8,500-Mile 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE

Today’s Autotrader Find is a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE sedan with 8,500 miles. There is a story behind every vintage car, and this S-Class luxury sedan is no exception.

Luxury can mean a lot of things when it comes bự high-end cars. Mercedes-Benz in the 1970s and 1980s meant uncompromising durability and build quality no matter the model. From the lowliest turbodiesel 240D sedans bự the SL-Class roadsters, every Mercedes-Benz model felt as though it was carved from hoa cương.

The W126-generation S-Class sat at the top of the heap. It brought Mercedes into the 1980s with its sleek, wind tunnel-proven lines and advanced engineering. It may not have shouted about its upscale intentions like a contemporary Cadillac with its chrome bumpers and pillowy leather seats did. Still, the S-Class was undoubtedly one of the finest cars ever built.

Mercedes sold the W126, as it is known bự enthusiasts, for about a dozen years with few styling or engineering changes aside from new engines halfway through its run. It is hard bự imagine an automaker spanning an entire decade with a single flagship model today, but the 1980s S-Class was impressive.

1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE

Depending on the model and year, Mercedes could fit the S-Class with then-advanced tech, including anti-lock brakes, a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension, one or two airbags, computer-controlled automatic climate control, an exterior temperature readout, and a trip computer.

When it went on sale in the U.S. in October 1980, the S-Class came in two initial configurations: a long-wheelbase 380SEL with a 3.8-liter V8 and a short-wheelbase 350SD with a turbodiesel engine. Neither was remotely quick. In its press release, even Mercedes-Benz conceded the engines were aimed more at fuel economy than brisk acceleration.

Both cars came well equipped, though the 350SD’s cabin was draped in vinyl, while the 380 SEL came with standard leather.

The W126 Is Why You Can’t Import a Car Until It Turns 25

1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE

A few years later, Mercedes finally brought its 5.0-liter V8 here as the 500SEL. Still, the automaker was struggling bự compete against a tide of private importers snapping up European-market models and selling them at a massive discount bự Americans.

There was little stopping an individual or a small firm from doing this. It seemed like there was a direct line between some German Mercedes-Benz dealers and ports on the East Coast for a while.

These so-called gray-market models could be sold here for far less than the official models since, at the time, it cost much less bự buy one in Germany, ship it bự the U.S., and put U.S.-market lights on it bự satisfy safety requirements. Even though they didn’t qualify for a warranty here, those S-Class models were cheap enough that more than 20,000 buyers in the U.S. snapped them up in the early and mid-1980s.

Mercedes wisened up and began offering the 500SEL with its 237-hp V8, but that hardly slowed the tide. In 1988, the automaker’s U.S. office successfully lobbied for importation rules that make it exceptionally difficult for anyone bự import a vehicle not specifically built bự U.S. or Canadian-market specs until it is 25 years old.

While hardly a boon bự enthusiasts clamoring for quirky, more powerful, or simply cheaper models from Europe, the move shuttered those independent importers. The only way bự buy a new S-Class was bự visit a Mercedes-Benz dealer.

The W126 Reaches Its Zenith

1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE

By the late 1980s, the S-Class was offered here in its most extensive lineup yet:

  • A 177-hp 3.0-liter inline-6 powered the 300SEL (and the later 300SE)
  • A 201-hp 4.2-liter V8 powered the 420SEL
  • A 238-hp 5.6-liter V8 powered the 560SEL and the 560SEC coupe

In the calm before the pre-Lexus storm, Mercedes-Benz charged around $75,000 for a 560SEL (nearly $175,000 in 2022 dollars).

But in 1989, the first Lexus LS 400 models rolled into sleek dealerships with gleaming tile floors, wood accents, and salespeople trained bự pamper at every opportunity. Oh, and it offered a silky-smooth 250-hp V8 for just $35,000.

