Hello, This is my first post but after I buy a Mercedes I'm sure it won't be my last. My wife has been wanting a late 60's, early 70's 280SL for occasional/weekend driving. The other day we were driving home from dinner when she saw a older MB coupe for sale. It was a 1959 220s. She immediately fell in love with the car and when she saw the price liked it too ($14,500, much cheaper than the 280sl). I am totally uneducated on the pricing and drivability of the 220s coupes. I have not driven the car but the owner said it runs and drives great. The car looks great inside and out too and is in restored original condition. The owner said all rust repairs were done 4 years ago when the car was repainted. Assuming the car is as described what would the price range be? What should I look for? Are there any common problems with the 220 series/180 chassis. Any information and advise is much appreciated. Thanks in advance, Paul in CA.

The biggest problem with these cars is rust. Do you have any history on the car as to location, i.e., Southwest, northeast, or? Also, how was the rust repaired? If you get serious, take a magnet and go over the body to see if it is steel or bondo. Other than that they are staight forard cars with most all parts still available from the factory.
$14,500 is not a bad price depending on the "real"condition, a good price to make an offer from.
Where in CA. are you? There are a lot of us pontons around. Check the ponton group at
. Ed

Paul,
Your wife will need to test drive whichever Mercedes she 'falls in love with'.
Be aware that the 1959 220S was, for the most part, only availible with a 4 speed manual transmission, manual steering, drum brakes and no AC. The 230/250/280 SLs of the 1960s-70s had better handling and disc brakes. They were widely availible with power steering and automatic transmission and even Air conditioning. One of the later 1960s-70s 220/250/280 SE coupes might also be a more practical alternative as those cars were also availible with more options and better brakes. Rust is major problem on any of these cars! Good Luck.

Happy Motoring, Mark DiSilvestro

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DrDKW

I second Mikes comments. I had overlooked the item this would be for you wife. By todays standards, these cars are not easy nor comfortable to drive. Try them out first. Ed

for a lovely car, the price is right, but you should be able to knock him down a few grand. For a mere 4,000$, you can get one that needs total restoration.

It is possible that the car has a hydrak clutch, which would be a very wierd thing to drive (no clutch pedal), but if you wife likes antique hardware and can drive it, by all means. It would certainly be a conversation piece.

The 250se & 280se coupes of the late 60s are indeed infinitely more practical, espcially if she's looking for an almost daily driver.

-CTH

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