after about a years hiatus, i'm now the happy owner of a 71 300sel 3.5 i had played with a 67 250s and a 69 280s, and while they are nice i was thinking about getting smoething else (finback, ponton, etc) but the 3.5 sold the deal! this thing is fast!

its a rust free california car, 161,000miles, i have all of the books and papers, everything (except the dome lights) works. it basically needs paint, and some little stuff which is the fun part.

i'm a happy camper!

mike

Post pics of it!

I have yet to try a 109 air-suspended car, but you're too far away...

-JAS (happy owner of a 73 280SEL 4.5)

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94 E320
71 350SL

pics?

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inside, still looking for the happy picture size

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Hmmm. Lowrider!

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Regards

Warren

Currently 1965 220Sb, 2002 FORD Crown Vic Police Interceptor

Had 1965 220SEb, 1967 230S, 280SE 4.5, 300SE (W126), 420SEL

ENTER > = (HP RPN)

Not part of the in-crowd since 1952.

sunday, after we got back from the track...

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I love the 109 , just has the classy upgrades, wood is a little better and the leather. Just a class act, the air suspension is very good when propertly fixed. Enjoy and get ready to spend, spend, spend . .. .. . . .

And obviously that air suspension needs at least some (probably major) work if it already sank that low after "just getting back"
But keep at it, you'll love it! (As long as that air suspension doesn't need TOO much work... then it's a moneypit...)

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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

it seems fine in day to day use :shrug: i just pressure washed the bottom and its green still

it did let all the air out when i jacked it up, so perhaps it needs the doohickey the air came out of? yeah i need to do some reading

Dome light problem is an easy fix....... prodding with jewelers screw driver, depress inside ears on domelight lense to remove - then bend electrical switch contacts for tighter fit. Also check the button switches on door sills for domelight activation, they are ALL interchangeable and replace the bulb in the process.

Otherwise - hahaha - 30 yr old air suspension???

the rear springs were replaced in 98.....

lol but the rear dome light has a short, and i think i have to take the roof off or something to get to it!

mike

How in the world did the '71 get amber front corner signal lights instead of bullet or fake fog light signals? It also strikes me as rare to see the 3.5 in the 108/109 body style. I smell a rat here..... it could have been Euro import version.

Just for the helluvit, have you run the serial numbers through MB to determine the actual history of the car?? Another fun thing to do is contact previous owners from service receipts just to say "hello" and mention that you are the new owner of their car.

It's always rewarding to know the history of your vintage car. Mine was owned by a woman who killed a deer with the car and was never comfortable driving it again..... so she passed it on to her son who quickly tired of sluggish diesel performance and passed it on to me.

No rats. The W109 300SEL came in the 3.5 flavor as well as the 4.5. Franz, my old indy in California had one in the shop for a while and I got to enjoy it's sound when he fired it up after a long sit...once the oil pressure came up the engine was brought to about 2K rpm for a minute or two while the bags inflated. Somehow, Franz came to be the owner of that car, which was in turn sold to his assistant who still drives it on a regular basis.

I don't know how many 3.5 versions came to the States though.

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Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

one thing i do have is all the books, and most of the records. it was sold new by brooking oldsmobile inc on 5/27/71 in oceanside ca. in 76-84 it was in la jolla, then santa ynez from 85-90, still the original owner looks like, or his wife/widow. lol it had all 4 suspension bellows in 90'. it seems to be sold to the mechanic in 91 (rich nohr) who has it till 95. then in 96 its in redondo beach with a new owner who sold it in 02 on ebay. this is when it came up north, and it lived in oakland until i bought it.

that was kinda neat i hadnt really gone thru the papers yet, needed the excuse

$19,565.20 in repairs/mainenence from 87-current (the 71-85ish are in the svc book with no dollar figures)

thats a little more than $1000 a year! not a cheap car

mike