Oh baby that’s what I like, a little minter of a W126 Mercedes. Of course I’d prefer a 560 SEL/SEC for the pure Mercedes “Learjet on the road” experience. However there’s no avoiding the fact that this particular model is a gem in the metal. And sadly, priced like a gem in the metal.
In your author’s opinion, the W126 is the single best series that Mercedes has ever produced. Of course I adore the 600 Grosser; but its hideously complicated hydraulics mean that when something goes wrong you’re in for massive amounts of trouble. Not to mention the massive amounts of bills. Meanwhile the W126’s over engineered but mostly conventional mechanicals mean that it’ll easily do half a million miles and go “Nice, can we do half a million more?”
‘Immaculate’ is a very good description of the vehicle which is gracing your screen now. It’s a 1983 model with little over 64,000 miles on the clock. Once again I’m assuming that its only previous owner was an elderly man to explain the fact that it has averaged around 2000 miles a year since new. The Blau/Silber two-tone is as deep and shiny as the day it left the factory at Stuttgart and doesn’t seem to have any bumps or scrapes. If I nitpick it seems the lower molding in the driver’s door is the tiniest bit out of alignment but can you really fault it after 32 years if it is?
Inside the Crème Beige leather has survived in that way only old Mercedes interiors do, not that it has been particularly taxed you understand. And under the hood that timeless OM617 five-cylinder turbocharged diesel, ready to get you anywhere you want always. It won’t get you there very fast or sound particularly dignified along the way, but it’ll always get you there. I’m sure that if you went shopping today there wouldn’t be a nicer W126 this side of a museum. Which brings me neatly into the only downside of this car. The price.
There’s no tap dancing around the issue here, this Mercedes has a price tag of $18,950.00. It could be the little latino bean counter inside me but there’s simply no way I’d be able to justify spending that amount of money for an old Merc at what should be rock bottom of the depreciation curve. For $10k this would really be a no brainer. In fact, the same dealership has a newer 300SDL in similar condition with 153,XXX miles at $11k. It’s not like the engine is anywhere near the end of its operative life or in need of serious repairs at that point. It’d be the rational choice. What about you, would you be able to justify the price for what is a practically new old Mercedes?
$18k is a little out of my price range. I’d buy one if the price was within my range. If the condition was right, everything on the car worked like it should, and all the trim pieces were on the car, including the grille. I’d also like a W123 Diesel, preferably with a 4 spd. manual transmission. 2.4 litre 4 cylinder engine.
my neighbor has one of these. He’s a young dude mid 20s and freaking loves it. He says the only real problem is the lack of power and the miles of vacuum lines (read NOT rubber hoses). Everything is powered by vacuum on these things.
on a positive note he did get rear ended at 20+mph and there was ZERO permanent damage. The frame thickness is about the same size as a modern full size truck.
My young nephew got into an accident while driving my sister-in-law’s old 420SEL, and just as she anticipated for such a contingency, he walked away from it. He hopefully learned from this that you don’t hit a Porsche to avoid a dog.
The thing was built like a tank; even the door hinges gave one an idea. This also explains its lousy, Strassenkreuzer-style gas mileage.
Yeah, if I was in the driver’s seat, Fido would have been chasing that big stick in the sky…
I bought my 1989 300SE in 1998, when it had 68,000 miles on the odo. Since then I’ve had to invest some $9,000 in mechanical repairs and maintenance, although the car was mint when I bought it. The siren song of a W126 is hard to resist–they are timelessly beautiful and the last MBZ series to be over-engineered and overbuilt–but anyone buying one should set up a college fund for it to cover the outrageous cost of the inevitable repairs. You don’t own a 126 as much as it owns you.
I had a very similar experience, also with a 1989 300SE.
People say that these were built like tanks… but if this is how the Germans built their tanks, WW2 would’ve been won by Poland.
Thank God they did build their tanks like Germans would. Their Panzers were pretty good, just too complicated for what they did. Just imagine if they had more simple and robust designs like the T34 or even the Sherman in 1939!
The Krupp Panzer IV was pretty close to what you mean, though when the War started, they were rare. They (like the later T-34 & Sherman) became the Dodge Darts of tanks which balanced cost & performance, & stayed abreast of Allied developments (e.g., the Special was competitive with the T-34/85 & Sherman Easy-Eight).
