In the wake of the Brexit vote, the British pound has plummeted against the US dollar. This means that importing a car from Britain has suddenly become a bit more affordable. As a Brit living in America, I feel a bit guilty recommending that you take advantage of my home country’s economic plight to get a good deal on a car. But only a bit. Which brings me to today’s car. The 500SE was a V8 powered, short-wheel base version of the W126 S-class. Made for the European market and never offered in the US, it offered the grunt of a larger engine in the slightly smaller and (in my view) better proportioned chassis. This one is for sale on UK eBay. Not only is it reasonably priced, it’s a LHD car. So no need to worry about the steering wheel being on the wrong side if you choose to bring it over.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Mercedes-Benz 500SE on UK eBay
Year: 1989
Model: 500SE
Engine: 5.0 liter V8
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 119,000 mi
Price: £3,495 (~$4,586 USD)
MERCEDES 500 SE W126 – FULLY LOADED – LHD – LEFT HAND DRIVE – S CLASS – AIR CON – CLASSIC – WEBASTO – HEATED SEATS – LEATHER SEATS – UK REGISTERED
· UK REGISTERED
· AIR CON
· YEAR – 1989
· MILES – 119,000
· LEATHER SEATS
· HEATED SEATS
· FRONT ELECTRIC SEATS
· CRUISE CONTROL
· ELECTRIC MIRROR
· WEBASTO HEATER
· 4 x ELECTRIC WINDOWS
· FRONT & REAR CENTER ARMREST
· ENGINE SIZE – 5.0 PETROL
· CENTRAL LOCKING
· POWER STEERING
· FRONT AIRBAGS
· RADIO WITH REMOTE CONTROL
ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL –
From the UK call:
07961 525553
Out side the UK call:
0044 7961 525553
The black on black color scheme gives this old S-class that 80s “mobster’s ride” vibe. The chrome trim around the doors and windows appears to have been blacked out, adding to the slightly menacing look. Since it’s a European spec car, you get the slightly darker amber turn signals, infinitely more attractive front headlights and neat looking hubcaps (presumably covering unattractive steel wheels). You also get the 5.0 liter V8 M117 engine which, in this case, has a very reasonable 119k miles on it. The exterior paint looks to be in good shape, although there are no closeup pictures to tell for sure, and the black leather appears to be in excellent condition. The car also comes with a “Webasto heater.” I didn’t know what this was, so I looked it up. Apparently it’s an aftermarket heating system for cars sold in really cold climates, which makes me wonder where this car originated from. Britain isn’t really cold enough to warrant such a thing, and of course since the car is LHD it clearly came from somewhere outside of the UK. Perhaps Eastern Europe?
Since the car is located so far away you’ll have to trust the seller’s description (or dig up a British relative to go and have a look at it for you). Sadly, no maintenance history is given in the ad so that is something potential buyers would want to chase up. I would begin by asking to see the MOT certificates: these are the annual road-worthiness inspections required of all cars in Britain. Since the ad says “UK registered,” there should be a stack of these to look at.
With an asking price of around $4500, give or take, it’s not a terribly expensive car. But whether or not this works out to be good deal will ultimately depend on how much it costs to ship it over. I’ve never imported a car before, but if I had the funds to do it right now and it wasn’t prohibitively expensive, I’d be tempted to give it a try myself.
– Craig
