The SDL within the title of at present’s Good Value or No Cube Mercedes signifies class, engine kind, and prolonged wheelbase. That’s rather a lot to glean from simply three easy letters. Let’s see if the worth tag is simply as informative.
Just like the Queen of Hearts in Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland, the mantra of Beverly Hills-based American Customized Coachworks within the early Eighties was “off with their heads.” The 1983 Datsun 200SX we checked out yesterday was simply one of many automobiles the coachbuilder transformed into drop-top kind. That made it distinctive, however, in keeping with your feedback, not all that fascinating. Not less than not on the $9,995 worth the vendor was asking. The end result? An 81 p.c No Cube loss.
Have you ever ever been concerned in a rivalry? It could possibly be good-natured, resembling rooting on your favored sports activities staff over a cross-town rival, or vindictive and harmful, just like the feuding households in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette.
BMW and Mercedes-Benz have maintained a long-held rivalry over which firm can construct the very best and most technologically superior automotive for its time. Each firms have flagships—the 7 Sequence in BMW’s case and the S-Class for Mercedes—every used as a showcase for his or her car-building prowess.
Within the Eighties, this ‘Battle of the Manufacturers’ was getting underway in earnest, and the 1986 Mercedes-Benz 300 SDL we now have earlier than us represents the very best that Stuttgart may muster for that period. It was fairly rattling good, too—so good that this automotive nonetheless seems to be to be a aggressive each day driver at present, nearly 4 many years later.
As we famous on the outset, the SDL within the automotive’s title represents the mannequin: S for Sonderklasse or Particular Class, D for Diesel, and L for Lengthy, that means it has an prolonged wheelbase over the non-L variations. The 300 signifies the engine displacement—form of. It’s not likely 300 of something however a 3.0-liter inline six that, with its turbocharged induction, makes 143 horsepower and 201 lb-ft of torque. The usual Daimler-designed four-speed 4G-Tronic automated transmission backs that up.
These automobiles have been typically constructed like proverbial tanks, and this one doesn’t appear to have ever been egregiously mistreated, exhibiting solely a few dings within the bodywork for its years of service. Fortunately, it’s freed from these terrible chrome wheel arch covers that plague so many of those ’80s automobiles. The cellphone dial-style wheels are a little bit of an sudden alternative for the automotive, however at the very least they’re retaining it within the household. And, after all, it has the splendidly eclectic fluted tail lamp lenses wrapping the rear corners.
Issues look even higher within the cabin. This automotive seems to have MB-Tex upholstery, which appears to dwell as much as its indestructible repute. Carpets, wooden, and the sprint cap additionally appear to have survived the years admirably, and the middle console even nonetheless has its unique manufacturing facility Becker stereo. The house inside the usual S Class is ample, and in these lengthy wheelbase editions, it’s merely epic.
Based on the advert, the automotive registers 184,000 miles on its odometer and has loved $5,000 in upkeep work inside simply the final two months. That included the substitute of the Bosch gas injection pump on the OM 603 six, which is made evident by how shiny and new it seems to be within the under-hood pictures. All of the fluids have been modified on the identical time, as have been the glow plugs and all 4 tires. The automotive is touted as being “accident-free,” and it comes with a clear title. The asking worth is $7,995.
What’s your tackle this basic Benz and that $7,995 asking? Does that really feel like a deal for a tank of a automotive that in all probability will go for many years with out a lot fuss? Or does this automotive stand within the shadow of all of the extra fashionable and succesful automobiles that may be had for such an quantity?
You resolve!
Portland, Oregon, Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
H/T to Don R. for the hookup!
Assist me out with NPOND. Hit me up at [email protected] and ship me a fixed-price tip. Bear in mind to incorporate your Kinja deal with.
