Going to Check Out a 72 280 SEL - Thoughts?

[240Dpdx]

Okay, I know I just posted looking for tips on what to check for on another car - clearly I'm in the market. But, unlike the one I was looking at before (77 240d), I've never owned this model or anything close. In short, no idea of what the common trouble areas are to look for. Any thoughts?

Here's the ad - there's not much in the way of description but there are some good pics. Particularly alarming to me is it looks like there's quite a bit of rust on the engine.

1972 MERCEDES

[Tomguy]

The rust on the air filter assembly on m116 & m117 engines like this is very common in damp areas like Oregon. This means there's also the fair chance of rust in the body. You should check thoroughly on all areas behind the wheels (The front rockers and the rocker covers and the rear wells in the trunk). Also check the floors, pull up those mats (all 4) to look for rust or rust repair. The thick coating inside can crack, letting water (rain, snow, salt mix etc) from shoes leak in and rust the floors from the inside!

The D-Jet engines like this 4.5 are notorious for combusting when the underhood fuel lines aren't replaced, and rot through, allowing fuel to leak on the hot engine. Cams on these will also wear if the oiler tubes clog. Pull off the oil fill cap and look at the lobes directly below it as they'd be the first to wear and easiest to spot. Any grooves in the cams will mean they'll need replacing or regrounding at least soon. Flat lobes are roasted cams. You can do a search or read my buyer's advice here:
Tom's Mercedes Benz 108/109 Resource Site

[JMela]

You might call in to MBI and speak with the tech who worked on it to get his impressions, concerns, etc.

Paint looks unloved but can likely be buffed out and made to shine once again.