So life goes around again, and it looks like I'm going to have to let her go. It's sad, but at least I'll get to use the proceeds to finish restoring the Thing.

Now I'm wondering what I can reasonably expect in today's market. I paid about $4500 for her, and have fixed up a couple things and a couple other things have started to go wrong. The details are below; what would you ask (or pay) for her?

1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL 4.5, light blue over parchment MB Tex, 104K miles. Located in Raleigh, NC.

The good:
* Starts and runs like a champ
* Body is straight and rust-free (California car until April '05)
* Paint (repaint ca. 1999) is in decent shape, chrome is excellent
* Interior in excellent shape
* Dash wood in very good condition (dash bow needs refinishing)
* Complete professionally-installed Blaupunkt system with head, trunk-mounted amp, 4 speakers, 20GB MP3 jukebox, and Sirius satellite radio
* Current NC safety inspection (no emissions for cars this old)
* Air conditioning works great
* Heat works, blower is weak (probably clogged intake)
* Vacuum-operated power locks work
* All power windows and power sunroof work
* Rear defroster works
* Rear compensator unit replaced with spring unit by previous owner
* New front driveshaft flex disc in April '05
* New Bridgestone tires in April '05 (less than 12K miles)
* Complete Pertronix ignition (Ignitor, FlameThrower coil) in summer '05
* Radiator tanked, resoldered, and painted in fall '05
* New plugs and wires in March '06
* Original Stuttgart delivery (with special badge and vintage German plates)
* Original manuals, option cards, and keys
* Factory service manuals on CD
* Rare green glass option
* Daily driver

The not-so-good:
* Transmission has very slow drip
* Horn button relocated (see previous post on "redneck horn repair")
* Minor exhaust leak at header (ticking noise)
* Crack in one headlight lens (light works fine)
* Light switch missing in driver's side door
* Headliner starting to become detached in back window
* Column-mounted shifter has play
* Passenger-side mirror is loose
* One license plate light attached at one of two points
* One very slight body ding

The bad:
* Power steering leaks (PS gear, PS pump, and needs new hoses)
* Subframe mounts are bad, causing vibration at 70+ mph (have parts to replace)
* May need one kingpin (expert opinions differ)