70 280se

[scargo70]

I am looking at a '70 280se with a six cylinder engine.
The current owner has done the following:
1. new paint job
2. brake job
3. head job
4. the car is in las vagas and has no rust ( I havent seen the car as yet)

any thoughts/comments by members here is greatly appreciated
especially about
any trouble spots these cars have.

thanks

[jas2wa]

The only trouble I ever had with my 6-cyl. 280se was keeping the mech. injection pump calibrated for different weather, but you are in sw, I was in MA... With age, the IP is unable to adjust itself as well to temp change, used to have to have it re-set for the season. otherwise, a bulletproof car.

Of course, the usual hvac issues on these cars, and rust. that'a about it.

good luck!

JAS

[scargo70]

what are the hvac issues on these cars?

[jas2wa]

Yeah, the 70 doesn't have the awful auto climate control of the late 70's and 80's.

The system on the 108 chassis is just pretty antiquated, is all- just don't compare the heat and a/c effectiveness of the 280se to your new honda- there will be no comparison.

The heat and a/c works well enough when in top form, but the blower motors are a big job (heater especially). The 4 levers on the dash are relatively easy to replace or retrofit.

Who cares about heat and a/c when the rest of the car is so great, though, right?

Quote "Who cares about heat and a/c when the rest of the car is so great, though, right?"

Well, you will care if you are from anywhere where there are 4 seasons with sever summers and winters. On my 280sel 4.5 heating had a special option in the form of gloves and thick hat.

For summer driving high speeds and open windows did the trick.

Rumor has it that on a production line all w108s started with the heater and then the car was built around it

[jas2wa]

I grew up in MA, and am no stranger to the hat and glove method, as practised in my 70 280SE back in the mid 90's. Not to mention the hat, glove, and camelhair coat method used in MA winters in my friend's 67 200D.

If the w108 was built around the heater on the assembly line, then the a/c system must have been installed by travelling freon salesmen behind US dealerships...

JAS

[scargo70]

Basically, the HVAC on these cars suck?
Is there any possibilty that you can get the system esp. the AC to work well?

[jas2wa]

Yeah, mine both work as well as the design allows. It is just older technology is all- The a/c mainly comes from the 2 vents in the middle bottom of the dash. Heat and defrost are straightforward, it is just the blower that is expensive to replace if it goes out. It is just a 30 year old car- it can be made to function as it was intended too, though- my advice- buy one with these systems intact (I was lucky, a/c had been recently rebuilt on my San Diego- sourced 280sel 4.5).

Don't let the hvac system deter you from a great car.

[scargo70]

the car in question is a straight 6,
in addition it has had it tranny rebuilt and now has electronic ignition.
I have driven a 4.5 and was impressed.

has anyone driven both the six and the 4.5, and if so can you give a comparison of the two?

[pj67coll]

I have not had the pleasure of driving a 108 4.5. But I used to own a 71 280S. Same car as you're looking at but with twin carbs instead of fuel injection. Still my favourite Mercedes. And I would dearly love another. It's perfectly fine and able to keep up with most city traffic and really shines on the highway. Also, it handled better than either of my later Mercedes. If it's a good one you'll love it.

One suggestion. Try to get it to a mechanic where the torque on the steering box mounting bolts can be checked. Mine wore loose and snapped the steering column. Though this was contributed to by rust in the box section the steering box was mounted to and this will likely not be much of an issue with a Nevada car.

- Peter.

I realize that this still does not answer your question but here is a reason why I loved my 4.5

[Larry Delor]

If I was to complain about the A/C in my 280, it would be that there is no recirculated air feature. When its 95 degrees outside, and the humidity is about the same, that feature would come in handy. It would probably help out alot if I had the windows tinted. (the a/c blower motor is a separate motor from the one that does the heat/defrost - mine is located on the pass. side behind the speaker)
Other than that, I like driving it. Less body roll than on my 420SEL...and a whole lot smaller. MPG for the two is about the same.

-Larry

[Catrinus]

I honestly think that particular car (70 280SE) is one of the BEST all-around that MB ever built. There is plenty of power (personally I think the 4.5 v-8 version is overkill), they're comfortable as heck, and they still look really good (especially with the new paint that you're reporting).

These cars are still "simple" enough (remember, this is a relative term!) for the DIYer to do most jobs. Plus, I've discovered that MB parts are interchangable for many, many years. I would not hestitate to buy one but of course keep the purchase price reasonable. Watch the auctions on eBay or (better yet) go to traderonline.com and look for a 280 SE or SEL in a similar vintage (up to 1973). That will give you the asking prices. You can search by locality or regionally, too (you'll find that So Calif cars seem to go for a bit more because they're not rusty although I've found the interiors to get real dried out if the car is not garaged). Stay away from rust-belt (mid west) cars unless you can do a THOROUGH rust inspection. Your best bet is always to look for a local car, though, because you'll want to inspect it and not have to pay for shipping.

Just my 2 cents.

I have a 73 280C (a completely different chassis and engine from what you're considering). I would trade it, half of my family and probably a couple of thousand dollars in a heartbeat for a 70-73 280SE or SEL in decent shape.

Catrinus
Portland, OR

[jas2wa]

scargo-

I have owned a 70 280SE (6 cyl.) and now have a 73 280SEL 4.5

I think the regular wheelbase works well with the 6, and the long wheelbase handles the v8 very well.

They are basically the same save for the engine/tranny combo- I never lacked for speed in the 6, though the revs climb pretty high at highway speeds- top end is less than the v8.

I must say the 6 cyl. makes the best car engine sound ever- nothing like a sweet running, highly-tuned German inline 6.

Now that I can better afford the gas (though barely) I could not resist the overhead cam v8 when looking for this, my second 108 chassis car.

I once saw original FUel consumtion data for both 6 and 8 cylinder engines and the 6 was almost as thirsty as the V8. Can someone shed their opinion? I used to get around 15mpg in highway on my 4.5.
How are the 6s