A private owner in the UK operates a vintage M3 Stuart light tank. Why? Being American, it’s still relatively cheap to keep running!
How many miles have you driven it since then. Unless it is a lot your statement seems a little contradictory. If it is so over engineered and overbuilt why would it need so much in repairs and maintenance?
Stop for a minute and think about that statement. You’ve owned the car for 17 years, and put $9000 into it. Averaged out, that totals to about $530 per year. That’s not bad at all!! I’d gladly pay $530 per year aside from the purchase price to drive such a fine piece of machinery. I’m sure things are fiendishly expensive when they do break, but it sounds like they don’t break all that often.
Also, yours is the gas motor. While the 3.0 six is certainly one of Benz’s better efforts, in reliability terms, I don’t know if it’s a match for the I5 diesel.
Should these cars command a price premium? Of course. Being practically indestructible, extremely attractive, and luxurious *all at once* is a combination that you don’t get very often. This one, at 64K miles, has many more good miles left in it than most modern cars, and ten times the style.
But 19K? Hmmm. Judging by the interior and exterior condition, if it looks just as good under the hood and underneath, it’s worth it.
If Imperialist is right, expect to have spent $30,000 (after repairs) before you finally bail out.
probably a good time to quote the car restorer’s mantra “it’s only original once”. Immaculate lowish mileage examples of cars that are normally high mileage workhorses command a justifiable premium for rarity and condition.
It’s about as beautiful as a sedan gets. Classic Mercedes. No mistaking that for a Hyundai Elantra. I love the clean simple interior. It even has the ridged tail light lenses. But the price is outrageous. Almost twice what it is worth. A vintage Mercedes or BMW is not supposed to cost that much. People sell them because they cost more to keep going than they are worth. If you look on Craigslist, you can find quite a few 10 year old Mercedes with just over 100,000 miles on them for $10,000. You can actually drive a status symbol for $10,000. Just not very far. When it breaks down, and it will, it can cost you thousands to fix it. The struts on a 10 year old Mercedes cost over $1000 apiece.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=why+not+to+buy+a+mercedes
Ya, European cars are not great to own when they get to be 15 or 20 years old.
You’re buying the wrong Mercedes-Benz then. I have two W126 300 SD turbo diesels and there is essential no maintenance. I change the oil every 2,500 to 3,500 miles and adjust the valves every 15-17,000 miles and I have zero issues. The A/C just broke on the 1983 but considering it is 38-years old, how can anyone complain about that? Yes, it will cost $1,400 to fix it but I paid, $2,000 for the car! People just seem to NOT know how to buy these cars. Some of the gasoline ones should be walked away from, I don’t care how pretty if it has never been driven, it has never been serviced and you’ll be replacing parts forever. Buy a car that has been driven buy just one or two owners, with records. My ’83 had 258,000 miles when I bought it but had records from 800 miles up to 179,897…that’s the kind of car you buy. There’s no better value per mile driven in the WORLD!!!
I have an 83 300sd that my dad bought in 85 and he gave it to me with almost 300k on it. I drove the crap out of it for a few years and it has 435k on it now. I adjusted the valves once and changed the oil every 3 or 4 thousand miles. Replaced the shocks, alternator and battery and ac compressor once and a couple of sets of tires. I haven’t driven it in 3 years but did start it up and drove it around the block a month ago and it is still strong as ever. All told, aside from fuel I spent maybe, maybe 1000 on it, granted I did all of the labor myself. These cars are not for everyone as they age but if you are mechanically inclined they can be very economical.
*extremely* economical .
Sadly I’m getting to where I can’t do the routine maintenance without significant pain anymore =8-( .
They’re safe as houses too ~ look at one that’s been in a major collision, rollover whatever .
-Nate
It’s hard to put a “correct price” on a classic car of this caliber, but I’d say that it’s price tag seems about right. Considering how expensive they were when new, and its near perfect condition now, it seems like a priceless automobile.
Also, I am familiar with this seller on eBay, and none of their cars are cheap.
“Your gas mileage may vary”.
As will opinions.
In MY opinion, this car was/is over hyped, over priced, and over sized.
