Optimists unite! Despite the seller’s no-holds-barred branding as a “mechanical nightmare” and a host of dashboard errors in the listing, lively bidding might save this 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 4MATIC from being rolled into a barn, put out to pasture, set alight, or other bitter ends. At least 20 bidders here on eBay have risen to the challenge, driving bidding beyond $165,000, about $80,000 below the next cheapest S 580 on eBay. Problems with the gorgeous high-rolling sedan suitable for heads of state include inoperable Parktronic parking assist, Rear Axle Steering Malfunction, broken Active Steering and Lane Keep Assist, and more.
Behold the lap of luxury! Barn Finds frequent fliers may remember this Mercedes-Maybach’s owner, Gene Epstein, the automotive entrepreneur, enthusiast, and philanthropist who transformed a barn find Derham Continental into a gorgeous better-than-original show-winning gem. Despite experiencing immense frustration with this car and his dealer’s inability to fix it, Gene describes the sedan as “a gorgeous automobile… that… should go to someone that has more experience than MB.” Given the complexity of modern vehicles, that may present a challenge.
Despite sharing a platform with the Mercedes-Benz S-class, the Maybach presents a unique face in the grille, one that says, “bow to my majesty, worthless peasant.” You’ll need more than a Zoom celebration of your victory as “Northwest Region Salesperson of the Year” to sign on the dotted line for a car like this. Those breathing the rarified air of Mercedes-Maybach leather often came to that sweet reward through decades of hard work, and they expect their glorious depreciating investment to deliver regal performance and the reliability to get them to the United Nations building on time.
I hate it when my rear-axle steering is malfunctioning! This crazy feature promises greater maneuverability by reducing the apartment-sized vehicle’s turning radius. Honda accomplished this with an entirely mechanical system on its Prelude some 30-odd years ago. My friend John regales crowds of car enthusiasts with tales of valet parking 4WS Preludes and pressure-testing their tiny turning circles within the confines of a parking garage near the end of the 20th century.
Most Barn Finds cars on rollback trucks represent quick posts by “flippers” who just shoved a pittance in the hand of unknowing owners to get rid of that long-parked ’68 Road Runner or other collector car. “Don’t you know that everyone is buying electric cars now? Numbers-matching or not, that dual-quad ‘Hemi is a gas hog! Since you remind me of my Grandma, I’ll pay you, otherwise, you’ll be paying someone to haul it away.” Joking aside (barely), YouTube is full of stories of well-bought luxury cars and the gamblers who make them perfect again, minus the occasional failure. I bought a 2006 BMW 750Li for about 10% of MSRP and, most of the time, it’s delivered pure joy and excellence. It’s also rarely covered 20,000 miles without requiring a part costing $400 or more, suffers from perpetual parasitic battery discharge, leaked oil from its alternator mount, leaked water from multiple ingress points, and a host of disappointments that leave it parked most of the year while my 246,000 mile 1989 Mustang just keeps on running and driving like a Swiss watch. I like Gene, and I hope this story has a happy ending for him and the new owner. We’d love to hear what happens next. Would you take a chance on this “bargain” Maybach?
Hell no
Getting ready to retire the end of this week, got a decent pension and Medicare kicked in, my wife is pretty happy, and I’d really like to keep it that way.
However, the temptation is strong so wish me luck!
All kidding aside, what Tbone said…
Congratulations, Paul, it gets easier every week. Don’t get me started on the Medicare “ripoff”, I was unprepared for that. As a retiree of going on 5 years, it’s clear to me, while there are a lot of good programs for seniors, many are determined to get your money before you die, I found out. I could think of about 50 things that would make you both happy, besides this and to pixx it away on a POS like this, well, common sense should dictate, and if you even got to retirement, you obviously made the right moves. Don’t be suckered into this stuff, and enjoy your retirement. SIMPLIFY, MAN!!!
