Before the integration of AMG engineering firm became fully owned by what has now become Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz began offered the Sportline option on a few of their models, including this car, a 1993 300CE coupe. This option provided buyers with features such as a quicker steering ratio and uprated suspension bits consisting of more aggressive struts, springs, larger anti-roll bars and firmer bushings. Also included in the package were alloy wheels that were a half inch wider and badging on the front fenders and shift knob. This 300CE for sale in Massachusetts is one of the niceset, lowest mileage Sportline car I’ve seen for sale in several years.
1993 Mercedes-Benz 300CE Sportline on eBay
1993 Mercedes-Benz 300CE Sportline Coupe with 31,031 miles. It represents the level of quality that is not meant for just anyone. It’s meant for the person who strives for a classy, comfortable, luxurious, practical and unique car. The very low mileage makes this vehicle incomparable to the other vehicles on the market. Not only the low mileage; originality and amazing cosmetic and mechanical condition set it apart from other offerings even in the higher price range. Any museum would be proud to own and display this car, but it is ready for the road if you choose to buy it as an every day driver. Why not? Over the years this generation of Mercedes cars proved to be reliable and cost efficient to own. These cars are still on the road driven by happy owner to hundreds of thousands of miles. Be sure to prepare yourself to get noticed in this ultra rare 300CE.
This is a 20 year old car that looks and drives like a new Mercedes. It will be an Antique Mercedes Coupe in 5 more years and will certainly increase in value. Should you decide to use it as an every day driver; our Service Department already addressed all potential concerns related to the age (tires, brakes, hoses, belts, fluids and other maintenance items) as well as known required updates – head gasket, seals and engine harness are all brand new. We even saved old parts in case new owner would like to keep original parts that came out of the car. All service work that was done on this car was documented with the records and digital photos.
Yes, this car has original factory paint on all metal body parts of the car. Front and rear bumper covers as well as plastic body cladding on the sides were refinished in black to match the body color. Original color of these parts on the 1993 Model Year Mercedes cars was dark gray metallic. We were told that this was done by the Mercedes dealer that sold the car originally. Interestingly, in 1994 Mercedes factory began to paint bumpers and cladding in the same color as the body of the car.
This car has rare Sportline Package. Mercedes-Benz offered this package in the North American market for the 1992-95 model year. The option package included sport seating, wider wheels (7″ rather than 6.5″) and lower profile tyres (205/60 x 15 rather than 195/65 x 15), quick ratio steering and a smaller diameter steering wheel, “Sportline” badges on the front wing moldings and gear knob, a slightly lowered ride height and a specially tuned suspension including shorter, stiffer springs, struts, anti-roll bars, and bushings.
A clean 300CE will run you somewhere between $6,000 to $12,000 these days. If you add in the low mileage factor along with the rare Sportline option of this car, we might be looking at a high point of $15,000. The asking price, as with many low mileage cars we’ve seen here on GCFSB is much too optimistic, regardless of how nice the car may be. Still, I’m a huge fan of W124s and the black on black combination gives this car a sleek look. They aren’t the sportiest cars, but they do everything rather well and with the Sportline bits, it would make for a nice long distance cruiser.
-Paul
These are great cruising cars and the Sportline options go a long way towards tightening up the usually soft Mercedes suspension. They are definitely worth a bit of premium over a run of the mill W124.
This particular car has been for sale for a few years now, popping up from time to time. The last time I saw it the asking price was over $30k. While they seller has come down a bit, they still have a long way to go before they get to reality.
Whenever I see that a car is being offered by this dealer, I don’t even bother looking further. Not worth my time, since it’s certain to be listed at some multiple of it true market value.
While everything car-related seems to cost a bit more in this area (I live about 20 minutes from here), I can’t help but think about what this company is doing to turn people off to owning German cars in general. I can only imagine what they charge for service…
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27k for this car? Surely they smoke crack you could buy a mint 500E for that amount and still have over 10k left.
