Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
USED European Luxury Cars (pre 1990)
This discussion has been closed.
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
400Es? 300Es? Nope.
E320 Cabriolets? You make a great point, But look at actual wholesale values.. The suckers are wholesaling for more than 500SLs! And they are rare and in strong demand.
Will they always be expensive? I think so. Look at 280SE 4.5 Cabs, they have never been "cheap" cars.
A true collector car likea gullwing tho? I dont see it..
Bill
Aside from rarity, beauty, style and all the rest is the big 600 pound gorilla of collectibility---someone has to care. And frankly, I don't think any of the cars you mentioned really will get collectors blood rising. They pretty much look like any other luxury German cabriolet. Certainly none of the visual power of a Gullwing. A '57 Chevy convertible will draw 100X as many people as a 320 Cabriolet.
I think these cars will be more of the type "picked off" by bargain hunters who want a lot of used car for the money and are willing to risk the problems of fixing complex cars out of warranty. You know, people like us
If you are going to buy and old car, and then try to gradually replace the worn seat covers, or scuffed dash, or stained carpet, or whatever, you will spend a fair amount of money. Especially on these old German cars. Also, except for the condition of the seals, and other rubber components like motor mounts and bushings, if the car was stored properly or driven a little every couple of weeks, you should have many miles to go on the mechanical side of things before you wear it out. This is not dissimilar to what we do when we buy a new car. We buy it and use it up. And take a huge hit in depreciation in doing so. Of course a new car is much more reliable, but in this case, I think your trading new car reliability for the fun of driving an older Mercedes.
I'm not defending $20K for an 81'SD. But if I was looking to buy one, and came across this one, in perfect condition in every little detail, I'd be willing to pay a premium price to get such a pristine car. Knowing all along that if I bought a car that wasn't in pristine condition, I'd start to gradually replace all the worn stuff and spend the money anyway.
But good, well cared for German luxury cars will always command a decent price vis a vis other used cars of the same type. You might get $5-6K for a pristine 1981 SD, but this is hardly possible for a pristine domestic 4-door or an old Japanese sedan.
so I don't really notice the bad lighting as much.) Therefore, I need a short term "Wal-Mart" solution. Does anyone have a good recommendation for off-the-shelf sealed beam lights?
Also, I've found last minute flights from Austin to seattle for 200. before, so I couldn't imagine Iowa to NY being any more than that, probably less.
Very sorry to hear about your loss
Bill
And you're right...sealed beams suck! Later I'll order the Cibies from iPd or (when Mrs. Lance isn't looking) the full E-Code conversion (though its cost is even hard to justify to myself!)
See you guys around Sunday or so.
The lady owned the car since it was new and I assume it's been well-cared for to last this long. I will demand the service records. What problems are peculiar to the 1980s S-Class. I understand these were some of the best built Mercedes of all time - better than their successors.
I think you'd be much happier with a $7,000 300SE in later vintage with lower miles. The car certainly would pose less problems.
Given the amount of Mercedes Ses I see in such excellent condition, my instinct is that the only Mercedes worth buying is one that is a creampuff. Sort of like my 190E. The car had a 100% clean bill of health. I would not have bought it if that weren't the case for fear of a troublesome oldie.
Spend a little more money and get a lot less miles...and make sure those service records are indeed in order...I would never consider buying any used MB without a complete history.
My suggestions. Ask for the keys. Take the car out alone and beat the living hell out of it for 1/2 hour. If nothing breaks, self-destructs, smokes, boils over, leaks, clatters or spits, well then maybe it's okay.
Remind me never to sell you a car...
Fixing the sunroof can be expensive (high hundreds); the A/C was a potential weak point (fully test -- can be low thousands, but maybe you can live without it); the front suspension needs renewal over time (about a thousand -- hopefully done); transmission will eventually wear out (couple of thousand); valve renewal at 150,000 or so (several thousand -- hopefully done or still not using oil so as to require it); and the timing chain/guide rails/tensioner renewal every 100,000 is an essential ($600 or so to save the engine). Replacing the radio head unit is a couple hundred.
Unless the $1,500 is inconsequential to you and you're happy walking away if it doesn't work, spend $100 or so for a thorough inspection by an independent fully familiar with these cars.
Yes, don't sell me a car unless it's a good one, that's true!
Thanks a lot in advance.
It's kind of hard to appraise a car without seeing it, as your idea of "average" might be different than mine or Bill's. Generally, Benzes have to be pretty sharp to get a good price, otherwise their prices fall off sharply, since reconditioning can be expensive. Also, geographical location might be a factor. A black car in say Phoenix is a dead duck.
Theyre on the $$ here. If it's clean and everything works, $9K as a trade.
If nothing else, that's the number I'd pay for the car.
OTOH, it'd do $11-12K on eBay
Bill
Painfully slow acceleration. I felt as if I could measure the 0-60 mph time with an oven timer. Whenever I floored the gas, all I got was moaning and whining from the big I-6 and very little forward movement. Low-speed acceleration from a stop was great thanks to all that 170 ft.-lbs. of torque, but top-end power was a joke. Seriously. I was even unable to make the 528e smoke its rear tires. Even I couldn't do that on a Mercedes 240D I tested once. The steering was fine at highway speeds (I had the car for an hour), but it was mercifully heavy at low speeds and when attempting parking maneuvers. This car was indeed a chore to drive, just like the many large American land yachts I've driven as well.
German a/c is a joke as well. I started the car up and immediately set the air to full blast. Man, that unit took like half an hour to cool the entire interior! It must be the same unit Mercedes used back then. There was something fishy going on with the electrics as well. The little trip computer to the right of the instrument panel was all scrambled up and was very illegible. I also turned on the radio, and all I got was "CODE" on the screen. But the power antenna worked, as did all the windows, both power seats, locks, and the sunroof. This BMW seemed like a good car, but it needed some work done to it in order to make it a reliable daily driver.
In the end, I took a walk on this one. I vowed that was the first, and last 528e I would drive in my life. To be frank and fair, that particular model was a disgrace to the BMW name in the 1980's. It may have rode and handled well, but the acceleration left something to be desired. I mean, 121 hp from a 2.7-liter engine? Even my '93 Volvo 850 has much better acceleration than any 528e (and that one has a smaller 5-cylinder engine). Any impressions or comments?
-Jason
As far as the older BMWs, the only one that still tempts me would be the M6 coupes.
The older Benz diesel were hardly luxury cars. I think they were built mostly for hard use in commercial service and so they feel utilitarian by modern standards. I doubt the average old diesel would go one million miles either, but really you can drive anything for a million miles if you are willing to put the money into it.
By my standards, the first really comfortable modern Benz diesel was the SD turbo diesel. Prior to that, those engines are rough and ready.
But these cars are pretty civilized, and go fast enough to be safe on modern roads. Older Benz diesels are very marginal in both speed and comfort.
So, essentially, if we had refined diesel, you just turned a Golf going 0-60 in 10.6 seconds with a TDI90 into a Golf going 0-60 in 8.5 seconds. KICK A!
The Mercedes E270CDI will be resurfacing in America in a few years. That is a 175hp lump that does 60 in about 9 seconds, which is really not that bad.