I can second that. 3 years into the retirement thing and the only thing about it that really stinks is the proliferation of blood suckers looking to milk us dry. Btw, be especially careful with the Medicare plan d drug plan stuff because you will have to check your coverage each and every year. You’ll get the hang of it. Congratulations sir.
I’ve been retired for 18 years, and thought retirement was going to be a breeze. NOT !!
First my wife finds all types of projects for me to (now that I have all this free time on my hands). Secondly she gains women friends who have lost their husbands, so I get volunteered a lot to take care of those “minor” jobs. Then my church thinks my years of service in the past is just that, basically what have you done for us recently. My golf clubs are sitting in my closet most of the time due to my other little projects. And, of course, there are plenty of “others” out there who would like to remove some of my savings for their own good… LOL…. getting old is not for sissies !!!!
Hats off to the seller for a humorous ad.
OldRanger – but this,& you won’t have any time to
do all those other projects,& won’t have any savings
left either.
Okay, hold on here, am I reading this right? Could people possibly be more stupider?[sic] Something very, VERY fishy about this. I think it’s hot. 1st, this car sells for $185,900 new. It’s practically new, and these kinds of problems? No warranty? Then, you have people that are allegedly bidding on a car with obvious build problems, hey, I’m sure we aren’t the only ones with manufacturing woes, and finally, this is the best that’s offered by the best auto maker in the world? Unacceptable. Apparently the old adage isn’t true, you don’t get what you pay for. Look how easy it is to bamboozle the public( with money) with gee-gaws. I suppose not much has changed there. I’ll take my 30 year old Jeep,( with crank windows) thank you.
Howard,
Gene Epstein is very real, and quite a wheeler-dealer over the years. He wrote a very entertaining book called “Lemon Juice – The confessions of a used car dealer”, available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lemon-Juice-Confessions-Dealer-Metamorphosis/dp/1684711363
I highly recommend this book to anyone here on Barnfinds, I found it a wonderful book, having bought & sold many vintage vehicles over the last 5+ decades.
I suspect Mr. Epstein has thrown in the towel and wants out from this car. He knows because the vehicle has a long history of trouble — even if under warranty — he has got to disclose everything, especially when whoever buys this car has probably got the money to sue him in court for non-disclosure.
I know over the years there have been cars that I regretted buying, and did a little dance when they finally left the nest, selling them at a loss just to see it gone. [A certain blue Rolls-Royce Silver Spur Centennial comes to mind . . .]
Thank you Bill McCoskey. I also enjoyed reading Gene’s book, a mixture of funny stories and advice for every car enthusiast. Contrary to popular belief, a person can work hard, make a ton of money, have a personality, and not become a jerk. Maybe it’s jealousy that leads to these harsh assumptions, but Gene is the real deal when it comes to caring about people.
Gene’s was one of very few books written by people in the business, that I absolutely recommend reading. I actually tried to contact Gene, and would love to talk with him, but I was unable to make contact. I’m pretty sure we met years ago concerning the sale of a Packard.
@Howard A.- Why am I not surprised your 30-year old Jeep has “Crank” windows?
Did I miss April fools day?
No. Not even as a gift. I understand that all electronic problems are mechanical in their nature, and that countless and varied symptoms can be caused by a single point of failure…… I’m just not willing to spend years of my life looking for it. As car romances go, this will be a very bad marriage.
This car is a 2022, covered under a minimum 5 year warranty. Why wouldn’t he return it under the Lemon Law for a refund? With all the electrical faults one would think this is a flood car.
First thing I thought on all three counts. Somethin’ ain’t riiiite….
Wrong, wrong, wrong…it surprises me how many people have no actual idea what the “Lemon Law” even is. That’s not at all how it works.