This kind of money for a 300SD is ridiculous, although they are really my favourite MB of all time. The 300SD is a bit slow off the line, but on the highway, they were fine. Well, fine by the standards of 1983, anyway.
As a kid, I would have given anything for my parents to be bombing around town in one instead of our Volvos. But as an adult, I can’t seem to justify dropping 20K just to get in the front door. I’ll stick to my 2000 Acura RL, and keep my 20K in the bank.
Too expensive for most African dictators. What a shame.
I run a 600, 000 km W124 as a daily driver, have done for almost 20 years. Keeping it on the road isn’t as expensive as everyone thinks. With the right people looking after it, a W126 wouldn’t be any more costly.
Kj in Oz
Its priced at 5-6 times whAt these usually go for here, old Benzs are not particularly expensive but also mostly have 5-6 times the mileage racked up. Nice enough cars though for ride/handling reliability I’d rather an old diesel Peugeot as they are childs play to repair and source parts for I wouldnt kick this out of my driveway just not for that money.
It’s interesting that the W126 is appreciated for its looks today. I remember that there was some resistance to the loss of traditional styling cues and boxiness when it was introduced, at least in the US. It was also a malaise era product, and seemed less substantial, luxurious and powerful than the outgoing 450SEL 6.9. Mercedes-Benz 380SEL buyers probably weren’t sweating gas prices, but they got less car than before whether they wanted it or not.
According to Wikipedia, diesel S-class Mercedes were strictly a North-American oddity during the long production run of the W126. We were the only ones with significant emissions requirements on gasoline engines; diminishing performance, wasting fuel, and killing driveability until electronic engine management caught up. Mercedes-Benz saw turbo diesels as a solution to our unique market. They didn’t want to sell them in Europe though, as diesel Mercedes were called taxicabs there, and the S-class was to be as differentiated from a 200D as possible.
Correct, the W140 (the successor of the W126) was the first S-class in Europe with a diesel engine. Till then Mercedes’ standpoint was that a diesel was not “well-mannered” nor powerful enough to drive their flagship.
As such the W140 was the first F-segment car in Europe with a diesel. Later on BMW and Audi also got 6 and 8 cylinder turbo diesels in their top models. The VAG-Group also had a 5.0 liter V10 and a 6.0 liter V12 TDI.
Snuck’s right about the vacuum lines. The power door locks are one example. Hit the switch to lock the doors and they all might be locked by the time you go a block or two. Or maybe not.
My dad had one of these, a yellow 300SD. One day the left rear power window quit. We opened up the door and found that Mercedes made different power window motors for the left and right sides. Though they were different, the bolt patterns would allow them to be swapped inadvertently (BAD mistake, Benz!). One difference was the location of the weep hole to drain out whatever moisture might condense inside. This car must have been built on the last shift on a Friday or the first one on a Monday because it had a right-side motor on the left side; so the weep hole faced UPWARD. The motor was full of water and had rusted, which finally locked it up.
When I was in high school in the mid 1980s, I serviced many of my neighbor’s cars. It was a townhouse complex, and the neighborhood rules forbade working on cars. I figured the best way to avoid trouble was to fix everyone’s car…especially the Pres of the Homeowners Association.
Said Pres had one of these. I was shocked that the car required LOTS of oil…8 quarts…and the non spin-on oil filter was $12.00….in 1984!!!
I was accustomed to pouring 4 or 5 quarts, and filters at $1.99 for most of the American iron I worked on.
It was that day that I pledged to never waste money on (what seemed) exotic cars. A Twelve dollar oil filter?? NO WAY!
Nice car but way overpriced for what it is now (a 32 year old car) They were not really reliable in the 1980’s so I am guessing it will give somebody more fits now in terms of repairs. Not to mention that Benz decided it would be a great idea to control things with vacuum lines instead of conventional electrics and now all those vacuum lines are all brittle.
It seems that Mercedes(and other German car makers) seem to leave reliability out of the mix in their cars these last 35 years. A $70,000 Benz should be more reliable then a $15,000 Ford Focus but it is not.
I notice the background around the car. It looks like it was taken in the spring or summer as trees and grass don’t look that way in PA in January. That means this seller has been trying to sell the thing since then and has gotten nowhere because his/her car is overpriced.
