About to take the Vintage MB Plunge '72 280SEL 4.5

[nhdoc]

I'm a long time MB driver but the earliest car I ever owned was a 1974 240D in the 80's...until now...I think. Tomorrow I am flying south to look at what sounds like a very nice '72 280SEL 4.5. If it is nice I will drive it home to NH on Wednesday. I selected the 280 instead of the 300 because I didn't want to hassle with the air suspension issues on the 300, even though the 300 has some nice trim and amenities that the 280 "lacks".

Still, this car is a very nice color combo (midnight blue exterior/palmino interior) and has a fairly complete service history with it being originally a southern car with no rust and a pretty extensive restoration done about 1997. The present owner has had it since 2002 and claims to have over $30K in it (OUCH) and sounds like he's reliant on mechanics for every repair which has drained him dry. He claims it looks nearly perfect in and out and has some small issues; the biggest of which sounds like a DOA heater blower (I KNOW IT IS A BAD JOB TO DO - I don't plan on even doing it as the car will be a Sunday driver and only on warm Sundays). Besides, I may get lucky and land up with it being nothing more than an electrical issue or leaf caught in the squirrel cage

So, for less than 25% of what he's got in it he's prepared to sell it to me. I've read lots of the threads here and will look for fuel leaks at the injector hoses before I set off but don't think that will be an issue as both the injectors and hoses were all replaced in '97 during the restoration and the car hasn't seen that many miles or harsh conditions since then.

Any other obvious things to look for before handing over the $$$? I'm pretty good at test driving cars so I can pretty much tell if the car is right or not myself, but are there any special areas of concern to these cars other than the leaky fuel that might prevent me from having a safe and uneventful trip home? The seller sounds very legit on the phone, just in over his head, and told me straight-out he would not hesitate to get into the car and drive it 1000 miles tomorrow. I think I believe him. He claims it is fine, no leaks, no troubles other than small stuff...we shall see...

Thanks, in advance, to all those who take the time to read this and respond.

[alabbasi]

Wish mine was reliable, they are beautiful cars.

[cth350]

For a 180 chassis car to be worth more that 5 grand, it's got to be darned pretty AND truely rust-free. Inspect the underside carefully. Make sure that the rockers, firewall and frame rails are indeed perfect. Don't trust your eyes. Get it on a lift and use a small magnet.

Take it to a shop that will do an emissions and ignition test. The scopes, especially when tied to a dynanometer can be a very probing test.

On that drive home, be prepared with a few extra gallons of each of your cars favorite fluids, not to mention fuses.

Make sure the oil doesn't smell polluted with gasoline. Change it on general principles. If he changed it for you to "save time", drive the car for a good hour (not just idle it) before paying and then reapply the sniff test. Don't forget to check the transmission and the rear.

-CTH

[nhdoc]

Thanks for those tips. Here's the guy's listing from ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4549956733

Cutting through the obvious fluff in the description it still sounds like a nice one if all that was done to it was done correctly. I'll definitely try and scrutinize it closely before I buy it - it just is a very pretty car from the looks of it. I won't be able to take it to a shop prior to buying it...I will have to do the inspection myself in a parking lot most likely. I know a sound car when I see one but like you said until you get it up in the air there are things which cannot be known for sure.

I have AAA and there's always MB roadside assistance if I decide to take the plunge and get into trouble between there and here.

[Aaron]

Wow! Looks like a very nice car! Aesthetically, at least

We work on a lot of 4.5s, they're great cars. My opinion being that their weakest link is the EFI system. If you "built" a 4.5 with the later CIS injection, that thing would be bulletproof. Going back to the EFI, I strongly advise you to make sure your local MB shop has the proper equipment to correctly diagnose problems with the EFI system, as they are very difficult to properly repair without the right equipment. I've had many a 4.5 in here that had tons of parts thrown at it yet still ran terribly. So that's recommendation number one!

Otherwise, do check the body carefully for rot, listen for any thumps or knocks from the front suspension especially. Kingpin wear isn't uncommon on these cars as they now have high mileages on them. Oil leaks are another thing that about every old Merc is susceptible to, so don't worry about a little drop here and there on the garage floor, unless of course one of the oil cooler lines is leaking.

You've obviously been well informed about the heater blower motor, and as you stated, do check the slide switch contact and the fuse before tearing into the heater box for this repair. I'll admit though that I'm rather surprised that with all of the money that has been spent on this car, they didn't do the heater blower motor.

If the rear end is sagging, the hydropneumatic compensating strut (situated above the differential) is probably spent. The better (and cheaper) fix is to fit a coil spring in place of the strut. There is a kit available to do this.

Last but not least, depending on the VIN break, your front window regulators will be one of two types. The first is available separately from the motor, the second must be replaced with the motor (that's the only way they come). If your car has the latter type (which I wouldn't think it does, being a '72), it is very expensive to replace.

There's not too much else, just use your best judgement before forking over your hard earned $$!

[Benzcrusher]

There is a panel screwed to the inside of the front fenders, 3 or four 10mm head screws and it's out. Behind this cover you will find the vacuum resivoir for the door lock system (on the driver's side, the pass side will reveal the A/C blower motor) and possibly debris. Bring a flashlight and look for rust in there or at the front of the rocker panel...

[nhdoc]

Thanks again guys. I don't plan to put a ton of miles on it - only a Sunday driver. Probably be another "garage queen". The current owner has had both the front and rear ends rebuilt since 2002...don't know precisely what was done but he has all of the receipts for it and for the prior work so it should not be too hard to piece together a pretty good history.

[kpb]

Hi ya Marty. Did ya do it? Wuts the verdict?? How are/were the rubber door seals and windscreen seal (I just replaced my dash bow due to leaking windshield seal)

[nhdoc]

I did do it and just got home (without incident). The car ran fine, 750 miles in 12.5 hours @15MPG. The A/C problem was solved by tightenting the connection at the fuse terminal, now I just have to work out the vacuum lock problem (it works when the car is running so maybe it is just a leak in the resevoir). Also, the heater fan actually works, it is the heat itself that does not. Any ideas? I will check tomorrow to see if the heater core has been bypassed or not...can't look tonight it is too dark.

All in all I am pleased with the car. It may have had some past rust (minor) which was fixed in the late 1990's but now is very solid and the chrome is spectacular. The seller included a folder of receipts for service over the last 15+ years which must total at least $50,000! What some people will do to keep an old car on the road. In just the past 10K miles the car has had its rear end, front end rebuilt and transmission and TC replaced. The cost of this work alone was almost $10,000

[kpb]

awesome -- hope you enjoy it as much as I have my 108 since purchased in 12/03 (with 44,000 mis.!)