I recently purchased a 1978 280CE. It has 136,000 miles and I just put in new shocks. this thing handles worse than any car I have ever owned. Over steer galore. Body lean like I've never felt. really didn't want to spend $200 for new springs but maybe that's where I need to start. Any Help is appreciated.

You bought a 38 year old car, and are unhappy to spend $200 for new springs?
If this isn't a joke, sell the car now.

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2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

thanks for the help.

It should handle like a race car. You were obviously scammed and sold a defective vehicle.

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Irony.cc

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your 280CE! That's not a common car by any stretch of the imagination.

The W123 never handled like a Subaru BRZ, but if the handling is really sloppy, the 38-year-old suspension is probably shot and going to need a total refreshing if you want like-new handling. All the rubber is probably shot. The parts alone cost >$1,000.

BTW, your post might be taken more seriously if your post title wasn't comically misspelled and in all caps. Just a tip .

Where do you live? A member might be able to drive your car and give you an independent evaluation of how the car handles.

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"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

Might be the original shocks on there. No, that car model is supposed to be tight handling.

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'06 E320 CDI
'17 Corvette Stingray Vert

He specifically said that he just installed new shocks.

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

What other cars have you owned?

What shocks did you use?

What's the condition of the rest of the car (at least we know you have new shocks)?

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Unless you have service records which document the number of miles on the car there is a good chance the car has more miles than the odometer shows. W123 odometers are prone to failure and unfortunately there are those you have no problem with switching out speedometers. You might also want to double check the installation of the shocks. Mis-installed shocks will make the car ride like a truck. Also an easy and inexpensive fix are the rear sway bar links.

The W123 can be predictable and neutral in handling and steering.

My coupe is an 83 300CD. There are minor weight differences but basically it is the same chassis and suspension as yours. The coupes have a shorter wheelbase than the sedans and should handle a little differently, meaning better.

You do not need springs. You need to get under the car and carefully inspect all of the suspension and steering components front and rear. Anything that moves in directions it shouldn't, any deteriorated rubber bushings and boots must be replaced. Remove and check your steering stabilizer.

Check your steering play. These cars have recirculating ball steering than can never be a crisp as rack and pinion. The MB spec is 1" or less of play at the steering wheel rim. DO NOT try to tighten it up with the adjustment bolt on the steering box. That is for another purpose. You will find that after you replace your steering bushings and joints, the steering play will be improved.

Replacing the shocks was a good starting point unless you bought some sort of JC Whitney junk. A surprising number of undercar stuff can be easily replaced DIY. After it is all done get an alignment and you should be good.

One more thing, tires. Bad tires can make the car feel terrible. If they are bald or mismatched replace them for your own safety.

This may seem a lot but you have a rare and desirable car that is worth some effort and investment. I promise you that tightening up all your old undercar stuff will reward you with a car that feels as though it is on rails. I also have a 2008 MB and my old coupe is the one I like best.

On a car that old, pretty much everything is suspect. Shocks you say are new, but did you use the good ones (Bilstein)? Time to start inspecting suspension items. Rubber parts are probably not in good shape if they're original. Sway bar end links are another thing to look at. Spring failures are less common, but have occurred. A broken sway bar (or two) is another unlikely but possible thing.

These aren't sports cars, but when properly sorted they do handle much better than most American cars of that era.

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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 401,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 26,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.
99 Mazda Miata 183,xxx miles.

He said springs, not shocks. If it were me, I would have replaced the shocks far before replacing the springs.

__________________
2016 Monsoon Gray Audi Allroad - 21k
2008 Black Mercedes E350 4Matic Sport - 131k
2014 Jeep Wranger Unlimited Sahara - 62k
2003 Gray Mercedes ML350 - 122k

No, it's shocks.

__________________
"Senior Luna, your sense of humor is still loco... but we love it, anyway." -rickymay ____ "Your sense of humor is still loco... " -MBeige ____ "Señor Luna, your sense of humor is quite järjetön" -Delibes

1982 300SD -- 211k, Texas car, tranny issues ____ 1979 240D 4-speed 234k -- turbo and tuned IP, third world taxi hot rod

2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."

After 30+ years, you can safely assume that anything made out of rubber will need replacing unless, of course, replaced recently. All wear items do in fact wear out. The parts for a MB W123s are pretty cheap compared to newer cars. You can replace entire systems on the cheaps ... which is what I suggest. I never owned a gasser MB, so no clue about them except those parts in common with diesels. Do some market research on components, and pricing. The W123 is not everyone's cup of tea. I got hooked on the W123 back in 2008. Nearing the end of the project so to speak, so it's a hobby for some, other's a DD, and other's just a passing episode in car ownership.

To all that have contributed positive suggestions, I thank you.

Grezzer: Yes it is just a hobby. I've always liked the body lines of a coupe. It's just a part time car and a learning experience for me. Thanks.

Skippy: I did use Bilsteins and yes the rubber components look pretty bad. I am committed to a full rebuild to save this car. It has no rust and the interior is decent. I'll focus first on the sway bars.

Rocky Raccoon: Steering play, while not perfect, doesn't seem to bad. I'll get it dialed in to handle much better and I'll be in your camp at some point.

BWhitmore: Have no documentation. Bought totally blind. But I'm OK with that. I'll try and research the history a little, thanks.

Mbeige: I have owned a couple of Jettas, a beloved 1988 911 with suspension rebuild, an Audi A6 Quattro with suspension upgrade, and I now have a 2002 Bmw 540i with a 6sp and full suspension rebuild and almost 200k on the clock. Great road car BTW.

This rebuild will continue and I'm sure with the help of this and other fourms will be a great learning experience. Thanks again, everyone.