CC reader Bryan L. sent me these shots of a very nice condition Mercedes 230S for sale in a suburban Dallas, TX parking lot. It’s had a fair amount of work done to it, and it only has 53k miles, so no, it’s not going to be cheap.
Here’s the list of everything that’s been fixed or replaced, and some more info on it. So how much? Bryan called up to find out: $14,500 OBO.
1967 was the last year for the “Flossen” (W110/W111) models. The new W114/115 four and six cylinder models arrived in 1968 to replace them, and the W108, often called the first S-Series, had already made this 230S rather redundant. Strictly speaking, there was no clearly defined S Class yet, and the fact that this 230S and the quite different 250/280S/SE were sold side-by-side makes that obvious.
The 230/230S had the 2308 cc version of the SOHC six that had been around for quite some time; it was a classic already. In the S version, it sported two two-barrel carbs and was rated at 135 hp. The automatic that came with this car was a four-speed with a fluid coupling, not unlike the early Hydramatics. It shifted rather crisply, and had a decidedly mechanical feel compared to a torque converter automatic.
Bryan said it was hard to get a shot of the interior, but said that the upholstery and everything else looked very nice. And it has air conditioning, and the original sticker identifying at so is still on the rear window. Nice touch.
The American style fins were controversial. As were the little 13″ wheels. But these cars had a very refined suspension for the times, with the new single-pivot independent rear suspension being a substantial improvement over the old-school swing axles it replaced. They were still technically swing axles, but without most of the vices.
So, any takers?
I still wonder if I shouldn’t have called the telephone number for the one of these I saw about 6 years ago, also for sale in a shopping center parking lot. It was a blue 67 that was not as nice as this one, but still very presentable. I think they wanted $2800 for it.
I didn’t need another car and know nothing about old Mercedes, so I kept my dialing finger under control. Had it been a diesel with a manual, I would have been really tempted. But I really like these.
It’s beautiful. I think if it was a few years newer I might be dialing. Old Mercedes’ aren’t particularly rare but they don’t often come up in what looks to be a very good condition and pretty much ready to go.
It’s difficult to tell but it appears as if there is no headrest or even the mounting points for the driver’s side as opposed to that is the passenger?
The headrest looks to be a dealer installed accessory. Folks typically got them back then for comfort, not safety. His wife probably wanted to snooze while he drove.
The headrests look odd. They weren’t standard yet back then, but why does the passenger get one (which looks like a screwed-on afterthought) & not the driver?
See my comment above.
Didn’t “head restraints” become mandated as standard equipment in NA for the 1968 model year? If so, then this car didn’t come with them from the factory.
Did you read my previous comment above? I said “The headrest looks to be a dealer installed accessory.” I believe they had been optional for several years on Mercedes.
I always start at the bottom of the comments and work my way back up to the top, then read the article, so I understand all the confusion paul….
Nice find and the price doesn’t seem unreasonable, given the fact that a mere oil filter for a Sprinter van is almost $20…
I am no fan of Dagmar turn signal indicators in the front that are fitted to the American models. They look out of place…
As per the window sticker;
“AC works, but needs a charge.”
UGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!! as I run screaming out of the room.
For the love of all things holy, then charge it! Or, the AC does not work IMHO.
Maybe it’s the expense of an R12 recharge.
R12 isn’t very expensive any more. Low demand, plenty of supply.
If the AC needs a charge, then it can’t be blowing ice-cold. Also indicates that there are problems with seals etc. otherwise the charge would not be lost. Sounds like a money pit.
Here in Texas, a car with a non-functioning a/c is considered “disabled”.
As opposed to my Volvo, which had ice-cold AC when I bought it, then proceeded to get less and less cold until it wasn’t cold at all by the end of the summer. AKA “AC leaks freon but I’m not going to pass that tidbit along to you”.
Too bad the new owner didn’t put more miles on it. I was driving the VW home from work yesterday thinking “I should have done this years ago”
Price doesn’t seem unreasonable but a Flossen is not on my short list..
“Too bad the new owner didn’t put more miles on it. I was driving the VW home from work yesterday thinking ‘I should have done this years ago'”
Oh, great. Now I have even more guilt!
Ed, there’s still time to make the Love Bug 50th anniversary party in 2019!
70th?
Nice car but I wouldn’t be a taker at that price. Scroll through the Bring-A-Trailer completed listings (Previous Auctions) and you will see they’ve sold quite a few W108s. The closest in condition to the feature car was a 1970 280S that sold for $15,500. One family owner, CA car, original paint and lots of refurbishment. More recently a nice but repainted 1972 280SE 4.5 sold for $6,900.
