This 1990 Mercedes-Benz 350SDL is refinished in Dark Blue over Palomino Leather (264) and power is provided by a 3.5-liter turbodiesel inline-six paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. The current owner and seller acquired the car in 2023 from a family that owned the car since February of 2000. Equipment includes heated front seats, a power sunroof, air conditioning, automatic climate control, and an aftermarket head unit with auxiliary input capability. Service and maintenance records since 2012 are included in the sale and shown in the gallery. In preparation for the sale this example received an oil service, rear brake pads and rotors, and an inspection. Notable repairs in the last 10 years include a new auxiliary fan, engine mounts, various filters, A/C services, A/C compressor, head gasket, and various suspension parts. Now displaying 169k miles (TMU), this W126 is offered with manufacturer’s literature, partial service records, the factory tool roll, original window sticker, a car cover, a Carfax report, and a clean Florida title.
This long-wheelbase diesel was previously refinished from Light Ivory to Dark Blue under prior ownership with matching lower cladding and bumpers. Equipment includes a sliding sunroof with tilt function, headlight wipers, and factory yellow fog lights. The body shows some signs of wear including some chips in the paint and fading. The seller notes paint imperfections in the rear bumper and cracking in the headlamp surrounds.
Factory 15″ Gullideckel alloy wheels are mounted with Michelin Defender tires measuring 205/65 and displaying 2017 date codes. Braking is handled by discs at all four corners and new rear pads and rotors were installed in 2023.
The interior features Palomino Leather (264) upholstery along with matching door cards, carpets and trim. Zebrano wood adorns the center console, dash, and door cards with some cracking and fading visible. An aftermarket steering wheel has been added under prior ownership showing a partial wood rim and some discoloration in the leather. Amenities include automatic climate control, an aftermarket head unit, power-adjustable heated front seats with memory, and a driver-side airbag. Original Beige carpet floor mats are shown and included. The air conditioning is said to be fully functional and efficient.
An airbag steering wheel frames a 140-mph speedometer, a 6k-rpm tachometer with an inset clock, and a combination gauge displaying oil pressure, fuel level, and coolant temperature. The six-digit mechanical odometer reads 169k miles (TMU) and the odometer is noted to be inoperable.
The OM603 3.5-liter turbodiesel inline-six was factory rated at 130 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. Power is supplied to the wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. In preparation for the sale this example received an oil service, rear brake pads and rotors, and an inspection. Notable repairs in the last 10 years include a new auxiliary fan, engine mounts, various filters, A/C services, A/C compressor, head gasket, and various suspension parts.
The Carfax report shows no accidents or other damage since new. Now displaying 169k miles (TMU), this W126 is offered with manufacturer’s literature, partial service records, the factory tool roll, original window sticker, a car cover, a Carfax report, and a clean Florida title.
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20 Comments
I’m the person who won the auction and since I couldn’t find a place on this site to rate or review the seller(most likely such a feature doesn’t exist here but would be a good thing to have) I’ll just leave a comment here. It’s been three months and the car finally arrived to the snowy northern Europe yesterday - which is also the reason why I’m writing this now. The car is in good condition and as described in the auction listing - it is not a show car but but such a thing could hardly be expected for this money. I’m happy that I finally have the car and can start fixing the few minor things that need attention - such as Euro headlights and other miscellaneous things. The seller was very responsive to all my inquiries and patient as it is not easy to work out all the details considering the time difference and this being my first time buying a car from the US. I hope this review will be useful to someone who in the future might want to buy a car from the seller, @Gold3434 Note: this is not a sponsored review, I’m just glad that everything went smoothly and wanted to express my thanks.@KingKitty Not sure where you're getting your valuations, but $4500 is lower than any 350DSL sold recently, either privately or at auction. And the OM603 is completely interchangeable from the 300 SDL, with more of those available.@wahip I would take exception to this, as a well-appointed example with provenance and the same miles isn't worth a lot more, certainly not $2500 more. A lot fewer of the later OM603 engines out there, since many of them cratered, so the availability of a spare (good) engine is far less than on a 300SDL. @hopOnIt - I don't think there was anything sketchy here as might be suggested, just that the seller was unresponsive about oil consumption. If they drove this car for any distance, they would know if there were oil consumption issues. You have to look at a car collectively. In this case, while it isn't bad-looking and in decent condition, a non-operable odometer with no supporting documentation can be a scary thing for a lot of potential buyers, and I get why, especially on a car like this with known concerns. The seller isn't shy about being a flipper and knows little about the car or its history, which is fine since they're giving full disclosure. So the question begs, how much risk do you want to accept, and for how much?All in all, a well-bought example, with enough financial headroom to address the inevitable surprises. The car appears to be in good condition cosmetically and has had reasonable maintenance. I have a 300SDL with 278k and was able to source a running, spare motor for $2500 complete. These will easily last 3-400k with proper maintenance, so I guess I'm good til at least 2050!Congratulations$4,500 bid placed by @faufreluche
