It’s funny: most enthusiasts would be excited to learn that there’s an old German luxury sedan hiding in a barn. But the reality is, most of the time it’s a tired, old Mercedes-Benz like this one and not the illustrious factory race car with significant pedigree. Still, there’s something to be said for discovering an affordable project, even if it won’t be worth a whole lot even after being fully sorted. This 1973 Mercedes-Benz 250 sedan is listed here on craigslist with minimal information and an asking price of $4,000.
Now, $4,000 is a chunk of change for a car like this. It’s too bad, as the price may scare off some would-be buyers who would put this old luxury sled back on the road. It certainly looks like it could be saved, given the body panels are in decent shape and the paint at least appears uniform. The headlights are U.S.-spec lighting, so if it was a gray market car, it’s already been federalized. The chrome finishes also present better-than-expected for a barn find.
Now, Mercedes interiors are notoriously hard-wearing, but this is even a little better than expected. The cabin is by and large mint, with even the fragile wood trim on the dash presenting in as-new condition. One of the biggest repair bills in any Mercedes restoration is the restoration of the wood dash inlays, so from this vantage point, it would appear the next owner won’t have to worry about that. The seats and door panels, along with the dash, are all in respectable condition.
Mercedes-Benz six-cylinder engines are among the more overbuilt mills you can buy, and while everyone wants a car with eight cylinders, this engine will perform highway duty just fine and potentially be cheaper to run. Still, we know very little about the state of this car and whether the engine turns over, so hopefully the owner either fills in some details to justify his price or drops the ask down to a level where you’re OK with a few unknowns. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Gunter K. for the find.
I’m going to have to say the seller has got their years wrong on this W114. 1973 was the first year for the M110 double overhead cam engine. This is probably a 72 which in itself is not bad due to the infamous Solex 4A1 4 bbl. carburetor which is temperamental and parts are for the most part nonexistent. Looks to be a decent car if the tin worm hasn’t gotten to the trunk and rockers. There is a nice 73 280 in my part of the woods that I have been tempted to look at. They aren’t worth much so it pays to be picky as parts availability and prices will quickly exceed the value of the car.
I don’t think they put the M110 in a 250. They put it in the 280. I could be wrong
That’s the point I’m trying to make. The 250 and 280 are the same W114 car just different engines. The Mercedes 250 used the M114 2.5L and the 280 used the 2.7L M110. The 250 in the states was sold up to 1972 and was replaced with the 280 model in 1973. Could be the vehicle was sold in 73 and mistakenly titled as a 73 model.
They also put the M130 in the 250 in ’73. This looks like an M130 to me.
The M130 and the M114 are based on similar architecture. The M130 was only used on the coupe models. If that was a 250C the asking price would be a steal.
You take the time to post an ad to sell your car. You take pictures, list options, etc. But you can’t mention if your 50 year old Mercedes Benz is operational? C’mon, man…
I think he amended the ad because now it says good running condition. Just wish he’d be more specific, like readings for oil pressure, cyl compression etc
not desirable as a restoration project. it would be highly desirable with documented few miles and in mint condition. the cost to bring this car back would be prohibitively expensive, and you would still have a second class citizen.