Mercedes-Benz has stayed the course in offering coupe versions of its mid-sized and large fleet. While not as flashy as some of the competition, the W124 E-Class coupe of the 1980s and 1990s offered the consumer a decidedly conservative choice when it came to personal luxury. This was perfectly acceptable by established customers of the brand, as they weren’t seeking the radical styling cues and glitterball details so common in the lineup today. This 1991 300CE for sale in New Mexico is a one owner, low mileage example that is perfect for playing out your old money fantasies.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300CE on eBay
Year: 1991
Model: 300CE
Engine: 3.0 liter inline-6
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
Mileage: 33,695 mi
Price: $12,000 Buy It Now
Remember 1991? The collapse of the Soviet Union? The end of apartheid. The first Gulf War in Iraq. German cars didn’t have cup holders. Airbags were a newfangled safety item but not all cars had TWO. This beautiful time capsule speaks to that era. No keyless entry, no navigation, no heated seats, no cup holders, no CD but it does have a cassette player!
This is a one owner Mercedes-Benz that has 33,700 ORIGINAL miles. Garaged its whole life, with a small brass plaque with the name Lorita engraved on it. So we call the car Lorita. Lorita looks like new inside, outside, under the hood. The Tobacco color interior is immaculate. The seats show no wear, the carpets look like new, all the power accessories function as they should. The gauges and pointers are bright orange with no fading whatsoever. There’s no musty odors or other odd smells. The wood is in excellent condition, a few signs of cracks but not immediately obvious, you gotta look hard to find them. Honesty.
Under the hood the 3 liter straight six is barely broken in. The DOHC six is one of Mercedes-Benz’s best engines ever. It runs smoothly,quietly, makes no funny noises and will cruise all day at 85 mph delivering 25+ mpg. No smoke at start up. The original wiring is intact with no deterioration anywhere, something that these models are known for. The transmission operates like a new car, downshifting when you want it. No leaks. The exterior is 100 % original. The single arm wiper is fun to watch as it works perfectly sweeping across the windshield. The chrome and brightwork are in excellent condition. The rubber moldings look like new with no rot. The grill is in perfect condition which is why in pictures it looks funky. There are no issues with any of the glass. See for yourself.
The paint is glossy with no cracking or other signs of age. Lorita is 23 years old but you’d never know it. There are some minor chips in the trunk lid. There are scrapes on the plastic cladding and trim on the passenger side. Grandma rubbed the side of the garage at some point and scuffed the door and quarter panel. Look at the pictures to see what I’m talking about. It can be repaired at well under $1000 but I’m striving for originality. Carfax wasn’t invented in 1991 but it does verify that this is a one owner vehicle from PA with 33k miles. There’s no rebuilt, salvage or flood history. I’ve had the undercarriage inspected for rust, hidden damage or other nefarious concerns and it is CLEAN Clean clean. The paint thickness has been measured and is 100% original with no repaint anywhere. The buyer gets a copy of the report. The tires are brand new, the old ones were too far gone with dry rot. The alloy wheels are in very good condition, no flaking. The trunk is dry as a bone and contains the original jack and tool kit. What more do you want?
The vehicle is located in beautiful Santa Fe, NM. You are welcome to have it inspected to verify everything I’ve listed. Sweet Motor Sales is a licensed dealer and the buyer is responsible for any taxes and registration fees in their home state. All purchases are subject to a $249.00 Dealer Transfer Service Fee. Shipping expense is the responsibility of the buyer. Requests for reserve will be ignored. It is well under the buy it now price, bid with confidence.
The beauty of the W124 Coupes is that they are not just another pretty face. These two-doors share the same DNA as the sedans and estates known for their durability and appetite for high miles. Given the condition and mileage, the asking price for this 300CE is just about spot on for what clean examples of later model W124 Coupes are bringing. It is few and far between that you will breach the $15,000 mark with one of these, regardless of provenance.
-Paul
While it’s unfortunate it isn’t being offered by the original owner, the dealer (who should be the first party the title holder transferred to on the title and therefore are actually the second owners – they always neglect to mention that) surprised me with that little history lesson at the beginning. Anyways, condition seems to back up low miles. Too bad they never offered a diesel version, like the legendary W123 coupes. Also, anyone else notice the omnipresence of those Bosch Icon wipers (or, in the W124’s case, just wiper) these days? I tried putting them on my E46 and disliked them because the attachment piece in the middle is rather bulbous and impedes vision and pushes the arm out and I imagine that might be the case on this as well. Overall nice find!
The OEM M-B wiper is the way to go. I cannot emphasize that enough. For the single-arm W124 I found that the off the shelf Bosch, Rain-x or Duralast just couldn’t wipe the whole windscreen correctly.
The dealer is never listed as an “owner”. The car is not registered in his/her name, even if it’s used as a demonstrator.
People need to get over the notion that buying from a dealer is necessarily bad. When I sold my 996, I consigned it to a dealer because I did not want to deal with the tire kickers and potential buyers whose first question was always, “what is the lowest price you’ll take?” Quite frankly, buying from a licensed dealer affords benefits to the buyer that do not exist with private party sales.
Evaluate cars on their merits.
Regarding transfer of title, it has to be signed over to them. Somebody has to legally own the car in the interim, and that’s the dealer, in this case at least.
I don’t think anyone said buying from a dealer is bad. It would just have been interesting to see a “one owner car” actually being sold by that “one” original owner.
The W124 is an exceptional vehicle and most GCFSB readers already know all of its merits. 🙂
A dealer just isn’t considered an owner of the car. Never is. If it were, any public buyer taking ownership of a foreign car from a dealer as a new car off the lot would be the third or fourth owner of the car – first the factory, then the exporting/ importing arms of the car company, then the individual dealer… then finally the first user of the car.
Anyway, that’s neither here nor there, the car posted here is pretty beautiful. Wonder if the seller pried that brass plaque off the dash and cleaned it up whether the car would be getting more action. I know I won’t bid on a car with “LORITA” plastered front and center on the dashboard.