$14,500 is too high considering what more desirable W108s are selling for. Plus the side moldings on the feature car are going to be a deal breaker for most Mercedes fans. To get rid of them means repainting most of the car, and dealing with the color match issues, or redoing the whole thing. Pull $5,000 out of the asking price and you may be close to market value.
BaT would be the perfect place to list this 230S, and I’m guessing the seller has tried, but they would not take it with a reserve anywhere near $14,500.
The wheels with those gigantic MB hubcaps + white walls look awesome. Except somebody should match the MB stars on the hubcaps to point the same way. Great car, it will certainly find a nice home and a way to plenty of car shows.
Having Worked at as Mercedes Tech I ran across these from time to time. One day one came in the shop , it was owned by a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, This was in the late 70’s when they were the “losingest team in Football” . I did not work on this one but the problem was a blown head gasket. Now the engine was a Cast Iron Block with OHC aluminum head. When a aluminum head on a cast iron block overheats the head warps. Mercedes says that an overhead cam cylinder head can not be machined unless both the top and bottom are done simultaneously and only to very close tolerance. Well that type of machining was not available so the dealer recommends a new head. Well back in the late 70’s that is a very expensive part add to that labor to assemble that valves train and install it. Well even an 70’s NFL player could not afford that. So then they did the “worst” thing. They just replaced the head gasket. It did not work and the engine overheated. So then they did the next “worst” thing. They bought a used head. I watched as this debacle occurred and I said to my self if they can’t machine the head, this will be a waste of time and money. I was right, the used head did not work and the engine overheated for the 3rd time. By now the thing was hopeless, the piston rings were like rubber bands and the engine even if it had a new head would need the upper end rebuilt. Somehow I was talking to the owner and I made a mention that I would buy it. Next thing I know I owned a 230S. Although I was a factory trained Mercedes Benz Technician I had been working on cars since I was 7 years old helping my dad run a Service Station Pumping gas and as I got older fixing tires changing oil and fixing up junkers. I knew how to get it running. I ordered piston rings, a Head gasket set with valve stem seals and a Timing Chain. I called up my local Machine Shop and asked if they knew how to work metric as the specs on the head I was about to send them will be in metric. I gave them an absolute maximum amount that they could machine off of the bottom of the head and sent it out. They did good and were able to get the head back to me just under the limit I set. I replaced the rings, valve steam seals and the timing chain. I replaced the head gasket and Installed the head. When I got done I had a very nice 230 S that ran like a top. The next year was my 10 year High School reunion, I drove up in the 230 S and turned a lot of heads. I gave the car to my father who looked better in it than I did. He drove it for a number of years and parked it. Many years later he gave it away. Oh and I had cemented a reputation as a “go to guy” . The Factory reps would send cars over to me that other dealers could not fix.
Now that’s a cool story!
+1
$14.5K for a stodgy four door sedan that weighs two tons and makes 135hp? Sign me up….
2816 lbs actually, FWIW.
Nice, and I don’t think overpriced given the condition and the six. Bet the Mercedes buyer paid quite a premium for that option. The ying of the USA styling touches was reciprocated by the yang of Granada ESS 10 years later. In both cases, the actual fans of the cars wish the companies had just followed their own design direction.
Yes, and it’s a tad chilly atop Mt. Everest! But at least there was that groovy speedometer to distract you a little from those jolting, severe, perhaps I might say Teutonic bang-shifts.
Nice car .
Considering what it takes to make one this nice $14K is a good price .
You have to _drive_ one of these to grasp how well it rides, handles, stops and goes .
I was offered the twin to this car yesterday in typical beater shape for $3,800 with dead paint (cheap silver respray), I doubt that one will ever sell .
-Nate
Having owned one of these (a 1967) back in the day after inheriting it from my parents, I just have to respond. My father was one of those folks who maintained his cars to factory spec, so when I got it it in 1979 it was pretty much as new.
Rides: Yep, just great – a wonderful autobahn cruiser
Handles: Not so much – it’s a big sedan, and especially at slow speeds was difficult to maneuver in parking lots
Stops: Okay for a 1960s car, but a bit terrifying in more modern traffic – you had to plan for what was happening a half-mile ahead to make sure you were not caught out
Goes: Hah! While once up to speed it was fine (my uncle once did over 100 on the Autobahn), getting there was a chore. The six cylinder engine was smooth but rather gutless – you had to shift the heck out the manual transmission to get any sort of speed out of it.
