I have always liked the W108, and I'm starting to feel the need for another MB. I know rust is a big killer, but whats the motor to get? How are the 4.5s to work on vs the 6's?

Also some of them seem to have air suspension, this is new to me. My only experiance with MB air suspension is on an S430 playing with the settings. How much does it cost to rebuild it? I'd assume after 40 years the airbags are probably done or nearly so...

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I think the air suspensions were only in the W109 300SEL 6.3.

I've driven 2 108's, and I was impressed. One was a 4.5 that was in running, but pretty rough shape. Despite the fact that it ran pig rich, it was still surprisingly fast. We tried to sell it for $750, but ended up parting out. The other was a 280SE (injected M130) that was in very very good shape. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out why the PO sold it to a junkyard, but there it was. I was going to buy it myself, but ended up losing my job before the title came back from DMV, allowing it to go up for sale. The injected version of the M130 felt a lot stronger than my carbed one.

They drive similar to a W114, but with a little more creature comforts. If I were on the market now, I would be more concerned with condition than which engine, since anything from the M130 on up is plenty powerful. I haven't driven the 2.5 liter engines. They might be a little lacking, but I don't know. The straight sixes were much more common than V8 cars and can be had at lower prices for the same condition. Of course if you're rich and want to shoot the moon, go ahead and get a 4.5 or a 6.3.

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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.

Did all the 109's have the air suspension?

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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.

W109 = 300SEL (all engine sizes) and all had air suspension.

Yes. All 112 and 109 cars are air suspension regardless of the engine (6 or V8).

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Tony H
W111 280SE 3.5 Coupe
Manual transmission

Past cars:
Porsche 914 2.0
'64 Jaguar XKE Roadster
'57 Oval Window VW
'71 Toyota Hilux Pickup Truck-Dad bought new
'73 Toyota Celica GT

The w109 chassis is a very great car. It has class and engineering all in one.

Good to know. I didn't know air suspensions were in use that far back.

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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.

http://mercedesw108w109.com Authored by Tomguy on this site. Check out the Buyer's Guide.

Citroen was using air suspension in their DS.. Mercedes looked to them for the suspension

No, the DS has a hydropenumatic suspension, which Mercedes licensed for the W116.

-Jason

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

The W108 is a stately timeless classic. I knew that when I bought mine in 1974 and wanted to keep her.

Now that is clean


ah, correct

2x. Amazing you've kept a car that clean in a salt state.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Phewww yeah, that's like... showroom.

Anyway, the air suspension has the potential to be mucho dinero to fix if it's broken. The chances of finding someone to work on it and actually fix it right are pretty slim so it's probably a DIY prospect. That said, I've heard they are quite nice and fairly reliable once they're kept in order. I've seen so many of them with their wheels sunken in languishing in driveways to know better. I've also seen a few with their asses sky high on the road.

The 6.3 is in a league of it's own, both performance-wise and price-wise. It'll also drink fuel like a class-A motorhome but you probably won't care too much if you're laying out the green for one.

Another one to look out for if you're on any kind of budget is the m189 engined car. This is the all aluminum "big" six from the gullwing SL of the 50's. Same engine as the w112's. They came in some 300SE/L's so that'd mean they have an expensive engine AND an expensive suspension. Probably one of the best balanced sedans of the time though in compensation. Beat examples of these cars go for chump change, DON'T be tempted unless the owner is clueless and the car is in seriously good shape.

Compared to these three, the rest are a piece of cake and are usually plentiful in various conditions. Any model 280 or 250 is usually inexpensive and relatively painless to own. All that said, any of these cars are classic old guard era Mercedes, meaning that condition and prior care is the most important thing of all. Given good ownership, they are all excellent top quality vehicles in any aspect.

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1967 230S automatic
Boston, MA

They are a beautiful, timeless classic, as 280SE guy posted. His example is fantastic by the way. Possibly still my favourite Mercedes. I would buy a 108, regular suspension rather than a 109, air suspension, unless I were stinking rich and could afford the horrendous rebuild costs of the air setup. Check out the M100 group for more details about that.

Can't comment on the US sixes, they may have had slower rear ends but the non US version I had in SA, my first Mercedes, was a great car. Peppy around a very hilly town and fast on the highway. There is a member here in Phoenix selling his red 4.5. Look in the cars for sale section. I'd be interested in it myself if I were not poverty stricken...

I liked the fact that the tranny started out in 2nd gear unless you used the kickdown switch under the gas pedal. If you did use that it dropped into 1st which was a really low gear. I used to be able to race the local equivalent of ricers between lights in town and usually beat them by timing things just right. WIth practice and getting a "feel" for the machine I could cause a kind of slingshot effect from 1st to 2nd that would have me pulling ahead of a surprised kid in a "pocket rocket" before he could get his clutch co-ords right. Of course they could easily outpace me once we got moving but in town we'd ususally be coming up on the next light so I was usually able to keep running ahead of them. It was a lot of fun being able to do that in such an old car.

Fantastic engineering. But watch out for rust. That's the real killer. I would not touch a rusted example with a ten foot pole. My steeing shaft snapped in the end because of rust on the box frame to which the steering box mounted.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S