Right on man. Some things of the top of my head that initially scared me about my 230S which ended up being nothing:
Loose steering, damn I thought I had bought another american luxo-barge type vehicle when I first got it. Turned out to be the rubber flex coupling in the steering shaft, after changing it I suddenly loved recirc ball steering! Changing the same decrepit bushing in my old american cars did little to nothing in comparison.
Running hot, I was afraid I'd need a new radiator and it was going to cost a wheelbarrel full of our devalued currency. Turned out that old benzes have easily rebuildable/restorable radiators. $45 at a reputable old school radiator shop and I'm back in business.
Carbs, they were so lambasted by other owners that I initially wrote them off as worthless and bought some Webers for almost $900. This was an expensive regret, and my Zeniths were actually more than up to the task and simply needed some new gaskets and a general de-gunking. An older model would have dual Solexes, and I've not heard anything about those carbs specifically. If it were me, I'd stick with the originals and just give them some general care and proper adjusting.
Things that were not as easy:
Gas tank, mine was full of sludge and this causes all sorts of problems with whatever carb you have. Besides silting up your carbs it also ruins the gas guage. Almost everyone has/had this problem with their cars.
Driveshaft, causes a vibration on the highway and above 35mph if it's going south and is also dangerous. There are a few rubber mounts/carriers that degrade and a U-joint or two. Due to the short gears these cars have if yours is bad you'll really notice it!
Valvetrain noise, another thing that is very noticible on the highway if bad is the noise of a bad rocker/stud/cam. What seems like a harmless "click" amongst the general valve noise at idle becomes much more annoying when you're travelling 60 and the engine's a spinnin. Similarly, manifold/exh leaks add to an already busy engine sound. If all is as it should be, it is suprising how nice it is at the rpm's they like to run at. That said, these things can be (and often are) let go because they are not dire or safety issues. The engine can run many miles making a racket, but how long can you stand it at 4000rpms?
As far as smoking, leaks and rust, well I can't speak to any of that. I guess I just got lucky!
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1967 230S automatic
Boston, MA
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