1968 280SE Saloon Purchase Advice

[zagatoman]

1968 280SE Saloon Purchase Advice

Hi all, I am a new member that needs a bit of advice.

I am new to the MB and I am going to look at a car this week and need to know what to look for.

The car I am viewing is a 1968 280SE saloon, it’s had lots of work on the engine and gearbox and they are fine. What are the important areas to asses before I think about buying. What are the most expensive bits to put right.

I have been told the car needs a bit of work on the body but not drastic, needs a couple of patches on the floor but the interior is great, runs great, no MOT. What sort of money would be realistic offer for such a car, difficult, but any advice?

Will put up some photos if it all goes well with the purchase.

Thanks, Paul

 

[smillion]

Brave man and don't underestimate the costs of putting the body and paint right. Personally the mechanicals never bother me, its the structure of the car.

I love old cars, and having recently imported a 1965 car from the USA, understand the differences between a solid useable car and one that looks good from 10 meters but is actually rotten as a pear. My car is solid, been stored carefully and never been or needed welding. But once you start its a slippery slope......Please check the body work very carefully. And if all is sound enjoy as they are lovely

 

[219]

Hi , as stated , the mechanical side is likely to be robust enough and relatively straightforward to sort out . The only thing potentially to give trouble is the early mechanical fuel injection which few people understand properly these days and you need to find a good specialist who does .

The W108 , in common with many Mercs of the era , tends to suffer badly from rust .

Check sills , floorpan , boot floor , inner wings , scuttle - pretty much everywhere .

I bought a W111 ( 1963 Fintail ) which was the predecessor to the W108 ( the 108 chassis was a modified W111 chassis and took a lot of the same rust traps forward ) and it is one of the few cars I have bought in recent years and found it to be a complete dud - rotten in so many places despite appearing outwardly good - the nail in the coffin was when I found tha scuttle to be flexing when I pressed the clutch and brake pedals , then on further probing it was rotting everywhere . Thankfully , I never paid too much for the car and recovered most of it by breaking it .

A properly restored W108 will be a wonderful car , I know , having driven them back in the day , just how nice they are , but go in with your eyes open .

For elusive body parts try DB Depot or SLS in Hamburg - you'll find them on the web .

 

[KillerHERTZ]

Every part of a W108 rusts, check it all underneith on a ramp.

 

[mbenz1]

I don't know if this is of any help or whether you are aware of this but there is a company called Mercedessource.com and the chap who runs it is called Kent Burgsma. He has a YouTube channel with various videos covering a vast range of issues/topics in older MBs (2005 and beyond).

I have watched one of his videos about rust in 1980s and beyond MBs. He sells a product called Miracle Paint which is basically a reliable and long term rust sealer. In his video he repaired a patch of rust by applying flexible fibre glass and miracle paint which resulted to a solid and rigid material (once dried). This may be really handy for those rust issues in the older MBs and also a cheap fix surely.

I can't post the video link through my phone but will try when I get access to a PC.