They are nice cars - I had a 280CE years ago , petrol blue with mushroom interior and 'Mexican hat' wheels , very nice car to drive .
These days , good ones tend to be pricey and the M110 is a thirsty beast , sub 20mpg most of the time , unless you are gentle on the throttle .
A lot of the window seals , which deteriorate , can be expensive to replace , and the rear quarter window mechanisms can get sticky , tripping the thermal reset fuse .
A good one will be an appreciating asset , and enjoyable to drive .
These days , good ones tend to be pricey and the M110 is a thirsty beast , sub 20mpg most of the time , unless you are gentle on the throttle .
A lot of the window seals , which deteriorate , can be expensive to replace , and the rear quarter window mechanisms can get sticky , tripping the thermal reset fuse .
A good one will be an appreciating asset , and enjoyable to drive .
OP
OP
kvz2000
Active Member
Thanks for that , very interesting , after posting the above I have spied a nice W114 280e that's looks lovely so I'll keep you posted
Good cars too - I had a 1975 280E , one of the run out models with the 5 speed close ratio manual box - went like stink . I kept that car for 11 years and took it to 272,000 miles , by which time it was on its third clutch , the only minor issues , after buying it three years old with 48K on the clock were the electronic ignition module failing , and the gear linkage coming apart in the middle of a roundabout ( lever came out in my hand as I reached for second , but I was able to put it back in and continue . Apart from that it was just all the routine stuff , tyres , brakes , exhausts , batteries etc etc that you would expect on any car .
The end came due to terminal rust with inner wings , sills , wheel arches all needing increasing work for each new MOT , so sadly she was sold for parts . Mechanically the car was still great .
Do read Charles Morgan's lengthy thread on his W114 restoration as , although a 250 , much of it is relevant .
If not set on a particular model , you might also look , based on what you have mentioned so far , at the C107 SLC range or , going newer , the W124 Coupes or Cabriolets ( the latter sure to appreciate in coming years ) .
The end came due to terminal rust with inner wings , sills , wheel arches all needing increasing work for each new MOT , so sadly she was sold for parts . Mechanically the car was still great .
Do read Charles Morgan's lengthy thread on his W114 restoration as , although a 250 , much of it is relevant .
If not set on a particular model , you might also look , based on what you have mentioned so far , at the C107 SLC range or , going newer , the W124 Coupes or Cabriolets ( the latter sure to appreciate in coming years ) .
If you are looking at W123 coupes also check the bottom of the doors.....they rot due to water ingress. Difficult to repair and far easier to replace but I guess by now they must be a tad expensive.
Also you need to check in the boot for damp.....again caused by rust around the screen causing water to come in and the same applies to the front footwells and the windscreen.
You also need to give the underside of the car a good going over as they do rust.
The mechanics are fairly straightforward to fix but the bodywork / rust can be a moneypit.
I did a bare metal renovation on mine back in the day and it was painful
Also you need to check in the boot for damp.....again caused by rust around the screen causing water to come in and the same applies to the front footwells and the windscreen.
You also need to give the underside of the car a good going over as they do rust.
The mechanics are fairly straightforward to fix but the bodywork / rust can be a moneypit.
I did a bare metal renovation on mine back in the day and it was painful
The other common cause of water in the footwells is blocked drain channels at the bottom corners of the windscreen , the water can run to the back causing wet rear footwells , which throws people when the front ones remain dry .
Another W123 favourite is broken bonnet hinges after the main pivot pin seizes ; replacement entails removing the front wing ( W126's , big brother of the W123 suffer the same fault ) .
Guess how I know these things ...
Oh , and the drain pipes at the corners ( usually rear ) of the sunroof cassettes rot away and cause water ingress too ( had that on a 190E but all models suffer ) .
Another W123 favourite is broken bonnet hinges after the main pivot pin seizes ; replacement entails removing the front wing ( W126's , big brother of the W123 suffer the same fault ) .
Guess how I know these things ...
Oh , and the drain pipes at the corners ( usually rear ) of the sunroof cassettes rot away and cause water ingress too ( had that on a 190E but all models suffer ) .
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kvz2000
Active Member
Cancelled my trip to see the w114 due to more details from the seller so it's back to square one , please let me know of any decent old mercs for sale, anything between £3000 and £6000.
Cheers
Donald
This car in East Kilbride ended unsold after bidding going to £2500 but not reaching reserve ( at least the second time it has been listed ) , seller works in a classic restoration company , but it does look quite nice to me .
1985 Mercedes 230TE W123 (Estate) Auto, Only 4 Previous Owners, 111000 Miles | eBay
1985 Mercedes 230TE W123 (Estate) Auto, Only 4 Previous Owners, 111000 Miles | eBay
Charles Morgan
MB Enthusiast
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- Mercedes 250CE W114, Alfa Romeo GT Coupe 3.2 V6
I have one observation - I would avoid any W114 at your budget unless you want to spend a lot more sorting it out.
Nowadays unless you have the resources to hand and / or are sitting on a large pile of cash, with these older Mercs you are far better buying one that has already been restored, or at least one where most of the major stuff has been done.
A recent cas SOS episode on an old SL clearly demonstrated where things can possibly go badly wrong.
When I restored my W123 Coupe it was a mere 12 years old but it still cost a fortune due to the fact that I went for replace rather than repair on anything that had rust on it, were there were plenty of hidden areas with rot, even though externally it didn't look too bad.
Also with the W123 coupe, as it is a pillarless coupe, all the seals have to be perfect and everything has to line up spot on or else you never get rid of irrating wind noise.
A recent cas SOS episode on an old SL clearly demonstrated where things can possibly go badly wrong.
When I restored my W123 Coupe it was a mere 12 years old but it still cost a fortune due to the fact that I went for replace rather than repair on anything that had rust on it, were there were plenty of hidden areas with rot, even though externally it didn't look too bad.
Also with the W123 coupe, as it is a pillarless coupe, all the seals have to be perfect and everything has to line up spot on or else you never get rid of irrating wind noise.
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