1989 Mercedes 300SE
The car popped up on craigslist last night. I'm not searching too hard for a car right now, but with school coming to an end a second vehicle would be nice so neither my wife or I is stuck relying on our spotty transit system to get to work. This particular car caught my eye as it had cloth seats, something very seldom seen on North American Mercedes; so I popped in to take a look today.
Got to the small used car lot which consists of stock that was traded in at the downtown BMW dealership; so lots of Mercedes, Lexus', BMWs and Audis that are too old for the dealership to worry about. The car was a trade in that had been in BC for a while (as evidenced by some old parking stickers), originally it was imported new to Japan from Germany which explains the odd specifications and then at some point was brought across to BC.
The car had cloth, non-power, non-heated seats, power windows, locks and mirrors and was generally a base level car. Nice when dealing with a older car that is generally complex.
The body was in fair shape, a solid 20-footer. Paint was still nice and glossy but was let down with a number of chips and a few scratches. The rockers were rust free but the passenger rear fender had a fair bit of rust, as did the drivers quarter panel at the rear corner next to the trunk. A quick clean up and spot respray would save it for the winter but I would replace the metal for added insurance.
The interior was in good condition. Very little wear on the seats, everything accounted for, just the centre consle needing some new "wood".
The car has 225,000kms on it. Started up instantly from cold and had no noticable valvetrain noise. Exhaust was almost brand new. Brakes were new, new hoses and belts underhood and transmission was seamless. Also had brand new winter tires on it, but no mention made of all seasons. Small bit of oil leakage but it appeared to be a weeping pan gasket.
The car drove as a W126 should. It was quiet, comfortable, ironed out bumps and felt very big and secure. While not as torquey and commanding as the 560SEL I drove a few months back, it was still more than adequate with power. I also get the feeling we wouldnt get bullied about in traffic quite as much as in the Accent.
Seriously considering the car, all the advantages of the W126, quiet, comfortable, excellent highway cruiser, reliable; but simpler, more economical, and cheaper than the loaded North American S-classes with bigger engines.