1993 Mercedes-Benz 300CE-24 Sportline

This left-hand-drive car is an example of the top of the range Sportline 300CE Cabriolet first registered in France in May 1993. Five years later it was bought by an Italian car enthusiast and businessman (and a Count no less) living and working in Monaco.

After another 5 years used mostly by his wife for cruising the chic streets of the principality and the corniche roads surrounding it, the car was sold to his son-in-law and imported to the UK. Kept garaged when not in use, he drove it almost daily for commuting between the Maidenhead area and the Cotswolds up until a year ago when, as for many people, the commuting stopped.

Now the family needs a second car to be more suited to young drivers and learners, and one that can also accommodate a few dogs, so the Mercedes has to go. The 300CE has been carefully used during 22 years in the same family - the odometer now reads 206,800 km (128k miles) - and whilst it may no longer look at its Monte Carlo best, the vendors report that it still drives beautifully.

Finished in Midnight Blue, one of the most handsome of colour options for large Mercedes, the paint and bodywork is in reasonable condition for the age and mileage of the car and looks good when stood back.

Closer to, there are some scratches and dings around the car’s panels, as well as on the offside mirror capping and in the door handle recesses, but nothing indicating any major impacts. The paint is bubbling in a handful of places such as the side body panels above the lower trims, front wing corners below the headlamps, around the aerial base and on the offside mirror.

There’s also a scuff on the offside corner of the rear bumper and a few patches where the plastic’s lacquer surface has peeled away, but otherwise the trim around the car is in a fair condition.

The dark blue hood is in pretty good order, with just a small rub through in the fabric on the nearside rear panel and a few small scuffs. It opens and closes properly under power (as can be seen in the video) and is reported to be fully watertight still. Don't forget that these were some of the best designed (read: over-engineered) cars every created, so this car could be expected to wear any wear (!) lightly.

The car sits on its original 15-inch 8-hole light alloy wheels, which are in a fair condition with a couple of dings and a little scuffing around the rims, and fitted with a variety of quality branded tyres showing good tread depth on all but the front nearside.

The car’s interior - equally important as the outside in a convertible - is in a cream / beige with leather upholstery to the seats and door cards, and beige vinyl's and plastics with walnut veneer trims.

The leather has gained the patina of use and also some wear to the leather, notably on the centre armrest and the driver’s seat side bolster. Nothing, however, appears to be beyond repair and reconditioning to bring it up to a good standard.

The black dashtop is unmarked but the speaker panels at either end are either warped from the Riviera sunshine or were twisted slightly when the alarm sensors were fitted. The steering wheel is a factory-fit sports design and aside from a few jewellery scratches around the rim, appears in good order.

The walnut trim in the centre console looks good with no evident cracking and has a later Blaupunkt CD stereo with detachable fascia fitted. There's a CD changer in the boot, leftover from a previous owner. The car is fitted with A/C, but the temperatures at the moment prevent us telling you how effective it is.

So far as we’ve been able to test, all the electrics work, including all four windows and the helpful seatbelt butlers. There are a couple of bits of hard plastic interior trim missing or broken - e.g. driver’s seat base.

The lining of the hood looks ok, albeit sagging very slightly but the carpets seem fine and intact and have fitted fabric floor mats front and rear.

Under the bonnet there’s a little bit of rust on the front edge of the slam panel and more across the exhaust manifolds but largely the engine bay is in good order with evidence of renewal to a number of ancillaries and consumable items

The undersides of the car appear undamaged but there are early signs of corrosion on a number of fixings and suspension components as well as the brake and fuel lines.

In the boot, the beige carpet and linings are a little soiled but complete and undamaged. Under the floor is a full size spare wheel and jack and attached to the underside of the carpet-lined boot lid is the original warning triangle.

The Mercedes has a current MOT valid until May 2021 and a history of annual testing in the UK going back to April 2003.

The car’s history file contains all of its expired MOT certificates and invoices from any resultant works as well as many other invoices from independent Mercedes specialists for servicing, repairs and sundry maintenance. The gearbox was reconditioned and refitted in October 2005 and a new cylinder head gasket in May 2013.

The documentation also includes a number of beautifully hand-written invoices from Hervé’s Automobiles of Roquebrune Cap St Martin - on the small strip of the French coast between Monaco and Italy - including the bill of sale to the Italian Count in July 1998 (in French Francs) and subsequent servicing in 1999 and 2001.

There are also copies of the transfer of the car’s Monaco title to the son-in-law prior to re-registration in the UK. The car comes with two sets of keys and fobs, a full set of original manuals and handbooks, original first aid kit, tool roll, wind deflector and car cover.

Whilst for some buyers a six-figure mileage (126k) might feel too high, this is purely a psychological thing - none more so than with a W124 Mercedes which commercial drivers would regularly take to 250,000 miles or more before even thinking about changing.

Being the most expensive model in its class when new, the Merc cabrio was outsold by the contemporary Saab and Audi Cabriolets - but today, this is reflected in higher values for the Mercedes-Benz so we think this rare specification example will fetch between £10,000 and £13,000.

If this mechanically sound Mercedes in Sportline trim was powerful and stylish enough for Italian nobility, with a bit of cosmetic attention it could be ready to add a touch of class to your weekends - Spring and Summer won’t be long in coming!

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.