The most exciting event this year may not be the acquisition of any 140, but my first non-140. Yes, I have purchased more than 20 140s, but never tried other cars.
To be honest, I had never physically touched any W 638 before I completed the transaction and waited for the trailer to deliver this 2002 V 230 Ambiente. Yes, I may have seen it a few times on the road, but I never had the opportunity to sit in it, or get behind the steering wheel. In any case, it has been on my wanted list for a long time.
The W 638 was produced as early as 1996, but the first time I knew about its existence was in 2002, when it was about to be discontinued. At that time, I would go to my instructor’s apartment every Saturday to learn piano, and there was a model shop not far away. In addition to models and toys, the market that the mode shop locates also got some flowers, birds, fish and insects. So if I did well in the piano class, my granddad would take me there, and we would each go around our favorite shops.
One day I saw this little yellow van for the first time, which was in 1/72. First I was surprised that such a Mercedes existed, a minivan, and it was yellow, just like the minicab taxis in my city at that time.
It was made by Cararama, smaller than a Matchbox, but looked more exquisite. I usually don’t ask granddad for expensive gifts because he is a pensioner, so I stood in the shop for 15 mins, hesistate if we should get it, and wait grandpa come back. Soon grandpa put me and this nice little model into his tricycle for 15 CNY (a bit less than 2 USD back then). I liked it very much, but didn’t even know its name. A Mercedes van? We all sat on bicycles, but the Germans made Mercedes into a van! I spent a lot of time on this little model, I counted the number of seats, 7! I remember very clearly that there were 8 of us in the family, so I had to sit on the lap of an adult? Sadly, now that my grandparents have passed away, there are only 6 of us in the family.
A few months later I saw a similar car in my favourite magazine. It was called “威特”, a new model introduced by Mercedes China. It was silver, clear turn signals, and looked more stylish than my model car. This minivan, while looking more premium, didn’t look as attractive. My feeling was that someone had barely renovated a van into an MPV. Look at those crowded seats, like a Japanese van.
It was the Baroque that Mercedes brought to China at that time. Should economy class considered as premium? But at that time, as long as you could afford the ticket, you were considered wealthy. Therefore, there was no moral standing to laugh at people who put benches in Mercedes. It’s just that even children who love cars will be sensitive to this. You see, they treat German toolbox as yachts. Such a Mercedes costs 550,000 CNY, which is about 70,000 USD. For reference, it is about the same as the C-Class.
Now you can recognize it is a Vito 114 with a 2.3L M111 engine. As the only W 638 officially introduced to China, it is essentially a panel van with plenty of black fabric seats, and the paint is mostly silver. Such specs actually discouraged me from having a favorable impression of it. To be honest, it looks simple and not like a passanger car. No wonder the Germans use it to transport goods. For many years afterwards, I was no longer a follower of vans or MPVs. I like classic cars like many people, and the MPV itself just doesn’t have so many classic elements. I sometimes see these Vitos on the road, but they no longer interest me. The Germans say they are rust lumps, and the Chinese say they are not as good as the Toyota Hiace. So I am similar to most Americans,have no chance to touch a W 638.
But I eventually get older. When my kids were born, I found myself getting older, and I started liking things that I thought older people liked. For example, I wanted an MPV. My parents have two, a 2018 Vito and a 2020 V 260, which are similar. I wasn’t attracted to them, first of all they were just too big and too tall to fit into my apartment’s parking place. Then, there were many features that lacked human touch, which I’ll mention later.
Until one day I opened a brochure of the 2002 V-Klasse, and I realized what an MPV I really wanted. Look at this car, classic silver body, face-to-face passenger compartment, a train-style table, romantic privacy curtains and plenty of warm lighting. Wow, the new V-klasse have completely forgotten how to make children feel warm, they are just cold airport shuttles, what happened to humanbeing today?
I learned that the Ambiente is my most desired model, it has two sunroofs, six curtains, and a sportier look. However, it is very difficult in China, we have only imported Vito 114. The Germans decorated the Vito to look like a V, but never supplied the real V. What an industrial arrogance. They feel that Chinese users who spend $80,000 will never find themselves sitting on the bench. In the past few years, I have seen V 280s in junkyards (sad, but I don’t want a Volkswagen VR6 named M104), or Vitos modified with V-Klasse seats (but still just Vitos). Or, some unicorns from foreign diplomatic agencies, but neither silver nor Ambiante.
