Even though it is over 40 years old now, the 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet was a throwback to the past, even in the early 1970s. This is a chassis that had it’s roots in the late 1950s and was assembled largely by hand in small numbers. By 1970s, the W111 coupe and cabriolet would get a shot of adrenaline by way of Mercedes’ new 3.5 liter V8 engine. While a few coupes were offered with a 4-speed manual, all cabriolets would be equipped with a 4-speed automatic. Want to look posh? Fewer cars embody that word better than this white over blue leather 280SE 3.5 Cabriolet for sale in Mississippi.
Tag: S class
The W140 Mercedes-Benz S-class was a victim of its own times, debuting at the Geneva Motor Show in 1991 under the cloud of an economic downturn. Such a big and brash luxury sedan seemed out of step with the times and if that wasn’t bad enough, this car had to follow in the footsteps of the beloved W126 S-class. You still see a good number of W126 models roaming the roads but the W140s are few and far between these days. The W140 chassis would live on in the form of the recently discontinued Maybach 57 and 62, which would help to recoup some of the $1 billion USD spent on development. This 1993 500SEL for sale in Illinois is not the flagship model, but many would no doubt prefer the lower running costs of the V8 versus its V12 sibling.
Click for details: 1993 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL on eBay
Comments closedThe eighties would be an end of an era for people wanting to privately import their own example of a vehicle not officially offered for US sale. Mounting legislation would make it impossible to import a vehicle under 25 years of age unless it met federal safety and emissions standards or if it was granted an exception under show and display status. Truth be told, the number of folks willing to go to the expense and trouble of private vehicle importation is rather small, but now the door was closed to bringing over cars such as this 1986 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC, with its higher output V8 and slimmer bumpers that connoisseurs of the marque love. The C126 coupe was a masterfully graceful design, sandwiched between the somewhat awkwardly proportioned C107 SLC coupe and the large and in charge C140 coupe.
Click for details: 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500SEC on eBay
3 CommentsIf you’re looking to conserve fuel, there’s a few ways you can go about it. There will, however, always be limitations to just how green you can be. If you go the hybrid route, you’ll see your gas mileage increase, but in actuality, you’ll still have to fill up with petrol and have a battery replacement years down the line that you’ll have to deal with. What about electric vehicles then? Many of these vehicles have come a long way in terms of range, but you’re still getting your juice from via a plug, which more often than not means energy derived from coal. But what about that old standby, diesel? Sure, it has a bad image in the US from the vehicles we experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. But Mercedes-Benz has stuck by this technology for years and their diesels of today are some of the most advanced on the market.
This 1982 300SD for sale in Ohio couldn’t exactly be considered one of their earlier efforts, as their dabbling with diesel technology dates back to the 1930s. But this W126 was one of those cars that was sold here in this market as we were emerging from the dark days of the 1970s energy crisis. With the tried and trusted OM617 inline-5 cylinder turbodiesel under the hood, you are getting W123 reliability in a larger, more stately package. The ultimate sleeper when it comes to fuel conservation, then?
Click for details: 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300SD on eBay
1 CommentI’ve referenced the 2000 Mercedes-Benz C280 that my mother has owned for the last 14 years on occasion here at GCFSB. It’s been a dependable machine, racking up close to 130,000 miles so far and not skipping a beat. No matter how many new cars I may get behind the wheel of, each time I’m reacquainted with the C280, it’s like meeting up with an old friend. It is just a comfortably reassuring automobile. I like to think of the W202 and the G-class, which is still in production, as some of the last true Mercedes-Benzes, carrying on with DNA from cars like this 280SE we see here for sale in Illinois. Other than the fact they both have 2.8 liter six cylinder engines, on the surface there isn’t much in common. Dig deeper, however, and it becomes apparent why these kind of cars are still driven daily and have been in families for years as heirlooms, handed down from generation to generation.