1970 prices, cars and options....

[Idle]

I found this information in a car I was taking parts from.

1970 prices of Mercedes...

220 $4961

220d $5067

280se $6866

280sl $7417

280se coupe $11612

280se convertible $12444

300sel 6.3 $15122

600 $24600

600 7 pass $28120


Options....

Automatic transmission $368

Becker stereo $289

a/c $498

sliding roof, electrical $257

tinted glass $72

Leather $274

Sorry for writing all of this out. The photos would not load.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Wow. For the price of today's Camry, you could've had a Mercedes 600!
I've often wished for a time-machine.
Of course, by 1970, most of these models would've been sold fully loaded. And at a dealer you would have to add the usual dealer-prep, state & local taxes, destination-charges, etc....

Happy Motoring, Mark

[Idle]

I was thinking that I don't know if I have ever seen a 108 without air.

According to the option card when you bought anything from a 280se conv everything was standard.

And on the 300sel and 600 for no charge you received a 'right front seat-vertically adjustable'. This option was not available on any other car.

So.... When you find that 2.8, 3.5, or 6.3 300sel in a wrecking yard, which from the looks of it is any 109, grab on to the front passenger seat. There is a 108 somewhere that could use it.

[97 SL320]

I've added to the list, now it is someones turn to post pricing of 2016 equivalent models / pricing.

Originally Posted by Idle

I found this information in a car I was taking parts from.

1970 prices of Mercedes... and in terms of 2016 money CPI Inflation Calculator


220 $4961 $30,447.75

220d $5067 $31,098.32

280se $6866 $42,139.54

280sl $7417 $45,521.26 seems really low for an SL

280se coupe $11612 $71,267.75

280se convertible $12444 $76,374.09

300sel 6.3 $15122 $92,810.11

600 $24600 $150,980.60

600 7 pass $28120 $172,584.33


Options....

Automatic transmission $368 $2,258.57

Becker stereo $289 $1,773.72

a/c $498 $3,056.44

sliding roof, electrical $257 $1,577.32

tinted glass $72 $441.89

Leather $274 $1,515.94

Sorry for writing all of this out. The photos would not load.

[Idle]

That is some pretty nice work.

It looks like leather costs about the same then as now. But back then A/C was still a true luxury item.

The 600 7 passenger appears to be right in the ballpark with the latest Maybach package.

To further expand on the 280sl prices....

You could get one in one of three 'body styles'.

280sl roadster $7244

280sl coupe $7417

280sl coupe/roadster $7684

There are no model numbers listed, so I am not really sure what the difference would be between them. The only one I really know of is the one you normally see. Perhaps the coupe/roadster was a convertible with what we would call the 'optional' hardtop? I don't really know that much about SL's.

Those are east coast prices. West coast prices are about $130 more.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Originally Posted by Idle

I was thinking that I don't know if I have ever seen a 108 without air.

According to the option card when you bought anything from a 280se conv everything was standard.

And on the 300sel and 600 for no charge you received a 'right front seat-vertically adjustable'. This option was not available on any other car.

So.... When you find that 2.8, 3.5, or 6.3 300sel in a wrecking yard, which from the looks of it is any 109, grab on to the front passenger seat. There is a 108 somewhere that could use it.

W108s were availible without AC. My Dad had a '66 Euro 4-speed 250SE with no AC. The lower dash ran straight across like the dash in a Fintail. His did however have the 4-band (AM,FM,SW,LW) Becker Mexico signal-seeking radio & power antenna.
A friend had a '68 US-market 4-speed 280SE without AC. That one had the AC bulge in the lower dash, filled with a wood AC-delete cover to match the other dash wood. I suppose, by the time W108 prices reached double the cost of a new Buick, most US Mercedes buyers wanted AC.

In the US after 1970, automatic became standard on all Mercedes, except the 4-cylinder diesels, and prices of German goods skyrockettted due to repeated US dollar devaluations. BY '73, the Mercedes 220 price, including PS, AC & automatic, was over $7000. By 1975, the last year they were sold here, the German Opels were around $4+k - getting close to the cheapest BMWs!

Happy Motoring, Mark

[gmog220d]

My 1974 European Delivery "240D Sedan with U.S. Equipment" was ordered October 31, 1973. Total for the car was $6280, which included power steering, tinted glass "all around", heated rear window, radial ply tires, and international customs license plates (no mention of AC though the car has it). The Becker Europa AM-FM Radio added $180. Four months Marine Insurance was $415. $200 for the shipping charges that were part of the deal. $7075 grand total. The dealer where the car was purchased/ordered was Smythe European in San Jose, CA.

After the original owner brought it back to the states he sold it for $7800 on July 6, 1974. Not too shabby!

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Originally Posted by gmog220d

My 1974 European Delivery "240D Sedan with U.S. Equipment" was ordered October 31, 1973. Total for the car was $6280, which included power steering, tinted glass "all around", heated rear window, radial ply tires, and international customs license plates (no mention of AC though the car has it). The Becker Europa AM-FM Radio added $180. Four months Marine Insurance was $415. $200 for the shipping charges that were part of the deal. $7075 grand total. The dealer where the car was purchased/ordered was Smythe European in San Jose, CA.

After the original owner brought it back to the states he sold it for $7800 on July 6, 1974. Not too shabby!

And he was able to do that because, by November '73, east-coast base-price for his 240D was already $8140. (You mentioned no charge for an automatic, so I'll assume this 240D is a stick-shift.)
In 1968, the dollar/DM exchange rate was 1/3.98. Then it dropped throughout the 1970s until it reached a low of 1/1.80 in 1980.

