In its perpetual quest to expand into new profitable fields that have little to do with its core business, Daimler is now running a used-car dealership. No, they wouldn’t call it that; it’s the “Mercedes Young Classics Store.” (Sorry, at the moment this news item only applies to European markets). The concept is interesting. Mercedes thinks its products have such a great heritage and are engineered so well that they’re both practical daily drivers and desirable collectables. The not-quite vintage (i.e., birthdate 1970-1990) vehicles can not only be purchased, but also rented via a website that demonstrates what happens when you apply German principles of over-engineering to HTML design. Although the supply yet is quite small, there are some pearls to be found (if you can actually find the “gallery” button which allows you to see the cars on sale).
How about a W124 300CE, loaded, with just 63,000 km, for €11,900? It sounds like a desirable and indestructible car with an ironclad guarantee to me. I’d think of buying it, if I needed a car. Or there’s a a W126 420SE with just 39,000 km: pricey at €27.5K but built to last forever. On the other hand, why rent a E200 Cabrio, a vanity car that within a few minutes of driving will mainly show-off the fact it has zero power and a rubbery drivetrain? Snark aside, I think it is laudable that a car company actively supports its heritage and doesn’t just exploit it for advertising’s sake, as so many companies like Alfa Romeo do.
Actually, after what I’ve read over the interwebz they did with Chrysler… I wouldn’t
But, I’d hit a W124 500E. Or a 500SL of the same vintage.
I dig the idea. Very interesting indeed. You’ll see other manufacturers (smart ones) joining it.
Ahhh, remember they have some restoration centers in the US.
Edit: I’ve ALWAYS hated flash sites, and thats one is specially heavy or slow to load.
560SEC
I will have more than one.
They are way way overpriced.
You can find a W126 for a couple of thousand euros in Europe. A mid 90´s W124 Coupe for between three and four. The cars will have to be immaculate, like brand new, to gather those prices.
There are 2 500E or E500, whatever. € 23K the first one. And it would smoke many new cars. I like =)
Nope, I wouldn’t, even if I liked the cars themselves. Obscenely overpriced, and as “bulletproof” as everyone seems to think they are, it only takes one mechanical failure to break your wallet in half, and realize you made a mistake. I’d rather have a reliable car that OCCASIONALLY needs an $80 alternator or $60 wheel bearing than a “bulletproof” Mercedes that will need a $2000 maintenence part.
Also: the ability to walk into any auto parts store and have the part sitting on the shelf, or at worst, at a warehouse less than 24 hours away. Not ordered from Germany, or dealer-only at a 200% premium.
The only parallel I can think of was the Nissan project that sold ‘returned to new’ 240Z’s a few years back.
I don’t think that was a particular success….
Where’s the profit in this for Mercedes? Can there really be enough of a market for these cars to make it worth refurbishing repurchased old cars and reselling them?
A few years ago I thought about doing a similar thing for Volvos, but as a rental outfit instead of a used car store. Back then there was a wealth of supply of old Volvo parts and a very strong demand for the product. In fact around 2005 about a third of the vehicles I sold were Volvos.
Now though there’s a very different dynamic. A lot of junkyards have been crushing their old inventories and the technologies have changed so dramatically that few folks really want the older metal.
I’ve had a couple dozen old Benzes as well. The W124’s really were the pinnacle of Mercedes, though I also like the W116’s and W123’s for their enduring quality. The W124’s in particular have a ride quality that I haven’t experienced in any other vehicle from that era.
Actually, Mercedes has some kind of customer service for “classic” cars. People pay humongous sums to have MB renovate their cars to perfect factory sealed mint condition. Before, they have only done pre-W123 cars. Seems like they have extended their range.
27,000 euros for an ’89 420se!
with 39,000km on the clock?
isn’t that an amazing amount of money for what is a 20 year old car?
where i am such a car would be $5,000 US at best
can’t you buy a new BMW 320 or that much?
