This Mercedes listed on Craigslist near Tyler, Texas, could be a great deal for someone. The seller is asking $15,000 for it, it was his grandfather’s car, who apparently cherished and babied it. The seller says he has no use for it (who doesn’t have use for a babied classic Mercedes convertible?) and it must go. Grandad kept the car in Arizona, but now the seller has it in Texas. Thanks to Zappenduster for the tip!
Made from ’55 to ’63, only 2,722 of these were made in ’58, and of that, only 628 made it stateside. The Craigslist post tags it as an automatic, but that’s highly unlikely, and I think I see three pedals in front of the driver’s seat. Don’t conflate beauty with performance – these were definitely not performance cars, the 1.9-liter 4-cylinder making just over 100 horsepower and with a top speed of only 105mph. It competed at the time with the Porsche 356, which tended to outpace the Mercedes since it was so much lighter (allegedly resulting in the creation of the even rarer six-cylinder version of the car, the 300SL).
These were sold either as hard tops (removable) or soft tops, and this one showcases a nice white hard top over its cream colored body. A cognac leather interior that looks awfully clean surrounds the driver, making the 69,000 mile claim believable. No mention of whether the paint is original or not – the seller spends more time on logistics and intolerance of scammers than details. Some seemingly quickly shot photos leave a pretty positive impression of the interior, and though dusty the body looks pretty solid as well with just a couple of paint chips needing attention. The car is sitting in a dirt driveway and so looks fairly dusty, but really nothing on the car looks off. It’s not said if this was always an Arizona car, or if his grandfather was the only owner. Could this car really just need a wash and a true garage to be parked in?
Part of me fears the seller doesn’t exactly know what Grandad has here. These cars rarely go for less than $75,000, and can creep up to the mid-100s pretty easily if well maintained or restored. If he doesn’t figure it out soon, by the time you read this, there could be a lot of people en route to Taylor to try and pick it up for a song.
I can’t believe $15,000 is the asking price. Did this guy dislike his grandfather to want to sell it so cheap? It might not be his type of car, but it seems like he would have researched the value of it before selling it. Looks like a really nice 68yr old Mercedes to me
Someone is either making a big mistake or someone is trying to set up a scam.
Well, here’s another bargain, for 75K https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/listing/1958-mercedes-benz-190sl-pleasanton-ca-2967225
Exactly. I say scam.
I’m no expert on M-B 190SL’s, but the hard top seen here is a factory original large-window available from 1962-on. It’s removable with chrome toggle clamps on the upper windshield posts (see pics 8 & 9). A soft top could be purchased as an option and installed by the dealer.
This SL 190 might be a ’62 or later model, or a ’58 w/ a retro-fitted large-window HT. No hardships here for sure!
May be a scam. Contact # is California area code, craigslist posting is 5 days old, and looks like it was posted in South Dakota, not Tyler Texas. Tried to call but no answer, sent a text but so far no reply. Never send money to a stranger, even a deposit!
Thanks for heads up… Seems waayy under priced…
A Google Lens search shows that the exact ad is also in the Nashville Craigslist and a number of other matches that might be the same car but not definite.
Curious and curiouser.
Then it’s definitely a scam. If it was real, they would advertise it locally, and maybe in Dallas, the nearest large city. Thanks!
It sure looks sketchy to me. Maybe this seller is a shade-tree mechanic (rim shot!). Caveat emptor!
Very Scammy ad! I’m sure if you call and want to come see it, he will say he isn’t there with the car but will take a deposit to hold. Then disappears.
SCAM ALERT
this is just too cheap. somethings not right.
That hardtop is worth $15k… exaggeration yes, but something is off here… Run away…
The add is about as truthful as the trans description.. It ain’t an auto and it ain’t going to be bought for $15K…. scam.
I spy an AC compressor (sans belt), nice to have in AZ.
An old friend inherited one of these from his uncle about 1976. Kept it 4 years, sold it to an individual in Germany for about $40k in about 1980. Look at recent pricing on these and one can determine that is most likely a scam!
SCAM!
Really nice car but the price??? The phone number listed in Craig’ List us an automated answering service and nobody returns my call, so I’m calling BS on this one.
Guaranteed your digital deposit ends up in Somalia
Why doesn’t Barns Finds pull this down?
To show buyer beware
He could have asked for more money even if is a scam. The asking price just gives the scam away.