1970 Mercedes Benz 280se

[Jason Beal]

I found a 1970 280SE stick shift with dual carbs a little north of me. I talked to the guy tonight and he said it has no rust, engine runs strong, and plenty of service records. Paint is faded and would probably need a paint job. He said it needs a valve job (said that in the ad) but still runs fine, just smokey. I figured I could pull the head myself and have the seals/guides done.

What should I look for when I take a look at this thing Sunday? I don't know much about these models, but I love the lines and I like that it's a stick shift. The asking price is only 375. He said it has new suspension parts, rebuilt carbs, new clutch, new rims and tires.

Also how hard is it to gets parts for this year/model?

Thanks for any info on this model/what to look for.

[Dusty-NZ]

Jason , I had one of these cars ,, '70 280S , you say it is a 280SE ,, the E is for injected , so if it has carbs , then ........whats up ?
Nice cruiser , carb model thirsty , check very closely for rust .
Mine was a manual , great to drive , worked wonders putting new shocks on it .

[Jason Beal]

Hmm...Guess I overlooked that. Listed as "SE" in the ad. But the guy said dual carbs on the phone.

[ctaylor738]

Sounds like a decent car at a reasonable price. Just realize that it is never going to be worth more than $1500 and plan your expenditures accordingly.

I would make sure it drove well with no whining or vibrating. No backfiring through the carbs. Heater controls work. No excessive noise from cam/valves. No oil or trans leaks. Trans shifts smoothly. You might want to verify that the smoke is from the valve seals and not the rings.

No problem with parts unless you want new MB stuff and then it gets expensive.

RE: Heater controls

Work all the levers to verify their abilty to move and perform their desired function. In particular, ensure that the heater blower works. Replacing this motor in the factory-recommended manner is a very large job that involves disassembly of much of the dashboard/underdash area.

The controls may be stiff and the levers brittle with age. Replacing cracked levers is another bear, particularly if you attempt to resolve the reasons the controls stiffened in the first place.

Carb bodies can warp and lead to driveability problems.

[Mark V]

Dual Carbs? I thought the 280 had a single Solex 4Asomething or other?

Don't take his word on the rust look very closely underneath at the floor pans, wheel wells, rocker panels. After that go back and look again. It helps to have a screwdriver to look for the soft spots.

Price sounds good, but if its really what hes claiming he'd probably be asking more. The stick is nice though, my 230 has one, and its the only thing that allows me to get up to speed, with the 280, that would be less of a problem anyway.

[1967250s]

Originally posted by ctaylor738
Sounds like a decent car at a reasonable price. Just realize that it is never going to be worth more than $1500 and plan your expenditures accordingly.

Go HERE for the possible value of this car.
It's way more than $1500!
At $375 go for it.... after having folowed above advice.

[Jason Beal]

Thanks all for the advice. I am going to look at it Sunday or earlier if I can. I guess I'll clear up what model the car really is. Here's a link to it, it doesn't say/show too much. Most of what I know, I was told over the phone. It's worth looking at I think. The guy said dual carbs, so I'll find out soon enough.

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/3/4/39894234.htm

[240 Ed]

Wow, new interior? For $375 bucks?

I say go for it. Don't listen to these guys dude, they whine about heater levers and such, but that comes with the territory for this sort of money, besides stick shift is rare and desirable!

Looks straight, and you will no doubt have good success with polishing the white paint, as the lighter colors held up very well!

I am pretty sure it is a 280SE, as I don't think this year had any carbs on it.

It just means that he replaced the engine with a junk yard one, which has tired oil seals on the valve stems. Very easy to do these heads/chain. Real old timey engine. There are plenty of posts on how to do it, etc. on this forum and we will all help!

Wow, stick shift.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

That car's worth more with a stick shift. Is that shifter on the floor or the steering column? In his ad, I like the line "or trade for guns, etc".

Happy Motoring, Mark

[leathermang]

I have a 97% complete parts car you can have for $300. It has the correct engine but with auto trans.......

[Jason Beal]

Yea I thought that was funny too with the "trade for guns" bit. No guns in my house though.

He seemed to know alot about cars and the engine setup on the thing. Maybe he listed it incorrectly. He said manual on the floor not on the column too. Did they make a 280s with carbs for that year?

I'm excited to look at it and will report back after I inspect it.

[suginami]

If the car has carburetors, then it is not an "SE". Fuel injected models have an "E", so this has to be a 280 S.

W108 chassis 280S's were made from 1968-1972.

Chassis Prefix: 108.016
Engine Prefix: 130.920

M130 engines are a SOHC engine that put out 180 HP.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Yes,they did make a 280S with carbs for that year. The few manual shift versions of these cars, I've seen, had the shift on the floor, except for a 1971 280S I got to test drive a few years ago. That one had the manual shift on the steering column, probably a very rare find as columnshfts were considered pretty un-cool by the 1970s. The floorshift is sportier but the columnshift isn't bad in these cars either. The manual column shift in my '60 220S is really retro and does make the car feel more responsive. A friend, who used to own a '69 manualshift 280SE, told me "these cars feel 500 pounds lighter with a stickshift!" Hopefully, that car isn't too badly bondoed and butchered and the "new interior" doesn't mean cheap seatcovers.
It sounds like a car worth saving.

Happy Motoring, Mark

[Aaron]

Make sure the HEATER BLOWER motor works!!!!! 12 hour job if it doesn't!

It's actuated by the top left slide control on the dash, with the blue marking by it. That slide opens the fresh air cowl and when moved to the far left position, actuates the blower motor. If the little lever is broken off, stick a flatblade screwdriver in there and move the slide to the left and see if the motor comes on. Big $$ to repair if not.