1984 Mercedes 230CE Euro

Oh Mercedes-Benz. How far you've come. I'm slightly worried about you despite your incredible fame and fortune, however. Sure, you're one of the oldest and richest car companies in existence and show no signs of slowing down. But you just aren't the same anymore, and I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Mercedes changed once BMW caught up with them in the 80s. They were really never the same from the 90s onward. Instead of careful attention to detail and quality that could last forever, they increasingly focused on flash, bling and the yuppie market instead of long term planning for the future. The designs got sloppy. The cars lost the heavy steering. Electronic gadgets were everywhere. Reliability plummeted.

In the mid-80s however they were still king, and perhaps no other car can exemplify their craftsmanship than this European specification 230CE. The engine was never available in the U.S. and has more power and spunk. The beautiful headlights and small chrome bumpers are Euro-only delights.

The W123 lasted rom 1976-1985 and resulted in 2.7 million units made. It was a commercial and critical success and is to many the definitive Mercedes-Benz, blending their old-world grace with new world durability, practicality and refinement.

The seller says the car was well-kept by the first owner and still wears its original paint. The rare cloth interior looks terrific too. They say the clutch shifts well and the rest of the car has no mechanical issues.

The seller has an auction and a $9,500 buy-it-now, which ain't bad. Considering this is easily one of the greatest cars ever built, you're getting your money's worth. This baby is fine doing weekend errands or making long trips. It's a versatile, strong, sexy automobile. And it has many more miles to go.

Available here on ebay.

Euro Pair: 1981 Mercedes-Benz 230E and 1984 200E

These old Mercedes W123 chassis cars are both up for sale by the same dealer in New Hampshire.

They're also both European-specification, meaning they were probably specially imported during the grey market heyday of the '80s.

If you're going to get a W123, these are the ones you want.

Read here to see why the Euro-spec cars, especially Mercedes from the '70s and '80s, are superior to the official versions we got.

With the square single-unit headlights and small chrome bumpers, the W123 cars are transformed into very handsome, still-fresh sedans, and the genealogy between them and their successor, the W124, is much more clear.

The beige car is a 1981 230E with an automatic transmission. It had a 2.3-litre 6-cylinder engine that produced 134 horsepower and was only offered here from '77-'78. In Europe, it was offered until '85, so this must be an actual grey market car.

The listing says the mileage is 193,305. That's high but completely normal for a '81 Benz. This was from the over-engineered era, when the cars were built with an emphasis on ingenious but practical mechanics over electronics. They were workhorses, and this one is probably good for another 100k. The interior looks incredibly good given the age and mileage and also has a rich two-tone color scheme I've never seen before.

The red car is an '84 200E with a 5-speed manual transmission. Again, the 200 was never offered here, but was available in Europe at the time and features a 2.0-litre inline 4-cylinder engine that produced between 93 and 108 horsepower. This one only has 77,339 miles. The aftermarket iceberg turn signals work surprisingly well and along with the metal grill badges give it a cold northern-Europe feel. The wheels are later W124 alloys that also work and make the car seem fresh and timeless. I also like it in red a lot.

The seller is asking the same price for both cars: $3,995 and is open to trades. The better car for the money is obviously the red one, with only 77k miles and a stick shift. But maybe both could be had for a special deal. These are good looking, likable cars that can give a new owner affordable, reliable and unique transportation pleasure for years to come.

Find the craigslist ads here and here and the dealer site listings here and here.