Should I buy a 280SE

[bibamus]

Looking around for another MB and came across a very nice mid 80's W126 280SE Auto. Its pretty low mileage and looks in very good all round condition. Is the 280 engine powerful enough to lug this beast around and what sort of gallons per mile should I expect?
Allan

 

[219]

It is probably the slowest , thirstiest and least refined of the W126 range .

I have had 3 M110 engined cars : a W114 280E 5 speed manual ; a W123 280CE auto and a W123 280TE auto - even though those cars were smaller and lighter than the W126 I never got any better than 22 or 23 mpg with them and usually less than 20 mpg .

The engine will have to work relatively hard and gets thrashy at higher revs . Maybe in the 1970s when it was introduced it would have been considered a good unit , but nowadays it is outclassed by the much smoother , more powerful and more economic M103 which was available in the W126 as the 300SE .

Even my 500SEL gives better than 20 mpg and as much as 25 on a good day .

The W126 series are brilliant cars , but my opinion is the 280SE is the least desirable of the range - it was replaced by the 300SE not far into production , perhaps this tells you something ?

 

[acm718]

A mate has a 500SEL - all £525 of it. Not the fastest thing I've driven, but not really a good example of the 126 either.
Lovely thing, even has footrests for the passengers, but I'd imagine a 2.8 would barely get the thing moving, never mind anything else.
V8 all the way

 

[popuptoaster]

180bhp from that lump if its an Efi one and if its not worn, probably a bit short on puff to heave that weight around, my W114 takes 9 secs to get to 60 and its probably a good half ton lighter.

 

[bibamus]

Starting to see a trend here. Car has done about 90,000, but from what you all say, its was a bit gutless even when new.
Oh well, I think I`ll give it a miss and look for a nice W124 instead
Allan

 

[amg 500]

w126 500 had mine for years bullit proof and more than enough power

 

[jonathan]

if its a 280 you want im selling mine its a 2005 c280 4dr saloon in black with black 26000 miles huge spec full mb history its on ebay and autotrader for 12995 but would sell for 12500 it truelly looks like a new car in and out. go on buy it and i can take delivery of my new clk 280 cab that is sat in merc swindon unregistered until i sell my old one. i know mine is to new for you but do you know where the best place to sell it would be. any help is good help cheers jon.

 

[IanA2]

My 420 is still available

 

[jaymanek]

I think I know which 280 you must be looking at..
MERCEDES 280 SE AUTOMATIC - SHOWROOM CONDITION S CLASS on eBay, also, Mercedes-Benz, Classic Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 19-May-09 20:15:00 BST)

Lovely car but like has been said the 280 is the base engine and feels very sluggish.

 

[bibamus]

if its a 280 you want im selling mine its a 2005 c280 4dr saloon in black with black 26000 miles huge spec full mb history its on ebay and autotrader for 12995 but would sell for 12500 it truelly looks like a new car in and out. go on buy it and i can take delivery of my new clk 280 cab that is sat in merc swindon unregistered until i sell my old one. i know mine is to new for you but do you know where the best place to sell it would be. any help is good help cheers jon.

If you move the decimal point a couple spaces to the left I would definately buy it!
But, I am looking for an older model, preferably an early to mid 90`s one.
As for selling, I suppose Autotrader and a good description with lots of pictures would be your best bet
Allan

 

[IanA2]

I think I know which 280 you must be looking at..
MERCEDES 280 SE AUTOMATIC - SHOWROOM CONDITION S CLASS on eBay, also, Mercedes-Benz, Classic Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 19-May-09 20:15:00 BST)

Lovely car but like has been said the 280 is the base engine and feels very sluggish.

Be honest, I reckon mine's better than that one...it's one of the very last ones made.....plus it's a 420 and has leather. Bit more mileage maybe, but all in all I know which one I'd have.

 

[bibamus]

I think I know which 280 you must be looking at..
MERCEDES 280 SE AUTOMATIC - SHOWROOM CONDITION S CLASS on eBay, also, Mercedes-Benz, Classic Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 19-May-09 20:15:00 BST)

Lovely car but like has been said the 280 is the base engine and feels very sluggish.

No, it was THIS one

Allan

 

[jaymanek]

hmm wheels dont suit at all..

 

[bibamus]

No, horrible wheels but my sort of price.
Allan

 

[IanA2]

No, it was THIS one

Allan

Is it just me or are they rather incongruous wheels for a 126?

 

[Roger Jones]

From the MB Technical data passenger cars manual (October 1993):

0-62 mph (seconds, no cat/with cat)
280 SE 10.5/10.9
300 SE 9.1/9.3
420 SE 8.2/8.3
500 SE 7.2/7.5
560 SE 6.9/7.2

Max mph (no cat/with cat)
280 SE 124/121
300 SE 127/124
420 SE 138/136
500 SE 146/143
560 SE 155/149

Fuel consumption (City/56mph/75mph)
Gets too complicated.
However, my long-term average in my 300 SE is 24.65 mpg. In a 500 SEL on a long trip (250 miles) plus two short trips I got about 22.5 mpg. From the manual, the 280 SE figures are very close to the 300 SE.

Wheels referred to above
I think they were standard on the earliest 126 cars. They are the same on the models tested in mags in the early 1980s (republished in the Mercedes S-class: limited edition extra compilation from Brooklands Books).

 

[Roger Jones]

The superb Mercedes-Benz Classic magazine arrived today, courtesy of MB Club membership. There is a major article on the W126 in it: history, model data, what to look out for when buying..

 

[IanA2]

Wheels referred to above
I think they were standard on the earliest 126 cars.

Don't think so.......are we looking at the same wheels?

 

[219]

The early cars usually had the Fuchs or 'Baroque' alloy wheels as used on the previous W116 series . Steel wheels with plastic trims may have been the base option but I can't remember ever seeing a 126 without alloys .

The wheels on the car being looked at by the OP are definitely aftermarket , and not nice !

 

[IanA2]

The wheels on the car being looked at by the OP are definitely aftermarket , and not nice !

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that they are awful. Make me wonder about the car in general.