It’s amazing how little time it takes for a car that was once the most complicated, luxury-loaded model you can buy to become a moldy, forgotten shell of its former self. This 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400SEL was the best of the best when it was new, representing the pinnacle of achievement if you were the type to be able to afford such a vehicle in the early 90s. An impressive highway cruiser that was heavy on both power and space, it was also very quickly a money pit for any owners without the means to keep it properly maintained. This example is clearly in a bad way, but the seller claims it will still fire up if you hook up a battery. Find the Mercedes (and an old Plymouth) here on craigslist with an asking price of $1,750.
I always wish that cars like these were accompanied by a story detailing why or how it ended up in such a sorry state. The 400SEL is equipped with a 4.2L V8 and four-speed automatic transmission. This is better news than if it were the V12 model, as those are notoriously fickle cars to get to run well, and that’s even when they’re in otherwise meticulous condition. There is a spotless 600-series V12 coupe parked at my mechanic’s right now, not a ding or a scratch on it and showing low miles, that simply does not run. The Mercedes V8s are far healthier engines to work with, especially if your starting point is a vehicle that looks like this.
Here’s the challenge, however: unless you do the work yourself, this is a fool’s errand. A very nice 400SEL will set you back between $8,000 and $10,000, so trying to bring this one back to life via your local mechanic is a terrible idea. The bodywork looks decent under all that mold, but you’ll want to peak underneath to see if this big-body Mercedes spent years driving through the winter slop of New York wintertimes and now has a few rot holes to show for it. It seems unlikely, as there’s no evidence of blossoming rot on the outside, but certainly its current storage arrangements don’t inspire any confidence – and God only knows what’s lurking beneath those chrome fender extensions.
If the Mercedes doesn’t catch your interest, the seller also has this 1950 Plymouth two-door that ironically looks like the better of the two projects to buy. The listing has all the signs of this being an estate clear-out, with the father or other older adult figure losing the ability to drive the daily while the project sat inside, waiting for a chance to be driven once again. Mileage on the Mercedes is a reasonable 120,000, so there could be a decent commuter car under all that grime if it comes back to life without major electrical faults or a bad transmission lying in wait; or, is it just a parts car for a specialist shop that has a few customers keeping more deserving cars on the road?
I’d take the Plymouth.
I’d have to see the inside first, but if the sunroof didn’t leak, the Mercedes might be better than it looks. The green stuff will wash right off.
I own the 1950 Plymouth 2 door Sedan blue like the one pictured here . It was a great car the great car and I traded it for 19 56 Chrysler Saratoga .NoNow that was a car that was a car
Probably parked cause the computer went poof. Leave it there.
I have been working on a 1992 benz the electronics are not bad yet with this vintage, also probably no air suspension (which is a plus) in these things since it would be on the ground if it did have an air suspension which most likely would be broken by now.
Some of the Mercedes estate cars had Citroen hydropneumatic rear suspension. Did any of them have air suspension? Not my world so I don’t know.
As for the possible rust issues, I suspect that these may have been galvanised before painting (as pioneered by the Porsche 924) so, if unwelded/uncrashed, it may well be solid.
As pointed out elsewhere, it’ll be the state of the gubbins that makes this a fixer or a breaker.
I had an S500 Mercedes coupe from the same vintage. Besides the fact that these were complicated luxury cars, one of the biggest problems is the wiring. The insulation used on the wiring degrades quickly. Exposure to engine heat, oil etc causes the insulation to basically disintegrate causing shorts and all kinds of chaos. This is one of the main reasons for modules and computers getting fried.
They were considered to be overbuilt by some, but have not found much love from collectors. I have seen similar Benzes for sale in the same price range for a long time, then ultimately parted out and scrapped.Given the low demand and price for these models , it is unlikely to be worth trying to make it road-worthy.
One of the biggest problems in this era of S-Class Benz is the heating and cooling system. Mercedes went on a cost savings bing and one of the things they went cheap on was the heater under the dash. Far too often these fail, start leaking and the owners find that the cost of repair exceeds the cost of the car because you need to remove the entire dash to fix the problem. These are a dime a dozen and nobody want them around my area because of this singular problem. The wiring and the rest are better than most but this heater problem is a killer on this era of Benz.
Not the first time they saved on the heater system. My dad, a WWII vet, didn’t like any “Krautbucket”, but was absolutely disgusted when he saw the underhood heater housing on my ’59 180A – basically cardboard.
Another problem with this series is that the frame is highly subject to rust/rot.
Take this MB to your local dealership for repair and find out why they call it “Mercedes Benz Over”!
So is this a buy one get one free? Buy the Plymouth but you have to take the Mercedes? Might get $500 for that white thing in scrap
Just have it towed to your local Mercedes dealer for its Service B and you should be fine.
Bick is so right. My wife has a E400 biturbo with 35K miles. The quote for B service from the local MB dealer was $7,000. Fortunately I have a mechanic who specialzes in MBs and has the computer routines etc. He just shook his head at the quote, filled with unnecessary bogus items like checking the fluid levels for only $400 and injector cleaning ( these are 2000 psi injectors) for another $500!
He did the real required services and repairs for $700 all in.
You could probably add a 0 to that $7k estimate here!
There is a good reason why independent Benz repair facilities exist and are so successful. Shame on MB for their ongoing shoddy and over the top priced service. This is from personal experience. Ask my wife about hers.
I’m with Ramon. I’ll take the Plymouth. Funeral Parlor upholstery is a bit of a put off but from what I can tell it looks complete. I’m half tempted to ask the seller if I give him/her their asking price on the Mercedes; does that include the Plymouth? If it did I’m in. Probably have to practically double the cost of the cars to cover the transport cost. Road trip?
The Merc could be a Hurricane Sandy electrical special from Hell. The Plymouth looks better if the underside isn’t rusted out. Much easier to replace the wiring harness in that and drop in a 340/360 or something if needed.
Located at Cedarhurst, NY
Prices on the W140 are trending up, but there are still dirt-cheap sketchy ones out there. This is one of those. It needs to be even dirt-cheaper though, without confirmation that it runs, moves, and stops. And that’s before considering the location, which means crunchy brown stuff is likely lurking where the sun don’t shine.
For a local who can check it out and haul it cheap, it could be an OK project. These are utterly fabulous cars when everything, or at least most things, are working right. Aftermarket parts are quite available and are a lot cheaper than MB dealer prices. Nobody is going to flip this thing for a tidy profit though, unless it’s in spectacular shape under the slime.
I recently saved a similar 95′ E320 Wagon from the crusher (Petty much this car but a wagon and a straight-six), I have never owned a car that was more of a pain, I finally got it on the road but every time I drive it there’s something new it breaks down with and right now it’s stuck in “limp mode”, I’m sure this car will be the same LOL
Personally, I would rather have seen a write-up on the intriguing ’50 Plymouth instead of the Mercedes! It looks to be in decent shape and the seller says to make-an-offer (but no title). Once again they are too far away to get my hopes up! Either one sounds like a safe deal.