These cars were some of the best models Mercedes Benz ever made.
I have a 32 year old one now still going strong
I could only imagine how good these would have been brand new.
Beats the reliability out of any new Mercedes Benz before they sold out and cheapened themselves.
Great cars! I thought they were so well balanced when introduced. I liked them despite their primitive transmissions. Their glass jaw is their expensive to repair A/C which has proven an early death for many.
The price is crazy regardless of the miles. I sold many of these cars when I had my car dealership and they almost all needed transmissions! These are high maintenance cars and things break easily, The previous model 116 (big body) and the smaller body 123 were much better cars. I’d stay away from this one unless it was under 10 grand.
Ha! Ha! Ha! You probably replaced transmissions that were perfectly fine!!! I’ve seen it a lot…guys who don’t know how to synch an ALDA — which is required for the trans to shift at the correct points — so they think the transmission is bad!!! Ha! Ha! Ha! Foolish, man. The 733 transmission will last 450,000 miles. Maybe 10-15% of W126 transmission issues require a rebuild or replacement trans. Most of those cars you’re talking about probably didn’t even need a transmission and could’ve been running sweet for about $450-$600.
I’ve seen 300SDs for sale locally for $1,000, sometimes less. They certainly aren’t as nice as this one but I don’t think this is $17,000 better
I checked two value guides in US dollars. One pegs this car at $20,000 in number one condition. The other guide rates it at $13,000, number one condition. From what I see in the pics this is a number one car. $18,000 seems fair for the rare model you are getting in exceptional condition.
It comes down to “Willing buyer, willing seller.” This Mercedes should be relatively trouble free assuming it has been well maintained all its life. I’m not a fan of diesel engines no matter who the manufacturer. Still this is a handsome car and I think someone will get good value for the money whatever they pay for the 300D.
As the proud owner of a 1982 300SD that I have currently listed with Craig for $2000, I support this. Mine is the same color (or was before the paint faded). Perhaps I should double my price, I figured $2000 was fair for a car in fair condition but now I’m having second thoughts…
I often wonder if this seller ever sells any cars at all – everything they have is very clean, but the prices are simply unbelievable – Volvo 240’s for $10,000, etc. My dad had a 300sdl for years, it was really a great car – the long wheelbase and the hydraulic suspension made for a great road trip car, especially when fuel economy was taken into account. Nothing too crazy ever went wrong with it, but maybe we were lucky. I can still remember the quiet, throbbing hum of that car at 75-80mph – it was a soothing sound when I was a small child.
Whoever thinks this car is really worth almost 19 grand, needs to smoke less of whatever they’ve been smoking.
Yes, it’s quite a nice car, seems very well preserved, decently equipped (although, apparently there’s no AC) and I personally love those wheels.
But to even think of requesting five figures for this car is a huge stretch. I think about 5 grand should be enough for this car, and I don’t see why it is supposed to be so ‘rare’ or ‘collectible’.
And if the owner really thinks so high of this car, at least he could install an original car radio instead of the cheap aftermarket eyesore currently taking residence in the center console.
Unfortunately the factory Becker radios are pieces of crap. I suspect the last functioning example died at least fifteen years ago.
Also the car is certainly not rare (although there can’t me more than a handful in similar condition) but it is “collectible” in the sense that there are diesel Benz people who will have two or three of them.
I didn’t know that about those radios. But in my opinion, when it comes to car radio, there are only two alternatives:
– original radio*
– modern radio with MP3/USB/iPad connectivity and decent sound, and try to select one that does not clash too much aesthetically with the rest of the interior (which is not that easy, apparently with most aftermarket radio manufacturers, design decisions are made by 17-year olds who arrived here in a time machine from late 1990s)
*of course, a very good way would be a new unit with modern electronics inside, but looking like the original on the outside
Becker make a retro console radio with all the modern accoutrements. Very expensive. Mine has a self-seeking Becker which still works. It’s actually quite annoying; I’d rather have a push button number because there’s only about 5 stations I care to listen to. And the heads on the tape deck are so bad, the Aerosmith tape I stuck in there sounds like its under water.
