1996 E220 Cabriolet "rare triple blue" - A124 - INVESTMENT GRADE - $34,500 firm

For sale: 1996 Mercedes-Benz E220 Cabriolet (A124). Investment-grade example. $34,500 firm. Inspection by appointment, Darlinghurst.

This is the rare "triple blue" specification: Azurite Blue Metallic (DB350) over Dark Blue Leather (273) with Dark Blue Cloth Hood (Sonnenland A5). Three-of-three blue. Per the 1996 A124 colour palette, this combination represented less than 4% of A124 Cabriolet production by the time the model was discontinued. Combined with the right-hand-drive Australian-delivery specification, the population of true triple-blue A124s in Australia is in the single digits.

Specification:

• M111.961 2.2L inline-4, factory 110kW
• 4-speed automatic (722.3)
• Original Australian-delivery, sole-supplied by Hornsby Mercedes-Benz
• 183,400km verified through full service book stack (15 stamps, last entry 02/2014)
• Original log book present and complete
• Original window sticker (Aufkleber) present and unfaded
• 15" 8-hole alloys, refurbished correctly, no curb damage
• Hood operates correctly through full cycle, no leaks, no tears, no fade
• All four electric windows functional, both door mirrors functional
• Climate control: cold, blower operates on all 4 speeds
• Becker Mexico cassette/CD original to the car, functional
• Sport package option (M-code 245): firmer suspension, body-coloured side mouldings

Condition: Concours-level. Paint is original except for the LH front guard (touch-up after a parking scrape, performed by Tsolakis Restorations in 2011, invoice on file). Leather is original, unsplit, conditioned. Carpet is original and unmarked. The car is, in my professional opinion, the best example of the model currently for sale in Australia at any price.

More photos by PM if your serious. I am not putting every interior photo on the public page.

$34,500 firm. No swaps. No trades. No finance. Cash, bank cheque, or verified Mercedes-Benz Financial transfer only. Inspection by appointment with proof of funds. PM only. Time wasters will be referred to the moderator.

Hugo. With respect. $34,500 for a 2.2-litre four-cylinder A124 is fantasy money. A clean E320 Cabriolet (6-cyl, M104) is making $28-32k in this market. The E220 is the entry-level engine, slower, and harder to sell because of it. The "triple blue" framing is marketing.

I also note that DB350 Azurite Blue Metallic was not exclusive to the Cabriolet, it was a standard W210 sedan colour from 1996, and the leather code 273 was offered across the entire A/W124 range. The "less than 4% by production" figure - I would like to see your source.

Fair price for this car as photographed, given the right ownership history, is $24,000-$26,000.

Kosta_K.

The 4% production figure is sourced from the Mercedes-Benz Group Archive (Stuttgart) A/C 124 production statistics, available to bona-fide enquirers upon written request thru the Classic Customer Service portal. I lodged the request in November 2013, received the response in January 2014, and the document is held in my records. I can provide the document reference number to a verified buyer.

The "triple blue" framing is a market description, not a marketing one. The combination of body, leather, and hood codes is genuinely scarce on Australian-delivery cars - the typical specification was Brilliant Silver (744) over Mushroom (211) leather with a black hood.

The fact that DB350 was offered on the W210 sedan is irrelevant to this listing. We are not discussing W210s.

The price is firm at $34,500. I am not negotiating in public.

Both of you are right and both of you are wrong, which I think is why this is going to be a 200-reply thread.

Kosta is correct that the E220's M111 engine is a four-cylinder and the E320's M104 is a six, and the latter generally pulls a $4-6k premium on like-for-like condition cars. He is also correct that "triple blue" is a marketing-adjacent description.

Hugo is correct that the specific colour combination (DB350 + 273 leather + Sonnenland A5 navy) is uncommon on Australian-delivery cars, and that Tsolakis Restorations is reputable, and that the documentation he has assembled is unusual and adds value. He is also correct that he is not obliged to negotiate in public.

