Methinks MB lost the plot along the way.

I went 220SE. It possesses a transitionary 50s/60s look and also has some Studebaker elements going on.

Old MB cars never die, they just fade into the background, occasionally popping up here and there to be admired and to amaze people with the number of turns of their odometers.

Hard to say. Cadillacs were pretty well built in the 60s. These Mercedes may live on in bigger daily driving numbers not because of any inherent higher quality but because they're more practically sized for most people. That and I would bet they make significantly better gas mileage.

I love that pic progression. It really show the evolution of M-B sedans over the years. I picked the '72 only because it seems right in the middle of that evolution. You can see the influence of the past and the future in that car.

I had to pick the 200D. If I am going to have an old Benz, only a diesel will do.

That '66 is a classy automobile. And somewhat understated. The coupes are great, but somehow they don't exude Benzitude in quite the same quantity as the sedans.

My own garage includes an '82 240D stick and a '78 300D, both of which clocked over 200K and are running strong.

@thatguy01: MB quality doesn't seem to be quite what it used to be, but the cars are still marvels, and the last time I went into the dealership for parts, the salespeople treated me with something close to reverence upon learning of my 123-body ownership status.

in the old days in mercedes the beauty was outside...in this days mercedes the beauty is under the hood...

://jalopnik.com/365370/turbo-diesel-e30-bmws-are-spooky

The '66 200D. Three words: Fins uber alles.

I had to vote for the '66 200D for the subtle, elegant tail fins. And the fact it could easily go 300,000 miles with a couple of oil changes.

One of the cars my family had growing up was a 108 chassis, 1970 Mercedes 280s (2.8l inline 6) that looked virtually identical to this great DOTS car.

It was a fantastic car (and the only car from my childhood that wasn't a pile of crap, besides my grandmothers pre-malaise Oldsmobile).

I still love the double stacked headlights and big, in-your-face grill. These cars were also built by hand (the last generation of Mercedes built in this fashion) and really were remarkably durable. My father finally sold it after more than 20 years of (at least to my memory) problem free driving and somewhere around 200,000 miles. Keep in mind, this wasn't in the Alameda time capsule, this was on the mean streets of New York City and the salt smothered roads of Northern New Jersey. I doubt any other car built in 1970 could withstand that kind of commuting abuse for 20 years.

When I think Mercedes, THIS is what I think of.

I voted for the 72. That was about the time I started to notice MB's as a kid so they hold a special place for me. In addition I know a guy who has a simailar year sedan and that thing is cool as hell, still classy, very quick and a great highway cruiser still.

I voted for the '65 220SE; I prefer my coupes looking like sedans sans backdoors.

I've always wondered what is up with those little buttons you see on the grills of old German iron. Can anybody shed some light?

Since no one seems to be parking and 600 pullmans or 190sl's on the streets in Alameda, im going for the 65 220SE and pretending its a convertible

@Hot_Carl:
Grill Badges
[www.mercedesforum.com]

I don't think I have ever really seen a beater one of them:

@Hot_Carl:

Are you referring to grille badges, like the red and white cross badge on this car? If so, they typically display club affiliations or national emblems of the vehicle owner.

@Uncle_Bo:
@crazygutgut:

Thanks!

I had to go with the 65 W111 coupe. That is such a fantastic design, though I am partial to the fintail sedans as well.

I still need an old Benz. Badly.

I should go see if my favorite field-find W111 sedan will start when I get some big OT paychecks in a few weeks. I'd probably end up living in it if I dragged it home.

As much as I love Heckeflosse and Pontons....and Adenauers, the W108/109's were the 1st Mercedes sedan that made me stop, look, and think "fuck yeah, I want one of these". While cars, like ships are often anthromophized as women, 108/109's have always struck me as "guys". Summer of 1970...I was 4 at the time, and He sat in a parking space of a Shell station at the corner of Rtes 119 and 50 in Grafton WV....the home of "Mothers Day. I don't know the Mercedes paint code, but it was a dark blue 280SE wearing the old blue/gold NY plates. If a license plate could accentuate an already handsome car, it did. As I walked around him..looking but not touching, he wore just chrome to say, "I'm Important" without being gaudy. While smaller than the comparable Detriot leviathans, his presence dwarfed those cars in my mind. He was dignified, and stading next to him, I was too.

@wannabewannabe: I'd also suggest that older Benzes and Cadillacs attract different types of owners based on their predominate qualities - Benzes are more likely to be better maintained, right? I mean, anecdotally, the world record for the highest milage without an engine rebuild belongs to a Cadillac (over 800K, I believe).

I voted for the 300SD, for the bucketloads of patina (at what point does patina cross over to abuse or neglect?), but the 220SE pretty nice also.

