While cruising Craigslist here in the Twin Cities last night I came across this cute 1973 Mercedes-Benz 280 sedan in my favorite 1970s Mercedes color, Caledonia Green. The matching hub caps are typical of these cars, but this green color is just so period correct, it’s all I can do not to drive right up to Anoka and buy the thing. Because it’s a 1973 model it still has the small, chrome bumpers, much more attractive and cleaner looking that the battering ram bumpers that were federally mandated by the U.S. Government for cars built in 1974 and later. If you’re going to get one of these, you have to get a ’73 or older.
I believe I saw this same car on Craigslist about a year and a half ago, there can’t be that many in the Twin Cities this color. This has the same dual overhead cam inline 6 cylinder engine that I have in my 1973 280 Coupe, these engines are reliable and run like tops… mine just finished 500+ uneventful miles during the 90+ degree humid heat wave we have last weekend while participating int he Inaugural Walleye 1000 Vintage Rally. It wouldn’t bother me to have a sedan like this for such events, if it has A/C, it’s a huge plus.
As usual, details in the Craigslist ad are few and far between. It’s simply described as “Not perfect, but VERY good condition for a 40 yr old car.” So you’ll have to get underneath and see if it has any rust, from the photos, it looks pretty decent. It has the very light colored interior used at the time formally known as “Parchment” which is a nice contrast to the Caledonia Green exterior. If it checks out and isn’t rusty, $2,200 seems like a fair price. See the actual Craigstlist Ad here.
280 sedans never bring the money that coupes do, they trade in a think market, but if you’re looking for a unique car that’s generally very reliable, this is a lot of car for not very much money. Don’t expect to get rich when you sell, but if well maintained moving forward, you’ll probably come out okay.
2 comments
I want to buy the caldonia green mercedes .. Do u have contact info
I am interested in the 1973 Mercedes in Caledonia Green and would like the opportunity to purchase this car.
Bob Iannizzotto
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