Nice E320 Sportline Cabrio

[Spin_bowler]

Apologies if this has been posted before.

Mercedes E320 Sportline Cabriolet. Convertible. Auto. on eBay (end time 22-Jan-10 20:00:15 GMT)

 

[BlackC55]

Nice find and what a beauty.

 

[Mudster]

That looks tidy, well used but clearly looked after.

That's a proper useable classic with a mileage that wouldn't bother you about putting a few on and just enjoying it.

 

[Will]

Nice looking car and not unreasonably priced IMHO considering the amount of work done/money spent on it recently

As good as many with half the mileage, and as Mudster has said you could easily use it without guilt

Will

 

[jonnyboy]

thatll look lovely with a blue hood, mentioned in the question on the listing.
oh, for a 5 seat cabrio

 

[vincenz]

New loom on it too, looks great!

But there are other cars id have for £12k!

 

[c955]

It'd be a very difficult decision between that and the plenty of good CLK430 convertibles around for that money...the W124 is really quite timeless, but how does that measure up to more toys and a V8?

Are the boots of both cars comparable with the top down? What about rear passenger space?

 

[Spin_bowler]

Good to hear positive comments, half the time everyone comes back and says things like "that's been for sale for 4 years, it's a dog!" It's massively tempting, waiting on a decision on a new job which, if I get it means I don't need a reliable, motorway mile-muncher. This, or something like it, might just fit the bill...

 

[peterg1965]

It's a lovely looking car, and timeless as has been said. Guess it will hold its value better than a CLK cab too.

 

[MangoMan]

I have to agree, an absolutely lovely looking car!

But....

As said it's been completely restored which makes me think what was it like before that took place, after all, it is a 18 year old car with close to 150,000 miles on the clock.

Yes, it might look all nice, but no-where near 12 grand! Sorry.

Sure enough, if that sort of money is loose change for you ok, why not, but if that's your total budget, nah.

Personally, I think it's a bit of a 'rip-off'... Albeit a lovely one!

But hey, that's my opinion.

 

[Spin_bowler]

I have to agree, an absolutely lovely looking car!

But....

As said it's been completely restored which makes me think what was it like before that took place, after all, it is a 18 year old car with close to 150,000 miles on the clock.

Yes, it might look all nice, but no-where near 12 grand! Sorry.

Sure enough, if that sort of money is loose change for you ok, why not, but if that's your total budget, nah.

Personally, I think it's a bit of a 'rip-off'... Albeit a lovely one!

But hey, that's my opinion.

I agree, I don't think that it's worth £12K but it's an auction at the end of the day so the market should mean it finds the 'right' price. Like most people I expect the seller has set his 'buy it now' as what it's worth to him and what he'd be happy getting for it.

Were I in a position to bid I think that I might, but not at the 'but it now' level. Whether the vendor would part with it at a lower level remains to be seen, I shall follow the auction with interest.

 

[Will]

IMHO a 124 320 sportline cabriolet is in a different league to a CLK cab

Nice as CLKs are, I just can't see people salivating over them in another 10 years - most people would rather just have a newer CLK I guess. The 124s are really solid cars though and cost a bomb new, they seem to last forever with proper care.

The fact that a 14 year old 140k mile 320 cab looks tempting to many people at around £10k+ says it all IMHO

Will

 

[LTD]

Nice car but I'd be looking at an SL if I wanted a drop top.

Seen a nice one for under £7500.

Mercland Ltd : MERCEDES SL320 CONVERTIBLE PANORAMIC HARD TOP SL 320

 

[Will]

Nice car but I'd be looking at an SL if I wanted a drop top.

Seen a nice one for under £7500.

Mercland Ltd : MERCEDES SL320 CONVERTIBLE PANORAMIC HARD TOP SL 320

I agree - I'd probably rather an R129 SL over a 124 cabriolet

But the trouble is an SL is only really a 2 seater, you'd struggle to get more than a fairly young/small child in the back seats.

I guess some people also like the 124 cabs for what they are - the ulimate 124 for most, and fairly practical too

Will

 

[d w124]

I agree Will.To find a w124 sportline cab with one careful owner and FSH is not easy,and a well looked after w124 will give you a few years of trouble free motoring.

 

[LTD]

I agree - I'd probably rather an R129 SL over a 124 cabriolet

But the trouble is an SL is only really a 2 seater, you'd struggle to get more than a fairly young/small child in the back seats.

Exactly - they are the car for the couple or for the family where the parents just want to return to the times that they enjoyed as partners and rekindle the magic.

 

[BTB 500]

But the trouble is an SL is only really a 2 seater, you'd struggle to get more than a fairly young/small child in the back seats.

I would say it's a 3 seater!

You can easily move the front passenger seat forwards (there's a huge amount of leg room), allowing an adult to sit in the nearside rear seat quite comfortably (according to my mum, anyway!).

The offside rear seat is a bit more tricky as my normal driving position is with the seat fully back. I can (and do) drive with it further forwards to accomodate one of the kids behind me, but it's not ideal.

The other point is that the rear seats only have lap belts, which means you cannot now use them legally for kids who require a booster seat. Some people have had a 3-point belt conversion done, but using a booster would raise a child rather close to the roll bar IMHO.

 

[Smiley]

£2500 to replace the loom and change fluids ++ ?

£3400 for a respray and leather treatment.....wow maybe it included new front wings?

Either way £6k is a bit steep.

The rest of the car is still a well maintained 140k miler it is not a total restoration which is how the ad reads.

 

[Spin_bowler]

Nice car but I'd be looking at an SL if I wanted a drop top.

Seen a nice one for under £7500.

Mercland Ltd : MERCEDES SL320 CONVERTIBLE PANORAMIC HARD TOP SL 320

This one's on my hit-listst too. I fall into the category of needing a more substantial back seat though and I think that the R129 jump seats might be pushing my luck a bit too far. Also, not a major consideration but interesting is that insurance for a 97 SL320 is more than double that for a 95 E320 cab.

 

[Will]

£2500 to replace the loom and change fluids ++ ?

£3400 for a respray and leather treatment.....wow maybe it included new front wings?

Either way £6k is a bit steep.

The rest of the car is still a well maintained 140k miler it is not a total restoration which is how the ad reads.

I agree that it definitely sounds steep, but possible.

£3k for a top-quality repaint (perhaps with the usual new front wings) is in the right ball park if you're doing it all properly. The other £400 for reconnolising the leather?

The £2.5k service in fairness included four new michelin tyres (£350-400?), a new loom (£550?), new MAS (£200?), battery (£100), HT leads (£200?), timing & cam cover gaskets, plus plugs, fluids, filters and a steering damper etc. Maybe £1k labour for that lot - soon adds up.

Much rather see honest adverts like this where the seller clearly shows he's cherished the car than the usual couple of grainy photos and a vague description.

Will