Crack price of the day, tear em apart boys! - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

97 SL320 · #16 06-01-2019, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by resto108

Yes, they really were $40k in 83, I've seen the window stickers. And there weren't that many options in NA. I believe the Deutsche Mark exchange rate was the reason they were so high at that time.

$ 40,000 in 1983 = $102,321.52 in 2019

jay_bob · #17 06-01-2019, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjts1

I'd be more concerned about the fact that the only the speedometer needle is faded yellow while the rest of the needles in the cluster are perfect orange.

I noticed that too. The lower 2/3 of the speedometer graphics are sun faded inconsistent with the lack of sun exposure on the other red/orange marks on the other gauge faces. (What is it about red/orange pigments that just get destroyed in sunlight??)

Don't get me wrong, the car looks to be in very fine shape. But that speedometer threw a huge red flag for me too.

Also no underbody pictures. It is Chicago land of rusty cars after all.

Up there in Chicago there is a lot of people with money on that north end of town (used to live there myself) and it's not unheard of for someone, especially in the 80s, to have a Sunday driver car. So the story is not too far fetched.

jay_bob · #18 06-01-2019, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 97 SL320

$ 40,000 in 1983 = $102,321.52 in 2019

Yes and a new S class goes for just north of $100k today, so times really haven't changed in that regard.

tjts1 · #19 06-01-2019, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay_bob

Yes and a new S class goes for just north of $100k today, so times really haven't changed in that regard.

The current S class is horribly outdated. That's why they depreciate faster than used TP.

WDBCB20 · #20 06-01-2019, 10:43 PM

"The 300 SD produced a wapping 123HP and 184 Ft/Lbs of torque, way ahead of its time in class, luxury, and fuel economy with up to 41 MPG!"

The fuel economy was also "wapping" apparently.

97 SL320 · #21 06-02-2019, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay_bob

I noticed that too. The lower 2/3 of the speedometer graphics are sun faded inconsistent with the lack of sun exposure on the other red/orange marks on the other gauge faces.

If a car sat in a garage with a window, sun could sweep across the car on a daily basis fading select portions of the instrument cluster car.

97 SL320 · #22 06-02-2019, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jay_bob

Yes and a new S class goes for just north of $100k today, so times really haven't changed in that regard.

True in terms of outright purchase price however look at all of the extra features the newer car has over the older one. It is like a desk top / lap top computer. Cost remains pretty much the same but power / speed continues to increase.

barry12345 · #23 06-02-2019, 10:54 AM

No doubt a lower milage example. I would really question the claim though if the original oil change book was not present. There could be no really valid reason for it not to be present.

okyoureabeast · #24 06-02-2019, 11:36 AM

I like how that speedo needle is faded incorrectly against the rest of the car's needles. Rolling back on these cars is so laughably easy. I want every bloody mile documented from the first day it was sold to now with dealer service records.

Reminds me of this:

87tdwagen · #25 06-02-2019, 12:32 PM

Nice car, certainly very low mileage, as others mentioned documentation would be needed to back up this claim .

My only question is why? Why go to the extreme of saving a car of which there were roughly 150k examples made? Not a special sub model or anything to denote collectability to warrant this level of care let alone price

t walgamuth · #26 06-02-2019, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyl604

Was an SD really $40K in 1983? I remember buying my wife an '83 in about 1986 and we paid about $24K for it then - which was quite a bit.

I have mixed emotions about trailer queens like this one. Why own it if you do not enjoy driving it?

Are those the correct wheels? My '83 had bundts.

I dunno the price of an sd in 83 but my 84 500 sec cost about $80K when new and I bought it ten years later with 80k on it for $8,000. I suspect the SD cost more than 40K new.

79-240d · #27 06-03-2019, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 87tdwagen

Nice car, certainly very low mileage, as others mentioned documentation would be needed to back up this claim .

My only question is why? Why go to the extreme of saving a car of which there were roughly 150k examples made? Not a special sub model or anything to denote collectability to warrant this level of care let alone price

I doubt it was an intentional act of preservation of a collector's item - more likely owned by an old-school person who only used it for church/special occasions.

It's a different level, but my grandpa was like this. He was an old union guy who was on disability due to an injury at the factory. Had a cigar box by his easy chair stuffed with 100s because why would he deposit his money in the bank when he could keep it right next to him?

Anyway, 98% of the time, he drove his Ford F100. But in his garage he had a fully-loaded Oldsmobile 98. He and my grandma weren't the church types, so the only time it came out was for weddings or funerals (so long as it wasn't winter), or when they were going to make the long drive to Kentucky to go home to see family. I'm sure the drives to Kentucky ever couple years would have put more than 5,000 miles on the old boat, but none the less, it was EXTREMELY low miles, and in absolutely pristine condition.

All a long way of saying that I find it completely believable that there was someone in the "300SD" income bracket rather than the "Loaded Olds 98" income bracket would buy one and then let it sit while hardly driving it.

As for the car in question, it's nice, but there are a whole host of classic cars I'd buy for that money before I'd buy a 300SD.

Heck, you can get a really nice 6.9 for that money.

okyoureabeast · #28 06-03-2019, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 79-240d

I doubt it was an intentional act of preservation of a collector's item - more likely owned by an old-school person who only used it for church/special occasions.

It's a different level, but my grandpa was like this. He was an old union guy who was on disability due to an injury at the factory. Had a cigar box by his easy chair stuffed with 100s because why would he deposit his money in the bank when he could keep it right next to him?

Anyway, 98% of the time, he drove his Ford F100. But in his garage he had a fully-loaded Oldsmobile 98. He and my grandma weren't the church types, so the only time it came out was for weddings or funerals (so long as it wasn't winter), or when they were going to make the long drive to Kentucky to go home to see family. I'm sure the drives to Kentucky ever couple years would have put more than 5,000 miles on the old boat, but none the less, it was EXTREMELY low miles, and in absolutely pristine condition.

All a long way of saying that I find it completely believable that there was someone in the "300SD" income bracket rather than the "Loaded Olds 98" income bracket would buy one and then let it sit while hardly driving it.

As for the car in question, it's nice, but there are a whole host of classic cars I'd buy for that money before I'd buy a 300SD.

Heck, you can get a really nice 6.9 for that money.

Funny you say that, I know of a guy whose sister is a widower. She was married to a rich guy and had a stable of modern cars. Pretty much every nice Benz, Porsche, Ferrari, etc you can think of.

She rarely drives or leaves the home and pays a guy come by to drive them around to keep them doing their thing. Basically has a bunch of late model cars with sub 5k miles on them.

It just seems silly to me.

The real question is, is the engine properly broken in at all with that virgin mileage?

97 SL320 · #29 06-03-2019, 07:35 PM

Recently found 1954 Studebaker with 7,000 miles and one previous owner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNSXPeSh5EA

There is also a vid where he buys the car / relays it's history but I can't find it now.

pawoSD · #30 06-04-2019, 03:32 PM

Original sticker price of my 1989 420SEL was 64k, in 1989....which is $131,895 in todays dollars.

As for that mint SD in the beginning of this thread, I doubt you'd easily find one with lower miles/in better shape than that. Its worth whatever the market will pay essentially. Not many "NEW" 300SD's out there at this point!