By September '74 the east-coast base-price for a 240D was $8862.
By October '75, it was $9930. With automatic, it broke the 10K mark that year, at $10,621!
Between late 1975 and September 1982, the US east-coast price for the 'cheapest' Mercedes 240D more than doubled to $22,470. At least this price included all the upgrades & improvements when the 240D changed over from the W115 to W123 version.
So the 'cheapest' US Mercedes went from $4360 for the base W115 220 in January 1968, to $22,470 for the base W123 240D in September 1982.

Figures from 'MERCEDES-BENZ Production Models Book 1946-1995'
by W. Robert Nitske, Published 1995.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[gmog220d]

You're right - the '74 240D is a four speed floor shift. One thing the car lacks, and I am thankful for it, is the vacuum powered door locking system.

The Nitske books are pretty nice. I was lucky to receive copies of four Benz related books by him a few years ago as a gift from a friend.

[97 SL320]

Originally Posted by Idle

That is some pretty nice work.

Thanks, your typing rather than posting a pic payed off.

A friend had a '68 US-market 4-speed 280SE without AC. That one had the AC bulge in the lower dash, filled with a wood AC-delete cover to match the other dash wood. I suppose, by the time W108 prices reached double the cost of a new Buick, most US Mercedes buyers wanted AC.

It was very common for imported cars to be designed for dock installed / dealer air.

There were some sort of tax laws ( "Chicken Laws" ) that made it difficult to import directly but it some parts were installed in the USA at the dock, it was considered to have USA content.

Have a look at 80's Japanese mini trucks. The lower half of the bed fenders were unboltable. This allowed for easy shipment of beds for install at USA docks.

This even occurred recently with Ford Transit Connect so I've read. They were brought in as cars ( rear seat / side windows. ) then converted at the docks to truck spec vans.

The other part of this was due to dealers being able to order cars WO AC then fitting it as needed.

[Skid Row Joe]

Pricing is usually in-line with inflation over time. The variables in price spiking had a lot to do with the exchange rate at the time between U.S. and West Germany. The MBs have always been pricey for their time in history. The 220s and 240s of the '60s - '70s were priced near what Cadillac were at the time.

[Idle]

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Pricing is usually in-line with inflation over time. The variables in price spiking had a lot to do with the exchange rate at the time between U.S. and West Germany. The MBs have always been pricey for their time in history. The 220s and 240s of the '60s - '70s were priced near what Cadillac were at the time.

I do remember a friend of mine being very impressed with a 230 of mine. He decided to look into Mercedes and then to check out the 450sel.

Both of our eyes bugged out when we saw the 1976 prices that were in the $16,000 to $17,000 range. It turns out the exchange rate with Germany was the cause.

I remember considering the purchase of an Opel Manta vs. a BMW 2002. Both were very pricy. A Ford Capri then (1975/76) was $6,600 and Ford claimed they lost money on everyone they sold.

But this price rise caused Mercedes to move from the 'really well built, really nice riding' stage to the luxury stage. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in Germany, you could still pick up a 240d with plastic hubcaps, cheaped out interior, etc. for a realistic price.

But just yesterday I was talking to a guy who was looking at a 1978 450sl. He was on the phone asking me questions about it and one of the things he commented on was how solid the door were when closed. I told him all Mercedes were like that, and if he liked the way the doors closed then he ain't seen nothing yet. He is going back today for a test drive.

So as we all know they are not cheap. But I read here somewhere that someone claimed that used Mercedes, once they were sorted out, are some of the least expensive cars to drive.

As the Rolls-Royce dealers say: Their cars are not expensive. Only the first one is. (I am not sure that is anything more than a slogan.)

The RR salespeople also say that if you have to ask the price then you can't afford it.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

In August 1973, I acquired my first Mercedes. I had been driving my Dad's '67 Chevy Malibu coupe, but I was in high-school and made $5 a-pop mowing lawns. Even at 33 cents/gallon, that V8/Powerglide Chevy was eating me alive!
So Dad gave me a choice - keep the Chevy, or get a 'fixer', a '61 Ponton 180b sedan a neighbor up the street was selling for $200. The Mercedes needed a battery, muffler, & brakes. It had dings, a rusty bumper, and chalky green paint. My brother said it looked like "an old lady's shoe!" But it also looked relatively easy to work on, and the 4-cylinder/stickshift combo surely had to get better gas mileage than the Chevy. So I resigned myself to the fact that I couldn't afford to be one of the 'cool kids', and began driving, learning to use a clutch, and learning to work on my 'old lady's shoe'. Eventually, I added a radio, seatbelts, heater-fans (they were optional on the 180!) and a nicer name - 'Heidi'.
But I remember, throughout the '70s, occasionally I would have to visit the local Mercedes dealer for some minor part. I would linger in the showroom, ogle the new models, and gawk at the price stickers. I think around 1976, the cheapest Mercedes, a new 240D, finally exceeded $10K on the sticker!
I also remember right when I first got my car, I had to buy a new muffler at the Mercedes dealer and it cost $33. In 1978, 5 years later, I had to get another and the price had exactly doubled, to $66. I wonder what Mercedes wants for a '61 Ponton 180b muffler today?

Happy Motoring, Mark

[Skid Row Joe]

Mark, that's a great and detailed information story of your car buying and driving, formative years. My Mom and Dad's last bought new Mercedes-Benz was a 1977 240D AC AT, that listed in the mid-$8,000.00 area. Their first new MB was a 1969 220D AC AT, in the $6,000.00 area. They were pricey, but very fuel efficient cars and very well engineered and built!