This car’s head gasket and wiring harness are good and it’s Sportline but 1995 was the last year it visited an MB dealer and I’d be concerned by that. CarFAX doesn’t show much service history… so did the car sit for 10 years?
Let’s say this car is super minty and awesome and you were drunk and burning $100 bills in your fireplace… then maybe you’d pay $17k but for a normal person 15k MAX.
There’s an ass for every seat…
I find it interesting the seller mentioned the lower body panels. Nobody seems to understand that they were plastic to avoid rusting in prone areas and matte finish to deflect road grit and dirt. In the second hand life, though, the uninitiated are always painting them glossy to match the rest of the body. It’s not that it looks bad…it’s just that it misses the point. Alas, as the seller has noted, Mercedes eventually made them body-colored anyways.
On a separate note, I wonder why they never made a diesel version?
Mercedes made W124 coupes with diesel engines. They just didn’t offer those configurations here.
ah thanks Larry.
I may have to eat my words, Sam. While Mercedes made diesel versions of the W124 sedans and wagons, it appears that the W124 diesel coupe listings I found were conversions – not from the factory. Apparently, you aren’t the only one who wondered why Mercedes didn’t make a W124 coupe…
Interesting, I stumbled across this car at the beginning of the summer when it was listed for 20K. After a reduction to 14K, then to (I believe) 11K, I made an inquiry. After some initial contact, I was finally able to return the seller’s call after returning on a trip overseas…only to see the that the ad had been removed and the seller never returned my inquiry.
It sounds like this is being sold on consignment, so maybe the owner is a bit of a flake, not unlike that guy in Wyoming who’s been “selling” his warehouse of vintage 911s on and off for the past 5 years. The dealer seems to have great references after a quick google search, but the price is just nutty. As Larry pointed out, I typically tune out once I learn that the car is a t a high-end dealer but….
I have been casually looking for a 124 coupe/sedan and this one ticks all the boxes for me save for the price.
Harrison, what is the issue of it not making an appearance at an MB dealer since 95? Perhaps it has been independently maintained. I wasn’t aware CARFAX could track servicing.
Best,
PF
@ Paul F.: CarFax reports can include service history, but often doesn’t. It’s dependent, of course, on whether the servicing dealer or mechanic enters the information into whatever system all this feeds into. When they do, the entries seem to be pretty general. I’ll have to ask my mechanic what the process is, and why most service entries don’t seem to get reported.
Thanks Larry. I’m a longtime viewer of the site and I particularly look forward to your feedback since it’s clear you’ve been “round the block” a few times.
Looking at the car black and white, what do you think a more reasonable price is for this example or one in similar condition? Prices on old MBs seem to run the gamut.
PF
Good question, Paul F. The answer is, of course, “What is it worth to you?”
There are very few 300CE examples out there in this condition, and very few of those with such low mileage, and probably only one or two with all that AND the Sportline option. Ultra low mileage, pristine cars seem to run about a 50% premium, occasionally a bit more lately. (At 2X typical market price, Dmitry is fishing for that one buyer that absolutely has to have the lowest mileage, best condition, Sportline 300CE out there.)
So, if you must have this model, AND excellent condition, AND ultra low mileage, AND the Sportline option, I estimate you’re at least in the high teens. Sacrifice mileage or condition a bit, and the price should drop significantly into the low teens. Personally, If I were in the market for a reasonably low mileage 300CE in very good condition, I wouldn’t consider paying more than $10-12K (as Paul H. mentioned above). Having the lowest mileage, best condition, Sportline 300CE simply isn’t worth that much to me. As Harrison suggested, once you’re into the mid – high teens, there are plenty of other cars I’d want more.
I hear you, plenty of options once you get into the mid/upper teens…especially to someone like me with a serious case of automotive a.d.d.