The only chance in last two years was a silver V 230, which looked to be Ambiente, I couldn’t be sure of the model and year. The seller had a very high price tag, and obviously fictitious mileage. This put me off at the beginning, I don’t like dealing with liars. As expected, people who disappoint you will only disappoint you again and again, as a result we can’t communicate properly. So I said to myself, just wait, after all, my children have not entered primary school yet, we still have time. Maybe one day a stunning silver V 230 Ambiante will appear in ideal condition and at a reasonable price.
But I almost gave up, I already have too many S-Klasse. To be honest, we have enough cars to keep the kids happy, they have 10 cars to switch every year, all kinds of colors and cylinders. And if a German who has many S 600s said that he really wanted a 1000 euro piece of rust, the Germans would think he was crazy. But I must say that I think 4 cylinders are more morally pure than V6. So even though we are exposed to at least 6 cylinders every day, I am not against 4 cylinders.
The Internet has given everyone, including me, the opportunity to search for cars on the other side of the world just by typing a few letters. Everyone has the same rights, no wonder it is so difficult to find a decent car! Imagine if everyone wanted to be a dealer, would there be nice cars that would be transferred directly from sellers to actual users? I have to search diligently for something that is almost impossible, otherwise the car that meets the conditions may be sold within an hour of being listed. Of course, even if I really want a V, I still search for 140 more often. The frequency of searching for 140 is several times a day, and the frequency of searching for V is once every two weeks – there will only be 1 or no V listed every year.
Late one night in May, I searched for V without any hope as usual, and was surprised to find an amazing example being sold for a good price. I was sleepy, but my eyes widened immediately.
This looked to be a silver V 230 Ambiente, although it had W 639 Vito wheels. The seller’s spec was even rarer than the car itself, he wrote the most detailed description I have ever seen. No sensationalism, just pure facts. This is not BAT, but a website like Craigslist, which is unnecessary, and I have to show what he wrote here.
“Imported from Germany, Mercedes-Benz Vito commercial vehicle, registered in the second half of 2009, low mileage, very good car, less driven now, want to share with friends in need.
Photos of interior have been uploaded. The light in the garage was not very good when taking the photos. The original leather actually looks very new. The two seats in the last row still have the original retractable large table. In the photo, it is retracted and not brought out. The table is quite large when it is brought out.
Photos of the engine have been uploaded. It can be clearly seen from the photos that there is no oil or water leakage. The engine is in very good working condition. It is 2.3 displacement, which is a perfect match for this car. In addition to better fuel economy, the 2.3 displacement does not have much vehicle and vessel use tax. In my personal subjective opinion, it is better than the large displacement.
The car is a standard six-seater, with two seats in each row 1, 2 and 3. The interior space is large, suitable for business reception or home use (families with 6 seats), and can also be converted into a camping RV.
The Mercedes-Benz Witte was imported from Germany in 2009. All the procedures were completed at that time. It cost more than 300,000 yuan and the engine was 2.3 displacement. The car is in very good condition. The whole car does not even have major sheet metal and has no accidents.
It has just been serviced not long ago. It is a whole car maintenance, and the engine oil has been changed. In addition, a large VARTA battery has been replaced. This battery costs more than 1,000 yuan and is very large. The battery is under warranty and has been maintained and replaced. There is almost no need to do anything else with this car. Because this car is imported from Germany, the number of domestic vehicles is very small, but the number of vehicles in Hong Kong is very large. It is the assault vehicle used by the Hong Kong Police Flying Tigers. It is exactly the same model as the Flying Tigers assault vehicle, but it has a 2.3 displacement.
This car is very stylish when driving out, and the rate of returning is very high. It is suitable for friends who like to collect old Mercedes-Benz cars.
Special note: All the procedures for this car are complete. Commercial insurance has been purchased and the annual inspection has been done. If you want to buy it, you must transfer the ownership normally. I do not accept the idea of not transferring the ownership. This is not the kind of car without procedures, but a very complete set of procedures.
