Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
There is something really satisfyingly to me about about a car finished in a great shade of green. It is easily my favorite color if I have the choice, so when a great classic Mercedes-Benz shows up in a unique shade, you take a closer look. This 1983 380SEC is finished in Cypress Green Metallic over a very period-correct Brazil Beige cloth interior. It shows just 65,000 miles and thankfully looks every bit the part. However, this one comes with price tag more fit for a 560SEC.
Fresh off the 1988 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL from a few weeks ago, luck would have it that another nice W126 comes up in a less than common color of Pearl Blue Metallic. This one is in V8 guise with the 4.2-liter of the aptly named 420SEL. Much like the 300SEL, it is a whole lot of everything you need and really nothing you don’t. One of the things that bugged me about the W126 is that heated seats was only offered on the top of the range 560SEL, but seems a little petty for Mercedes to do considering what the S-Class was at the time, but I guess that was the reality of fancy options in the late 1980s. This example from California checks in with a fair 142,000 miles, so not exactly a low mileage example that will burn a bunch of value if you drive it. What’s not to like?
As time marches on, so does the W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Pick your engine size and you are basically set. The cleanest of the clean examples continue to bring strong money month after month, and the less than desirable examples are dying off as they become not worth it to own or repair anymore.
Today, we have a 1988 300SEL up for sale in Florida finished in the rare Pajett Red with dark gray lower cladding. Even better, it’s covered just 86,000 miles since new. Worth the asking price? Maybe.
Fresh off last week’s 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, I happen to run across another European-market example, although this one is already in this US. This is a 1985 380SEL that marked the final year for the 3.8L V8 before switching over the 4.2L V8 in the 420SEL. These are generally forgotten in the W126 world as if you are going to buy one, a diesel or the 560 are the best bang for your buck. So why look at a lowly 380SEL then? How does 2,900 miles since new sound? Well, how does it look is more like it.
Some will argue that the W126 S-Class was one of the finest automobiles ever produced. At the end of the day, it does everything well, and doesn’t complain about it. It has everything you need, but nothing more. The styling is handsome, but can blend into a crowd with ease. Running costs? Outside of a hydraulic rear suspension that is well worth the trouble, it can be fixed by the most average of mechanics. Time has been kind to the W126, and prices reflect that. Finding a nice one under $10,000 is a tough ask, and the nicest 560SELs with low miles will put you into new Honda Accord prices.
Today, we travel to Belgium to look at a European-spec 1989 560SEL that has some miles on it, but taking a look at the condition, you’d swear it has a quarter of that. Worth the asking price?
