I’ve been combing classifieds recently for a W108 Chassis Mercedes-Benz sedan and came across one of the most eloquently written Craigslist ads I’ve ever seen. (link to the actual Craigslist ad from Lakeside, CA, near San Diego HERE)
It was for a 1972 model W108 chassis Mercedes-Benz. Built between 1965 and 1972, these cars were the S classes of their day. They were big, imposing, comfortable, and powerful if fitted with the right engine, the right engine for me would be the 4.5 liter V8 that, even today, can keep up with modern day traffic just fine and propel the vehicle it’s mounted in well over 100mph for long stretches without really breaking a sweat (or anything else for that matter), after all, it does pack 230 Horespower… and that’s back in 1972!
Today, these cars are easy to find, and based on their high cost when new, most were taken pretty good care of. Many show up when folks pass away and leave them to a chile or grandchild who then realizes that they don’t need an ‘extra’ 40 year old car or they go to start it up and realize what a car that’s been sitting in storage for the past 15 years might need to actually get running again and they decide to sell the car.
LOTS of these cars are showing up on eBay and Craigslist these days. The right example can represent an incredible value, as it’s a lot of car for not much money. The sedans will always be less desireable than coupes and convertibles to teh collector and psuedo collector crowds. People usually want the top on their extra car to be able to go down on nice days. As a result, these cars are incredible cheap at the moment, not old enough (or more likely, rare enough) to be true collectibles and not new enough to be regular daily drivers with the usual creature comforts we’ve come to expect.
The seller of this particular car has quite a way with words, and while I’m not really one for giving someone the full history of the production and design of a car in a sales description (I figure if someone’s seriously looking, they already know, or should already know, what they’re looking at) this guy writes extremely well. He must be well educated or have some sort of educational background heavy in literature and letters. There is just the right mix of information and sense of humor, never taking himself too seriously.
While for me, this car isn’t quite right (this light ivory / light beige color just doesn’t do it for me) I’m tempted to take a closer look just based on the great description from the seller… hey, at least he’s out there having fun with the sale of his old car!