I have uploaded pictures of the car ownership certificate and the car driving license. There are a total of four keys, two remote controls, and two manual keys.
It doesn’t matter if the specific price is a few thousand more or less. As long as you like this Mercedes-Benz Vito, you can see the car and negotiate. If you want to trade in good faith, you must ensure that the car is good and the price is reasonable. I am in the securities industry, not in the used car business. I don’t know much about used cars. If you want to buy a car, please explain your ideas directly.
Finally, I would like to add that the engine is in very good working condition. There is no oil or water leakage in the engine. The engine photos have been uploaded. The rear two shock absorbers of this car are air suspension shock absorbers, so the ride comfort is still good. There is no problem with the rear two shock absorbers until now.
Friends who like this car, I can also send you all the information on the vehicle ownership certificate.
Many friends are particularly concerned about the transfer of this car when they ask. The transfer of this car is as follows: On August 25, 2009, Mr. Wang from Inner Mongolia purchased it from Germany through customs import and registered it with a license plate from Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. The first owner, Mr. Wang, used the car until May 3, 2017, when he sold it to Mr. Dai and Mr. Luo, used car dealers in Chongqing. After a short stay in the hands of the used car dealer, the car was sold to our water company for business reception (actually used very little mileage), and the water company has been using it until now. The water company will stop doing business in 2023, and all assets need to be processed. The vehicle will be transferred to my name on Children’s Day in 2023. It is written according to the timeline on the property certificate, so it is written in more detail.
Simply put, the first owner used the car from the time he bought it new until he sold it in the second half of 2017. After selling it to the water company, the water company has been using it until now, and then plans to transfer it to friends who like this car”
Well, they appear to be a lot longer on a phone screen than on a PC screen. He even showed unusually the documents that are usually considered private, including the FIN, so I could immediately start researching what it was, like if it was a V or a Vito. It was a 2002 V 230 Ambiente from Lübeck. I wanted every word of that, even the surprise of Lübeck (205). If I could only visit one German city, it would not be Stuttgart, but Lübeck. That is the hometown of Christian, the founder of mb-w140.de. I had never heard of Lübeck before meeting him, and now the most knowledgeable person about 140 lives there.
The van is 744 Brilliant Silver with beige leather interior, most of the specifications of this car are consistent with the brochure, just without the roof rack. I was also a little surprised to find that the SA code of this car did not have a model year, maybe the van is a completely different story from S-Klasse. Delivered to Lübeck in July 2002, imported to the remote city Hohhot in northern China and first registered in 2009. I tried to find any clues about this car through ESKULAB’s EVA, but there is no record. I don’t know how far it traveled in Germany during the 7 years, because China banned the import of used cars after 2007. If it’s not new, then it at least has a reset odometer. Once again, the car was registered by a private user near Mongolia, and it’s hard to imagine someone there buying a used car from Germany. How much did he pay? In 2009, Chinese roads were full of cheap Chinese-made Vianos, but he decided to buy an imported, obsolete and perhaps more expensive one.
Soon my mind returned from abnormal excitement to calm. Do I still need such a car? This dream has been buried by me imperceptibly, and I won’t cry if it is sold to someone else tomorrow. So I tried to imagine the possible reactions of my wife and children when they saw it. In fact, when the V dream first started, I always gave her a lecture on how much we needed this thing. At that time, we bought a shabby apartment for our child’s future school. I said to my wife, we actually spent so much money on a 19 m² shabby apartment. It can buy 60 warm Vs, but we only have a damn old apartment.
It takes a little time to wake up from the dream. When my brain was calculating frantically, it was already midnight. I decided to buy and left a message to the seller. It seemed that the car had been listed for nearly two weeks and many people had inquired about it. No need to guess, most of them were professional or part-time dealers. This kind of European exotic van has been hot in China in recent years, especially VW T4, which has been sold for more than 140s worth. So 47,800 CNY, which is completely below my expectation, is dangerous. I am worried that it has been sold.
Surprisingly, the seller replied to me immediately. This guy didn’t sleep either. My first reaction was to pay a deposit to lock the car and go to bed. But the seller was very enthusiastic and he liked to chat with me. This car was the property allocated to him after the dissolution of his previous joint company. He didn’t seem to be a car enthusiast, but he was strict about cars. This car was a used car he bought when they founded the company. At that time, he hired a used car expert to evaluate 5 MPVs, and he personally selected this silver Mercedes with no color difference.
