Which Sinister Sedan Is Your Choice? 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood vs 1975 Mercedes 450SEL

It’s Halloween this week, and the decorations around our neighborhood do not disappoint. There are half a dozen of those twelve-foot-tall skeletons around, including one in our yard. One neighbor opted for the giant Nosferatu instead, and modified it into a truly disturbing killer clown. And another neighbor stuck a convincing Jason Voorhees mannequin in the corner of their yard, so that you just catch it out of the corner of your eye as you drive by. In the spirit of the season, I’m decorating Shitbox Showdown for Halloween this week, starting with two classic black sedans.

Friday’s final was a foregone conclusion; there was no way that Lexus coupe was not going to win. And it won by a lot. I understand why; it’s a really nice car for a good price. But I have to be honest: it bores the hell out of me.

For me, no surprise, it has to be the distant second place: that scruffy little Plymouth Duster. You can’t call it a nice car, but it is entertaining, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be reliable. It’s also half the price of the Lexus, and I’m kind of a cheapskate.

You all know by now that I prefer brightly-colored cars, but if I can’t have some vibrant hue, I prefer black to white or silver. Most cars look good in black, if a bit boring, but certain cars can really pull it off. Big, imposing sedans in particular look great in black. For your consideration today, I’ve got two fifty-year-old luxury liners that wear their black paint well. Here they are.

1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special Limo – $4,500

Engine/drivetrain: 500 cubic inch OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Long Beach, CA

Odometer reading: 83,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

It’s hard to imagine, if you only go back as far as the 1980s, that Cadillac’s slogan used to be “The Standard Of The World,” and it wasn’t just marketing hype. There was a reason that calling something “the Cadillac of” its type was high praise. Its technology, quality, and luxury were just about the best you could get, all the way up through the 1960s. The malaise era wasn’t kind to any carmakers, and it marked the beginning of an especially ugly time for Cadillac. But that was all later; in 1975, the Cadillac name still meant something, and if you saw this car go by, you’d have been duly impressed.

Power for this big, heavy car comes from the largest version of Cadillac’s V8 engine of all time: a nice round 500 cubic inches, or 8.2 liters, if you prefer. The transmission was GM’s simple, excellent TH400 automatic; Cadillac was smart enough to know when pulling from the GM parts bin was the wise move. The seller points out that this car is exactly old enough to avoid smog testing in California, which avoids a lot of hassle. It runs well, and is currently registered, but we don’t get much more information than that.

Because it’s a limousine, the original owner of this car probably didn’t spend much time behind the wheel of it. But whoever did the driving for them didn’t exactly suffer; it’s just as cushy in the front as it is in the back. GM’s build quality, including Cadillac’s, was on a not-so-graceful decline in the ’70s, and it shows in how well this car has held up inside. Most of it looks all right, but the passenger’s side door panel is in rough shape, as is the carpet.

Outside, it has faded a bit from its glory days, but you could bring it back. The paint on the horizontal surfaces is sun-scorched, and at least one of the taillight filler panels is broken. I wouldn’t be surprised if the other side looks the same. Reproductions are available for some Cadillac models; hopefully this is one of them. If not, you could always fire up a 3D printer, I suppose.

1975 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL – $6,000

Engine/drivetrain: 4.5-liter OHC V8, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Henderson, NV

Odometer reading: 107,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

As Cadillac’s star dimmed in the US luxury market, imports from Europe were on the rise, particularly Mercedes-Benz. The W116 series, introduced in 1972, were the first Mercedes sedans to officially receive the designation “S-class,” a name which has since become synonymous with excellent quality and state-of-the-art technology. This 450SEL is the long-wheelbase model, with the second-to-largest engine available in the range.

The US-model 450’s V8 engine didn’t make as much power as its European counterparts due to emissions regulations, only 190 horsepower, but it was still no slouch for the time. The only transmission available was a three-speed automatic, unusual since six-cylinder Mercedes models of the era had four-speed transmissions. The three-speed gearbox was beefed up to deal with the torque from the V8 engines. This one runs and drives well, and has only 107,000 miles on it, which is nothing for a Mercedes-Benz of this era.

“Built to a standard, not to a price” is how you often hear these cars described, and if you sit in one and play with stuff, you understand exactly what that means. Everything just feels solid: switches operate with a satisfying click, the seats are comfortable without being squishy, and it’s eerily quiet inside with the door shut. This one is in very good shape, from the looks of it, and the seller says everything works, including the air conditioning.

The mandatory bumper standards for the US market weren’t kind to the styling of any cars in the ’70s, but they seemed to hit European cars particularly hard. The gigantic rubber battering rams sticking out of both ends of this car aren’t as attractive as the svelte chrome bumpers of other markets, but honestly, I’ve seen how people drive in Las Vegas, and big-ass bumpers aren’t a terrible idea. This car is in great shape outside; the only flaw I see is a bar in the grille that looks like it’s coming loose. Should be easy enough to fix.

Most people would consider these two cars too old to be daily drivers, but I know people who would happily daily them, and either one would suit their styles perfectly. Either one would be a labor of love to keep on the road, but in both cases, you’re starting from a good place. If you were to play the “friendly stranger in the black sedan,” which one is more your style – the flashy American, or the stately German?