I think if you take it back for the same issue three times and its not repaired its a lemon and you can require them to buy it back. A mechamic friend just had a new honda completly apart for basiclly the same isdues. Found a cut ground wire that was damaged when sitting in the seats. Could have fixed it in a minute but was required to install a complete body harness which cost about 10,000 labor and parts!. He said no way the car wont be back for a rattle or two
With all those electrical/computer problems, it’s probably a bad ground-strap connection, bad computer or even a battery with a bad cell. 25 years ago there was a Lincoln Navigator that came in with a misfiring engine and some electrical gremlins. The Master Auto Tech’s were all over it for about a week without any success then one morning I went to start it to move it and it cranked slow so I mentioned it to the shop owner and he said to put a new battery in it and, voila!, all problems fixed!
“Under-volting”any newer car drives the electrics nuts since they’re all digital. They’ll set codes, so many of them you didn’t even know some of them existed. Like you mentioned, a weak battery can do it or a spike caused by a poor ground.
My daughter drives a 2014 Chevy Cruz, the thermostat recently stuck open & it set a half dozen codes. It’s crazy! What’s worse, you can’t replace just the thermostat, you replace the entire housing, a $70 PLASTIC part. Thanks GM!
“It’s just a FUSE”🤣🤣
Trav66,
About 30 years ago I was at a big antique car show for British vehicles, and in the flea market was a beautiful 1967 Triumph Herald 13/60 convertible in light blue. Very few Herald 13/60 LHD cars were imported into the USA, including only a handful of convertibles.
The Herald had almost no miles on it, having been stored for 3 decades or more. Even the convertible top was original. The current owner took the original engine out and had it rebuilt [it was frozen from sitting for years]. He installed the new engine, and no matter what he and other mechanics tried, they could not get it to start.
I bought the car for $100, and loaded it onto my trailer. Once in the shop I went about checking everything. Compression? Yes. Ignition? Yes. Fuel? Yes. Timing? Exactly right. Everything was correct. It should have started, but it wasn’t. Just like the former owner said.
As one of my guys tried to start the car, I moved my arm down the left side of the engine, and my arm brushed against the steel clutch hydraulic line, burning my arm! Why was it so hot? It took me only seconds to realize there was no ground strap between the block and the car body/frame. In a matter of minutes I had a new ground strap in place, and the engine fired right up within seconds, quickly settling down & running nice & smooth.
When we checked the ignition it was always in spec, but because the battery power had to go thru the only all metal contact between the engine and the body — the clutch line — the voltage at the coil had dropped to the point it would not fire the plugs under compression. Later I noticed the only other metal pathways were the gas pedal linkage and the speedo cable, but on close inspection I realized both had plastic inserts that insulated them from an electrical current path.
I called the seller back and told him I would sell the car back to him for the costs I had invested, but he said his wife was so mad at the car she would never even allow it back onto their property, so I kept the car for a few years before trading it for something else [don’t remember what].
I have dreams about finding an awesome classic car or truck for dirt cheap because the owner can’t figure out what’s wrong with it! Good on you for being honest and contacting the prior owner and telling him what it needed and offering to sell it back for what you had in it for repairs. Most people would just laugh and go on with their lives.
GIJOOOE,
Thanks for the kind words. While I’m far from perfect, I do have a sense of responsibility to treat people right. Just this week I sold a Vibratory Tumbler on craigslist, had it for sale for 2 years, a guy called me and said he wants it, so I said no problem, and he’s coming this weekend to pick it up.
A couple of hours later another guy calls me about it [offering more money], and I said sorry, it JUST sold, but if he doesn’t pick it up, I’ll let you know. Told the buyer #1 this happened, but it was still his, and he commented that I was the first honest craigslist seller he had dealt with!
Turns out buyer #1 is an artist who creates “Junkyard Robots” from various pieces of scrap metal & other vintage stuff, and he’s bringing me a gift of a Robot in a little car! I’m looking forward to meeting him even if the deal falls thru!
You can see his work here: https://vsemart.com/robot-orphanage-junk-art-brian-marshall/
The buyer of this car should send it to Ivan of Pine Hollow Diagnostics (you can find him on You Tube) He can fix anything!