This car was listed two weeks ago. Immediately after the listing, many used car dealers came to bargain with him. He sincerely lowered the price as they asked, and was surprised to find that they just asked for more discounts. Haha, this is typical of used car dealers, they are greedy and sometimes cunning. This time he did not lower the price further, even though the dealer only asked for another 500 – they always want to bite off the last piece from you! But he did not agree, and now I showed up.
I have had many battles of wits with used car dealers. I clearly knew that the price had been optimized by the dealer to be very profitable, and they could make a profit by purchasing it at this price already. Therefore, I could foresee that once I paid the deposit and let the seller release the news that the car was sold, the dealers would come back and offer a higher price to snatch the car back. They are pure scoundrels, I have experienced this many times. Therefore, I also had the pleasure of communicating with the seller and letting him know that I really needed the car. I did not bargain, which made him pleased. He did not want the deposit and told me not to worry, but I forced him to accept the deposit, as I knew what would happen tomorrow.
As expected, when the dealers learned of this news, they went to argue with the seller again. I waited and watched. There were countless times before when I paid a deposit for a car that was bought by someone else at a higher offer. It mainly depends on the conscience of the seller. There is nothing wrong with this. Everyone wants to sell it for as much money as possible. I used to get angry, but I’m used to it. God doesn’t intend to punish such behavior. So I became very heartless. I like this car very much, but I shouldn’t pour my feelings on it before it is on the trailer, otherwise it will hurt myself.
The seller said that the dealer’s reaction made him angry because when he politely told the dealer that the car was sold, the dealer started complaining that he didn’t inform them in advance and even cursed him. He said that he had decided to sell the car to me instead of anyone else on the first night, and the deposit was unnecessary because only I respected the long text he wrote. Do you know? Even if you write so much, the dealer will still ask bullshit questions to bargain, and when you question the dealer who is stingy with the description, they will tell you that you are an amateur. “If you know this car, you shouldn’t have any questions.”
He was also curious why I didn’t bargain. I didn’t say that compared to other thieves, I also stole the car. I just explained the different motivations of dealers and me from a general principle. Dealers make a living out of this, they just want the price to be infinitely low. As for me, I just do this for fun, and I rarely bargain if the price is within my budget. Making money is tiring enough, so don’t torture yourself when you spend it. I didn’t tell him that I hate those dealers who lowball cars then put dickhead wheels and remove original seats to make an idiot camper.
After kicking all the dealers out, we completed the transaction quickly. The seller recently replaced the VARTA battery, and he gave me the invoice, which still had 2.5 years of warranty left. He video-called me for more than an hour to let me go through the car carefully, including reading the numbers of each windshield. I thought this was unnecessary, but when I realized that my refusal was invalid, I just kept listening. I started recording at about the 5th minute, and my phone ran out of storage space around the 50th minute. I didn’t tell him how much I wanted this car and what kind of profession about cars I do, I don’t like to confuse others with such information. He even kindly wrote down the numbers of the common parts of the car for me, and it was a dedicate thing for him to keep such a car running.
Meanwhile I excitedly messaged Christian. I know it’s just piece of shit for him, but he’s still happy about the Lübeck part of the story. He was an intern at the only Mercedes-Benz shop in Lübeck in 2001, and later at a nearby high school. I’m almost sure this car has passed him by. We are half a world away from each other, but this car indirectly shortens our distance to just a few kilometers.
I don’t know what to name a V! Does this guy deserve his own name like the other 140s? I’m a person with a lack of imagination, but the van always makes me see Spanish instead of German. For example, Ambiente is a Latin word meaning “Environment”. It’s a nice word, but it’s not very readable for anyone around me. Haha, then it should be called Amigo, my children will definitely like the sound of this name, it will be the first Spanish word they learnt.
When it was on the trailer, the driver sent me a message: “Congrats! You bought a very stylish vehicle, I have never seen anything like it! “. Well, of course, there will not be more than 5 in the whole country. At this time I have already started to order potential parts and will start some basic work soon…