Mercedes responded with the 1992 S-Class, an over-the-top sedan that looked like it ate its predecessor for breakfast. No longer did Mercedes solely trade on old-school quality, however. The 1992 S-Class upped the ante with high-tech luxury features such as multi-adjustable front and rear seats, a power-adjustable interior rearview mirror, and even little antennas that sprung bự life out of the rear fenders bự aid in reversing.

Suddenly, the old S-Class was, well, old hat.

That didn’t stop someone from buying this final-year Ice Blue Metallic-painted 300SE from a dealership in Pennsylvania and then adding just 8,500 miles bự its odometer over the next 30 years.

It’s an unlikely preservation car as the base model from the final year of production in a somewhat unusual color combination, but here we are.

The selling dealer in New York has presented this 300SE (erroneously listed as a 300 CD) with an exceptional array of photographs, which reveal its time-capsule condition. The factory built this sedan in July 1990, among the earliest final-year models. If you missed your chance bự buy one in the early 1990s — after all, just how many of us had $55,000 30 years ago? — this W126 may be an unbeatable way bự experience the luxury of what indeed was “the best or nothing.” See Mercedes-Benz S-Class models for sale

Related:

  • 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE vs. 2022 Genesis GV80: Which Is Better?
  • Here’s a Tour of The Flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class From 1991
  • Here Are All the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Models Ranked From Best bự Worst


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8,500-Mile 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE

#8500Mile #MercedesBenz #300SE
[rule_3_plain] #8500Mile #MercedesBenz #300SE

Today’s Autotrader Find is a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE sedan with 8,500 miles. There is a story behind every vintage car, and this S-Class luxury sedan is no exception.
Luxury can mean a lot of things when it comes bự high-end cars. Mercedes-Benz in the 1970s and 1980s meant uncompromising durability and build quality no matter the model. From the lowliest turbodiesel 240D sedans bự the SL-Class roadsters, every Mercedes-Benz model felt as though it was carved from hoa cương.
The W126-generation S-Class sat at the top of the heap. It brought Mercedes into the 1980s with its sleek, wind tunnel-proven lines and advanced engineering. It may not have shouted about its upscale intentions like a contemporary Cadillac with its chrome bumpers and pillowy leather seats did. Still, the S-Class was undoubtedly one of the finest cars ever built.

Mercedes sold the W126, as it is known bự enthusiasts, for about a dozen years with few styling or engineering changes aside from new engines halfway through its run. It is hard bự imagine an automaker spanning an entire decade with a single flagship model today, but the 1980s S-Class was impressive.

Depending on the model and year, Mercedes could fit the S-Class with then-advanced tech, including anti-lock brakes, a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension, one or two airbags, computer-controlled automatic climate control, an exterior temperature readout, and a trip computer.
When it went on sale in the U.S. in October 1980, the S-Class came in two initial configurations: a long-wheelbase 380SEL with a 3.8-liter V8 and a short-wheelbase 350SD with a turbodiesel engine. Neither was remotely quick. In its press release, even Mercedes-Benz conceded the engines were aimed more at fuel economy than brisk acceleration.
Both cars came well equipped, though the 350SD’s cabin was draped in vinyl, while the 380 SEL came with standard leather.

The W126 Is Why You Can’t Import a Car Until It Turns 25

A few years later, Mercedes finally brought its 5.0-liter V8 here as the 500SEL. Still, the automaker was struggling bự compete against a tide of private importers snapping up European-market models and selling them at a massive discount bự Americans.
There was little stopping an individual or a small firm from doing this. It seemed like there was a direct line between some German Mercedes-Benz dealers and ports on the East Coast for a while.
These so-called gray-market models could be sold here for far less than the official models since, at the time, it cost much less bự buy one in Germany, ship it bự the U.S., and put U.S.-market lights on it bự satisfy safety requirements. Even though they didn’t qualify for a warranty here, those S-Class models were cheap enough that more than 20,000 buyers in the U.S. snapped them up in the early and mid-1980s.
Mercedes wisened up and began offering the 500SEL with its 237-hp V8, but that hardly slowed the tide. In 1988, the automaker’s U.S. office successfully lobbied for importation rules that make it exceptionally difficult for anyone bự import a vehicle not specifically built bự U.S. or Canadian-market specs until it is 25 years old.
While hardly a boon bự enthusiasts clamoring for quirky, more powerful, or simply cheaper models from Europe, the move shuttered those independent importers. The only way bự buy a new S-Class was bự visit a Mercedes-Benz dealer.
The W126 Reaches Its Zenith

