chicagokid

Hello all and great forums!!! here is my car and from what I can tell its a Euro, but is it a AMG? Actual miles are 35,XXX as in the picture, also what is this worth if any of you can help me out.

48hp

The photos suggest a euro front bumper, AMG side skirts, AMG US spec rear apron, AMG 16" Aero wheels and 65,374 miles. More info is required to better determine it's value.

chicagokid

The engine has no AMG markings, the interior is great with no cracks in the leather or dash, the only thing missing is the wood on the RF vent and ashtray and I am going to replace them, the car was in AZ for a long time and has no rust or body damage and dings as it was in storage but now it is in Chicago.

C280 Sport

Great looking 126. I say run the vin # Its a Euro for sure with side skirts AMG wheels so all that means is that it looks amazing. Also where in the engine area did you look? Did you check all your doors and records?

DanielSL

I don't understand why it has a euro front bumper, yet a US spec rear bumper. When it was federalized... depending on the shop, they would have left both euro, or changed both to US spec. To me that hints at something fishy accident wise in its history. Especially puzzling since it has AMG body kit parts, but they are mix and match as well.

unomas

You make a good point, however, I must note that the California MFG sticker says it was legalized in the early 90's ('94?). This means that the more stringent standards introduced in '98 wouldn't apply. Also, Europe has had exceptionally stringent Front Bumper standards for decades. Maybe the rear was the only one that needed legalizing, or as you rightly point out, it's a good indicator of an accident. I would ask Chicago to look around the trunk well for signs of bodywork.

Now, about whether it's an AMG... AMG documented every one of it's conversions. I would suggest checking with your local dealer, who can contact the MB Classic Center for an authentication.

Your color, wheels, body kit and height all look right, but I would say that anyone can make it look good -- how does it perform? What about the exhaust? AMG was always very thorough with their mods. You should have about 310-330 HP with an AMG engine... Remember, the real value of an AMG conversion is the powertrain.

Valuation, you ask? NADA Antique Blue Book puts a stock model up at around $10,300. Your guess is as good as mine on what premium the AMG authentication would bring. Grey Market cars are typically at the upper end of the value range, due to their added features, such as Euro lights, etc.

Just my ramblings,

UNO

48hp

Your VIN will not tell you anything but what was delivered by Mercedes Benz. Mercedes Benz has no record of anything AMG did prior to their merging. The only way to verify the authenticity of a pre-merger AMG is through original documentation retained by the original owner.

unomas

Any suggestion on what pre-merger records AMG did retain? From what I understand, every convo they did was documented.

UNO

unomas

Maybe chicagokid can tell us a bit more about powertrain...

48hp

Here are a couple of threads that cover the topic at lengths:

http://www.mbca.org/forum/pre-merger...isnt-there-any

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w126...-question.html

And finally with similar inquires made addressed directly to AMG HQ, AMG themselves issued this statement:

unomas

Great to know! Thanks for posting!

UNO