Wow! 165k and counting for a money pit…and one only a year old. Oh well, if you can afford what will amount to be 200k to buy it you can afford to fix it.
Pick your favorite German marque….you will always hear about German engineering and over-engineered BUT NEVER German Reliability.
If you can’t afford one (fill in the blank) as the original owner/leasee you should walk away if considering said Pandora’s Box used.
Even the old aircooled VWs were “reliable” in the most cantankerous way possible.
Zitrone, Herr Kubelwagen!
Dear Dealer,
“May-I-Have-My-Moneybach”
I don’t see anything attractive about this car. The grille reminds me of a Maserati with brace’s
Gotta be a flood damage car. Mercedes would have fixed it or bought it back and replaced it just to avoid this type of negative PR. With flood damage it’s a $40k car at best.
can you say “SCAM!!!!!”
Oy vey. It’s not a scam. Seriously? It’s just a guy that’s got a plan to get more out of it than he would trading it in and having to fix it first…because now, every greedy weasel out there is thinking they’re gonna fix it and flip it. Quite genius, actually!
I wouldn’t pay a single red penny for a Maybach with any problems, no matter how minor, but this? Hail to the no. Mercedes themselves can’t even fix it? I can’t think of a worse nightmare to own, maybe a Ferrari 812 with the same issues? As the ancient ones say-“There’s nothing more expensive than a cheap exotic car”. I’m kinda concerned that the owner is trying to pawn off his overpriced S-Class at such a discount, I’d rather sue Mercedes under the lemon law than try to foist it on someone else. Talk about a good way to ruin your reputation! No one in their right mind would pay good money for this rolling nightmare of a luxury car. Unless it’s like someone else said- it just needs a new battery or something equally as simple, but if a master tech at Mercedes can’t figure it out…
My guess is it is a guy who has had such a bad time with the dealership and Mercedes, it is worth more to him to do this and just embarrass Mercedes than continue trying to work with them. This might be throw away money for him.
HaHa – Love the sign on the car- reminds me of a guy near me who must have a wife who loves garage sales, because his yard is always stuffed full of all those junk things people sell. He put a sign on the road that read- “CRAP SALE”
There looks to be two different sets of rims, one on the left side and a different pair on the right. Weird.
That’s two different cars.
According to the eBay description, he didn’t like the wheels that came on it originally & the dealer changed them after a few weeks.
LEMON LAW!!!; Car at this price with these problems and MB won’t take it back? Sounds real FISHY!
Who would buy this? If a Mercedes dealer can’t fix it with all the proper tools and documentation, what hope does an amateur have? Any why not invoke the lemon law?
Pennsylvania lemon law requires the problems to start within the first 12 months/12,000 miles. The dealer must be unable to repair the same problem in three attempts, or the car must spend 30 cumulative days out of service in the first 12 months. Abuse or modifications by the owner can release the manufacturer from this obligation.
Some people need to read the entire eBay add before commenting about scams or lemon law. The owner is a multi millionaire, & he is selling the car as is with the proceeds going to charity. That way, he gets to unload the lemon of a car, & write it off as a charitable donation without dealing with the hassle of forcing MB to take it back.
And that folks is why the rich get richer…
Thank you Tyler. Gene worked hard to achieve the American Dream, mostly with automotive businesses. He’s a quintessential car guy and has spent decades focusing on charity when others would simply live the good life. I know it’s easy to read an eBay listing and make a bunch of assumptions, but if Gene says the proceeds go to charity, you can believe that 100% will go to helping people. https://www.google.com/search?q=gene+epstein+bucks+county
It’s really a shame what they’ve done to the automobile.
This is what people wanted – the government with its boundless tentacles wrangling and controlling everything and the tech obsessed zombies now the overwhelming majority of humankind who equate computerized gimmickry with prestige and progress.