No, I wouldn’t buy one directly from the company. But if the model year is prior to 1990 I might buy something made by the company. Now that gas is cheap the old diesels ought to be back down in price in the US market.
This is a nifty idea. These cars have a lot to recommend them and, assuming they can meet modern standards, are safe and clean. They’re also unique, stylish and well-appointed. And it’s an environmentally responsible idea, to boot.
You know, for a given value of “environmentally responsible”. Like, I want first-gen C43 AMG, but I’m going to have real trouble jiving a V8 sports sedan with my otherwise-green soul.
What really was the pinnacle of Mercedes “Engineered like no other car in the world” ?
Early to mid-90’s, I’d say. Obviously, the W124. But not the W202 or W210. Perhaps the gargantuan W140? As I get it, that car forms the basis of the current Maybach. Among the W124’s, the post facelifted cars seems to be of better quality, -92 and onwards. That means, the best buy seems to be a late model, -95 or -96.
I owned a 1972 W108 SEL 4.5 until 2007. Kept it pretty close to showroom new and OEM until sold. Elegant and timeless car. At 230K miles had needed no paint, engine or transmission work but lots of money went into “small” items during life of car. Went to a collector who uses it as his daily driver.
I am not an expert on pre 1974 MBZ but I think that some of the specs given on the site are off and I also think the wheels on the 300S shown on the site are incorrect.
Have to disagree with Steve. I think the W108/109 were the pinnacle of Mercedes. Looks and build quality with adequate handling and safety.
tigeraid : Nope, I wouldn’t, even if I liked the cars themselves. Obscenely overpriced, and as “bulletproof” as everyone seems to think they are, it only takes one mechanical failure to break your wallet in half, and realize you made a mistake. I’d rather have a reliable car that OCCASIONALLY needs an $80 alternator or $60 wheel bearing than a “bulletproof” Mercedes that will need a $2000 maintenence part.
That’s the problem. If this idea were to spread to America, people would think they can roll around in a Benz for the price of the used Corolla they originally intended on buying.
Its a great idea, but Mercedes should be interested in preserving the “classics” they sell to genuine enthusiasts, not just pawning off an old car to someone so they can hate the brand after their $1000 water pump expense or God knows what else goes out.
I’d expect better restoration for the kind of money they’re talking about. The gallery pictures really reveal the shortcomings.
I’d love the ’72 SEL, but the dash wood looks all scratched up. The redid the doors and seats, but the door handles looked original and a bit dirty/worn.
I’m obviously not the market, but I really just don’t get it.
The Alfa Romeo dig, while hurtful, is deserved. I would have kept my Milano in daily driver usage if Fiat would have kept part supplies flowing. Once windshields, headlamps and other trim items are NLA it’s just not feasible to keep a car in daily usage when a fender bender means you have to call up salvage yards all over the country. Even some mechanical items were getting hard to come by.
If they did this in the US, I’d be all over it. Having owned an 82 300D turbo-diesel sedan and a 76 450SL ragtop, I loved both cars and would happily buy a “classic” Benz, especially if the company was behind it.
“Where’s the profit in this for Mercedes? ”
Parts!
If these are truly restored cars and I had the dough, why not. I think it’s a great idea, similar to what Nissan did with classic Z cars when the 350Z came out. I love to see a manufacturer support its heritage. With Mercedes, their old cars were better than the ones they’re building today, so why not? Hell, the domestics are trying to sell cars that look like classics (Mustang, Challenger, Camaro), so why shouldn’t MB just sell the genuine article? Too bad they don’t go further back though. Why 1970?
To me the ideal would be an R107 with the legendary OM617.92X motor swapped it. Truly the two pinnacles of Mercedes design and engineering! It is a shame the factory never mated that engine to that chassis.
–chuck
I can think of two reasons why there is a market for these older refurbished cars.
1. Current new cars all pretty much look alike and show little if any “style”. These older models have some sytle or at least allow one to be different from all of the rest of the herd.
