Guy thought he'd got a great deal on $4,100 Mercedes-Benz SL 600 but found out why it's so cheap 10 miles later
- 12 cylinders, two turbos, and ’99 problems’
- This content creator bought a Mercedes-Benz SL 600 for just $4,100
- However, it didn’t even get him home
Published on Oct 14, 2024 at 2:59 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Nov 01, 2024 at 4:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
With 12 cylinders, two turbos, and ’99 problems’, this content creator bought a Mercedes-Benz SL 600 for just $4,100 – but realized the cheap deal wasn’t as good as he thought.
He made it just 10 miles down the road.
Then the bargain Mercedes-Benz broke down.
Proof, if it were needed, that you get what you pay for.
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The cheap car
The 5.5-liter, V12-powered, twin-turbo Mercedes-Benz SL 600 didn’t even manage to get its new owner home.
Boasting 493 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, the car should have been able to achieve 97km/h (60mph) in just 3.6 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.9 seconds.
It has a top speed of 250km/h (155mph).
However, there were several red flags that were missed.
While new owner and YouTuber Samcrac knows cars, the cheap and cryptic listing threw him for a loop.
In fact, the listing didn’t even mention whether the car drove or even ran.
While there were photos revealing that the car came with heated and ventilated seats in beige leather and Active Body Control – it also revealed other less savory details.
These included cracked gauges and a cracked and inflating dashboard that opened a gaping hole around the digital clock.
What’s more, it sat too low, riding on a hydraulic suspension system that lasted only 12 minutes under Sam’s ownership until hydraulic fluid started seeping out.
While he was able to get out of the parking lot he picked it up from, his trouble began when he stopped at the gas station and struggled to get the fuel cap off.
On the road again, the Merc suddenly ground to a halt with a warning in the dashboard indicating an electrical issue.
He was then able to restart the engine and get home before the hydraulic fluid line popped.
Guys attempting to restore this 1956 aircraft from Facebook Marketplace run into an issue.
Fixing the Mercedes-Benz SL 600
A warning on the dashboard recommended visiting the workshop.
Riding very low, Sam is able to get the car into the shop.
By that point, it’s so low that Sam can’t fit a low-profile jack under it.
He drives the rear wheels up on ramps to squeeze the jack beneath and get to the leaking hydraulic fluid line.
To get moving again, Sam decides to delete the Active Body Control (ABC) system.
Collecting movement data from sensors throughout the car, the system controls active suspension to provide optimal comfort and stability.
However, Sam decides that fixing it would cost more than it’s worth.
In similar news, this man who bought a Cadillac for $275 on Facebook Marketplace flipped it again while holding onto a big secret.
Meanwhile, this incredibly rare V12-powered Mercedes-Benz SL 73 AMG was rescued after 17 years in a parking lot.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
