Should I buy this 1970 220 4spd?

[theroadlessdriven]

Went up and had a look at this thing this past Sunday. Had been sitting for a year or so, but with a battery juicer hooked up it turned right over and idled nice and smooth. Took it out for a quick drive around the block, was surprised by how strong it pulled and smooth it ran. The gear box definitely feels ancient, but everything felt in sync and the clutch engagement was pretty good.

The big problem is that the trunk is totally rotted out. There's a hole big enough to fit your forearm through (provided you're not an NFL player) and there are a number of smaller holes as well.

The interior is in decent shape, couple broken door panel pieces, the window cranks need attention, and headliner is a bit droopy.

The exterior has some scratches, no flaking or rust spots though. One of the hubcap's paint is peeling badly, tires will need to be replaced right away, but I'm ok with that since I'd be putting a new wheel/tire setup on immediately.

My main concern is with the rotted trunk. What should I expect to pay to have that fixed? The guy wants $4k for the car, I was thinking of offering him $2k and seeing what he says. It is a one owner car, was imported from Germany when the owner moved here in 1971 and has lived in California ever since. I know these aren't as desirable as the I6 or V8 equipped 280s, but I don't need the bigger motor, have another vehicle for trips that would involve freeway driving.

This car would be an around town cruiser and something I could do the occasional vintage road rally with. Mostly, I just want to save the damn thing from an unfortunate fate, whether that be a junkyard or a hipster owner who won't treat the car well.

What say you Pelicans?

1970 Mercedes Benz 220

[joshhol]

Can the guy verify the 90K original miles? Odo is only 5 digits.

Cool little car but the trunk repair is hard to estimate without pics. Does the rust spread into fenders and other areas of "appearance"? If it's just the trunk pan, you could just patch in new metal or maybe even get an entire new trunk pan and have it patched in. I really have no idea what it might cost but if paintwork isn't involved on the exterior, it shouldn't be extraordinarily costly.

2K seems like a fair starting point. He says "amazing restoration" yet the trunk is air conditioned. Also, he says "European package but those are US headlights. Maybe go up to 2500 tops if you really like it.

Just my .02 yuan

[Mike D]

Meh. 220 sedan, nothing special. Rust is like an iceberg. 90% hidden. If the trunk is rusted then more than likely the rear windscreen gasket is shot. $300 labor and parts right there. If the rear seal is bad then the odds are good the front is also. Another $300.

As noted, the car is definitely a U.S. model so nothing "exotic" about it.

Trunk replacement $400-$500.

If the car hasn't had the sub-frame and engine/transmission mounts changed in the last 5 years or so then add another $500.

Other than the fact it is a 4 speed I see no reason to even consider the car and I'm a W114/115 kind of guy.

I think Josh is a little high. I'd start my offer at $500 and MAYBE go up to $1500.

The rust, no sunroof and the fact it is a 4 cylinder sedan all work against the car.

[Frank Reiner]

From the shift lever it's been converted from automatic. The shift lever is post '72.
Everything visible says US spec car.
Pull up the front carpets; look for rust through in footwells. The trunk rust through is due to a chronically leaking rear window seal.
Not so nice - $1500. max
Typed while Mike was posting! Confirmation.

[ssk831]

Yes you Should buy it.

for <$2500

[joshhol]

Mike, I haven't smoked anything in years! Oh, wait. . .

[Shortsguy1]

Given his difference between the asking price and the actual value of this car (I agree it is sub $2K), this doesn't seem like likely to be a successful purchase. Shame it doesn't have the original shifter (and perhaps transmission). Given the rust issues, the seller is not being open and honest with his ad, so I would move on.

[JeffreyNMemphis]

I would pass. You are wise to find a guide in strange country.

What is your budget? It is common to buy a car for under $5,000 that needs $5,000 worth of stuff in the first year. If you buy a car cheaper than $5k it can be more expensive.

How mechanically inclined and experienced are you? If I had to pay someone to do the work I do to keep my car on the road, I couldn't afford it.


What type of car do you want? Two door? Four door? Cruiser or Race Car? Learn the different models and years. Some are better than others, but each have known issues you can expect.

When you do find your dream car, get a pre-purchase inspection. If there is a catastrophic expense repair in the future, you want to consider while you still have options.

Welcome to the Forum. Please let us know how it goes.

Jeffrey

[PARSHOOT1]

Try...to buy it. But stick to your guns if he doesn't like your offer and plan on walking away without it. I think it ticks a lot of the boxes as to what you said you were looking for. But it is overpriced.

[Idle]

Mercedes had a very aggressive European Delivery Plan back then. You bought the car at a US dealer and it was waiting for you at the factory. The big draw to the buyer was car insurance in Europe was through the roof back then and if you bought a car on the EDP the insurance for three or four weeks of driving was a part of the price.

Plus you saved from between 5 to 10 percent. Dropped off at one of three ports and shipping was also included.

So if you were planning on going to Europe and renting a car, and could afford a Mercedes, this was a no brainer.

So... Picked up in Europe. Check. A European model? The odds of this are small indeed.

[Tony H]

Hope all these posts are not bumming you out but the rust will be a MAJOR issue. There are a lot of nice cars in the price range you are at-keep looking!

[Mark DiSilvestro]

If you find rust in the wheel-wells, arches, trunk-pockets, floors, sills & rockers, consider walking away.
If the rust is limited to the trunk floor, and you have a garage or covered space to store it, (To defer doing the window gaskets for now) I'd try to get it for around $2.5K or less. Having owned one of these with the automatic, I consider the 4-speed manual to be very desireable in a car like this.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[vince77]

Just back stateside and I'm also looking for a decent w115... but when I called this guy and asked about rust, he got cagey and stuck to his price. I'm not looking for a show car, I'm the proverbial hipster looking for a little class in my daily drive... (although I do know how to pack a bearing and adjust valves).

I'd like to save this one too, but there are too many out here in LA to be able to save them all...

Cheers,
Vince L.

[schickm]

I just did my own front and rear window seals recently. Each seal is around $200 for mb genuine, and having a professional do the job will probably take atleast 4hrs or more. It took me about 20hrs, but I had to learn a lot in the process. I could probably do both now in a day depending on how much old rubber/sealant was stuck to the body. So tack on an extra $1000 to planned expenses if you're gonna be getting those windshield seals redone.

[JeffreyNMemphis]

I had the front windshield and seal replaced on my 1962 220Sb. I also decided to replace the rear seal at the same time. Mercedes price for front seal was a little bit more than the rear window seal. I believe that I purchased the seals from our host here at Peach Parts and opted for a less expensive brand that still works after 5 years. The installer charged me $120 each for front and rear windshield and seal installation which is quite fair.

Installation quality and pricing is variable from region to region. My installer has many years experience and it took him three attempts to get the rear window and seal in.