Retro Gangsta: 1988 Mercedes Benz 300E
Normally I steer clear of dealer listed CL ads. The incompetency of what they are selling and the literary wooing & schmoozing leaves a die-hard car affection-ado with a bad taste in the mouth. But sometimes…one in a while…I stumble across a vehicle that is worth the attention and a quick rinse with the strongest mouthwash I have on tap. Find this 1988 Mercedes Benz 300E for sale at a dealer in Seattle, WA for $4,900 via craigslist.
The W124 series production run started in 1984 and ran for 12 years. Some would say these were among the best cars MB built. This model, affectionately known as 124.030 by those reckless Germans, was built from 1986-92 and was considered the middle of the pack in both size & luxury. One thing they are known for is durability. With this example displaying a sparse 68K miles (131K kilometers) since new, you could easily drive this until the new world order takes over and cars are banned completely.
The 300E came equipped with a 3.0L in-line 6 producing 177 HP. Coupled to the automatic transmission, long journeys were gobbled up with ease with a reasonable MPG number. Powertrains were tank-like in nature, 500K miles is not unheard of for this generation of E-series.
Black on red is unique as most of these interiors were a lovely shade of paper bag brown or cargo pants khaki. In all honestly, the gushing & spewing in the ad may hold some of it’s weight as the pictures do portray a well maintained example.
Another thing I am not fond of with dealers is the aggressive pricing strategy designed to include possible trade values. Certainly there is room here for street market bartering, and possibly a heck of a steal considering the intrinsic value and life left in the car. Now, if I could just find a nice MB/Porsche collaborated W124 500E in similar condition…
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When not receiving complaints of “distracted by cars…again” from his wife, Glenn can be found in the kitchen whipping up exotic cuisine and nourishing nosh.
GlennB,
Does your idea of "aggressive pricing strategy" include the fact that this car is listed at $6,899 on his website… lol I guess he has had it a while and figures it is time to move it along with the other 15 CL ads he has…
The dealer is actually in Surrey, BC so it's probably an even better deal. What is 4,900 CDN, about a buck ninety eight in USD's?
Close…$1.99!!
Actually, $6899 CDN comes out pretty close to $4900 US, so maybe that explains things. The ad is on Seattle CL. Still looks like a pretty good deal.
WOW! Even north of the border car dealers make me gargle
This is a "special" part of Surrey, right next to the auto wrecking yards. You might mouthwash and a tetanus shot. But the car looks in great shape. The two headlight enclosures put together are almost the same size as the engine…
Great name for a dealer of pre-owned vehicles. Un-does the aspect of 'used.'
Am I the only one who hates all the search words at the bottom of these ads that have nothing to do with the car being sold?
no. I hate it, too.
Yeah I was looking for a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta on Craigslist, but hey, look at this Merc for sale in a shady suburb of Vancouver! Heck with the Fazza, fire up the Explorer Myrtle, let's head north!