I did something similar with my current daily driver about 10 years ago when I found a pristine, E30 318IS with 75K on the clock (orginal owner was a gentleman in his 70s upgrading to a E60 so his wife could have an airbag on her side). I definitely paid a premium, but the way I see it, I paid 7 grand for a car that as I approach 190K miles has yielded me a rattle free, fun, economical (32 mpgs when acting my age) driving experience. Not many cars I can think of at the time that could have rewarded me with a similar experience.
For me, german cars from the early/mid 90s were a time where engineering, constructability, simplicity, and serviceability all intersected into a product that provided some of the best daily driver options out there. If this CE would come down to a more reasonable number, I’d be very tempted to replace my trusty 318 with this example and use this car as its designers intended…but if not, I can wait it out till the right one comes around. Pretty sure my E30 is up to the task.
PF
Paul F, after 10 years in an E30 318is, the bar is going to be set pretty high. BMW pretty much nailed it with the E30, and the 318is is a great balance of engine and suspension for that car. If I could find a pristine 75K mile E30 318is now, I’d definitely be willing to pay a premium for it also. Good luck with your search!
Larry, I’m with you. If I could find a clean, relatively unmolested E30 318is, well, I’d give up my R53 Cooper S right now. In my opinion, that’s one of the most fun, best balanced cars BMW has ever sold.
I’m with you on the 318is, Larry. I’ve been looking for a clean, low mileage one for quite sometime.
Trust me, I’ve tried several times to move up to a more ‘sensible’ daily driver, making the switch to a few different modern appliances…only to find myself using the E30 more and its replacement less.
It really has been a great car, but now it’s time to move onto something a little more practical with a little less…patina and a little more safety integration for the two items of precious cargo that I transport each morning. Enter the w124. Like, the E30 (and my other favorites the E34/E32) I think the W124 is a benchmark in engineering and design. I would love to find an immaculate (6 cyl) 5er or 7er but they are getting harder to find. At least there is a somewhat abundant supply of clean W124s out there.
I understand that trade-off, Paul F. The W124, E34 and E32, are all great choices.
If I was planning long term, I’d probably seek out a W124. The engineering, design, longevity and general solidity, are all remarkable. And on the up side, fairly nice examples seem to still be available (probably because more sedate cars tend to attract more sedate owners, who in turn, tend to drive the cars more sedately, and more importantly, they often drive them less). On the downside, it’s going to be tough to recapture anything even remotely close to the spirit of your E30 318is from any W124.
But, as you noted, transitioning can be rather difficult.
If there are two 300CEs available and one has been to the dealer regularly and one hasn’t, and both are otherwise the same, which one would you take?
When an MB goes to the dealer its Vehicle Master Index is updated and and service campaigns are done, etc… Dealer servicing isn’t a prerequisite for a good car, but it is something that’s nice to have.
Before I bought my W124 I looked up its VMI and the car had been regularly serviced by an MB dealer. I bought it with 159,000 miles on it and aside from changing the brakes and basic servicing like an oil and filter change, I haven’t had to do much. I changed the spark plugs just to establish a baseline but that’s about it. I now have about 13,000 more miles on it and the car has been 100% trouble free with the exception of changing 1 distributor cap and rotor due to stumbling.
A car with too many miles… bad. A car with too few… just as bad.
Larry,
That is essentially my logic in a nutshell. I recently had the opportunity to look at a 124 up close and personal for the first time and I came away impressed. After it’s DD duties are finished, I plan to keep the ‘ol 318 around as long as possible. Until something with 3.6 liters hanging from it’s rear end finds its way to my driveway.
Harrison,
Can you tell me how you obtain the VMI for a MB I might be considering? I’ve been denied by several dealers with reasons ranging from” proprietary information” to “privacy laws”.
Thanks,
PF
To get a peak at the VMI you have to know someone who knows someone.
A ha, I suspected as much. Might have to make some MB friends to go along with my BMW ones!