Hi All,

so i am now in the market for an OK condition w108. Something that runs and drives but may need some TLC. I know rust is the main issue with these cars but i was more curious on the reliability. I may want to do some traveling with the car, and i don't mind "greasing the joints" every X number of miles or doing some maintenance work as such. I am coming from ... the bulletproof w123 240d and realize that a 108 is probably not quite at that level of doomsday cockroach proof. What I am curious about is ... are these cars actually reliable? Assuming the small things (bad spark plugs/dead battery) how are the fuel pump and engines. I am looking for something that will be doing a lot of daily driving and want something that will hold up.


With that being said, should i be looking at the i6 , 3.5 v8, 4.5 v8? Yea the 6.3 is obviously a monster... but i am not looking to sink that kind of cash into this purchase.

Any advice/tips/reliability comments are appreciated. A lot of the w108 seems similar to the w123, and i will always have a soft spot for the w123, but would like to see what a gen or 2 earlier mercedes is all about.

I would say look for one that is as up to date on the maintenance as possible. the 108's have a lot of rubber suspension parts that you will most likely be totally unaware of how old they are until you have had the car for a while. most have not been maintained. Be wary of low mileage claims-these are next to impossible to support on 50 year old cars and rubber deteriorates regardless of mileage. The engine choice is yours-what are you looking for? They all have their issues but an injected 6 is probably your best bet.

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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

im looking for something that will consistently get me from A to B. I am sure the V8's are nice.. but i feel like if i am not doing the 6.3 ... it's almost a "what's the point." I did read somewhere that the V8's don't really get worse gas mileage than the i6 's (maybe that's total BS)... but if that's true... then i guess a v8?

Carbureted vs. Fuel Injection?

Beyond that it seems pretty straightforward similar to my w123. I am sure the rubber stuff has to be replaced over time... But that is matter of $2-3k if i do all the work myself and i can amortize that over time.


The key here... NO RUST.

Carbs on 108s (280s and 250s) can be fussy. I'd stick with injection for your reliability concerns.

Good advice jmela. Anybody on mpg differences between the i6 and the v8

My 4.5 V8 was out of tune (I never had a CO meter) and I drove it with a lead foot, got 13MPG regardless of all highway (Granted at 80MPH or above on the rare instances I did all highway) or all city driving. Except when it was winter, and I had a dead injector, when I got 8. You don't buy a vintage MB if you care about MPG though

The driving experience of any of these cars would be fun to have again, modern cars with safety equipment, sound deadening, and whatnot do isolate you from the driving experience the w108 provides, which is very reliable when maintained. My 4.5 was a beater by anyone's standards, but never left me stranded, and I regularly went on road trips longer than I should have.

__________________
Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

The newest is 43 years old so not reliable. They do make fun hobby cars to tinker with and enjoy on the weekend while you depend on your Toyota Camry to get you to work every day.

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With best regards

Al

sure my 240d is my daily driver. I am just saying, are there known issues in these V8s that make the i6 more "reliable" and therefore desirable (besides the 6.3 V8 of course).

I assume to rebuild the v8 it is really expensive, i basically want to make sure i am getting something where i don't have to worry too much about engine rebuild.


gas mileage was more a curiosity... I'm not expecting a prius, but if the v8 is getting 6-8 mpg and the i6 gets 20+ mpg... is the v8 really worth it?

The V8's are hard wearing. Both will get fuel mileage in the teens. V8, low to mid. I6 mid to high.

__________________
With best regards

Al

I have a 72 W108 4.5. It's in excellent condition interior is excellent the paint is as shiny as a lot of new cars, it has 99XXX miles, however I don't trust it. I don't know why just a feeling. Never put you hand over the throttle body with engine running you could be part of the internal workings. I do love the style of the car, even more than my W123 and I drive it daily. Just my opinion.

any opinions on the i6 with the 4 spd manual vs. the 4.5 V8. I would almost think the i6 would be more fun. At least in my w123 240d 4spd... i think it is more fun to drive than the turbo diesel 5 spd auto.

Granted.. a turbo diesel with the euro 5spd transmission.... that would be the most awesome

A friend of mine says the 280 i6 motor is less reliable because it is an over-bored 220 (M180) motor. Says they typically have more water passage issues, are hard to get to run right unless you can get 93 octane.
The M117 V-8 was a new design and by all accounts the bottom ends last forever. Take a look at chain stretch if you get your hands on one.
I had an uber beater 280SE 4.5, the thing was a mess but the character of that car was indisputable.
Mileage is not over 20 on an i6

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63 220S W111
76 300D W115
2013 VW JSW TDI M6

previously-
73 280 SEL 4.5
86 300E 5 speed
2010 VW Jetta TDI M6

I get 12-13 mpg in suburban driving. With the 4.5 you get D-jet injection which means you will have to go thorugh it to make sure it's all up to snuff. The contacts in the distributor can wear causing weird issues, also the ECUs can have intermittent failures. Once sorted they are as reliable as any 45 year old car, but most owners/mechanics know nothing about these cars, so everything can look ok on the surface, but still have a lot of deferred maintenance.

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Csaba
1972 280SEL 4.5, silver

Any engine be it the 6 or the 8 would need valve guides and seats done by this point if any engine work is required. The bottom end on the m116 and m117 V8s are a lot more durable than the i6 engines, so although the V8s do have two heads that'd require removal, rebuilding, resurfacing, etc. you are not going to need to do the bottom end unless it was really abused.

I never got 6MPG in my 4.5. I got 8 once, when an injector was stuck open, my trigger points were fouled with oil, and it was between -10°F and 20°F for a week. I always got 13 otherwise, except for one time. I had just done my timing chain, I leaned the MAP out a bit (which turned out to be a little better in terms of not spewing as much black smoke later on), and I drove cautiously for a week and didn't go over a guesstimated 3500 RPMs. I averaged 16.

If you feel comfortable/confident daily driving a 240D, you would likely feel the same DD a 108 of any type. I'd suggest an injected engine and I prefer the 4.5, but you would honestly be best suited buying the best condition you can afford, regardless of engine type.

__________________
Current:
2021 Charger Scat Pack Widebody "Sinabee"
2018 Durango R/T

Previous:
1972 280SE 4.5
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited "Hefe", 1992 Jeep Cherokee Laredo "Jeepy", 2006 Charger R/T "Hemi"
1999 Chrysler 300M - RIP @ 221k

that's honestly great to hear. Yea i guess i will be hunting for an M117 with the notion i may need to have some engine work done.