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Old 06-30-2008, 11:39 AM
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Question 73 280 possible SE or SEL, am i buying a lemon?

hey there, i want to buy a 1973 mercedes benz 280 (could be a SE or SEL) off a guy in philly for a curiously cheap $650...he says all it needs is an alternator (in which i found one for only 115 dollars..) he says he has put alot of restoration into it but can't afford to continue doing so. but, a family friend informed me this is a horrible model of mercedes and i shouldn't buy it.

am i buying a lemon? please help and reply, i am going to look at it tonight by 5.



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  #2  
Old 06-30-2008, 11:42 AM
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That's a rather attractive car...
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Old 06-30-2008, 12:05 PM
AUBluTiger
 
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ask them if you can take it to an independent mechanic that specializes in MB. If he says "yes"....then do it (you'll have to pay for an inspection...but well worth it...get a list of high priority vs things that can wait...trust me there will be a list). If the seller says "no"...then he's prob hiding something......
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2006 Audi A4 "Audrey"-daily driver
1976 MB 450SL "Marlene"
2000 Jetta VR6 "Julia"-traded at 220k miles
1997 Jetta 2.0Trek "Blanche"-traded at 450k miles YES 450,000 miles
1986 Prelude "Gladys"-died at 120K miles
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Old 06-30-2008, 12:10 PM
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Two major drawbacks to the 280. It's a W114 from Pennsyvania so check for rust, rust and rust! If it is a 280 and not a 280E then it's got the Solex4A1 carb on it. If the carb has been abused then it's a real bugger to deal with. Lot's of ways to change the carb and lots of good advice here on the forum to restore the carb.

Figure on dumping the original transistorized ignition/spark amplifier and go to either a Crane XR or a Pertronics Ignitor system as the first thing you do.

Look for rust; under the carpet on the floorboards, trunk deck, steering gearbox mounting rail, around the tail lights, under the battery box, under the windscreen chrome strips and the front subframe mounting sockets.

Check the defroster fan motor NOT just the A/C blower motor which is mounted in the center console.

Transmission "flare" is common on these models. It's well documented on the board. Look for the "2-3" flare discussions. My '73 280 has the "flare" problem and has had it for two years. I keep promising myself I'll get around to fixing it but I've learned to live with it and have adjusted my driving.

$650 is a good price if it isn't rusted. Good, basic car which will give you lots of good driving miles.

Apx 14-16 MPG in town. A little better on the highway (maybe 18).

Last edited by Mike D; 06-30-2008 at 03:03 PM.
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Old 06-30-2008, 03:59 PM
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gimme a low-tech 240D
 
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1973/74 first series of the m110 twincam 6cyl..... Notorious for cam lobes wearing down. Must pull the valve cover - then under visual inspection can tell how far rocker arm surfaces and cam lobes have worn. Seriously this is the achilles' heal of that year and model, happened to car of mine at about 120k miles. Symptoms are hard cold starting and lack of power. MB corrected the problem with tougher/harder camshaft lobes at '76/77 or therabouts.

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