1972 300SEL For Sale in Sweetwater, Texas

[JeffreyNMemphis]

Hello Peaches,

AudiHenry started a thread discussing the value of a crippled W108 he found. Someone mentioned a car for sale in Sweetwater, Texas so we all went to look and started discussing the car. I thought it would be helpful to members of the Forum to start a new thread instead of hijacking Henry's discussion. This is the link to the car being discussed.

http://sections.mbca.org/northtexas//MBCA_North_Texas/Der_Marktplatz.html

I emailed the owner. I am always in the market for a good deal on a vintage Mercedes. The asking price is $12,500 or best offer. Which puts it beyond my definition of good deal for this car. There are cars that would be a good deal for $12,500; but let me explain why I think this one is over priced.

The owner sent me this description with the price:

Quote:

This is a 1972 Mercedes Benz. It has been really taken care of with little cosmetic things done that I can see. Last owner had seats dyed dark blue. Also part of the clear coat is beginning to peel around the back antenna. I have had motor work done since the car had been stored in temperature controlled environment prior to my buying it. I bought it as a school car for my daughter who is a senior this year, but it was too "old school" for her to manage. So I have driven it to work and it stays in my garage when not driven. I am asking $12,500 or best offer. If you need more information or pictures (I am attaching a couple) please let me know. I am located in Sweetwater TX.

End Quote (phone number omitted)





The suspension looks flat up front. The springs or shocks or something looks wrong. I don't believe Bundt wheels were original on a 1972 car. I like Bundt wheels, but they don't look vintage to me.

The odometer in the MBCA ad shows 6606 miles. The ad has a photo showing the odometer at 6606 miles.



Here is a different photo taken at a different time and place with identical mileage: 6606 miles. The odometer probably is not working.

The lady says the seats have been dyed a dark blue. That means they are not original color. Since she is wrong about some other facts about the car, she could be wrong about them being dyed. They could be seats from another W108/109 or they could be new seat covers in dark blue instead of the correct color DB345.

She says the clear coat is peeling around the antenna. Mercedes Benz was still using single stage paint in 1972 which did not get a clear coat. So the car was painted at some point. The car is being advertised as a garage queen, why was it painted? The picture of the odometer above shows cracks in the dash board's finish; another problem I would not expect on a 6606 mile car that has rarely seen sunshine.

She says she had motor work done. That scares me most of all. She does not say what prompted the work or who did the work or what was done. If she said it had a fresh oil change and spark plugs that would be different.

Am I being too picky? The paint is not original, the wheels are not original, the interior is not original, and someone has done "motor work" on a car with less than 7,000 miles?

What do you think??