1984 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC

Purchased by the vendor a whopping 23 years ago, this particular German powerhouse has enjoyed the company of only three owners throughout its lifetime, with the present owner having only covered a handful of miles during their tenure with the car.

In this impressive long-term ownership, the car has proven to be a reliable ‘weekend toy’ for the vendor, and has reportedly never required any extensive work, having been simply serviced, fitted with an upgraded stainless steel exhaust and enjoyed!

What’s more, other than the aforementioned exhaust, the car remains in stock form, meaning this particular 500 SEC is one that even the most stringent of Mercedes-Benz purists can get behind. Oh, and it’s been garaged throughout the vendor’s ownership, which is always excellent news as far as we’re concerned.

If you’ve been paying attention so far, you’ll also realise that thanks to being a pre-1986 car, this example is catalytic-converter free, meaning there is very little to restrict the power and noise of that wonderful 5.0-litre V8 engine.

In spite of its impressive odometer reading, the delightfully 80’s Gold paintwork of this high-powered coupé is in great condition for its age, showing commensurate wear such as stone chips and light marks around the usual areas such as the lower splitter, along with a more notable scuff on the nearside door and on the nearside rear wing.

There is some minor bubbling or wear noted around the rear offside arch, but otherwise the body seems nice and straight throughout with only the odd minor indentation, which is to be expected from a car that has covered over 140,000 miles in its lifetime.

All four wheels look to be in great shape with no noted major kerbing or other marks, and the headlight, sidelights and rear light lenses are all free of cracks.

Inside, the brown velour interior remains in excellent shape, and one can almost picture the kind of powerful, wealthy businessmen that would’ve likely used a car such as this in period, blasting down the Autobahn at top speed.

There is some light usage wear noted to the outer bolsters on the drivers seat, along with typical scuffs to the edges of the carpeting in the footwells and around the inner door sills. The seats themselves are generally excellent with only a few small marks, along with the headliner being in great shape with no sagging visible.

As far as the vendor is aware, and as far as we could tell during our short test drive, there were no faults noted within the car and all systems are functioning as intended.

Upon opening up the engine bay, the gigantic 5.0-litre engine engulfs the impressively sized bay, and everything looks to be in good shape. As the vendor states, there has never been any need for major work, which is excellent news for any potential bidders.

During the short drive to-and-from the photo shoot location, there were no reported faults, and the vendor is not aware of any issues with the car mechanically. As we mentioned earlier, a new stainless-steel exhaust has been fitted and opens up the sound of the car fantastically, but otherwise it remains in stock condition.

Underneath, this particular 500 SEC looks to be in good shape with no signs of any worrying issues, whilst the chassis has clearly had a healthy dose of under seal during its lifetime to help prolong its condition. This is backed up by the most recent MOT test on 25 February 2021 which shows a clean pass with no advisory items.

Included with the car is a rich and detailed history, comprised of paperwork from both prior to and during the vendor’s long-term ownership.

The V5 is present showing only two former keepers, along with a plethora of period invoices from the early 2000’s and 1990’s, covering minor parts and consumables along with other routine maintenance and work. The usual array of OEM handbooks and manuals are present, along with two ignition keys and a third key for the glove compartment, and numerous old MOT certificates from before the system was digitised.

Looking to the more recent paperwork in the file, there is an invoice for a new genuine M-B fuel gauge in 2020, a dehumidifier to keep the interior in good shape from 2020, and a new battery in 2012, which is a reflection on how little use the car has seen in recent years, which also explains its excellent condition.

Cars from long-term ownership are always a treat, as it means the history is traceable with ease and it means the vendor really ‘knows’ a car far more so than any short-term owners.

With 23 years in the same care, this aggressive, yet luxurious 1984 Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC is in excellent condition throughout both visually and mechanically, and is ready for the next owner to use and enjoy as they see fit, whether that’s crossing continents in luxury or taking this high-powered bruiser out for a nice weekend drive.

Given the condition and history of the car, we estimate a final hammer price in the region of £7,500 - £13,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.