Thoughts on 1983 280CE Coupe

[bills]

Always on the lookout for a clean older M-B of any type, I have found a 1983 280CE coupe, euro specs, in what appears to be a 9.5 out of 10 condition. Two owners, all services, 160k miles, silver exterior, blue cloth interior, roll up windows, twin cam inline 6 gas, 4 speed manual. No airconditioning, however. Elec sunroof and power door locks. That's it. Judging by the lack of stone chips, it has been repainted, however it is excellent paint. Interior is flawless. Summer and weekend car as the owner stores every winter. No rust apparent. I met the owner in a parking lot and gave the car the once over, but did not have time to drive or review the records. The looks of the coupe don't appeal that much to me; if this were an SL, it would have been sold already. I can't find much info on the 123 coupes. They don't seem as valuable as the sedans and SL' s of the era, and are not as practical it seems. No A/C is another minus. This would be a weekend car for me as well, it's much too nice for a daily driver. Seller wants $5200 which seems way too much, even in pristine condition. Ideas welcome.

[A. Rosich]

For me the C123 and C124 coupes are real classics. They have gorgeous lines and they are B-pillarless (look at the cheap follow up CLK: big fat B-pillars, hence: cheap cheap cheap!).

Being in Germany the specs sound about right. No A/C, usually no power windows (or just the front), no leather, no metallic paint... ... ...

But, being in Germany, be careful about a quick cosmetic surgery (which is incredible cheap to do). What do I mean?: it is easy to get new seat cushions and original upholstery covers, cheap paint job to cover stone chips (it may look great now, but for how long???), new mats, new switches for the ones that are overworked, etc, etc, etc.

What I am trying to explain is that it is extremely easy to cover up a high mileage tired Mercedes for the unsuspected eye. You have to go deeper to find the real issues, and that involves at least opening the cylinders heads and measure its width and check their wear.

Then I will carefully check all systems for leaks, try and retry all electrical systems (lights, etc), look for rust on unsuspecting places like prying off a couple of the bottom door side mouldings, and finally a long drive hopefully on a hot day to check engine tempeture, transmission behavior and exhaust smoke.

If it clears all those issues with flying colors and looks great, then I will consider paying over book value for it.

[Benzadmiral]

My first real Mercedes was an '84 280CE, also Euro spec, with the headlights and bumpers, in dark blue/palomino. One hundred eighty-five hp from the nattering twin-cam engine provided plenty of go. It was practical, though not as much as a big SEC or a sedan. The A/C was underpowered, which I understand was true of a lot of MBs until the '90s, and it used a lot of gas. But it was kind of rare, and I wish I still had it today.

A coupe with a stick shift... I wouldn't care what condition it was in, I'd get it! The 123 coupes are normally worth more than the 123 sedans, and less than the roadsters of the same era.

[lee polowczuk]

With a 4-speed, I would be all over it. However, you should be able to get it for 4k.

[bills]

I bought the 280CE about 2 weeks ago. My second Benz and first 123. Went and looked and drove since the last post and came to terms with the seller. Little more than I wanted to pay, but still cheaper than some big screen TV's I've seen for sale. (and will probably last longer) Definitely a unique car not seen everyday. Drove home for 2 hours of autobahn cruising and all was well. Don't know the rear axle ratio, but revs are up there at highway speeds. Seller had 15" 8 hole 124 style wheels, but included the original 14" wheels. Actually the bundt style looks better on the 123. Best look I think is the 15" 15 spoke 126 style. Now have to get used to 123 chassis vs. 124. Definitely a different animal. Noticed some vibration at higher speeds - seems to be from tires. Went away for the Thanksgiving weekend and have been busy since, but will get underneath again and check for leaks and get a to-do list going.

[NKowi]

Originally Posted by bills

I bought the 280CE about 2 weeks ago. My second Benz and first 123. Went and looked and drove since the last post and came to terms with the seller. Little more than I wanted to pay, but still cheaper than some big screen TV's I've seen for sale. (and will probably last longer) Definitely a unique car not seen everyday. Drove home for 2 hours of autobahn cruising and all was well. Don't know the rear axle ratio, but revs are up there at highway speeds. Seller had 15" 8 hole 124 style wheels, but included the original 14" wheels. Actually the bundt style looks better on the 123. Best look I think is the 15" 15 spoke 126 style. Now have to get used to 123 chassis vs. 124. Definitely a different animal. Noticed some vibration at higher speeds - seems to be from tires. Went away for the Thanksgiving weekend and have been busy since, but will get underneath again and check for leaks and get a to-do list going.

Congrats!!! Enjoy.