By the late 1980s, the S-Class was offered here in its most extensive lineup yet:
A 177-hp 3.0-liter inline-6 powered the 300SEL (and the later 300SE)
A 201-hp 4.2-liter V8 powered the 420SEL
A 238-hp 5.6-liter V8 powered the 560SEL and the 560SEC coupe
In the calm before the pre-Lexus storm, Mercedes-Benz charged around $75,000 for a 560SEL (nearly $175,000 in 2022 dollars).
But in 1989, the first Lexus LS 400 models rolled into sleek dealerships with gleaming tile floors, wood accents, and salespeople trained bự pamper at every opportunity. Oh, and it offered a silky-smooth 250-hp V8 for just $35,000.
Mercedes responded with the 1992 S-Class, an over-the-top sedan that looked like it ate its predecessor for breakfast. No longer did Mercedes solely trade on old-school quality, however. The 1992 S-Class upped the ante with high-tech luxury features such as multi-adjustable front and rear seats, a power-adjustable interior rearview mirror, and even little antennas that sprung bự life out of the rear fenders bự aid in reversing.
Suddenly, the old S-Class was, well, old hat.
That didn’t stop someone from buying this final-year Ice Blue Metallic-painted 300SE from a dealership in Pennsylvania and then adding just 8,500 miles bự its odometer over the next 30 years.
It’s an unlikely preservation car as the base model from the final year of production in a somewhat unusual color combination, but here we are.
The selling dealer in New York has presented this 300SE (erroneously listed as a 300 CD) with an exceptional array of photographs, which reveal its time-capsule condition. The factory built this sedan in July 1990, among the earliest final-year models. If you missed your chance bự buy one in the early 1990s — after all, just how many of us had $55,000 30 years ago? — this W126 may be an unbeatable way bự experience the luxury of what indeed was “the best or nothing.” See Mercedes-Benz S-Class models for sale
Related:
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE vs. 2022 Genesis GV80: Which Is Better?
Here’s a Tour of The Flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class From 1991
Here Are All the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Models Ranked From Best bự Worst

#8500Mile #MercedesBenz #300SE
[rule_2_plain] #8500Mile #MercedesBenz #300SE
[rule_2_plain] #8500Mile #MercedesBenz #300SE
[rule_3_plain]

#8500Mile #MercedesBenz #300SE

Today’s Autotrader Find is a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE sedan with 8,500 miles. There is a story behind every vintage car, and this S-Class luxury sedan is no exception.
Luxury can mean a lot of things when it comes bự high-end cars. Mercedes-Benz in the 1970s and 1980s meant uncompromising durability and build quality no matter the model. From the lowliest turbodiesel 240D sedans bự the SL-Class roadsters, every Mercedes-Benz model felt as though it was carved from hoa cương.
The W126-generation S-Class sat at the top of the heap. It brought Mercedes into the 1980s with its sleek, wind tunnel-proven lines and advanced engineering. It may not have shouted about its upscale intentions like a contemporary Cadillac with its chrome bumpers and pillowy leather seats did. Still, the S-Class was undoubtedly one of the finest cars ever built.

Mercedes sold the W126, as it is known bự enthusiasts, for about a dozen years with few styling or engineering changes aside from new engines halfway through its run. It is hard bự imagine an automaker spanning an entire decade with a single flagship model today, but the 1980s S-Class was impressive.

