Warning!
We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.
Now that the summer is drawing to a close, we inch closer to another year where the clock moves one year ahead on the 25-year import rule for those who live in the United States. For certain cars that were built early in the model year like September and October, this is a big difference marker. What I mean by that is if you are looking to import 1998 model year, that doesn’t mean you have to wait until 2023. If that door sticker says “09/97” but it is a 1998 model year, you are good to go. But remember this could also work against you if it is made several months into that current model year.
Today’s car isn’t that case quite yet, but it is getting there and the hard work of getting it on North American soil is already done. Yes, this is 2001 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Estate up for sale in British Columbia at a still somewhat reasonable price. Although, what if I told you there was a way to bring this thing in the US legally right now?
I love how a set of wheels can take a car from a “boring station wagon” to “getting 634 likes on Instagram” without much effort at all. For the W210 Mercedes-Benz E320 wagon, it is simple as throwing some 18″ AMG Monoblocks on it and calling it a day. Yes, it needs about a 2″ suspension drop, but we are certainly on the right track here with this 2002 up for sale in Connecticut. Especially since it is cheaper than the 2003 E320 wagon from a few weeks ago. Much cheaper.
Even when SUVs and crossovers dominate new car sales and almost every brand offers one, the Mercedes-Benz wagon continues to command premium prices in the used market. The sedans wither away like regular old used cars until they have nothing left, while the wagons garner a response of “Why didn’t you just buy a new Honda Civic?” after hearing how much they sell for. Today, we have one of those examples.
This is a 2003 E320 wagon, which marks the final year of the W210 chassis as the 2003 sedans were already in the next generation W211. It is finished in the wonderful shade of Aragonite Blue Metallic, which is more of a turquoise color, but to me it is a welcome change over the silver/white/tan/black that we normally see. Inside, gray leather and just 67,000 miles. The price? Well, that new Honda Civic looks pretty good.
Update 11/29/18: Although it was listed as sold a few weeks ago, this E320 4Matic has been relisted with a Buy It Now of $2,950. Maybe another good chance to get a cheap winter beater if you have access to a steam cleaner!
Update 11/16/18: This E320 Estate sold for $1,757.
Winter is mere weeks away and I’m still on the hunt for a new-to-me winter vehicle to battle the snow and ice. My current winter beater, a 1997 Land Rover Discovery that I’ve had for the past 13 years, is on life support. Both front fender wells are rusting away at an alarming pace, the 4.0 liter V8 that has been around since the mid-1960s (!) is sounding awfully crunchy and I swear it gets around 11 mpg. I told myself I was going to buy something reliable to replace it, so I started hunting for a Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus LX470/GX470 only soon to find out that you can’t buy one for $2,200 like you can Land Rovers. They aren’t all that plentiful on the used market thanks to people taking them to their graves. Well, the time is ticking and I might have to consider options. One of those options is a Mercedes-Benz W210 4Matic because I might as well stick to what I know. Even better, an E320 4Matic Estate would fit the bit quite nicely with the extra cargo space and no one would confuse it with my E55 if I bought one in silver. Well, wouldn’t you know this 1999 popped up for sale that would fit my needs quite well. The only problem is that it is 2,600 miles away. Such is life.
Over the past month I checked out a few W124 Mercedes-Benz Estates and from the looks of it, they are still in pretty high demand judging by their price tags. I can see why as those wagons were and still are some of the best all-encompassing packages you could buy. Some might argue that the W123 Estate was better and I see their points, but the newest one of those is now 33 years-old and lack things like airbags as well as other modern safety features. What is interesting is that the car that replaced the W124 Estate, the W210, kind of flew under the radar when it came to fans of wagons. Whether it be its elongated looks or lack of old school Mercedes feel, people aren’t exactly eager to snatch these things up. It doesn’t mean that they are bad cars or anything, but the passion is just a little lacking compared to the W123 and W124. Today’s car, a 2001 E320 Estate up for bid in Oregon, is painted in the rare Aragonite Blue Metallic and is actually quite nice. Does that mean anyone will be clamoring for it?