@Triborough: "Squash Courts" - Yeah, man! Down with the justice system! Off the pigs!

Whaddaya mean, it's a game fer yuppies?

@Hot Carl: This car obviously works as a waitress at Chotchkies. The buttons are part of the 15 required pieces of "flair".

The 220SE is cute, but that gun-metal gray 280SE 4.5 is the stuff. Pre-Malaise, with all the heft and grunt of a proper S-class.

Too bad it's still worth way over $10K, is expensive to repair, sucks gas, and generates its own hydrocarbon biosphere.

@Triborough: Classy! Looking at the pictures in front of the squash courts, I can picture a receptionist saying:

"It's Thursday. Dr. Henderschott won't be taking appointments after 2 this afternoon. He's got a sq--He's in conference."

@OldeEnglishD: I recognize the reference, but I'm having a real hard time coming up with the film- what is it?

@slantsick: Office Space

@OldeEnglishD: Right! Thanks.

"I told them if they move my desk one more time I'm quitting, I'm gonna quit..."

"Riiight. Listen, I'm gonna need you to come in on Sunday, 'kay?"

220 or 250, please. Those designs are just timeless. Hard to find for sale, though, at least not at prices I can meet!
J

What about the '73 250C from a couple weeks back? I'd have voted for that one over any of the above: [jalopnik.com]

250 s for me. It's so classic, so timeless, so Mercedes, that it makes me feel warm inside. It's like an embryonic childhood idea of a car manifested into metal and leather and never ages. It's like god.

Someday I'm gonna have one of these with a column-shifted four-speed manual. The W108 came out in 1965, which means they just barely qualify for the Carrera Panamericana. Vintage sedan hoonage is always a good idea. Oh, and in the Bay Area, as Murilee pointed out, old Benzes aren't particularly rare. You know why? Because they were better engineered and better built than ANY Cadillac.

@Stuntdriver: So you're saying you've never heard of a 6.3? It practically INVENTED Bruceticity.

@Hot_Carl: @Uncle_Bo:
@crazygutgut: The best grille badge ever has to be the Volvo mileage badge-

And that's no misprint, that's Irv Gordon's P1800, which is heading for 3: [www.autoblog.com]

Of course the interior is nice, that's MB-Tex, the german super vinyl that could survive a nuclear war and still fool most people.

@slantsick: They don't make the nice badges anymore, they're just stickers now. Booo! You do get a certificate and a 20% rebate coupon for parts with it.

My mother was so fond of my Aunt Judy's mid-50s Ponton 190, that when my parents took delivery of their new '73 220D, Mom said she couldn't wait until the car got to be 10-15 years old, because "old Mercedes look cool and funky..." Mom and Dad kept that car for 25 years, finally gifting it to a diesel mechanic friend who they could trust to give it a good home.

Somehow I doubt my '97 E320 will give me 25 years and +200k miles, but I'll try...

One of the better looking Mercedes to my eyes (although not this color).

My poor brain...exploded on the hour

I sayz all, Except the 380SL. I never was a big fan of the R107, it looks good on occasion, but its too 80s and just an unattractive design.

voted for the 300sd - my grandparents had one in that color. Loved that thing on the cross country trips. Especially since we had to pull into truck stops for diesel, since it wasn't available at regular gas stations very often.

@TurboBrick: Dang- now I wish I'd gotten a badge for my '84 244 DL. 200K didn't seem like much to brag about though, for a brick, and the poor thing was junked with 286K (so close, and yet...)

My '78 244 DL project was some kind of Volvo fluke and only had 124K.

Stickers just wouldn't look the same on my fantasy '78 245 GL Hyper-Pak slant-six...

I have to go with the 200D as well, since I used to drive it. (It's a 1967! It's a 1967!)

We had one of those in the early 70's except it was dark Green. My parents bought it used in 69, and in late 73 or early 74 it threw a rod while mom was driving my sister to nursery school, so not all of them last 500,000 miles.

108, how I love thee. I always lament my lost $100 67 with its ford 302, welded back doors, that only caught on fire once. What an incredibly smooth ride.

I have one of these in my garage (technically its the wifes) but it doesnt look as good as the pictured one

@Dr. Schm: Haha I agree with you on the R107 and know exactly what you mean; it's not one of my favorite Benzes either. Still, you have to give credit to Mercedes for introducing a car that was "too 80's" in 1972!

Theres one of these for sale not far from where i live...4500 oboes. I'm thinking about exchanging my '98 impreza for it. The old benz is probably even more reliable and is a «little» more classy.

there is not a more elegant sedan than this. i don't care what you say.