Would You Buy A Used Car From This Company?

Martin Schwoerer
by Martin Schwoerer

In its perpetual quest to expand into new profitable fields that have little to do with its core business, Daimler is now running a used-car dealership. No, they wouldn’t call it that; it’s the “Mercedes Young Classics Store.” (Sorry, at the moment this news item only applies to European markets). The concept is interesting. Mercedes thinks its products have such a great heritage and are engineered so well that they’re both practical daily drivers and desirable collectables. The not-quite vintage (i.e., birthdate 1970-1990) vehicles can not only be purchased, but also rented via a website that demonstrates what happens when you apply German principles of over-engineering to HTML design. Although the supply yet is quite small, there are some pearls to be found (if you can actually find the “gallery” button which allows you to see the cars on sale).

How about a W124 300CE, loaded, with just 63,000 km, for €11,900? It sounds like a desirable and indestructible car with an ironclad guarantee to me. I’d think of buying it, if I needed a car. Or there’s a a W126 420SE with just 39,000 km: pricey at €27.5K but built to last forever. On the other hand, why rent a E200 Cabrio, a vanity car that within a few minutes of driving will mainly show-off the fact it has zero power and a rubbery drivetrain? Snark aside, I think it is laudable that a car company actively supports its heritage and doesn’t just exploit it for advertising’s sake, as so many companies like Alfa Romeo do.

Martin Schwoerer
Martin Schwoerer

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  • Findude Findude on Mar 18, 2009

    I'm a fan of the W110, W111, and W112 Mercedes-Benzes (the fintail sedans and their coupe/convertible counterparts). Factory support for parts is superb but expensive. As others have said, hit the internet and get much better prices. Factory (i.e., dealer) service for old MBs is pathetic--any dealer I've ever asked has referred me to local specialty shops. Most Mercedes-Benzes, of any era, were superbly engineered and very well put together. Like the saying goes, a Mercedes will last forever but you will buy it over and over.

  • Steven Lang Steven Lang on Mar 18, 2009

    PG, we just had a 22 year old one with 176k miles on it sell for $3000 at a nearby auction. 5-speed and all.

  • Carlos.negros Carlos.negros on Mar 18, 2009

    I love this story. Now if they only would sell them with a bumper-to-bumper 4 year warranty . . . Give me a 1995 E320 Cabriolet with low miles. I would rather have one of those than anything they currently offer.

  • Areitu Areitu on Mar 19, 2009

    Mercedes servicing their old cars like this also instills confidence into current and potential mercedes owners. If they take such good care of old cars, they must take great care of the cars they build now, etc. I'd buy a used car from that company. Just not at those prices...

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