Too low a price often means not a successful purchase, but an attempt to get rid of a car with costly malfunctions. This is exactly the situation that a car enthusiast and YouTube creator living in Florida, who goes by the name Samcrac, found himself in.
He bought a Mercedes-Benz SL 600 for just 4100 US dollars, hoping he had found a very good deal. At first glance, the car did not seem problematic – the body was in decent condition, and no serious faults were visible during the inspection.
However, there were several warning signs even before the purchase. The ad did not specify whether the car could drive under its own power. Also, the photos showed a cracked dashboard and a deformed upper part – there was a large hole around the digital clock.
The first trip only confirmed the worst suspicions. According to the blogger, the Active Body Control (ABC) hydraulic suspension almost immediately started leaking hydraulic fluid.
Stopping at a gas station revealed another problem – the fuel tank cap was difficult to open. Soon the car completely stopped due to an electrical system failure, which was indicated by a message appearing on the instrument panel.
Fortunately, the engine was restarted once more and the car was driven home before the hydraulic system pipe finally broke.
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After taking the car to the workshop, the owner decided not to repair the original Active Body Control system. According to Samcrac, its repair would be too expensive, so he is considering replacing the hydraulic suspension with a conventional spring suspension system.
Despite the many malfunctions, the blogger has not yet given up on the idea of bringing the car back to life.
“I wanted to try to save this car, so I did not resell it at auction,” he said.
However, he also admits that such projects can very quickly require huge expenses.
“You can very quickly spend a lot of money and still end up with a car that will only cause problems,” warned Samcrac.
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