My estimate of fair market value for this exact car, with this documentation, with these photographs, is $29,500-$31,000. Hugo's asking is $3-5k above that. Whether a buyer pays the premium for the "rare triple blue" framing is, in this market, a matter of how patient Hugo is.

Hugo is famously patient.

Hugo I have THREE clients in Strathfield/Burwood looking for exactly this car. One of them is a doctor in cardio he'll pay $30k cash on Tuesday no inspection. I can have a deposit in your account tomrrow morning. PM me your BSB.

If we settle the deal through Scuderia Luxury Assets I'll cover the rego transfer and the heritage plate switch at no charge.

Also Kosta_K you don't know what these cars are worth in Strathfield right now. I sold one last month for $36k cash to a Lebanese family in Greenacre. Different car, manual gearbox, but the market is the market.

Johnny.

No.

I do not sell through brokers. I do not accept deposits to BSB accounts I have not verified. I do not engage with third-party clients I have not met. I do not negotiate on the asking price.

The car is $34,500. Cash, bank cheque, or verified bank-to-bank transfer with proof of funds shown in person prior to release of vehicle. Inspection in Darlinghurst by appointment.

This applies to your "doctor in cardio," to the "Lebanese family in Greenacre," and to anyone else.

I have.I had an E220 cabriolet 1996 i combined with a M104 from a 320E sedan all the wiring loom is the same once you swap the engine mounts and the radiator support.5 hour job not including cooling.The M111 is honest motor but the 4 cylinder shake at idle is what brings the value down at trade in.If you swap the engine before the sale you add $8 to the price easy.I work at Geo and Jim's restorations as a kid all we did was build A124 chassis.

I am looking for a build.Hugo if you don't get 34 i can come look at it for parts in Doonside.westsydneyrestorationsbuilds.on facebook

Viktor.

You will not be coming to Darlinghurst for parts.

This car will not be parted out.

This car will be sold whole, intact, to a buyer who values it as I have catalogued it.

Move along.

Final update for the thread.

The car is sold. Buyer is a long-standing collector, inspection completed this afternoon, sale completed at $34,500 cash, paperwork executed, vehicle collected.

Thanks to those who engaged in good faith. To Kosta_K for the spirited debate on market valuation, which I welcomed. To Billy for the measured analysis. To Banksia_Park_Berny for the four seperate invocations of Steve.

To the others - to the broker, to the parts vulture, to the user from the Hills who messaged me twelve times offering a swap involving "two Audis and a jet ski," to the user who threatened to report me to the ACCC, to the user who claimed to be from Mercedes-Benz Group AG and "wished to discuss the listing": I sold the car. You did not buy it.

Hugo out.

One further note for the record.

I have just received a phone call from a person identifying themselves as being from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). They have requested I retain all documentation relating to this sale, including: the original listing, the entirety of this thread including private messages, the buyer's payment confirmation, and any records relating to "introductions" facilitated through the forum.

I have referred them to my solicitor (Mavroyiannis & Partners, Hurstville) and will be cooperating fully.

I am posting this here so that the forum community and the moderator team are aware. I do not at this time understand the basis of the enquiry. I sold one car, in good faith, for cash, with a paper trail. If anyone has any insight please contact me directly.

I anticipate further developments tomorrow.

- Hugo.

This thread is being locked, along with the entire Buy/Sell/Swap subforum, effective immediately, pending review of correspondence received this morning from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission relating to the operation of the subforum.

The site is not at this time admitting any wrongdoing. The site has not been ordered to remove this thread, the listing, or any member's posts. The site is taking the precautionary step of suspending posting privileges in the Buy/Sell area while the matter is reviewed by counsel.

Members are reminded that under Site Members' Policy §11.4, any attempt to private-message Hugo regarding this listing, to circumvent the lockdown by reposting elements of this thread, or to discuss the matter on other subforums, will result in immediate suspension.

I will post a further announcement once we have spoken to Mavroyiannis & Partners.

- Lefteris.