Classic Pre-Merger AMG’s produced in Affalterbach, Germany are rare and extremely valuable. Authentic pre-merger cars are extremely good investments with some commanding prices of over $100,000.  However, if you have your eyes on a “pre-merger” AMG, indeed remember the old adage, “caveat emptor”.   We advise you to be particularly cautious and  make certain you perform your due diligence before opening your wallet.  Pre-merger records are usually really “not very good” to virtually “non-existent”.

In fact  determining whether or not an AMG is in indeed an  authentic  pre-merger automobile can be tricky.  We have derived that not all AMG tuning was actually performed at Affalterbach, Germany. You may be told that a car is  “pre-merger” only to find out that it just has had some modifications.   Around about the 1970’s it was possible to have a car tuned to AMG quality.   It was originally done at the customer’s request.  The customer would order exact tuning to be preformed specifically on the engine, interior, suspension, wheels or the body.

If tuning of the car was done in North America at one of the authorized centers, AMG as it existed then and now will actually have no record of the work.  Mercedes will have records of cars coming out of their factories  of course, but they do not follow the car all the way to AMG.   So before you get hypnotized by AMG Recaro classic seats, we have some advice before jumping into your potential acquisition.

Obtaining  original parts for a pre-merger AMG can be very difficult.  Much has been written and passionately discussed about the lack of pre-merger technical data, parts and MB/AMG support. Many have said there are confidentiality agreements in place or perhaps all of the original technical data is lost/destroyed.