Victorian 6.9 for sale

[carl888]

I was out at Shannons yesterday and had a look at this:

http://www.shannons.com.au/pages/auctions/lot.jsp?id=BA9C51E970CP72DV

It's the old Reg Hunt car, which I thought was spectacular last time I saw it about 10 years back......... could it have deteriorated that much since then???  The car is touted as having a "Light patina" which really means scruffy abuse in this case.  If the cars 108,000 kms is genuine, then there is no excuse for the velour in the rear seat being torn, the central locking inoperative with one of the rear doors refusing to open, the carpets just plain worn, with the obligatory dash cracks and faded rear parcel shelf.  The car has clearly been parked outside for a good proportion of its life and I'm sure when reg had it there was no tow bar.  From my casual look, its impossible without spending $50,000 to get it remotely close to the 280 SE, but if it was that good, I'd be scared to drive it.

Does anyone know the car at all, and the selling price when it went through Shannons in 2005?  It does appear to have no rust, which is a big plus, I can do anything mechanical on that car, except I can't paint or trim.

Thanks for any information,

Carl.

[powerglide]

Carl, I've looked at 6.9s all over the place from free to 25k, and then I bought an above-average Milan Brown UK d-elivered 350 SE K-jet that I am still sorting out.  Very nice car that is relatively uncomplicated and will not break the bank to get right. I can tell you that it goes like "s*** off a shovel", too.  Almost everyone I know who has had a 6.9 has dropped 20k or more into it and ended up selling it.  How does 5k for an engine gasket set sound?  I just missed a really good completely rebuilt one I knew was for sale for 15k.  The owner sold it because it needed the suspension rebuilt (again), because it sat in the garage a lot.  I now have a lovely 280 SE D-jet that is the keeper - it's the best W116 I've been able to find, and while not as good as some you see, it could be could be close to concours with a little effort. And it is SO nice to drive.  I had a D&M with wifey about a 6.9, and she (being very wise as well as tolerant) says, yes, if you really want one, then get rid of the others, and buy the best one you can find, but after we have renovated the kitchen. 

The Aston Martin guys allow 10k each year, every year as the cost of ownership of a DB, and I can guess that 6.9 owners find that they end up spending a fair chunk of that.  One guy who has had 6.3s and 6.9s said typically you buy an M100 for about 15k, then put another 25-50k into it (depending how long you keep it), and sell it again for 15k.  Owning lesser W116s isn't cheap, but it is lots cheaper than that. I'd rather a perfect 350SE D-jet - with the manual transmission option, and it would have MB tex, no sun roof, no SL, and no central locking (see posts on what you would change ...) in preference.  Yes, had I a 6.9, I would swap it for a 350 SE manual shift.  A good 280 SE isn't too bad, either...

[foss]

Hi Carl i have seen the car driving around Melbourne about 6 months ago. Also i have seen it for sale the last 6 months on various websites, i think i 1st saw it at $25 thousand and it keeps droppin in price.

Foss.

[carl888]

Thanks for the info everyone, but I'm interested if anyone knows the car.  That's all. 

[nathan]

Carl,
this is all i have on it, from 2010
owner David Byrne      AMG690      1979   white    camel velour
110,000km   2/5/2010         $25,000 selling via MB club victoria      
two owners since new.      
more recent receipts covering cooling system overhaul, new tyres, discs, pads, extensive suspension work including pump, all spheres and regulator vales, ring gear, new starter motor and more recently, a heavy-duty battery.                                             
bought at Shannons auction ~ 2005   

i have the reg hunt car as #5628 and engine number 5754. my records say it sold for 27k as lot 68 at shannons when it had 83,000km on it.
if you find this is infact the same car, please tell me as its possible shannons stuffed up and said 5628 versus 5625 or vice versa?

Carl, what about the silver one in sydney that was going for 50k a year or two ago by a long time owner? by now you could haggle down, it certainly did look schmick and had won the concourses there about 5 years in a row?

Powerglide, your assessment is a little pessimistic! the reason people spend big on 6.9s is they are significantly superior to any other 116.  im not sure which circles you have been in but people with 6.9s i know tend to hold onto them for a very long time as they are such nice cars. here in wa, the 4 main contributors have all had theirs at least 5 years, with some of us over a decade. its true they can be steep to own, but expensive cars from 1979 are still expensive cars in 2011 and those that dont think about this are going to get stung! thats why anyone who owns one will tell a prospective buyer to spend as much as possible for a good one.

[koan]

Following on from Nathan's comments, no one should buy a 6.9 expecting inexpensive motoring.

I've had mine around 11 years and would have easily spent (invested? ha!) $20K on it in that time, and it was one of the best around at the time. I keep the receipts, all nicely sorted in a box but would never dare add them up.

I bought mine for what it is, a well engineered car with a big engine, a car from the time when the various marques where distinctive, a Mercedes looked like a Mercedes, a Jag like a Jag.

Despite what you hear they are simple cars, nothing complicated, even the feared hydro suspension is straight forward. Only electronics are the flasher relay and dome light delay, they can be worked on with a set of spanners and a few allen keys.

A pair of head gaskets are about $500, no idea what the $5K gasket is.

koan

[Big_Richard]

A pair of head gaskets are about $500, no idea what the $5K gasket is.

BS is what it is, there are *NO* gaskets on the 6.9 that are that over the top expensive.

[foss]

Yep the only thing scary about 6.9 ownership is the scary look on your passengers face when you floor the throttle

[TJ 450]

Yep the only thing scary about 6.9 ownership is the scary look on your passengers face when you floor the throttle

That's very true indeed!

Tim

[Big_Richard]

Yep the only thing scary about 6.9 ownership is the scary look on your passengers face when you floor the throttle

That's very true indeed!

Tim

One just has to look at TJ when he lets me drive his 6.9 to know exactly what the look of fear is 

[powerglide]

I looked at this car some time back. Deceased estate.  Car was eventually auctioned at Ainger auction rooms in Melbourne for $xxxx along with the rest of the estate.  It was a 1 owner, genuine low mileage car in thistle with tan leather, and 10k spent on suspension refurbishment, books, tools, all that. Now for the other news. Swiped down the left side and badly repaired. Long time sunroof leaks so turret rusty, bubbles in paint along gutter. That's why I didn't buy it.  If you are handy with a mig welder and a dolly, and have the rest of your life free, then go for it!  The guy selling this car got it for peanuts and has been trying to make a buck, and that evidently didn't turn out too well, so now it's being offloaded at Shannons.  If you had another car with a cooked motor and a bit tired, but the body shell was good, it might be worth up to about 5k to you to part out.  As I said elsewhere, a lot of 6.9s on the market are like old Astons - you really need to get them for nothing becaus eit costs so damn much to get 'em right again. The 280SE is a keeper, but I'm looking for a W126.

[carl888]

Thanks everyone for the info, most appreciated.

Nathan....looks like the VIN was reported in error, it's the ex Reg Hunt car.  Looks like the ncei silver car in NSW has sold, that would have been a ripper!

Powerglide, thanks, but the car you refer to is thistle green, this one is white.

Regards,

Carl.

[carl888]

Shannons report on their website that the white 6.9 I mentioned above has been sold:

http://www.shannons.com.au/pages/auctions/lot.jsp?id=BA9C51E970CP72DV

I went and had a look at it a while ago, it was pretty tatty for something that had 108,000 kms.  None the less, I managed to get pics of my car and it together.  Hope the new owner enjoys it and can return it to its former glory.

Regards,

Carl.