Guys, i think im falling in love (again) - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

tc20 · #1 05-04-2006, 09:13 AM

Hi guys and gals,
ive been looking at a W114 280CE (on a classics for sale website)
and i may just go for it. its from the same guy where i purchased my current mode of transport, and he does do trade-ins. i'd dearly love to hold on to my 230 saloon, but it'll have to go to finance my next classic. current car is my first classic, and is a daily driver. ive had the 230 for about 9months now, and love being in it. i always preferred the coupe model, but there wasnt a good one around at the time.

The coupe is 1976, 280CE auto, metallic gold, tan MBTex/cloth interior, alledgedly only 138kms (86000 mile), 2 owners, originally from the south of France (decent enough climate)

My concerns about this model would be with regard to the engine and auto tranny (the 230 is 4spd manual).
are there any issues in particular i should look out for ?
what is the robustness/reliability of the autobox on these models ?

any help/advice will be, as always, greatly appreciated.

cheers,
tony

alabbasi · #2 05-04-2006, 10:44 AM

Hey there, I have a 1971 250CE which was the predecessor to your car. They are amazing cars and up to the last time I drove it (back in 97) it could start and stop as well as any other car in London traffic.

The biggest factor with these cars is that they rust like you wont believe. Check the floor, sills, boot floor and boot lid for rust. Doors are also hard to come by.

These cars are also very thirsty, expect your fuel mileage to be in the mid teens. That said, if you can afford it, you will love it.

Here is a picture of my girl.

tc20 · #3 05-04-2006, 11:10 AM

Hey Al,
thanks for the tips. Jeez they seem pretty thirsty, i thought an injected model, albeit 2.8l might at least break the low 20s....
Your old gal looks pretty sweet, what colour was she? not being smart Al,
is it a sun faded red, or a rarer burnt orange shade? i did see an W123 in an interesting coral shade while on holidays in Croatia last year.

Cheers,
tony

alabbasi · #4 05-04-2006, 11:37 AM

I don't think my car is an MB colour, we had her painted in a metallic wine red which I thought looked great on the car. It came out a little lighter then I expected but that made it even more attractive. When this picture was taken the paint was fairly new. Unfortunately it wasn't perfect so I made the mistake of having someone else paint it and they did an awful job. Since then I stopped driving the car. I hope to some day bring this car to the US and restore it properly.

As far as the engines are concerns, you need to keep an eye on the camshaft. From what I understand when I was researching these cars before I bought mine is that the 2.8 twin cam engine suffer the same problem as the old ford Pinto engine where spray bar is too thin and hence can get blocked and starve the camshafts from Oil. I am not aware of this problem happening too often in the US, but here they change oil every 3000 miles. I know people in the UK that have never changed the oil in their car

.

The auto box is pretty robust and I don't know of any issues with that. The injection system can be problematic and parts for it can get expensive. I have never had a problem with my 250CE but the same D-jetronic set up in my 280SEL 4.5 gave me nightmares. If it runs right when you buy it and not too rich you should be golden.

The most important thing to watch out for is rust.... RUST RUST RUST!

250 Coupe · #5 05-04-2006, 01:38 PM

My 1976 280C, carb not FI, was a fun little car but VERY badly rusted. The lower corners of the front and rear window seals leaked.

The water ran down the inside of the hinge area and took out the formed frame rails underneath. Someone remade them with aluminum tape, cardboard milk boxes and bondo. No holes in the floor pans I could see but the car tended to stink of damp horse hair.

I also got tired of carring a towel to wipe the inside of the windows so I could see out and the gauges kept fogging up.

My 250C leaks but not as bad. It came from California and then lived under a tarp for a while. We Washingtonians are right prode of our blue tarps.

Anyhow, after tweaking the carb, the car ran great and never gave me any trouble mechanically.

Michael

tc20 · #6 05-05-2006, 04:01 AM

the body on my 230 is in pretty good shape, ok a little amount of tinworm
on the bottom edge of the doors, a v small patch of bubbling on a front wing, and pretty tight underneath too. Ive seen a few of this dealers cars in the flesh, and the bodywork tends to be really good, the mechanical side of things- well if you figure that the motors are 30+ yrs, of course it aint gonna be like new.. I do have a leak on both sides of the front screen, you notice the water pools on the rubber at the bottom of the pillar, and from there trickles down to the footwells. The drivers side is worse (tho its not that bad)
and after heavy rain the floorpan is wet. If i hold onto the 230 i'll get the seals replaced, we'll see what happens.

