[R129 SL] An MB coupe owner at last

[Michael Devenis]

    Well, after at least 6 months of monitoring the market, and 4 weeks
of actively shopping I have joined the ranks of MB coupe owners.
Unfortunately it is not an SEC, but a 1993 SL, and, since the hardtop is
now in the corner of my garage, technically it won't be a coupe till
winter comes.  Be that as it may, I am having the time of my life, I
drove the 25 miles to work, every morning this week, over Topanga Canyon
to the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down and the seat heater on, a
huge grin plastered across my face.
    I had Steve and Carl at Bergwerks do a pre-purchase inspection and
Compression test and they gave it an overall thumbs up. All 12 cylinders
were within 10 psi with 11 at 175 and one at 185. The worst leakdown was
9%.......Did I mention that this country boy from a farm town in
Delaware now owns a 12 cylinder motorcar? WOW!!!! I know it is shallow
status seeking, but I  get a thrill whenever I see that V-12 emblem on
it's flanks. Several years ago I was trying to explain to my wife how
some people feel about their cars: I have a need for a car that compels
me to always turn my head and look back at it as I walk away. She
recently told me that it was not until we got her a 1994 E320 wagon in
Spruce Green that she found herself doing the exact same thing. So she
was an easy sell for this one.
    The car is a '93 600SL, white with Dove Gray lower cladding and gray
interior. The soft top is black and is brand new. I am the 3rd owner and
the car turned over to 90,000 miles yesterday. It is all stock except
for chromed 8-hole wheels from a later model SL. The 1st owner in San
Jose got it with almost no options at all, no orthopedic seats, no rear
speakers, and no heated rear window on the hardtop. As confirmed by
Bergwerks it is in essentially fine condition, the few mechanical faults
have been identified, parts ordered and will soon be rectified.  The
worn tires were replaced yesterday with Yokohama AVD db's so I will be
able to go out later today and see how she runs. Thanks for the tip on
the tires Bergwerks, the ride comfort and especially the quiet is a
massive improvement over the old Goodyears.
    The seller, who had the car for just over 1 year, was unbending on
the price, and I finally had to payout 26,750$, just a few hundred below
wholesale. As an aside, the seller, an Israeli-American, was the
"gentleman" who brought hardcore gangster rap to popular culture. Back
in 1991 he was the money behind a company called Ruthless Records, and
it's founding act: N.W.A. Their 1st release, "Straight Outta Compton"
was the focus of Police protests and Congressional hearings due to it's
foul language and anti-police lyrics. The seller is about my age, very
late 40's, and about as ordinary as they come, as he put it: "It's just
business, that's all, we were grossing 22 million a month at it's peak."
And he still was buying used cars........... Like me, he believes in
letting someone else take  the initial depreciation hit. I went to his
estate several times during the purchase process and can verify his
affluence.
    Now, on to some needed assistance, does anyone have the service CD's
available? If so, contact me offline and we can work something out. I
need to adjust the drivers window as it is tilting inwards a bit too
much. Also, the armrest in that door is loose and the door trim needs to
be removed to reinstall it. How do I gain access to this area? Finally
the radio has a blown amplifier, or so I am told, it sounds OK up to a
certain volume and then distorts terribly, this is most pronounced in
the bass frequencies, but is also apparent in the mid-range as well. I
plan on upgrading the speakers ASAP, but where the heck is the power
amp? The speakers will be done 1st on the chance that it is simply the
cheap paper elements that are the fault. I have a hearing loss due to
years of exposure to jet noise,  not deaf, but a weakness hearing
certain frequencies, mostly at the upper end of the range. Therefore I
will probably keep the stock control head and just upgrade the amp and
speakers, this will also maintain the stock look.
   Thank for letting me run on for so long but I am just bubbling over
with enthusiasm. Of course, I have yet to fill up the tank for the 2nd
time and see just how poor the gas mileage is...............