Radio looks to be aftermarket, not a Becker 612. Also the usual cracks in the console wood and fading of the ashtray door wood. Very nice example, probably one of the best around, but 19K? No.
Re: appraisals of value. #1: 95 point + show car, not driven. Perfect, as it left the showroom. If the car has been very well kept, driven 65k miles and ALL systems are as new– its a #2 at best. Most of our very nice cars are #3. This would place it from $9,000 to $15,000 give or take.
And: Value is based on: Rare, Desirable (was it highly desirable then, is it highly desirable now), and Condition. The axiom is: It is worth what the buyer is willing to pay when he/she wants to part with their money. It is not worth what you are asking, but what the buyer is willing to pay!
Now, for some perspective: a 1997 Mercedes S600 V-12 coupe ‘books’ at: $6,600 in condition #5; $11,000 in condition #4; and $24,000 in condition #3. A very very nice example did not sell at a high bid of $9,800 in 2014 at a collector car auction in Portland. That car is rare (approx 200 made for the USA), likely desirable to a select few buyers, and in superb condition. (Trailered not driven to the auction.) Probably close to a #2 which books at $38,000. (It cost $140,000+ or – new.)
Yes, I have done professional auto appraisals, including some high end vehicles. Many confuse Insurance Replacement Value, Stated Value, and the “I want to sell it, NOW” price.
reliability and durability are not the same thing.
The chevy cavalier is considered a cockroach of the road and therefore ‘reliable’ nevermind all the stuff that falls off breaking etc..
These old Mercedes were indeed built like tanks my neighbors car is more than 30yrs old and is still quiet inside.
I’m not sure if it is just a north east coast thing (CT) but despite the drop in crude oil prices, diesel fuel is over a dollar more a gallon than regular gas… I don’t remember the differential being this high before. This fact alone would make me think hard before buying a diesel.
Car looks mint, but the wood lost its shine (the veneer is also probably cracked), as I have seen on most 80’s Benzes I’ve seen at the auctions.
If I were to go into the trouble of owning one of these, it would be a 560. And still, I’m afraid I will see the tail of a WM/WN on the open road.
There are different approaches to own and enjoy a luxury car. I would be looking for an (almost) daily driver, provide it with hibernation periods and I would turn my own wrenches for maintenance and repairs. I don’t think I would want an immaculate car, actually I would not want to pay for an immaculate condition. Obviously it would not be the only car.
I like the approach described here:http://apidaonline.com/index.php/articles/life/item/5-things-no-one-tells-you-about-owning-a-used-luxury-car
I think this price is a little high for what this is, although I have a soft spot for the W126, even the s1 with the smaller bundt wheels and generally lower standard of luxury and engineering than the 1989-and-up cars.
About 6 years ago, my then-girlfriend and I bought a 62,000 mile 380SE that had been a successful dentist’s final car for $2500. It had a few needs, and the fuel economy was nowhere near proportionate to the power. (For non-US readers, the US 380SE was smog-choked, giving something like 140-150 horsepower. I think the EU version, without cat, came close to 200hp, and the internet seems to remember it much more fondly.) Even with that problem, the 380SE was an excellent highway cruiser, the kind of car that would occasionally cause me to try and contrive a road trip. The car made you feel well-informed about the road, even as it subtly reminded you that you were responsible for piloting a serious automobile–thoughtless, twitchy helmsmanship would not be tolerated.
I don’t see much appreciation in a 300SD that hasn’t already spent its whole life in a museum. Given that a patient person could probably get a s2 560SEL or a 420SEL with a tolerable maintenance history for half the asking price here, that would seem to be the way I’d go, and I do occasionally waste time on this fantasy…
On the main points of the 380SE: original Becker radio worked perfectly, climate control was functional but made me anxious, but what is it about Mercedes head gaskets? It seems like head gasket replacement is a 10-15year or 100-150k mile wear item on every gas MB engine up through….when?
Several years ago a friend of my sister bought a similar-vintage 300SD on Craigslist for US$2000. It had over 100,000 miles on it and was in decent shape – all it needed was a new set of glow plugs, which her husband installed himself. She calls it her “Tiger Tank” and uses it as a fair weather daily driver. Her winter driver is a VW Jetta TDI.
