Thread: Anyone know the price of a 1985 Mercedes 200D when it was new ?
View Single Post
  #14  
Old 04-26-2008, 10:32 AM
Jim B.'s Avatar
Jim B. Jim B. is offline
Who's flying this thing ?
  
Join Date: May 2006
Location: N. California./ N. Nevada
Posts: 3,611
Explains the existence of the Gray Market Mercedes cars in the mid 1980s
Quote:
Originally Posted by t walgamuth View Post
In 1985 the exchange rate was (I googled it) 2.95.

So base price was about 9K in Germany it appears.

Tom W
^^^No wonder there were so many gray market Mercedes Benz cars imported in the early-mid 1980s.

Even with the DOT/EPA compliance costs added on the savings were tremendous.

Imagine what you saved buying a new '84 Euro spec 500SEC for 88,464 DM in Germany and bringing it into the USA via the gray market.

That would be about $30,000 to buy a brand new flagship SEC coupe!!!
Add $10,000 in EPA/DOT costs and you were on the road!!

Amazing!!!

Explains why the US Mercedes Benz dealers got hurt so bad, and why they successfully lobbied the US Congress to kill the gray market in 1986.
__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)
Last edited by Jim B.; 04-26-2008 at 10:38 AM.
Reply With Quote