While I loved the looks of the car, both inside and out, whenever I am tempted to buy and restore one I remember what a chore it was to drive and start looking at other cars instead.
For a 1960’s or 1970’s car it handled rather well in fact ~ I don’t know if yours was on low tires or what but these were stellar handlers , I don’t consider parking lot manoevers difficult .
Yes they took time to get up to speed, less time *if* you had the ‘S’ dual two barrel Solex version and everything was properly adjusted .
Few were then or now .
Comparing them to anything modern is silly .
-Nate
Reminds me of the ancient ’63 220 that I had to drive back in the 80’s for several months. It was battered and beaten, but incredibly reliable.
I know that Mercedes Benz cars were sold through Studebaker dealers for a few years so it’s probably no coincidence that
I see lot of 62 Studebaker in the greenhouse of this car or vice versa.
These were styled in 1957-58. So maybe Studebaker looked at these when they started selling them in 1960. Then again, maybe not. I don’t see that much resemblance…
Wasn’t the ’62 Hawk grille intentionally designed to evoke a Mercedes? There’s alot of resemblance between these two cars in the shape of the hood and the ’50s-ish bulging headlamps too.
The 62 Hawk was very little changed from the 1956 Hawk. I am certain the designers knew about the Mercedes then, but I suspect the primary concern was coming up with a new bold face that could fit all in the hood of the 53-55 Starliner, which was the source of most of the rest of the front end.
I was mostly referring to the greenhouse, as per Hardboiled’s comment. But aside from the grille, which I agree is a bit Benz-like, I don’t see the resemblance. The M-B’s stacked headlights (in US-spec) give it a very different look to the Hawk.
If you want a more direct lookalike to the M-B, try the later Facel-Vegas. To a non-car person, it looks very much like a ’60s Mercedes.
Well, apart from being on the wrong side of the world, I’ve already got a ’64 220SE, plus two ’64 300SE LWBs as a restoration project, so I’m probably good for Flossen right now! (Especially as nothing’s actually working at the moment, but that’s a whole other story…
This car does look very nice though. But just a couple of observations – the wheels fitted are 14″, rather than the original 13″ items – they probably take a few revs off at freeway speed, at the cost of some acceleration from the lights, but having said that, and as was alluded to, it’s hardly a drag car with the little wheels on it! And the headrest appears to me to be a factory item, which are exceedingly rare. Why it only has one beats me, but here in Australia, the headrest is in the right place, now you’ll just need to move the steering wheel and pedals…
A nice car at a reasonable price. They are not very common up here and I would enjoy driving one for a summer. I’m surprised it only rolls on 13″ wheels.
I admire Mercedes cars but a fintail is just about the most unattractive one one can try to sell. Fins ten years late to the market – check. Four door sedan – check. Slow – check. Expensive parts – check.
For that money an excellent and fun to drive 124, 129, 201 or 107 can be easily found. I do get wanting an older Mercedes but a fintail is not deserving of an investment of the money this seller is asking.
This whole car looks shockingly out of date for 1967. The tailfins of course, but also the fishbowl windscreen, the flat side glass, the opposing wipers, and the bulging vertical grille.
That’s because it first appeared in 1959. By 1967, it was in its last year of production. Back then 8 years were an eternity. So yes, it looked a bit outdated by then.
I like the outside though not the color. Kind of menacing looking. But that interior isn’t attractive at all. Mis matched seats and ugly dash. You could get a deville. Convertible in mint condition for that amount of money.
I like the fins, having owned a couple of Mercedes’s Fintail models. They certainly were a styling peak for Mercedes. Some critics have described the post-Fintail designs as plain and utilitarian. One even called the 300SEL 6.3 “the world’s fastest taxi”.
Besides, I’ve learned the Mercedes fins do really have a significant benefit. The driver can actually see the rear corners of the car while backing up!
However, I would avoid having one with the automatic.
My first Fintail, an automatic ’66 230 was described by a friend as “shifting like whiplash!”
And that early automatic, combined with a 2800 pound car and 2.3 liter engine wasn’t a happy combination, as it always started in second gear – unless I floored the accelerator pedal into the kick-down switch, or shifted into lower range, which changed all the shift-points and locked out top gear – not a very pleasant driving experience.
My last Fintail, a ’60 220S with a manual column-shift, was a much more enjoyable ride.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Any comments on the rallying history of these cars? I am interested in learning what Mercedes did to prepare these cars for competition.
Maybe another time. 🙂 This was not intended to be a comprehensive post on these cars.