I have deep respect for these, and other versions such as the 560 SEL and her ancestors such as the 300 SEL. I have no intention to anger anyone, but a certain Japanese upstart, in rear wheel drive and V8 ate their lunch. I have had extensive experience with both marks.
I’ve been actively shopping W126s this year. Why? I made the mistake of test driving one and it was simply an unduplicated driving experience.
But as to whether or not to buy this one?
My research has led me to conclude two things about W126s:
1: You’re always better off to buy a well-maintained (i.e. full maintenance records with the car) yet driven (130K + on the clock), as opposed to the low mileage 300SD featured here that may have dried out after the original owner passed on and lay fallow in a garage for 20 years -after which it undergoes a ‘refreshing’ for ebay.
As evidence, for the latter, I offer the Imperialist’s posted experience (above). That said, like Chris M. commented below the Imperialist’s post, the overall maintenance costs/yr. are not extravagant for this type of vintage German engineering -think parts costs.
2: Know what can go wrong with a W126 BEFORE you buy: this YouTube series is an overview of what to watch out for on W126s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJoC5qdVdGI
As one German auto repair specialist said of the W126s, “Incredible -but these are timebombs; something will always go out -always.” That includes the odometer, which had gone out on a very nice 1-owner W126 I looked at.
That said, I think Chris M. is right: I’m still willing to consider the spend in maintenance costs for this incredible driving experience.
Is that you SeVair? Have you changed your username?
The car looks beautiful – really good photos. I always wanted one of these, and shopped a bit for a 126 back in 1995. Decent ones were about 10-15K then I think. I decided the S Class wouldnt be cost effective and bought a stripped 1994 Camry for $13,800 instead. That Camry was really, really well built, and I kept about 10 years with no real issues, although it did burn oil when I got rid of it.
Funny that a car this big is sporting 195/70 R 14s. Yet looks pretty good. That Camry wore the same size.
Well that’s going from one extreme to the other. The Camrys of the mid 90’s were excellent cars, but it’s an interesting move after considering an S-Klasse!
Is it worth 18 grand- no. Well there may be someone that would the price but I think a 560 would be a better idea. Really an SL “roadster” is a better gamble. While I respect the MBZ heritage it’s like a lot of other high priced Euro models, it’s only designed to last long enough to satisfy the original lesse then be pawned off as a CPO. Which is really the best way to buy one after the initial big depreciation hit. I think you would be better off with a sportier model like a Porsche 911, that’s a classic that at least has a following. I was discussing my old Mustang with one of my coworkers who was telling me how great his seven year old Beemer was as long as you “kept up the maintenance “. So then I asked him, how many 45 year old Beemers do you see on the road- none. How many 20 year old Beemers? Anything can be fixed but why bother.
If you can afford to buy and run the new car equivalent of this, yes buy it.
If you can’t, don’t touch it. It will bankrupt you, and end up as scrap.
Looking at it dispassionately I see a nice looking car but:
1) It is 32 years old
2) It is a 4 door sedan so nothing special
3) It is a diesel and so nothing special
4) It is a Mercedes and the only cache Mercedes carries in regards to a 32 year old car is how much the repairs will cost you. So being a Mercedes does not make it collectible. Therefore 3K in excellent condition and maybe a $500-1000 bonus for low miles.
*Very* pretty ! .
I like the color a lot .
I’m no fan of the W-126 chassis but they’re damn good cars and no , the only time they’re unreliable or expen$ive to operate is when you , the Owner/Driver , neglects them .
The almost never break down and the trannies are good for 250,000 miles assuming you never touch/service it from new .
I hear you alls whining about CVT’s dying long before that but they all get a pass here .
ALL W-126’s sold in America , came standard with world class GM/Delco R-4 powered AC that keeps you (us anyway) cool in Death Valley @ 65° F .
They accelerate O.K. , better if you bother to keep the valves adjusted and the fuel filters changed , the usual things 90 % of American Drivers are simply too lazy/cheap to do .
Unlike any American car , you can run it 24/7 @ 120 MPH and it won’t break nor wear out , and get decent fuel economy too ~ low 20’s at those speeds .
