1991 Mercedes-Benz

Sedan

3.5L Straight 6 Cylinder Diesel Fuel Turbocharged

Automatic

wdbcb34e5ma582612

Diesel

Power Windows

1991 Mercedes Benz 350SD finished in Smoke Silver with Cream Beige leather. This is the rare short wheel base version of the S-class in its final year of production for the w126 body style. The car was purchased in 1996 at Carriage House Mercedes-Benz in New London, CT and has been in the same family since then (passed from father to daughter in 2006). Since 1996, it has been used as a second car and has been consistently garaged. The car is in beautiful condition and has low mileage for its year. It has been stored for the past few years and has emerged from storage with some minor mechanical issues which I will detail below. Unfortunately, diesels do not like to sit unused. I took the car to a nearby mechanic to get it started; fluids were changed, a vacuum leak was repaired, and a short was fixed. At that time the garage made a list of issues that I opted not to address as I am selling the car. It is a very rare find and excellent opportunity for the right person. The exterior of the car is in excellent condition. The paint holds a beautiful shine and is in great shape. The car has never been in an accident and has never needed any paintwork. There is not a speck of rust on it. There are only minor imperfections such as an extremely shallow ding or two, visible only in certain lighting. There are also a few stray scratches, most notable of which are on the front right fender. These issues are all very minor and honestly cannot be seen outside of very close scrutiny. They do not show up in photos. The most prominent imperfection is a puncture in the center of the rear bumper cover, it is about the size of a golf ball and can be seen in the photos. There are no chips or pitting in the glass, it is all in excellent condition. The chrome is beautiful and bright; there is no rust or fade in the finish. The rubber trim is also in great shape and is not dried or cracked. The car shows far better than you would expect from a car of this age and mileage. The interior is also in beautiful condition. The leather is soft and supple and free from any notable imperfections. The seats are firm and supportive and do not have any unusual sag. The car was mostly kept in the garage and out of the way of extreme temperatures, thus keeping the interior very well preserved. The leather has maintained its original texture and give. The Zebrano wood retains its dark colors and is free from any major damage, showing only a few hairline cracks in the finish which are concentrated around the mirror control. The carpets are free from any notable stains or dirt and are in excellent condition. Owned by non-smokers, there are no strange odors in the interior. The plastic knob that controls the passenger mirror is missing. Aside from that, the interior is complete. Overall, the interior is in excellent condition. Mechanically speaking, the car does need work. The engine and transmission are extremely strong and function as they should. The car runs and drives, but has been sitting and should have the following items addressed before being put into service. The car has a thump from the rear upon hard acceleration; I was told that it needs a drive shaft center bearing to fix this. The car pulls to the left when driving at speed. I know the tires should be changed because the car was sitting and would think that may be the cause. The rear left window is off the track. I had put it down to test it and it came off; however, the motor is still working. The car seems slow at take off. When I had taken the car in to get it started the mechanic claimed it was due to a vacuum leak and that he had fixed it. He said that the car needs to be driven. I had, however, driven it about 30 miles since and it appears to be the same to me. I am suspecting that it is a fuel problem. When the car gets up past about 20 mph, the acceleration is fine. When I had picked up the car from the mechanic, the ABS light had been on occasionally, which had eventually turned into it being on all the time. The tachometer is also not functioning and had went dead as I was pulling out of the mechanic's. These issues are relatively minor; however, there are several. The car drove beautifully before being put into storage, bu,t as I said earlier, diesels do not like to sit. I will be starting the auction low enough to compensate for these issues and will not have a reserve. With the help of a good Mercedes diesel mechanic, this car will be ready for its next 200k miles. In sum, this car is a very rare find. I believe that there were only around 800 Mercedes 350SD's imported to the US in 1991. Legendary for its durability, most of these cars have around 200-300k miles. With only 111k, there are many miles left to go on this automobile. The car is also very economical, returning over 30mpg on highway travel, impressive for a large car. Cosmetically speaking, the car is in excellent condition and looks very impressive. Mechanically, it needs some work to operate as good as it looks. With a little work, the car will provide many more miles and years of service. I will be happy to show the car or answer any questions.