5k: Depreciation Special: 1993 Mercedes-Benz 600SEC

 In 1992 Mercedes-Benz shoved a 6 liter V12 into the front of the W140 chassis 2-door luxury coupe that tipped the scales at almost 5000 lbs (or 500 lbs MORE than the sedan version).  It was a fast and strange vehicle that cost $150,000 in 1993 dollars, which adjusted for inflation would be $245,000 today.  Unlike a $150k investment bond, Oklahoma ranch house, or Faberge egg collection, the Mercedes is now worth a fraction of its original investment.  Find this 1993 Mercedes-Benz 600SEC currently bidding here on eBay for $3,333 with 2 days to go located in Anaheim, CA.

5k: Craiglsist vs eBay: 1993 Mercedes 400 SEL W140

We scour the internet looking for car deals.  Each of us has our favorite sites and search engines that we use trying to find our unicorns.  I tend to prefer Ebay over Craigslist just because eBay's search features are so much better, even though I have to constantly keep an eye out for shill bidding on eBay.  I have developed a higher confidence level in the people I'm potentially dealing with on eBay and remain leery of what's lurking in the Craigslist world (too much time in the Detroit suburbs I guess).  This post is more of a comparison of the feature differences between Criagslist and eBay, but I was lucky enough to stumble across a really nice car that's featured on both sites. Find this 1993 Mercedes 400 SEL with just 43,000 miles listed both here on Craigslist and here on eBay. The seller is asking $6,500 on Craigslist (which we'll assume is his Buy-it-Now price) with bidding currently at $5,201 on his no reserve Ebay auction which will be at the end of the business day here in CA.

5k: Big Dog: 1999 Mercedes-Benz CL500 C140

The W140 generation S-Class was built from 1991 to 1998 as the flagship Mercedes-Benz luxury vehicle.  The S-Class was available as a sedan, long wheelbase sedan and coupe. Continuing the tradition of confusing nomenclature, the S-Class coupe was badged the CL even though it shared nothing in common with the C-class, (or its variants; CLK, CLC, CLA) or the CLS (E-Class).  Find this 1999 Mercedes-Benz CL500 offered for $6,995 via autotrader.com, located in North Hollywood, CA.  Tip from Tinman.

5k: Long Wheelballer: 1999 Mercedes-Benz S600 V12 W140

The mighty W140 Mercedes-Benz S-class was the last of the over-engineered Benzes with a reported development cost of $1 billion.  The W140 introduced the world to features like double pane window glazing (regularly and erroneously reported as bulletproof) and motorized closing doors/boot latch.  When new the S600 could cost in excess of $140k but today costs as much as a used Honda.  Find this 1999 Mercedes-Benz S600 V12 W140 for sale in Chandler, AZ for $6,200 via craigslist.  Tip from Matthew V.

5k: V12 Performance: 1995 Mercedes-Benz S600 W140

The Mercedes-Benz W140 series S-Class was the result of a decade of German engineering development, with cost overruns that allegedly leading to departure of Wolfgang Peter, Dailmer's chief engineer.  The resulting car is a pinnacle of over engineering, over achievement and overall awesome, especially in the S600 flagship.  Find this 1995 Mercedes-Benz S600 for sale in Brookfield, MO for $7,000 via craigslist.  Tip from ANCMatt.

5k: Zombie Proof: 1996 Mercedes-Benz S500 W140; S-Guard Bullet ProofWindows

If you are on the look out for a stealthy V8 powered post apocalypse survival vehicle for less than 5 grand, look no further!  Most of the survival vehicles we find look like tanks and would draw a considerable amount of attention from hungry zombies or (probably worse) folks trying to keep their brains from being made into a breakfast zombielet.  Find this 1996 Mercedes-Benz S500 (or S420) with bullet proof windows for sale in Lincoln, NE for $3,900 via craigslist.  Tip from Andy L.