The W-126 chassis’ big change was it’s CG ~ it’s remarkably slippery going through the air so this car when operated @ 60 ~ 65 MPH will easily get 32 ~ 34 MPG’s when fully loaded up with crap , I know as I’ve criss crossed America many times in my Brothers 1981 300SD with over 300,000 miles , like me he’s a fanatic about mileage checks at every fillup , my 5 cylinder W-123’s never get that high mileage .
Saying Becker radios are crap , means you have never had one ~ they provide good sound quality , better if you replace the 30 year old rotted speakers instead of buying a flashy Chinese made stereo that crackles and distorts if you turn it up loud .
The 3L M110 6 cylinder engines were fairly peppy but *very* thirsty ~ they also like to spit cam shims .
I’ve never heard of older Mercedes Diesels nor gasser V8’s blowing head gaskets, maybe you should try changing the coolant every few Decades .
This thing IMO , is wildly over priced but then I drive old beaters that are worthless no matter how well they run / last .
-Nate
Nate, you have my total respect and love, plaese don’t take this wrong. The Lexus LS 400/430 have shamed these. I’ve had extensive experience with both. 240D and 420 SEL. And I loved them. But, I have a ten year old LS 430 with zero mechanical failures. Nothing has gone wrong. I loved my Benzes, but two failures per year were good with them, and these were A/C compressors, glow plugs, transmissions, door locks, etc’s, ABS modules and much more.
No worries ! =8-) .
Remember : by choice I drive old beaters every day here in The Wild Wild West , if I had any sense atall , I’d buy something new and drive it enjoying the lack of Mtce. needs and so on , I prefer to sweat like a naughty lady in Church dirving my ’59 Met or ’69 Chevy in the Desert heat , I completely understand why most Folks orefer modern vehicles , I just don’t is all .
I read here about the various ins and outs of the Lexi and wonder which is the best , least trouble prone one ? .
Do Lexi routinely make 350,000 miles on the original engine ? .
Seriously ? .
It’s a rare Mercedes that doesn’t .
FWIW , Mercedes Diesels I like , the S – Klasses , not so much no matter how powered .
My Brother loves them and now has two and ’81 300SD and an ’87 300SDL with the 6 cylinder Diesel engine , I keep them running , don’t like driving them one bit .
To each their own ~ if everyone liked the same transportation , life would be very boring indeed .
-Nate
Ultimately, it is about for how much the seller is willing to part for his car, and how much the buyer is willing to offer. Is this an overpriced car? In any objective sense of the matter, yes. But this isn’t about objectivity or any logic or rational feelings at all. This particular car is about passion, and passion is seldom rational.
And this car and this offer isn’t for anybody. It is directed to a very narrow band of the population. This is a car for a very passionate collector or a hipster with a lot of cash. For somebody looking for a low-mileage mint-condition Diesel W126, there isn’t a lot to chose from. And therefore, for the right person, it could actually be under-valued. I wouldn’t be surprised if the price is met or even raised. For the right person, the price could even be irrelevant.
And yes, there’s a lot of Mercs in the thousand dollar price range. But you can’t find an example as good as this for that kind of money. As said, this isn’t even about money, but about passion.
No way! True, these are nice cars, but they are a dime a dozen. For that price you could probably buy 4 or 5 W126’s that are creampuffs with plenty of life left in them. Supply and demand. There is still an abundant supply that are in relatively sound mechanical condition for 1/4 of the asking price of thyis thing. The only way this purchase would make sense is if someone were buying it for their collection, and this one is in really nice shape. But again, supply and demand; it will be a long time before enough of these are junked and taken off the road to make the average price of one of these creep up to the near $20k mark.
First off I’ll say how often do you find a car that old and in that great of condition, with such low miles? Because there are so very few with low mileage, in that great condition, I think the price is justified. Go ahead and search around and see if you can find another one that is that nice, with as low or lower miles, for very much less money. Chances are you can’t. So it’s probably worth it. Of course, maybe that’s just the asking price. Perhaps the seller would come down a bit. But having said that, yes, I’d love to find a similar old Benz that nice for 10K or less. That baby looks sooo nice!
What crosses my mind is that a car that nice should maybe stay garaged most all the time and only be taken out to a few car shows a year. That way, if you should choose years later to sell it, it will continue to be in outstanding condition and still be worth about what you paid for it.