Paperwork

It truly is amazing how the simplest things can go awry. We received the title from Mike the seller yesterday; however, he did not fill out and sign the odometer statement. When I asked him about this he said it wasn't required for cars built before model year 2000. Not quite correct as the rules in both California and Virginia state the odometer mileage reading is encouraged, but not mandatory for vehicles over 10 years old. That said, once you fail to report mileage on an older car during title transfer the car will forever be listed as "milage reporting optional," which in truth means you can never have a legally binding statement of actual odometer reading for that specific vehicle ever again. This will eventually debase the value of the car and reduce its collectability quotient.

Having reviewed the CARFAX there doesn't seem to be any discrepancy in the mileage so I'm not entirely sure why Mike chose not to fill out the mileage statement other than it was "optional" and maybe not worth the bother. Maybe it's a generational thing, lack of attention to detail or simply not realizing the long-term effect of deleting that reporting point. If it were simply any other 560SEC, which we planned to toss about for a few years and then sell off it would be one thing, but that isn't the case here. We plan on putting a bit of money into the car and keeping it for quite some time.

As a result of the above, I spent a bit of time pondering exactly what to do. In the end I FedExed the title back to Mike and requested he fill out the odometer statement. This will delay titling and insuring the car in our names and it cost me a bit of money for the overnight/Saturday service, but I think it will be worth it to have the mileage verified in the long term. Hopefully, everything will be well come Tuesday. In the meantime I think I'll enjoy the weekend with my darling wife Avril.

The deed is done. The money sent. All that's needed now is to collect the car, which I shall do if the rains don't come and the river don't rise. Oh, I guess that has already happened in SoCal. Fortunately, the car has been and will remain garaged until I pick it up in early February. The plan, if I have not already said this, is to take it initially to Rafi's Autotech in Culver City for a once over and to have all the fluids changed. When you think about it, that could be rather a lot. Starting from front to back; coolant, hydraulic suspension fluid, brake fluid, engine oil, transmission fluid and rear differential fluid. Have I missed out anything?

In addition, I'm thinking the oil tubes for the camshafts will probably need doing, which is not a big deal since I'm having the valve cover gaskets replaced anyway. The big question mark is the timing chain guides and tensioner. The guides, like the camshaft oil tube fittings are plastic and I doubt they have ever been refreshed in the car's 28 year history. The problem with these plastic bit is they grown brittle with age. The camshaft oil tube fittings will simply fall out of position, thus starving the cams of sufficient oil resulting total plutonic reversal. Likewise, the timing chain guides are made of plastic and if one of those breaks on the 3,000 mile drive home the result may be bent valves and possibly holed pistons if the chain jumps teeth. I can see it now, the scene will be not unlike that of an old WWII Bill Mauldin cartoon where a solider is seen shooting his beloved Jeep because it broke down on the battlefield.

Well, time to go before I have to worry about any of that. In the meantime, Mike said he will go the the DMV and retrieve a complete history of prior owners for the car and he's promised to have the car professionally detailed inside and out before I pick it up. Nice guy.

The weekend has come and gone with not much new to report about the transaction. I was a little surprised to find my deposit, via PayPal, was made to a company named Chino Hills Center. So I called Mike to verify some information and it turns out it is a company he and his wife own. I suppose  this sale will be good for them tax wise.  I also wanted to check and make sure the original tool and first aid kits were still with the car along with the spare tire, jack, etc., etc. In addition I wanted to go over some defects Mike noted in the listing, so I'm not blindsided when I pick up the car and deliver to the shop in early February for preparation for the cross-country excursion.

The plan right now is to collect the car in early February and deliver it to Rafi Autotech in Culver City during one of my layovers. I will then return in mid-February to pick up the prepared car and begin the nationwide trek, but first I want to visit the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine before heading east. Maybe an overnight in Vegas and a long haul to San Antonio to visit an old Air Force buddy and then up to Dallas to spend a long weekend with my daughters and their respective families. After that, who knows? Eventually I end up back here in Virginia where the serious work will begin, but that is too far down the road to address at the moment.

I did manage to spend a pleasant Sunday afternoon lunch with the Central Virginia Section celebrating their annual holiday banquet at the Bavarian Chef just outside of Madison, Virginia. They have an excellent German menu and bier selection. The portions were very large and everything tasted great. Worth a visit if you are in the Charlottesville, Virginia area.

What Have I Done?

Day 2 and the realization of what I've done is starting to sink in. The seller is already asking to move payment up one day, which is not really a problem other that logistical and accounting wise, so maybe by Monday the 23rd the deed will be done.

One good bit of news, although there really hasn't been any bad news yet, is the seller confirmed the car has a nearly new battery. I'm expecting an email from Mike (the seller) with copies of all the paperwork sometime today. The real stuff will be FedExed asap after the deal closes.

Post Script: Turns out the "new" battery is actually a used battery. Go figure.

Well, I did it. I've wanted a Mercedes-Benz SEC for over 30 years, or about half of my lifetime, ever since I saw my first one in California all those years ago. So I did it. Sight unseen, except pictures over the Internet. Yes, I know. The car has issues and a CARFAX that says it was involved in a rear end collision and it has some wee patches of rust in a couple of the usual areas. Yes, I know. But it is exactly what I wanted and it has some provenance. This car was once owned by the late, great Johnny Carson. YES I KNOW! Now, I've never met Johnny Carson, but I did watch the Tonight Show back in the day. I have met a few celebrities in the past, mostly when I lived in SoCal, but I've never thought of them as extraordinary. Let's see, there was Chuck Conners, Jay Leno, Bruce Willis, Linda Blair, Clint Eastwood, Lance LeGault, Tommy Smothers and Murray Langston, just to name a few. Not that any of them would know me from Adam either then or now. Not that that has anything to do with this car.

I've been watching the car on eBay for awhile and today it was relisted due to a non-paying buyer at what to me was an attractive Buy It Now price. So I bought it! Well, not quite. I'll consummate the deal on Tuesday assuming all goes well. I've talked to the seller, Mike, who seems like a nice personable guy. He even told me his wife began to cry when he told her the car was sold. I suspect she will stop crying when she sees the check.

So that's it for now. The deal will close and then I'll go out and collect the car on one of my layovers next month. My plan is to take it to a local independent Mercedes-Benz specialist nearby and have all the fluids changed and given a thorough once-over in ready for a cross-country excursion. Yes, I am going to drive it from LA to VA, with a stop or two in Texas to visit my daughters and an old Air Force buddy.

Wish me luck and stay tuned.

1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC