless "SS-type" drones -

Michaeld, I grew up on propagandist cold war movies and was bombarded by opinions in broken English from a slightly racist Polish Grandmother. :D  I had misconceptions. As a kid in the early 80's a TV game show here called 'Sale of the Century' was giving away a holiday to Germany.  I asked my Dad "why would anyone want to go there?"  Such is the influence of TV on young minds.  Anyway, I can't wait to visit one day.  Not just for Stuttgart either ;)


Quote from: Wolfgang Germany on 22 August 2007, 05:39 PM
I don´t know how it is in australia with the supply of parts. Is it good? How are the prices?

Wolfgang, parts cars are very cheap and plentiful.  Used parts are out there too.  New parts are either bought from independant MB suppliers and prices compare well though if that fails, there's a few USA websites that offer good prices and affordable international postage.  As far as I know, some parts are just very expensive no matter where you buy from in the world.  Do you know of any German online shops?  I only look for parts on ebay.de occasionally.  What is more of a worry is some of the parts that are no longer in production.

Regarding cars.  In Aus there's lots of sub $1000AUD/600 EUR w116's that need work.  Nobody but us wants them.  When they are in very good condition, I don't think they always reach the price they deserve.  There always seems to be more sellers then there are buyers.  The 6.9's fetch more money of course.  Sometimes they sell for a little less than they should but can range from $2000AUD with work needed to $25000 for concours condition. (1200EUR - 15000EUR)

I saw your 6.9 with the telephone.  Beautiful!! Black on black too, my favourite colour combination and 15inch bundts.  Fantastic.
I looked at the other 6.9's too.  It's a great lineup.
1973 350SE, my first & fave

116Benz

Quote from: oscar on 24 August 2007, 05:09 AM
Michaeld, I grew up on propagandist cold war movies and was bombarded by opinions in broken English from a slightly racist Polish Grandmother. :D  I had misconceptions. As a kid in the early 80's a TV game show here called 'Sale of the Century' was giving away a holiday to Germany.  I asked my Dad "why would anyone want to go there?"  Such is the influence of TV on young minds.  Anyway, I can't wait to visit one day.  Not just for Stuttgart either ;)

Not forgetting the number of Benzes and BMW's they gave away, and the architect model kit homes with an SL in the "garage"

oscar

Quote from: 116Benz on 24 August 2007, 06:41 AM
Quote from: oscar on 24 August 2007, 05:09 AM
Michaeld, I grew up on propagandist cold war movies and was bombarded by opinions in broken English from a slightly racist Polish Grandmother. :D  I had misconceptions. As a kid in the early 80's a TV game show here called 'Sale of the Century' was giving away a holiday to Germany.  I asked my Dad "why would anyone want to go there?"  Such is the influence of TV on young minds.  Anyway, I can't wait to visit one day.  Not just for Stuttgart either ;)

Not forgetting the number of Benzes and BMW's they gave away, and the architect model kit homes with an SL in the "garage"

:D :D  How could I forget.  I can't remember asking my Dad why would anyone want to drive a benz, though I was disappointed when they gave away BMW's.  It was like they downgraded the main prize  ::)
1973 350SE, my first & fave