Skippy, ye talkin about runnin start on 55mph hwys at 6* degree grade? They got traffic lights halfway up 15-20*+ in Frisco, steeper grades than you'll see on any USA hwy. Took the 300SD out ther vacation/visiting last Summer and even the turbo 5cyl stunk at climbin them hills from standing start halfway up. Though arguably it was tired 270k mile 5cyl engine that managed the slow uphill from Reno to Truckee at piddling 66-68mph fully floored balls to the wall.

For 114/115 "LR wheel issues" look for wheel bearings bein most common prob to the series, notso expensive. Rear axles oughta be okay if boots aint torn. Axle probs generally came later with w123 series, even then not bad at about $140 in parts.

The running start depends on the color of the traffic light at the base of the hill. I've had to do it from a standing start. Either way, I hit the top of the hill at about 48.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

at some price, this is probably a buy though, right? $200, $300?

Yes, because you're almost sure to make that back up in parts if that's what ends up happening.

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1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now

It all depends on the rear wheel issue. If it's structural, you've got a junker. Someone said junkyards are paying $400 a car in that area. If that's true, then as long as you pay that amount or less, you can't lose. I wonder about the veracity of that pricing data, since I work at a junkyard and the most we pay for any car is $250. An old Benz goes for much less. I checked on the possibility of bringing in a 116 450 SEL for junk but Pick N Pull in Carson is only paying $70 for one of those in complete condition. They probably paid less than a hundred dollars for the 250 I just bought (for $700) and drove home.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

thanks guys. it ended up selling (I suspect to someone in this forum) which is cool, since they can probably restore it back to heath better than I could anyway. on to the next one, 280C '73. I will report back after I look at it this weekend.

after doing some research, here is what I have come up with on the 280Cs:

1-rust (like all other vintages)
2-carbs tend to be difficult to work with and expensive to rebuild/replace
3-make sure blower motor is working
4-in general, the engines are complex and expensive.

fair? this is my first foray into the vintage MB world and assuming it runs ok when purchased, I want to have something i can actually work on when stuff goes wrong.