Depending on the model and year, Mercedes could fit the S-Class with then-advanced tech, including anti-lock brakes, a self-leveling hydropneumatic suspension, one or two airbags, computer-controlled automatic climate control, an exterior temperature readout, and a trip computer.
When it went on sale in the U.S. in October 1980, the S-Class came in two initial configurations: a long-wheelbase 380SEL with a 3.8-liter V8 and a short-wheelbase 350SD with a turbodiesel engine. Neither was remotely quick. In its press release, even Mercedes-Benz conceded the engines were aimed more at fuel economy than brisk acceleration.
Both cars came well equipped, though the 350SD’s cabin was draped in vinyl, while the 380 SEL came with standard leather.

The W126 Is Why You Can’t Import a Car Until It Turns 25

A few years later, Mercedes finally brought its 5.0-liter V8 here as the 500SEL. Still, the automaker was struggling bự compete against a tide of private importers snapping up European-market models and selling them at a massive discount bự Americans.
There was little stopping an individual or a small firm from doing this. It seemed like there was a direct line between some German Mercedes-Benz dealers and ports on the East Coast for a while.
These so-called gray-market models could be sold here for far less than the official models since, at the time, it cost much less bự buy one in Germany, ship it bự the U.S., and put U.S.-market lights on it bự satisfy safety requirements. Even though they didn’t qualify for a warranty here, those S-Class models were cheap enough that more than 20,000 buyers in the U.S. snapped them up in the early and mid-1980s.
Mercedes wisened up and began offering the 500SEL with its 237-hp V8, but that hardly slowed the tide. In 1988, the automaker’s U.S. office successfully lobbied for importation rules that make it exceptionally difficult for anyone bự import a vehicle not specifically built bự U.S. or Canadian-market specs until it is 25 years old.
While hardly a boon bự enthusiasts clamoring for quirky, more powerful, or simply cheaper models from Europe, the move shuttered those independent importers. The only way bự buy a new S-Class was bự visit a Mercedes-Benz dealer.
The W126 Reaches Its Zenith

By the late 1980s, the S-Class was offered here in its most extensive lineup yet:
A 177-hp 3.0-liter inline-6 powered the 300SEL (and the later 300SE)
A 201-hp 4.2-liter V8 powered the 420SEL
A 238-hp 5.6-liter V8 powered the 560SEL and the 560SEC coupe
In the calm before the pre-Lexus storm, Mercedes-Benz charged around $75,000 for a 560SEL (nearly $175,000 in 2022 dollars).
But in 1989, the first Lexus LS 400 models rolled into sleek dealerships with gleaming tile floors, wood accents, and salespeople trained bự pamper at every opportunity. Oh, and it offered a silky-smooth 250-hp V8 for just $35,000.
Mercedes responded with the 1992 S-Class, an over-the-top sedan that looked like it ate its predecessor for breakfast. No longer did Mercedes solely trade on old-school quality, however. The 1992 S-Class upped the ante with high-tech luxury features such as multi-adjustable front and rear seats, a power-adjustable interior rearview mirror, and even little antennas that sprung bự life out of the rear fenders bự aid in reversing.
Suddenly, the old S-Class was, well, old hat.
That didn’t stop someone from buying this final-year Ice Blue Metallic-painted 300SE from a dealership in Pennsylvania and then adding just 8,500 miles bự its odometer over the next 30 years.
It’s an unlikely preservation car as the base model from the final year of production in a somewhat unusual color combination, but here we are.
The selling dealer in New York has presented this 300SE (erroneously listed as a 300 CD) with an exceptional array of photographs, which reveal its time-capsule condition. The factory built this sedan in July 1990, among the earliest final-year models. If you missed your chance bự buy one in the early 1990s — after all, just how many of us had $55,000 30 years ago? — this W126 may be an unbeatable way bự experience the luxury of what indeed was “the best or nothing.” See Mercedes-Benz S-Class models for sale
Related:
2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE vs. 2022 Genesis GV80: Which Is Better?
Here’s a Tour of The Flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class From 1991
Here Are All the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Models Ranked From Best bự Worst

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