The wonderful thing about vintage Mercedes-Benz vehicles beginning in the 1960s all the way through the late 90s is that the company was truly building world-class cars. While every company talks about pride in craftsmanship, Mercedes seemed to believe it more passionately than most brands. Its cars were well built with established reputations for being capable of racking up high mileage with ease thanks to durable drivetrains, and any stumbling blocks from a quality perspective were usually limited to needlessly complex systems (that could be repaired). The car shown here on eBay is a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL equipped with the powerful 6.3L V8 and under 60,000 original miles.
I have become a bigger and bigger fan of the Mercedes brand in recent years owing to successive positive experiences with its cars from the late 90s and early 2000s, along with the fact that my 190E Cosworth came back to life after years in a salvage yard. The huge misconceptions about build quality and expensive maintenance have far more to do with cars being neglected by their third and fourth owners versus any actual quality issues. Take this W109, for example: it has a finnicky air suspension system that often fails when a car hasn’t been used in some time. This owner has actually rebuilt the suspension, rendering the car as useful as ever. But you’ll see many examples sitting flat on their bellies, victims of neglect, and then labeled “expensive” or “needy” because the current owner didn’t invest in a proper rebuild.
Of course, it’s clear that this 300SEL has been loved since new, going well beyond a simple suspension refresh. The interior is in mint condition with a crack-free dash, spotless upholstery, and clean carpets. The wood trim, which can be another source of expense for anyone restoring one of these cars, remains in exceptional condition. All of this points to the Mercedes being stored indoors for most of its life and not left exposed to the sun, another factor that can cause the list of needs to spiral out of control for vehicles that are left standing for extended periods.
The iconic M100 V8 is a storied engine in the Mercedes family tree, offering prodigious amounts of horsepower and torque for the era in which it was made. As the seller points out, this 250 horsepower mill was used in the long wheelbase 600-series limousines and later shoehorned into the comparatively compact body of the 300SEL sedan shown here. The result was a powerful sports sedan that could gobble up highway miles with ease and never encounter a car it couldn’t overtake. This appears to be a very well preserved example of a sought after vintage Mercedes, and is listed with a reasonable price of $35,000 or best offer.
I had one of these with the big 6.3 engines early this century, one big mistake!
It wasn’t as nice as this one and had some rust in the rockers, but there is a lot that can go wrong and expensive to sort. That said, it is nothing compared to the bigger 600 MB series that shared the same 6.3 engine. I replaced the air bag suspension in my 300 SEL back then for about $1000 in parts. But the issue with a seeping fuel injection MECHNICAL pump that sits in the engine valley, about a foot long, was the last straw. I traded it plus some money for a much nicer and more pocket friendly 300SD with the 5 cylinder diesel turbo engine.
Owned a nice 6.3 for 18 years. This one has European cloth/velour seats but US instruments and headlights. Looks to have had good care, with minimal rust. Engines are usually bulletproof, under 15 mpg on highway. Transmissions are usually clunky. Does 140 mph. Not easy to find in this condition. I’d try to negotiate the price downward, below $30,000.
I would want this soooo bad if it had a third pedal.
this 6.3 appears to have unusual optioning for a US version, from the cloth (which is exquisite) to the rear head restraints. it also looks very ‘loved’. most are not. add to it the low miles, if documented, this is a car that any fan would love to own, assuming they can afford to keep it running. parts are difficult to find and very expensive. the odometers are notorious for breaking. I have owned 6 5 digit cars and not one worked consistently, thus ‘true mileage unknown’. the price is fairly reasonable, too, given the stupid prices people are asking for these dinosaurs. it needs a clean garage and frequent small trips. lovely car.