2. Persons too young or too poor to buy these models when they were new but now have more money than brains and want a chance to have what they couldn’t have before. I can think of several persons from the Middle East and West Asia that quickly tire of a new car and want something different. Maybe some of the AIG execs would want one of these so they didn’t appear to have just rewarded themselves with ill gotten bonus money.
I just found a spotless looking late W124 E320 Sportline wagon for 3000€ with 120,000 km.
Or there’s a a W126 420SE with just 39k KM: pricey at €27.5k, but built to last forever.
Nothing is forever.
With that amount of money €27.5k = $36k, I can buy two brand new Sonatas. Each would last me 15 years. So that’s a combined 30 years of service.
Oh, the 2009 Sonata is more comfortable, more drivable and safer than a 1989 anything.
This just makes me really want that 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution in the gallery.
chuckgoolsbee :
To me the ideal would be an R107 with the legendary OM617.92X motor swapped it. Truly the two pinnacles of Mercedes design and engineering! It is a shame the factory never mated that engine to that chassis.
Your dream is only one (maybe expensive) engine swap away.
They have a specially designated, very stylish sales area in the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart for these cars. It looks amazing. And while the cars are definitely pricy, you shouldn’t mistake them for your run-off-the-mill used cars. They are completely overhauled, look like new and are presented as such.
I think it’s a brilliant idea, suggesting long-term value and appreciation for your products in times when other car companies seem to regard their products from 15 years ago as mere fodder for the crusher, in order to get clunker cash for new car sales.
Mercedes is making a mint on parts for classic mercedes. Some MBA rubbed a couple brain cells together and figured out that keeping more of them around might mean even more of the stupidly profitable parts business in the future. It also means better resale values. It’s a win-win-win.
Of course, there will be a problem they didn’t foresee. Hey, if Girsky get’s paid, so should I, I am not telling without a check.
I think there would be a strong market for these if M-B were to offer them as a lease, with bumper-to-bumper warranty and free loaner. I would expect that $250/month in the US would be the sweet spot for a 15 year old E-class and $300/month for a 15 year old S-class or SL.
Or $100 a month for a 2 year old R350, but that’s another story.
That website is out of control! Talk about your needlessly complex user interfaces…it was painful to look through.
As a huge fan of older benzs, I understand the “young classics” concept. Parts have never been a problem to get, but ordering over the net will save you thousands. I picked up a fuel pump for a 126 the other day for $115 on line – it would have cost me over $400 to buy it from any supplier in town. And if you don’t do your own work – forget about it! Every MB shop I have ever dealt with was slow and nosebleed expensive.
I think the bombproof structure of the 116 was probably the pinnacle of MB engineering, but I prefer to drive 108s since they feel lighter on their feet and better made – in terms of build quality if not engineering thoroughness. 124s are nice, particularly the coupes, but they lack the indestructible feel of the earlier cars and are less fun to drive than BMW E28s (which I’ve always found reliable, though they can’t take abuse). 123s are incredibly durable but the seats are to close to the dash in some way that I personally find annoying and uncomfortable.
I’m a fan of the W110, W111, and W112 Mercedes-Benzes (the fintail sedans and their coupe/convertible counterparts). Factory support for parts is superb but expensive. As others have said, hit the internet and get much better prices. Factory (i.e., dealer) service for old MBs is pathetic–any dealer I’ve ever asked has referred me to local specialty shops.
Most Mercedes-Benzes, of any era, were superbly engineered and very well put together. Like the saying goes, a Mercedes will last forever but you will buy it over and over.
PG, we just had a 22 year old one with 176k miles on it sell for $3000 at a nearby auction. 5-speed and all.
I love this story. Now if they only would sell them with a bumper-to-bumper 4 year warranty . . .
Give me a 1995 E320 Cabriolet with low miles. I would rather have one of those than anything they currently offer.
Mercedes servicing their old cars like this also instills confidence into current and potential mercedes owners. If they take such good care of old cars, they must take great care of the cars they build now, etc.
I’d buy a used car from that company. Just not at those prices…