For sale or swap: w126 merc 560sec taxtest reduced £500

[Des]

Just wasted many frustrating hours fixing my laptop, so could do with going on a little murdering spree to help me calm down, but instead I'll push my 'dark passenger' to the back seat and recount the Merc acquisition.

The story starts with agreeing to buy the thing over the phone on Wednesday night, arranging to collect Friday lunchtime giving me time to organise insurance, I got cover for this and another car for 250 yo yos. Looked into train times and it was a case of arriving a little late or way early, procrastinated a while and finished up going Thursday night, in preparation I arrange an eighties thermos, eighties sunglasses, make a cheese sandwich, grab a book, and pull a handful of cash from under my mattress.

 

 

Catch train at 11.30, booked short notice so cost £100-ish for the journey, would rather sleep than sit bored and I should be home early on Friday to get on with my big work backlog. I didn't read the ticket printout until I was sat in my empty carriage, I had stupidly looked at departure times rather than arrival, 10 hours, 5 changes and I'll be waiting at Bristol from 02.47 to 05.24, GR8. Managed some sleep, but nowhere near enough. Not the worst place to be stuck mind.

 

 

 

Continued journey, some nice scenery when morning broke.

 

 

Rocked up at Gunnislake Station at 09.30, 4-ish miles from my objective, Gunnislake is the end of the line, not much going on, no taxi rank, I popped into a nearby petrol station, asked for a local cab number, they only know of one, old Den, but his number goes to answerphone where a message explains he doesn't work on Wednesday or Friday, I pop into a nearby garage, who put me onto a young lad who rebuilds lawnmowers, he very patiently finds me a number via a laptop with a very intermittent internet connection, I made my way back to the road and began to dial the number, as I do a minicab passes, I note the number on the side and it's the number I'm just dialing, it's answered after a while, but turns out I've just seen the only cab, and it's on its way to an airport run. Then a bus passes, I follow and find a bus stop, I deduce from the faded to near nothing timetable that I've just witnessed the 10.05 bus, the next is at 10.20 and will take me to my goal, brilliant, but then an elderly guy rocks up wearing a bright blue jacket with 'Country' embroidered on the front, emblazoned across the back as well, he then recounts the story of said jacket, and his love of all things country, I'm outside my M25 zone of hostility so remain polite but was I ever glad to see the bus arrive.

 

 

Interesting £1.60 bus ride, pretty hilly area so quite rollercoasterish, and an impressive deafening howl from the diff when on the over-run, GR8 for unexpectedly locking up the rear on a bend. The bus went right to the town centre, and I wandered in a random direction and found / stumbled on my destination easily. The smoothest of transactions follows, vendor a pleasure to meet, I jump in and head for home.

The return trip is uneventful, the car is in good order, the usual Merc lack of squeaks or rattles does feel taut and together and seems to improve with use. It pulls well, very wunschklang, every bit as good as the last similarly over-engined car I had, I think most of the horses are still present, the handling is a surprise as well, far better than expected, and not at all tiring to drive. Opening all the windows to enjoy the pillarlessness made things nicely breezy, until the rear headlining suddenly popped down to do a curtain number across the back screen, (need a word with you Luxo re. soga) I intended to stop for a nap but managed without, not that there's any danger of falling asleep in any German car seat, squabs like paving slabs the lot of them. Tanked it in Exeter, had my sarnie and finished the thermos off, then tucked the headliner back and added some black tape, the rebuild has begun!!

 

 

Traffic thereon was terrible, payday innit, so most roads heaving, every gantry sign displaying 40 or 50 limits due to accidents, one warned of pedestrians in road, I left and returned to the motorways a few times to get around the stationary bits, didn't get home until 6, knackered, look how I parked the thing.

 

 

Filled the tank for the second time, took £70 something, not bad at all, wasn't an economical journey mixing with the great unwashed, jumping on and off motorways.

 

Plans for the car then, I haven't opened the bonnet as yet, but I don't expect any problems, seems pretty much together, and will be easy to improve. The most urgent attention needed is the screen seals, damp will destroy any car, I will probably attempt a neatish tigerseal repair. Most bodywork is still nice but many localised repairs needed, these are a pain and probably as easy to completely respray, (maybe black, NOT matt), then I suppose an LPG conversion would make sense. Finding time to do this won't be easy for me just now, so it's looking like it will be put straight into use, damned good way to do the mid-life crisis thing though.

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant. I've decided that when I buy cars, I'm doing it all wrong. No overnight stops on random train station platforms and a real lack of sandwiches.

[skattrd]

Nice write up and it looks good Des

Go on then, give us a rough estimate on mpg so far?

[Morgan84]

The fact there are no stainless wheel arch trims shows its kept its looks fairly well,and not dropping to bits;great looking car

[Des]

I don't know where to start with working out the mpg Mr. Skattrd, probably one of those facts we should avoid considering, drive home was probably about 300 miles of stop - start, speed up - slow down, for £70 -ish worth of fuel. Better that I'd expect under the circumstances.

 

Anyways, I've finally opened the bonnet, sorted the power steering belts, then did some paintwork today. Now I should have stopped at the paintshop I drove past this morning, and I should have asked them to mix me some paint, and while I was there pick up some stopper and primer etc. But instead I thought I'd try mixing some rattle can paint, only when it came to it I couldn't be arsed with all that faffing around with squirting rattlers into a jam jar airbrush so took a lazy shortcut.

Did a full panel prep / with a swipe of the back of my hand, stripped out and masked up.

 

 

Then with satin black in my left, 5 wheel steel in my right, gave it a nice layer of colour.

 

 

The result isn't all that terrible for 20 mins work, and probably no worse than the inevitable colour mismatch that £80 of materials and 4 hours would score.

[HMC]

Glad to hear you had a safe trip back, and the paint job on the wing really smartens the car up

[HMC]

PS I found the front towing eye cover in my garage, if you pm me your address I'll post it over to you

[Spiny Norman]

  Des said:

 

So that's where my old shirt went!

[Volksy]

Would this be any use to you? Maybe worth a watch as it's a V8 with LPG..

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mercedes-380c ... 3f1ba5cfb0

[254575]

That train journey makes my eyes water! I'd have given you a lift.

[Skizzer]

  Des said:

satin black in my left, 5 wheel steel in my right, gave it a nice layer of colour

 

That's the ultimate AS respray, right there. Excellent work that man

[Danblez]

Good work!

 

Listen up all those "if only it was nearer" folk, this is how it is done properley!

[mcqueenmachine]

  Volksy said:

Would this be any use to you? Maybe worth a watch as it's a V8 with LPG..

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mercedes-380c ... 3f1ba5cfb0

 

It's got a brown vinyl tow bar!