29K Mile, All Original 1985 Mercedes 500SEL

Vehicle Description

This single-family owned car is a wonderful example of an all-original 1985 Mercedes 500 SEL, made in a time when Mercedes was a manufacturer obsessed with build quality. Since the late 1980s, it has been kept in a climate-controlled garage and rarely used during New England winters. As a result, the car has ZERO rust. The interior cabin is immaculate, draped in palomino leather and trimmed with polished mahogany. Even the netting behind the front seats is in pristine condition.

If you’re familiar with this car, it drives like you would expect a 500SEL with just 29,189 miles would… like new! If you’re unfamiliar with Merc’s mid-80’s 500SEL, Germany’s top engineers painstakingly created a ride that smoothes out the worst potholes (…and here’s the hard part) while giving the driver just the right amount of feedback so they can genuinely feel the road’s texture. Luxury cars today can’t even accomplish this as ‘drive-by-wire’ and nanny controls completely isolate the driver from the road and the driving experience. When you sit in the driver’s seat, all the dials, levers, buttons, and switches give the driver a sense of command, that they are in charge of a serious vehicle instead of playing games on a dashboard mounted tablet. After a very short learning curve, the driver’s right hand intuitively changes any and every setting without their eyes ever leaving the road. Again, new isn’t necessarily better.

As for comfort, the front seats are heated and electrically adjusted with 2 memory settings and the rear seats electrically recline and are also heated.As a result of where and how the car was kept for the last 40 years, there are no cracks in the leather, which not only provides a showroom atmosphere but also allows you to fully appreciate the quality of the material and stitching.

It shouldn’t take much to bring this vehicle to “show car quality”. However, if the intention is to enjoy a long-range luxury cruiser where the driver and passengers are more relaxed at the end of their trip than when they began and look great doing it, this car is perfect as is.