$100 Project Car?

[Apodman]

Across the street from where I work is a service station. For the last 9 months there has been a 280TE (W123 Euro model) parked out front.

I have spent the last 18 months fixing up my 1978 280E and have learned a great deal about it from this forum and skinned knuckles. As of next week, it gets turned over to my college-bound daughter.

I finally stopped in at the service station to ask "What's up with the Benz wagon?" The service station owner said that he towed the car about 9 months ago and the car owner never paid him. He has just gotten title of the car and is planning to sell it to a junk yard for $100 at the end of the week. I too can take it for $100.

I really don't yet know much about the car. There is some surface rust, but no typical perforation in the wheel wells or rocker panels. The interior is messy, but not fatal. Has 150K miles. The original problem was supposedly bases on an alarm system that was not performing properly and thus prevented starting....

But come on, I could get most of my $100 back just by selling the Euro lights on eBay.

What do you think? I have all this accummulated experience and no where to go. Do I need a new project car?

[psfred]

Snatch it before someone else does. Offer him $150 if you need to!

Then yank the stinking aftermarket alarm out and fix the wiring and drive it for the next ten years.

Peter

[Tomguy]

It's hard for me to believe that a service shop would have a vehicle for 9 months and is going to trash it for $100 when all they would have to do is a 1-hour (at most, for a person with 2 hands tied behind his back..) alarm removal. I would suspect something more terminal - like a frozen engine.

But you can always sell a few components from it on eBay for well over $100, especially the Euro headlights as you said, THEN sell it to the junkyard for the $100 you paid for it!

[engatwork]

Peter is right. Grab it before it is gone, get rid of the alarm stuff and drive it.

[ctaylor738]

On the positive side, it is a model not sold in the US. A lot of people like the wagons but not the diesels, so there is probably a buyer for it. It should have the higher HP M110, which is a good thing. If it is a manual trans, even better. If it is a 5-speed, prima!

On the down side, if you decide to fix it and it needs anything major, you are immediately under water. It may be hard to find cheap euro parts. If you decide to part it, then you will spend hours if not days removing greasy heavy cold parts and dealing with buyers and shipping. You will also have a deteriorating carcass in your driveway or yard which will (may) not earn you any points with spouse or neighbors.

My advice on a project car would be to look for something you want to drive that has more upside potential. If you like the 123/110's, then a 280CE would be a good bet.

All IMHO

[Apodman]

I was ready to buy the car today. Tuesday, I reseached the forums for background and came away feeling positive about what I was getting into. Wednesday, I shopped for temporary storage until Spring's warmth returns and check financial stuff. Yesterday, I set up an appointment to have new snows put on old rims at this service station and confirmed that I was very interested in buying the car and would be in tomorrow. Last night I got luke-warm support from the wife, an important step of the process.

When I arrived at the service station this morning with the tires, there was the 280TE with its front end pushed in. Those lovely Euro lights broken, grill mangled, delicate bumper twisted beyond repair. Someone had backed into it last night....was the story I was told by the owner of the shop.

Maybe the junk yard, originally in line to take the car, had a hand in this. Even with the front end smashed, the remaining parts are worth much more than the $100 going price. What a disturbing loss.

Lesson here:Things that seem too good to be true usually end up not being so good.