$4,250 bid placed by @ReallyCheapGeek
$4,000 bid placed by @faufreluche
I have no information other than what I wrote, I shared the information I received. The car is nice, neither the seller nor I will lie about a car. thanks.I guess we’re not going to hear from seller…FWIW I've been quietly watching this car (I'm probably obsessed with anything analog at this point) and considering the odometer is shown as TMU and noted to be inoperable I'm not sure what else everyone wants to see. We all know it's inop and inaccurate. Maybe I've just been doing this to long but I see nothing wrong here.On this model, provenance is EVERYTHING. If you don’t know if the engine has been replaced, or the proper repairs performed, run away as if your hair is on fire. Without some sort of information to address concerns of oil consumption you are rolling the proverbial dice on this one. These engines are known to fail and fail consistently until the head gasket is replaced and and bent rods or damaged pistons are replaced. Oil consumption is the tell - if it’s using more than a quart every thousand miles or so, you’re looking at a bent rod in your future. Add to this the lack of verified information the seller has offered, and you’re looking at a big fat world of hurt for the new owner in my opinion. I’ve owned these, they’re great cars, just be sure you know what’s coming and be prepared for a BIG repair bill or engine swap if you can find one. @wahip you have pretty much nailed it.I’m confused as to the responsibility of TheMBMarket site - clearly there is an odometer issue and yet, no comment from the site? Sure, sure, caveat emptor, but as facilitator, it doesn’t even beg a cautionary statement?$3,750 bid placed by @Florincean1971
I am also concerned about any mention of excess oil consumption. Perhaps those MB experts on this site could confirm what I have read elsewhere. Although most 350 SDLs never have engine issues, instances of bent connecting rods are far higher in the 603 than other MB diesels. Once the rods begin to deflect, cylinder walls wear rapidly and result in dramatic oil consumption, then seizure. There is no preventative maintenance for this, other than replacement, upgraded MB rods.Appears to have over 300k miles. Why the mileage discrepancyCan you explain the mileage rollback indicated on the CARFAX?@Peabo I'm sorry for the late reply. I have contacted the person I purchased the vehicle from to give you accurate information. The owner of the vehicle died 7 years ago. During this 7-year period, the vehicle traveled max 1000 miles.The vehicle has only been taken out of the garage for the last 2 years to complete its maintenance. The person we bought the car from is old and sick. For this reason, he said that he could no longer take care of the vehicle and that it was not the right decision for it to remain neglected in the garage, and asked for it to be found by another owner who needed this vehicle. Thanks to this Mercedes page, I will deliver it to its new owner who will take good care of it. Kind regards.Seller, receipts show mileage of 169xxx since 2015, maybe earlier. Was it driven regularly since then? Care to estimate miles per year?@Peabo Greetings bidders I bought the vehicle from someone I met while having it repaired at the same service. The vehicle belonged to the father of the person I met. After his father died, he did not hesitate to spend money on the vehicle that was his heirloom. He had the vehicle painted the same color as his own Lexus brand vehicle. I have no idea what we saw on which invoice, but what I do know is that it was a complaint mistaken for an oil leak, which is normally a diesel leak coming from the injector pipe. This too has been repaired. The performance of the vehicle is very good. Because the odometer is broken, the miles on the service records are not correct. It can be understood from the fact that the interior upholstery is not worn, which shows that the mileage is not very high. (This is just my opinion. I also respect those who disagree.) Best regards.Seller, can you tell us oil consumption? i noticed it was mentioned in an older receipt. Thank you$3,500 bid placed by @Peabo
Test drive https://youtu.be/usjg5AoxL9A?si=kU5Gmj5CnUcOUWBy@benzwishes Hello, there is no oil leak in the car. I added the video here with everything working as it should. https://youtu.be/i51etGs680I?si=s6E5WsgwGZRKxTgV$1,250 bid placed by @Babyhani1
$1,000 bid placed by @HJSarafian
$250 bid placed by @BD450SL
Any oil or trans leaks? Any signs of bent rods--Noise or oil consumption? Do you know what brand of head gasket was used-when replaced?