Stupid cars for stupid people. None of these abominations will be on the road in 40 years. There will be no more “modern classics”. No one will be able to repair them and no one will miss these generic uninspired styleless oozing blobs when they’re gone. It’ll be good riddance. Rightfully so.
This is quite the genius advetising scheme…this guy will make more on this car with all of the greed and hype out there than he ever would’ve just trading it in, lol.
He has even suckered every one of you here in with this schtick, lol!!!
…and his BS about the non-profit organization is just that, BS. Everyone knows that all non-profits are legalized scams. They still get to keep their money, plus any expenses incurred (which they leave up to, guess who, the non-profit organization to calculate) i.e. salaries, etc. Oh, then, they give whatever is “left over” to the charity, lol!!! No set amount required, can be $5.00 (or 5 cents for that matter).
This guy just exudes obnoxiousness.
I wouldn’t touch this car with Gene’s wallet. Much less mine. Good luck!
I’ve got a friend who could probably fix it- but the buy-in is way too high for me. I used to love to buy the cars that came through the dealer auction with a flashing light stuck to the top, signifying NO WARRANTY/BUYER BEWARE. Made lots of money figuring out what other people couldn’t or wouldn’t.
Learned lots of interesting facts reading the comments though. Not.
That front end, including the over-sized abomination of a grill and those headlights…..are so ugly……it’s comical.
Gotta be one of the most hideous Mercedes every produced.
Even people with money have no style anymore and no car taste as well.
Age of the moneyed slob and an abomination of ugliness & excess.
The word “exude” should be banned on Barnfinds.
1. There are legitimate charities. Go to Guidestar.org which rates them and discloses all sorts of information. The highest paid salaries are listed, the most are university football and basketball coaches, hospital executives, and some university presidents.
2. I live in the boondocks of CA, and saw my first one this week, passed it, looked it up, if you want red paint it is $16,000 and change extra over the black. I think he was being careful about the Highway Patrol, eventually he passed me, I was just doing 73 in my 18 year old 4 Runner with dents.
3. My 2014 Audi Q5 spent 10 days in the shop in the first 50,000 miles, all electronic fails, all covered by warranty, none in the almost 100,000 miles since. Service Manager explained they were not Boesh, they were Chinese copies, no quality control.
I know Gene personally and have detailed sevetal of his cars and driven them. He told me about 20 years ago the biggest POS he had bought new to that point was a black LS460 Lexus. His collection is very unique. And he drives his cars.
I’m quite surprised that he considered an LS 460 a POS; that was the last “real” Lexus other than the hybrids. The LS 500 has a beautiful interior, superb chassis, all topped-off with an incredible POS twin-turbo V-6 engine that spoils the character of the car. Too bad.
Loving the comments as usual, Joining in to stay in the loop. BTW, I’m 81, been a car guy all of my life, but made my living fixing computers and not the desktop type. My first thought was a ground issue, but didn’t think of a bad battery. Hope we will hear what the resolution to the problems is.
Another controversial listing that has entertained many of us by enjoying (for the most part) one another’s comments, assumptions and speculative repairs as much-or more than- the article itself! I appreciate the “retired car guy advice” as-if I’m fortunate enough to retire one day, those lessons learned are valuable advice.
Happy New Year, Barn Finds!
Such upper scale luxury cars are sparkling shining stateful
and demanding to maintain.
Like the original Rolls and Bentley Vickers made with terrible
technique but over the top ride experience. I had enough
nightmares with my Brooklands. Its a classy car but, complicate.
Mitch,
I ran an independent Rolls-Royce repair/restoration shop for years, and I’ve personally owned about 30 R-R and Bentley cars, 1932 to 1985. Due to my advanced age and no place to work on cars, I’ve sold them all. That said, if I was to buy another PMC, it would be a 6 cylinder Silver Cloud or Bentley S, or earlier versions of the marques.