Tony

alabbasi · #7 05-05-2006, 02:55 PM

It's worth keeping the 230/4 as the other car is a gas guzzler. You'll find that it's nice to have an economical alternative. If your on good terms with the car dealer, ask him to let you test drive it for the weekend before you pull the trigger on it.

meltedpanda · #8 05-05-2006, 10:07 PM

can't help much on this thread except to say I fall in love with every Benz I see, as long at they are pre 1985

POS · #9 05-05-2006, 10:35 PM

They're addicting, aren't they? I'm searching for my next one and I have absolutely no use whatsoever for a fourth car and a third Benz. I bet I'll still buy one.

leenart · #10 05-05-2006, 11:31 PM

Replace the front seal on the 230/8. It will run you about 150 euros for the seal and anybody on this site will guide you through the replacement of the seal. As for the 280 ce. Look I think your pushing your luck with these cars. Most are out there as they are money pits. Take the 280ce to several mechs and see what they say. Take your time, you got a good car don't throw it away and wish you had it back. Ireland is (in)famous for rain and the worse thing to do to a merc is run it throw an Irish winter (shudder)
Leonard
(Cork 6.97-1.98)

tc20 · #11 05-08-2006, 04:00 AM

Al, are you seriously telling me the 230 is an economical alternative

At present, im lucky to get 20mpg... ok the carbs are in need of tweaking, but the head has started to show signs of seepage. Steve, my mech, reckons
the we're better off doing the head and carbs in one go, rather than just fiddling with the carbs, then having to lift everything again.
i really do like the saloon, just (and i know you shouldnt go on looks) ive always fancied the coupe versions of the W114s.
Guys i do appreciate your input here, i reckon with a bit of tlc the saloon will
run for another 30yrs. Im not a position to take two classics on board (id love to) so one will have to go to finance the other.

Leenart, so you spent some time letting the Irish mist soak into you, hope you enjoyed your time here. you do know Corkonians reckon their city is the true capital of Ireland?

The car is currently in the south of France, the dealer brings them in when they are practically sold, but im sure i can get it over here. Even if i dont go for it,(and i am taking on board your advice) im sure someone will here.

Cheers,
tony

Jim B. · #12 05-08-2006, 04:55 AM

The coupes do look good!!

I saw one back in the late '90s in Arequipa Peru, on a cobbled street, where I definitely did NOT expect to see one - coupes and roadsters are seldom seen down there.

This one you are looking at would be a left hook version, right? That is no problem for you? Does it have those cool French amber headlights? I agree with those who say rust can be a problem with the W114 and W116, so check that out carefully. No cats on the continent back in '76, that is a plus.

Jim B. · #13 05-08-2006, 05:13 AM

Further thought(s)

Usual caveats apply, get as much history as you can, neglected examples cost a mint to fix; Cracked windscreens, jerky auto trans., clocked odo?,FMBSH, book stamped, (check staples, no forgeries) oil pressure, timing chain rattle? Have someone over there to look it over carefully BEFORE you decide to purchase?

www.hpicheck.com - Sort of like carfax, have you heard of this UK resource?

After you get title, (if you pull the trigger and buy it, write to DB historical archives in Stuttgart, incl. copy of title and request build sheet of the car (in English of course)...could be done for the saloon if you keep it...

Good luck whatever you do

alabbasi · #14 05-08-2006, 06:14 AM

It's been a while since I ran the 250CE. I restored it on a budget and drove it as my daily driver during the summer between my second and third year at university. I drove it because my Opel Manta GTE gave out on me.
It nearly broke the bank. As I was a student, there really wasn't a lot of money in the bank.

I remember that I would be lucky to get 200 miles from a full tank (and a full tank was about 40GBP at the time). Now it could have been a problem with just my car. This is why I'm suggesting that you take it for a couple of days to see what it's like. If your dealer knows you and has sold to you in the past, you should be understanding.

Also seek the input from other UK / IRL owners. I think the UK MB Club has a forum like this too.

These are beautiful cars, not only will you love the style, but you would love the performance. They can keep up with anything on the road. I remember doing 115mph on the M4 and the car was as steady as a rock.

tc20 · #15 05-08-2006, 08:43 AM

Jim B-
yes she's a left hooker, most of this guys stock is euro sourced. i've no problems driving LHDs here, probably adds to the 'cool' factor.. the car has clear lenses, and can be viewed @ http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/welcome.to/classiccarsireland - goto 'showroom', then follow the MB star. Im not aware of a HPI check service available in Ireland though.

Al- at present im throwing EUR50 a week into the 230 (its a 6 pot) and getting roughly 300km (180-190miles) from that. i reckon with the carbs sorted i should get 23/24mpg. I am a member of the Merc Club UK, and have thrown out a similar line for info, not much feedback yet.

Ive only ever seen 2 W114 coupes on the road here, a handful more of the saloons. In Ireland, if a car is over 30y/o, its deemed a classic from a road tax point of view. This means an annual road tax of EUR44 (US$ 60), irrespective of engine size. Otherwise the tax is calculated on the cc- ranging from approx US$160 for a 1litre car, to a cap of USD$ 1400 for anything upto and over 3litres. So it does make some sense to try and run a 30y/o motor.
W123 coupes are more common on the roads here, and i do love their lines,
but it'll be a couple of years yet before a decent one falls into the (almost)tax free category. I think the W123s came in around '76 or so, but to get a good one will take a bit of searching.

Thanks again for the input guys, much appreciated.

Tony