This was Thursday morning on the way to work through Lutz. The first thing I noticed was the trailer hitch. Then when we stopped at a light I noticed the badge said 220 instead of 320. There was also a little badge below the left tail light and another badge inset into the trim just aft of the front wheel. I couldn't get close enough for long enough to read the little badges. Also never got an opportunity to get close enough (safely) for a clear picture, but I'll attach what I got.

So is there some loophole that allows people to import Euro cars?

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

I wish!!! Would love a 4cyl eclass.

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (113k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
1993 300SD (291k)
1993 300D 2.5T (338k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (265k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K)
1985 300D (233K)

Weird, it does have a FL plate too... I wonder if its from Canada? Very cool!

The 220Cdi engine is amazing. Burnout level power and torque out of that teeny engine. Not to mention about 38mpg average!

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-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

Drive across Mexican border, swap VINs with a dead E320, register in a state without inspections, par-tay! Seems like a lot of effort for an E220, though.

I'd also black out the plate in your photo to protect the (possibly) guilty.

I checked the picture before I posted it. It's from my phone and the cars are far enough away that by the time you zoom in enough to read the plates, they are so pixelated that you can't read them anyway.

__________________
Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Ive driven a few W210 E220 CDI - those cars are crazy, they are completely dead off boost but as soon as you hit boost - 1800 rpms or something - they take off like a train. The little annoyance is the 4 cyl idle vibration in it.

My wife's uncle has one - it has done about 400,000 kms - the engine is good but the body work is terrible. It has the expected / standard door rot... but he's also got really strange rust bubbles (coming from underneath) on places on the car you'd never expect - like half way up the doors or waist height and above on the door pillars...

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Ive seen that too on a W210, it was quite odd

Its just about impossible to import a modern car like that. That might have been a Mercedes test mule. The other possibility is someone drove it down from Canada, and its not really supposed to be here, no idea how they registered it.

After talking with a G importer anything after 1995 that's not 20 years old yet is like huge bucks, talking $50k or a lot more to import if its even possible.

That engine would have to be EPA emissions certified to be used on public roads, and since its not here there are not Mercedes parts to make it work, so you would have to spend huge $$$$$$ on a custom emissions system. Like six figures.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

It would be a stretch for it to be from Canada. Our law is 15 years or older for any vehicle not manufactured to US/Canadian spec.

You can't import euro spec cars to Canada any easier than to the US... apart from the 15 year limit being lower than yours.

The only way I can see doing it would be either a VIN swap, which would be both expensive and problematic later on in the event of an insurance claim.... or simply falsified paperwork somehow pushed through by a cooperative and crooked customs broker.

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

Why does anyone care about these things? Your plate is a matter of public record.

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

With enough money you can import anything to the US. Might not be able to drive it much but you can do it.

To the OP Are you sure it was an E 220? Not a gasser C220?

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Absolutely 100% certain. E220 CDI. I triple checked, and it had a pretty good sized soot stain on the back as well.

I'm even more curious since the Florida plate has been pointed out. Hadn't thought to look at that at the time.

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Rick Miley
2014 Tesla Model S
2018 Tesla Model 3
2017 Nissan LEAF
Former MB: 99 E300, 86 190E 2.3, 87 300E, 80 240D, 82 204D Euro
Chain Elongation References

Probably a Embassy/Consulate vehicle.

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Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)