What should I offer?

[deafen]

Okay, I've found a car that I think I want to buy. Here's the deal:

1972 280SEL 4.5. 93K original miles. Some service records (enough to verify mileage).

Body: Completely rust-free as far as I can tell (and I checked pretty thoroughly, including the spare well). Recent respray with good surface prep and part removal, but slight overspray on things like the windshield seal. Color is a light metallic blue, and paint job is of decent quality. One very small ding on the trunk.

Mechanicals: Engine sounds very good, slight loose valve tapping on driver's side bank. The cam that is visible through the oil filler looks good, and not polished on the non-contact area. Transmission has small leaks at the seals; owner claims that it did not leak before he parked it for about six months, and the leak has lessened the more it's driven. Mercedes dealer inspection says "engine oil dampener needed" -- what is that? Dealer also says it needs the flex disc replaced. Column shifter needs a bushing replaced, resulting in sloppy movement and a tendency to honk the horn. (Horn has been temporarily disconnected because of this.) Brakes are strong. 60K mile service done in 2000, which replaced a whole ton of fiddly maintenance stuff. New neutral safety switch and water pump in 2004.

Rubber and suspension: New radiator hoses, needs power steering hoses (pinhole leak in return hose). Subframe mounts look and feel good. Other bushings up front are showing surface cracks. Door and trunk seals look recent; sunroof seal is older (paint overspray) but does not leak. Headliner is slightly loose. Shocks seem fine (no bouncing on rebound), but ride transmits a fair amount of road feel. The dealer said the belts need to be replaced, but they look pretty good to me and are less than 5 years old.

Interior: Parchment MB-Tex in good condition (slightly dirty). Driver's seat springs seem weak. Door switch for front dome light is loose. Sunroof motor is quiet, but slow. Dash cluster light is burned out. Dash bow needs refinishing; other wood looks fine. Dash is covered by a carpet pad, but appears undamaged. Window motors all work. I didn't check if the door locks work, but the dealer did not note it on inspection. Seatbelts are old-style, and too short for my fat midsection. Heater blower works, all levers intact. A/C works, but is weak (I would convert to R134 anyway).

Exterior: passenger-side mirror is loose.

Electricals: Wiring for license plate lights is disconnected. No reverse lights -- did these come with reverse lights?

Other: Car has a *very* nice Blaupunkt system including 10-disc changer, power amp, speakers, etc. No new holes from the installation -- the existing rear deck holes were used. Car will come with the original Becker cassette and speakers. Car was delivered in Stuttgart but built to US specs (first service records in German, and car comes with both Stuttgart Delivery badge and original round German plates.)

The dealer inspection seems pretty solid -- mentions the leaks, hoses, belts, oil dampener, flex disc, and says power steering box needs reseal.

He's asking $5K. Before I checked it out, I was figuring on offering $4250-4500. The transmission seals and flex disc concern me, though, so I was considering dropping my offer to $4K.

Any advice?

Thanks!

[deafen]

Forgot one other thing. The engine idles a bit rough after a warm start, but smooths out in a few minutes. FI trigger points, maybe?

[deafen]

No answers? I'd appreciate ANY thoughts you folks might have.

[Tomguy]

Originally Posted by deafen

1972 280SEL 4.5. 93K original miles. Some service records (enough to verify mileage).

Body: Completely rust-free as far as I can tell (and I checked pretty thoroughly, including the spare well). Recent respray with good surface prep and part removal, but slight overspray on things like the windshield seal. Color is a light metallic blue, and paint job is of decent quality. One very small ding on the trunk.

Mechanicals: Engine sounds very good, slight loose valve tapping on driver's side bank. The cam that is visible through the oil filler looks good, and not polished on the non-contact area.

Rubber and suspension: New radiator hoses, needs power steering hoses (pinhole leak in return hose). Subframe mounts look and feel good. Other bushings up front are showing surface cracks. Door and trunk seals look recent; sunroof seal is older (paint overspray) but does not leak.

Window motors all work. I didn't check if the door locks work, but the dealer did not note it on inspection. Heater blower works, all levers intact. A/C works, but is weak (I would convert to R134 anyway).

Exterior: passenger-side mirror is loose.

Electricals: Wiring for license plate lights is disconnected. No reverse lights -- did these come with reverse lights?

Service records of ANY detail are always good. If the oil changes are periodic and all there, that's a very good positive.

The fact it has no rust you can see and a recent paintjob, it means you're unlikely to deal with rust issues for some time to come as long as that paintjob manages to stick to the metal!

The tapping may be an exhaust leak, or just a valve too loose. Check that beforehand, pull the valve cover - it could be a roasted cam. Cams CAN be found used and cheap from time to time, so don't let that kill your hopes - just be aware of this issue if needed. USUALLY the right cam, not the left cam wears, however. You will get a good idea by pulling the valve covers - my original right cam looked decent through the oil filler hole but was horrendous!

New door seals is a GREAT plus. That's an expensive job right there that's done for you. How about the window channels? The fabric should NOT be fraying, coming off, or cracked; and the windows should seal tightly. Door locks working can save a lot of time on troubleshooting one pesky leak. The blower working is a strong plus, but the A/C should NOT be weak if it's properly charged. The original R12 system on these blow ICE cold when fully charged. You'd laugh at a 134a system in comparison!

Exterior pass side mirror? The mirror itself often sells for $200 on eBay. NOT a standard piece of equipment for US or Euro delivery - UK, AU and Africa type equipment.

YES, they have backup lights, and if they don't work, it means an issue with the neutral safety switch. I did a post on how to clean, repair and adjust the NSS here

IMO, if it's as good as it sounds and the issues are this clear (and these are it), $4500 isnt too bad.