A Different Sort Of Project: 1990 Mercedes 300E vs 1996 Subaru SVX

Good morning! For today’s project cars, we’re interpreting the word “project” a little differently. Both of today’s cars run and drive just fine, and look good – but they are both going to need a lot of care and feeding to keep them that way. It will be up to you to decide which one is more worth the effort.

You could drive both of yesterday’s cars too, but you couldn’t have the satisfaction of washing and waxing them on a weekend afternoon without putting in a lot of work first. I honestly wasn’t sure how this one was going to go, either. Old Volvos tend to do well here, but I thought the Ranchero’s novelty and V8 power might win you over. And it looks like I was right.

Count me in on Team Ranchero as well. When I make my pick for the day, I consider each car as an addition to my current fleet, and as much as I like that Volvo, it’s too similar to my MGB GT: pushrod four-cylinder, four-speed stick, two-door fastback. I don’t have anything like the Ranchero, and never have had, actually, so the idea of owning it appeals more to me.

Now then: Dragging home some old non-running carcass and reviving it is a noble undertaking. So is stripping a car down to its bare body, removing every molecule of rust, and laying down a fresh coat of shiny paint. And both of those types of projects will give you a great deal of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. But I don’t think it’s any less noble to buy something that’s already nice, and put in the work to just keep it that way. Entropy is not a force to be trifled with, and there are a thousand things a car is exposed to every day that have the power to make it a little bit worse. Keeping those forces at bay is a difficult, and worthwhile, task. So today we’re going to look at two really nice starting points, both deserving of a tight regimen of care and feeding. Here they are.

1990 Mercedes-Benz 300E – $3,990

Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter overhead cam inline 6, four-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Beaverton, OR

Odometer reading: 111,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

It’s hard to define the point at which something becomes a “classic,” but when it happens, it’s pretty much universally accepted. Casablanca is a classic. So is Led Zeppelin IV. And you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who would disagree with either of those, even if they’re not fans, even if they’ve heard or seen them dozens of times. A classic is something that simultaneously always feels fresh, and feels like it has always existed. And in the automotive world, the Mercedes-Benz designs of the 1970s and 80s are definitely classics.

And like Humphrey Bogart’s best-known film, or that album with the old man carrying firewood on the cover, the W124-chassis 300E is a classic because it’s really, really good. Craftsmanship and attention to detail is what makes the difference; this car was designed and built by people who really cared about making an excellent car. It’s powered by a straightforward straight-six and a tough four-speed automatic, nothing sexy, but incredibly smooth and with just the right amount of power. This one has only 111,000 miles on it, and it runs great. It just passed an emissions test with flying colors, so all is well. It is, however, a Mercedes-Benz, so keeping it at that standard is going to take some work, and probably some money as well.

The unexciting-but-excellent theme continues inside, with just enough leather and wood to be classy, and a refreshing lack of bullshit gadgets. It has all the comfort and convenience features you would expect, and it all works as it should. It just isn’t loaded with a bunch of techno-crap that will break right after the warranty runs out, like a modern Mercedes has.

Outside, it looks nice and shiny, and that classic Bruno Sacco styling still looks as fresh as ever. Not even Mercedes is immune to the effects of UV light on black plastic, however, and the bumpers could use a little sprucing up. But that’s a nice chore for a Saturday afternoon sometime.

1996 Subaru SVX L – $3,495

Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter overhead cam flat 6, four-speed automatic, AWD

Location: Aberdeen, WA

Odometer reading: 200,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

Japanese automakers pulled out all the stops in the 80s and 90s when it came to high-tech sporty coupes. All-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steering, turbochargers, and all manner of electronic gizmos were the order of the day. We didn’t get all of them here – the legendary Nissan Skylines had to wait for 25 years to pass before entering the US – but we got a few: the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4, the Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Supra in their ultimate forms, and this car: the Subaru Alcyone, known here as the SVX.

There’s no shortage of weirdness in the SVX, from Subaru’s legendary AWD system, fronted by a six-cylinder boxer engine, to the wild styling by Giorgietto Giugiaro. The bizarre window-within-a-window is probably the SVX’s most distinguishing styling feature, and I can’t imagine it made drive-thru windows particularly easy. But that’s the price you pay for fashion, I guess. This car has seen some miles – two hundred thousand of them, actually – but it is in great shape, and the seller says it’s “fast, firm, and tight on the road.”

As wild-looking as it is on the outside, the SVX is almost tame inside, at least compared to its predecessor, the XT, which had an asymmetrical steering wheel and most of its controls on two pods on either side. It’s in nice shape, and the seller says everything works. The driver’s seat looks a little saggy, but that’s just the effects of 200,000 miles. It looks like the carpet could use a shampooing, but that’s about all I see.

It’s nice and shiny outside, and I like the green. It looks like there might be a scuff on the corner of the bumper, but it might be a reflection. But that shows how clean this car really is: The only things I can find to criticize are dirty carpets and a scuffed bumper.

I imagine the “built not bought” crowd would disagree, but I think anyone who became the stewards of these cars should feel proud. It takes hard work and dedication to keep a car in this sort of condition, no matter who had that job before you, or how long you’ve been doing it. The definition of a “project” is a labor of love, and keeping these cars in this condition is going to be just that. Which one is worthy of your attention?

(Image credits: sellers)