Mercedes-Benz 600 Grand Mercedes (W100)

37 sales analyzed · 12 topics from real Bring a Trailer & Cars & Bids comments.

“to own a 6.3 you really should own a bank so your business was money because you would need a lot, but to own a 600 you really need to own a country or a religion.”stu1ritter · May 9, 2018 at 6:21 PM

• The hydraulic 'comfort' system as the defining complexitymechanical
  The 600 operates its windows, seats, trunk lid and doors on a high-pressure hydraulic system that commenters agree is the single biggest hurdle in ownership. The most cited failure points are the pneumatic air suspension bellows/bags and the master control switch block in the driver's door, both notoriously expensive; by contrast the drivetrain, suspension, leather and wood are described as comparatively straightforward. …
• Cost of ownership: annual upkeep and restoration figuresownership
  Owners quote eye-watering running costs: annual upkeep cited at $20,000, a hydraulics-and-suspension refit at nearly $100k, and one owner spending over $50k across three years. Restoration estimates run from a few hundred thousand dollars up to close to a million euros at Kienle Motors, and the recurring adage is that the 600 turns wealthy mechanics into millionaires. …
• Parts availability and the specialist networkownership
  The comments repeatedly funnel buyers to a small circle of specialists: Star Motors of Endicott NY, Karl Middelhauve, the Mercedes Classic Center (Long Beach and Stuttgart), Kienle Motors, and the M100 owners group. Some parts are described as no longer available (suspension bellows) or agonizing to source; one owner spent three months and traveled the world to find an ignition lock, whose removal alone took 15 hours. …
• The M100 6.3L V8 and driving characterdriving
  Enthusiasts love the M100 6.3L V8 and the way a sorted 600 drives, describing it as rock-solid and stable at very high speed. Real-world figures cited include roughly 8 mpg and a 500-mile day, and the engine's water pump is jokingly likened to a small nuclear power plant. …
• SWB vs Pullman/Landaulet, the 'Grosser' term, and divider/sunroof optionsbuying
  Commenters distinguish the short-wheelbase (SWB) sedan from the long-wheelbase Pullman and Landaulet, and several argue the 'Grosser' label properly belongs only to the LWB cars, though usage is disputed. Among SWB cars, the presence of both a rear divider and a sunroof is repeatedly called the money combination, while owners who like to drive rather than be driven favor the SWB. …
• Interior trim: leather, velour and the wood binnaclecosmetic
  A common US misconception that all 600s were leather is corrected by knowledgeable posters: cloth and MB-Tex were not offered on the 600, but leather and velour were, and velour is considered a genuine luxury material on par with leather rather than a downgrade. Buyer preference still leans to leather with a sunroof, and the wood binnacle is noted to be a complex veneer structure rather than solid carved wood. …
• Market values and price trendsmarket
  Sale prices in these threads range widely: projects in the $42k-$66k band, sorted SWB drivers around $75k-$100k, and the strongest examples at $137k-$176k. Many commenters call results 'well bought' or outright steals and argue US prices trail Europe by a wide margin, while others note the market for these appears to be thinning and that only pristine cars can crack $100k. …
• Provenance: dictators, heads of state and celebritieshistory
  The 600's owner list is a running theme, spanning popes, kings, diplomats and 'tin pot dictators' as well as entertainers like Elvis and Roy Orbison. Provenance clearly drives the market's top results, with the Elvis car at $288,888 and the Roy Orbison SWB at $400,000, while a claimed Coco Chanel/Jay Kay car failed to meet reserve. …
• Rarity and 'could never be built today'history
  Owners cite a production run of 2,677 hand-built cars over roughly 18 years and note fewer than 100 were shipped to the USA in 1965. A recurring belief is that Mercedes lost money on every car and that regulations would make building such a car illegal today, reinforcing the 600's status as the last of its kind. …
• Importing and shipping logisticsbuying
  Because many surviving 600s are in Europe, importing comes up repeatedly. Commenters note a US classic-car import duty around 2.5% rather than the feared 25%, describe US Customs paperwork requirements, and walk through cross-border logistics, with sellers offering to coordinate worldwide shipping through their brokers. …
• Buying advice: buy sorted, drive it, and reliable is not the same as cheapbuying
  The consensus buying wisdom is to buy the best, already-sorted car you can find rather than a cheap project, and to accept that a well-maintained 600 can be very reliable yet remains very expensive to keep up. Owners stress the car must be driven regularly or things fail from sitting, and that a buyer needs both a full wallet and patience for slow parts hunts. …
• Hydraulic windows: silent operation and the finger guillotineownership
  The hydraulic windows are prized for near-silent operation but carry a genuine safety caveat: commenters warn there is no pressure-limiting safety system on closure, making the windows a finger guillotine, with repeated cautions about hands, children and pets. There is also a period warning against lowering windows above very high speeds. …