1972 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

300SEL 4.5 Sedan

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

10905712000898

Clear

Gasoline

1972 Mercedes 300 SEL Classic Long Wheelbase Sedan This Mercedes is in great condition for a 38 year old car. Could be a daily driver or easily restorable. Originally purchased in Houston by the owner of an oil company. Later sold to his company pilot who kept it until he passed away in 2009. His son then became the third registered owner and sold the car to me recently. I had intentions of restoring the car but I just don't have the time or space right now. This car is very collectible with a total production of only 2533. It starts right up and runs great. If you have never driven an air suspension Mercedes you are in for a treat with this car. Here is an accurate description. The motor runs really well. Starts easily and pulls strong. No odd noises. No smoke. No leaks. Transmission shifts smoothly and makes no odd noises. The brakes work well with no pulsing or pulling. All the lights, horn, signals, wipers, power antenna, hazard lights, interior lights, etc, work well. In fact, the car has a current inspection and registration.The electric clock works! The power windows and sunroof work well and seal up with no wind noise, which is pretty incredible for a thirty-eight year old car. The front seats are showing their age but are useable and I have a very nice set of matching color (blue) sheepskin covers for them. The rear seats are in very good condition and are very comfortable. The air suspension will lose air shortly after the car has been shut off and the rear end will squat. The problem is probably in the rear leveling valve and is most likely an o-ring. I haven't spent the time to track it down. It takes about two minutes for the suspension to level itself out when you first start the car and there are no problems once it's pumped up. Below is a link to a youtube video that shows the car in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNEb00pN_zI Here is a link to photos of the car:http://picasaweb.google.com/motodad93/1972Mercedes300SEL45L# Some of the carpet has faded over the years but it is not worn at all. It could be dyed if you wanted to keep It original, or replaced pretty inexpensively with new carpet. I don't know how many miles the car has on it. The pilot's son, who is a friend of mine, told me the odometer quit recently. It currently shows just under 91,000 miles and from the condition of the car I'd say that's about right. A carfax report might shed some light on the matter. I know it's had very few miles in the last 10-15 years. The car has been repainted. It wasn't a very good job. There is a small amount of rust around some of the brightwork, rear deck lid, and the base of the door pillars. Very little prep work would be necessary to do a good paint job. I looked the car over closely and found no evidence of any prior collisions or structural rust. The A/C was converted to R134 years ago and does blow cold air. The compressor locked up on me once but I turned it off and back on and it started working again. Worst case situation is a compressor replacement. They are readily available for under $300. In fact, I am pleasantly surprised at the cost and availability of parts for this model car. The heater/defroster motor isn't working. I have not done any troubleshooting on thateither. Other than these few small items the car functions really well. Would be an easy restoration. This would be a great car for an enthusiast or collector or someone looking for something different Here are some links of interest: Wikipedia W109 info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_W108 check the notes at the bottom of the lower table for 4.5 L data. Lots of good information here: http://www.oocities.com/mbz109/index.html There is a table on this website That estimates there are only 58 of these cars registered in 2010. I don't know how accurate that is but it is interesting. In addition to the above websites there are lots of discussion groups and forums concerning the W108/109 series of Mercedes. NADA Classics site shows an average 300 SEL 4.5 to be worth $8,950. High retail would be $16,300. While this car doesn't meet the criteria for high retail it is certainly better than average. I've got it priced to to sell at $7,200. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns. Leave your number and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks for looking.