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?
That Cadillac is in really rough shape. The Merc, on the other hand appears to have been taken care of much more kindly. Merc gets my vote.
This one is so easy, Caddy Daddy all the way. Why 500 cu in, the largest displacement engine ever installed in a passenger car. Sure since it was the absolute lowest point in of the Malaise era so I makes less HP than many current engines 1/4 the size, but the torques man, that is where it is at. Plus super easy to wake up that engine and double its HP.
It’s weird that we had all that torque and didn’t have an overdrive gear. Running 80mph down the interstate, wearing out the engine and guzzling gas.
That’s what interstellar-travel rear-end gears were for. I think ’75 Cadillacs had a 2.73 rear-end gear ratio standard. They could have had a lower numerical one, I’m not 100% sure.
If you were worried about gas mileage, a Cadillac was a seriously wrong choice. In a sense, mid-’70s Cadillacs were the ne plus ultra of American luxury and excess – second perhaps only to the ’59 Cadillac – except with ’70s rococo vibes.
The gluttonous excess would pretty much come to an end by 1980. The conditions in the United States has caught up to the reality of the larger world by that point.
I’ll take the Caddy, put chandeliers on the fenders, and bomb around while screaming, “I’m the Duke of New York! I’m A number one!”
I’d love to have that 500 in the Caddy, but the Benz wins in this one.
Since there’s no 1998 Volvo V70 option, I choose the Benz.
What kind of villain do you want to look like? For state police stalking dissidents, the Merc is perfect. For a guy who strangles co-eds, the Caddy gives off major serial killer vibes.
I’ll go with the Merc because of its condition, and because I can imagine myself as a state police agent who flips to the resistance and keeps tipping off their agents before a raid.
I appreciate an old full-size GM product. I had a ’72 Olds 98 that I adored. But the MB would be my choice here. Yes, the MB will be more expensive to keep on the road, but it isn’t like either is going to see a lot of miles.
this Benz is gonna follow that Lexus as the next landslide vote…
If I’m going full villain style, it has to be the Cadillac, since the interior is already rough it’ll get a dark red-recovering, and the paint might get a refresh, or I’d keep it ratty for that down on your luck gangster look.
I’d go by “in which car would you be more likely to see a dictator” and the 450SEL immediately wins.
Tough choice. But the Mercedes seems in far better condition, and if it was green instead of black it would have SCREAMED “president of the farmers’ association” in my neck of the woods back in the day. Which seals the deal for me.
MB all the way, but the ’75 450sel has some known issues that previous model years didn’t have that made it cumbersome to deal with. It would not be cheaper but once you got out all fixed up, and make retrofitted some 75 specific bugs out, it’d be a great car.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/mercedes-benz-distributor-cap-bosch-03120
210$ for a dist.cap for the Mercedes
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=532192&cc=1430043&pt=7120&jsn=587
19.00$ for ACDelco dist cap for the Caddy
Hate to say it but Caddy today now that I know that Merc will drain the bank account quicker than a soon to be ex spouse on their way to divorce court.
Rock Auto has the Mercedes distributor cap for 38.99 for “famous brand”, three mid-range choices and the Bosch for 104.99. It pays to shop around a bit.
I won’t bother looking on FCPEuro for Cadillac parts.
There is no doubt that Mercedes parts will cost more than GM parts. (As an aside, I used to works at a parts house, and the behind-the-scenes workings of retail could get pretty strange.)
> Merc will drain the bank account quicker than a soon to be ex spouse on their way to divorce court.
But at least it’ll run. Which isn’t guaranteed of the Cadillac.
Not easy to tell. We will find out…
I like the Cadillacs of this era better, but that Benz is in so much better condition I had to vote for it. Choosing between these two, that extra $1500 would be the best $1500 you ever spent.
Which one would be good for another hundred thousand miles?
Maybe both.
Which would be good for another two hundred thousand?
Definitely the Mercedes Benz.
I owned a diesel W123 and they are known tanks. What’s the reliability of the gas engines?
It really depends on the model year too. Some 500 V8s had issues with block cracking or heads.
Neither are a realistic daily, so I’m going for the one with the most unique experience to drive. Wager that the Caddy fits the bill
What sort of ‘evil’ are we going for? Devil as a conman deceiver in the human world – definitely the Caddy, but cleaned up. Psychotic third world despot – Mercedes to a T.
I went with the Mercedes. Now to find some flag holders for the front bumper.
Tough one since neither is really my style, but likely the Cadillac for me, my thoughts perhaps being influenced by Mike Finnegan’s drag and drive Caddy build, and the horrors of fixing the Mercedes owned by Wade from Garbage Time. Both of which have nothing to do with either of these, but the Caddy would look better low, tubbed, and with a full set of Weld wheels than the Merc.
Maybe that’s my theme this week: which car makes the best goth hot rod/drag car.
I could have fun with a Blues Mobile Caddy but it looks like the Benz might be a safer choice. And my 1st job out of the Navy in ’91 was a Caddy dealership, I feel like I have bad memories of this vintage.
Love that era Benz and the matching paint hubcaps so that’s my pick. They both do look great in black.
Do you prefer to be classy or klassy? I prefer the former, so I chose the Benz.
It would take a lot more than $1500 to get the Caddy up to the same cosmetic condition as the Benz
Fuel economy in that Caddy is measured in gallons per mile. I’ll take the Benz.
You didn’t need to pluralize “gallons” there.
The 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL typically gets around 11-12 miles per gallon in mixed driving conditions. This fuel efficiency is common for vehicles of that era.
The 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham typically averages around 9 to 10 miles per gallon (MPG) in city driving and about 14 to 16 MPG on the highway. These figures reflect the vehicle’s large size and powerful engine, which contribute to its lower fuel efficiency.
I did a quick AI search so if AI is to be trusted on such a mundane thing as MPG ratings it looks like they are darn close to both not passing any convenient gas stations.
I had a ’73 coupe deville daily driver for years, and 9 to 10 is a generous estimate tbh.
Tough one. From the pics, the Caddy looks like it needs way more work. But that work is likely cheaper to do than on a Mercedes.
The Merc too will need some restoration at some point. Unless the exterior is really that clean and a mechanic can assure me the powertrain is in perfect shape, gotta go Caddy.
The Caddy is a little too “pimpmobile” for me, so it’s got to be the Mercedes