Oklahoma man buys Mercedes that once cost $200,000 for $12,000 then starts looking for a replacement
Published on Feb 21, 2026 at 10:49 PM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Feb 19, 2026 at 9:58 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
An Oklahoma YouTuber known for dragging forgotten auction cars back to life has just done something mildly unhinged.
Randy Shear, who runs the Auto Auction Rebuilds channel, bought a Mercedes that once cost around $200,000.
Except he only paid $12,000 for it.
And after getting to know it, he immediately started looking for another one.
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A $200,000 Mercedes V12 flagship for used-Camry money
The car is a 2009 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG – the W221-generation flagship that sat at the very top of the S-Class lineup.
Back in its prime, this was a $200,000 luxury super-sedan.
It came with a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 pushing out 604hp and 738lb-ft, enough to move the big four-door from 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds.
At the time, AMG hadn’t embraced downsizing yet, so excess was still the point.
Shear picked up his example at auction.
It’s black-on-black, shows 120,000 miles, and on paper sounds like the kind of high-risk used luxury car most people avoid.
Instead of flipping it straight away, he had it fully detailed – steam cleaned, ceramic coated, restored inside and out – until it looked closer to showroom than salvage yard.
Inside, it’s peak late-2000s Mercedes indulgence.
Diamond-stitched leather, heated and ventilated massage seats, Alcantara headliner, panoramic roof, Bang & Olufsen audio.
It also packs Night View Assist, DISTRONIC PLUS radar cruise, PRE-SAFE safety tech, and the Active Body Control suspension that keeps it eerily flat in corners.
For $12,000, it’s an outrageous amount of car.
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He bought one… and now he wants another
Shear didn’t plan to keep the S65.
He usually buys cars at auction, fixes them up, and moves them on.
This one was meant to be another short-term project – something to restore and eventually give away.
But after driving it, the value became clear.
So instead of moving on, he’s already looking for another Mercedes S65 AMG – this time with fewer miles.
It wasn’t part of the original plan.
But after seeing what $12,000 actually bought him, going back for another one feels like the obvious move.
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With roles at TEXT Journal, Bowen Street Press, Onya Magazine, and Swine Magazine on her CV, Molly joined Supercar Blondie in June 2025 as a Junior Content Writer. Having experience across copyediting, proofreading, reference checking, and production, she brings accuracy, clarity, and audience focus to her stories spanning automotive, tech, and lifestyle news.
