good deal?

i've been looking for a car for quite awhile now and i think i may have finally found my car. when checking a local dealership that i have been regularly visiting, i found an amazing car. it's a 73' 450 SE with only 91,000 miles on it! it is in great shape inside and out. i love the way it looks too, so classy. the engine was a little rough at first, but i think it may have been because it hadn't been driven in a little while and because it had been sitting out in the rain for two days. he also said he would give it a tune up. i was shocked when he told me that it was only $5995!!

now, i have no knowledge of mercedes-benz at all, but this seems like a great deal to me. i've always thought of mb as having very reliable cars, but is there anything i should be worried about or checking on this particular car? also, what would repairs cost on such a car? i was thinking it would be less because there aren't so many electrical complexities, but will it still be expensive because of parts? also, what kind of gas mileage should i expect? the dealer said it did well on gas for a v8, but that's not saying much. also, just out of curiosity, are there any mods you can make to such an old car? i definately wouldn't make any cosmetic mods as this car is a classic, but i would like to put in some kind of sound system and maybe improve it's acceleration a bit.

well, that's all the questions i have right now. so do you think this is a good deal? it almost seems to good to be true, but i really don't want to pass up this opportunity. is it really as good a deal as i think it is?

Wow that is a clasic. I have several questions.

(1) Did you check the bluebook value for that vehicle. Is the dealership under the blubook price. If so that is an indication of problems with the vehicle.

(2) Did you ask the dealership if there were any know problems with the vehicle. If so have them document those in writing. That protects them and you.

(3) Did you ask the dealership how they got the vehicle, I just cant belive somebody would keep a clasic in such good condition just to let it go, unless there are problems with it that would cost a ton of money to fix.

Now for your question about MPG. I have a 97 Jeep with a V8 in it, It gets 18 Highway 13 city for MPG. I had a 76 Chevy Malibu Classic with a V8 it got 15 Hightway 10 city. You are talking a 73 and a car that is solid steel tank, So I woulb bet you would only get about 15 highway and 11 city on a good day. So it is going to be a gas hog, but you already knew that with a V8, but you need all that power to cary that heavy car.

Yes you can put a cd play in that car, you will need to get an reciever dash kit, it can be done, but it will be worth it, make sure you replace the speakers too, the factory speakers are only rated for about 10 watts, most after market cd players puts out 24 watts per channel.

Also there are some mods you can make to the vehicle. Such as a flowmaster exhast to help with the gas milage. Im am sure there are others that can be made to help.

As a dealership employee, I can tell you a few things about this car: this engine is notorious for weak cams and crappy lifters. The lifters are probably adjustable solid lifters with ball sockets that ride on the cam lobes and are prone to wearing if they're not adjusted on schedule. The 450se for that year had d-jetronic fuel injection, a system that Volvo, Mb and BMW all abandoned after a couple years because they could never get it running right. If this car is really pristeen, and I mean really, with all service records from day 1 and indoor storage for most of its life, it may be worth what they're asking. Otherwise, save your money for something in the 78 thru 84 range.

...hey, I wanted to let you all know that I am selling my - '87 300D-Turbo for $6,800.

...I absolutely love this car - it truly is a drivers car. But my wife prefers something else, so after several years of putting her off - she wins.

...the car is Black w/ Grey interior (definitley the prettiest combination - yes, I said pretty.)

...the car runs strong and has been serviced impecably - only by the best mechanics in my area (northern NJ & VA Beach.)

...recent service includes - factory recall (trap box oxidizer reomoved & exhaust system replaced); new shocks/struts & rear suspension work; new radiator; new glow-pugs; brand new tires; refinished stock wheels; full-serivce tune-up (8/03); oil always changed every three months; other regular maintenance too much to mention.

...also inludes brand new $500 Clarion CD player and replacement Canton speakers ($750).

...other information - I'm the third owner and acquired it in '97 with 108,000 (it now has 142,000); all stock (except radio & speakers - huge upgrade).

...you can't go wrong - MB diesels are indestructible and with the price of gasoline over $2.00/gallon, diesel is a bargain ($1.50/gallon) and it gets better mileage as well.

...if interested please contact Derek:
email: [email protected]
cell: 757.332.4832

Thanks.

PS: ...check out the "E-Class Forum" to find out more information about this car!!!