The W126-series of Mercedes automobiles is among the most elegant and stout line of vehicles the company has ever built. Featuring the bank vault quality the brand became synonymous with in the 1980s, this 1985 Mercedes 500SEL is a rare survivor of a car that has typically racked up mileage well into the six-digit range by now. This car actually has under 40,000 original miles and shows incredibly well. Find it here on eBay with a $22,995 Buy-It-Now.
My Father had a later 1987 420SEL in this same exact color. I recall it being a long-lived vehicle, which was impressive considering how little my Dad enjoyed maintaining these vehicles once they got older. This is an earlier 500SEL with the somewhat unattractive recessed headlights. This is a minor gripe as the looks are easily improved with a set of European-spec headlight assemblies. There’s little to complain about around the back of the car and the seller is correct that the chrome strips on both bumpers appears as-new.
The interior is in excellent condition, with unmarked leather seats that are surprisingly heated. I say surprisingly because this I don’t recall the heated seat offering becoming more standard fare until the later years. However, the 500SEL’s location in South Hampton, New York, may point to an owner who used it in colder climates but obviously didn’t put it through its paces when the roads were covered with snow and slush. The gray carpets and carpeting show almost as nicely as the uncracked leather seats.
Woodgrain trim is expensive to restore in these cars, as is replacing the Becker Grand Prix radio. Fortunately, the wood is excellent and the radio is original. The glove box on these Mercedes is huge, and I can recall the one in my Dad’s car as being filled with business cards and napkins. I’ll also never forget the rotating dial for the temperature controls, which seems downright tacky in a modern luxury car. The seller is asking for all the money on this low-mileage example, but I don’t blame them – this is a classic you can use every day quite reliably.
had my finger poised, but…
a 123 diesel wagon is what I really want.
“…becoming more standard fare until the later years…”
don’t 4get the europ have em 1st standard (esp the luxobarges).
These are great cars. This is when a big Benz barge reached the pinnacle of top shelf engineering and a car you could actually wrench on before everything started to slide down the slope of too complex for the average backyard diy guy. When you drive one of these, you are driving in a vault of security and luxury. Who cares how many mpg’s you get
What no usb ports ? lol, even the cassette player is going the “wrong” direction. These are the best road cars ever built. I own a Lexus LS 400 and LS 430 and love them but hands down nothing beats this Mercedes on the open road. Unfortunately the younger generation won’t understand what we’re talking about.
The original Lexus LS400 was based on this car.
Yeah, but what’s more important – looks or safety? If those headlights were not GENERIC size glass sealed beams, replacement expensive UNIQUE plastic housings for 1985 would not even be available today! & those in the salvage yard would be no better, if not worse!
Today, you can upgrade to even better than halogen glass sealed beams, all of which will NEVER dim the WHOLE LIFE of the bulb, will never yellow or fog or scratch or have moisture inside. & are inexpensive, durable & can be change by a child in minutes for a mere $5-$15 !!! for each combo high/low beam bulb.
Plenty of choices too! …
http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/mercedes-benz,1985,500sel,5.0l+v8,1195118,electrical-bulb+&+socket,headlamp+bulb,11701
I really think the worst offending PLASTIC headlight housing covers should be RECALLED by the NHTSA, especially those on many Hondas, & all past Neons & probably many others. Just check any parking lot.
I think the European lens of the time were glass. Even my US spec ’93 Civic had glass lens.
Why do they Armor-all the tires??? Makes the car look like a Greaser from the ’50s has smeared his hair oil all over the things – ugh! k
Is that your only complaint about the car?
That color is called no sell blue, among the sales force
I recently acquired a Euro 380SE with over 375K miles on the clock…was owned by a doctor who took meticulous care. The cylinder heads were reworked about 60K miles ago and she runs like Swiss watch. Even the A/C still blows cold!
The glass Euro lights give the front end the smoother look the designers intended. Mine also has the small washer nozzles and headlamp wiper blades. We can again thank our corrupt politicians who are bankrolled by the lighting lobbyists for the awful-looking and inferior sealed beam units mandated by the Fed’s. European cars destined for the U.S. market cars of this era all had fugly lights and battering-ram bumpers (thank the insurance lobbyists for that one, too).
I wonder if shrewd negotiations could get that car any cheaper?
I realize you seldom find an example this nice, but $23K for that body style Mercedes seems to be crazy high in my world, especially since it is not in any exceptional color combination.
There is a guy on his YouTube channel that bought a 2001 S600 V12 in black.
He fixed a few things it needed and is ready to sell it.
He will ask $5000.00 for it and it will run and function very nicely.
It is a beautiful car.
The fear factor drives the price of Mercedes way down.
Go to a new car lot and tell me what exactly you can buy for 23K that is nicer than this? Or even a certified preowned car say 3 or 4 years old that is this well built. How much do you think a comparable MB with 40K miles would set you back today? I would love to own that car. Cruising cross country would be so comfy in that thing.
My dad had the 300SD! It was a really nice automobile! If he were alive and saw this, it would already be on a truck heading to Florida! He loved Mercedes!