1968 280S purchase question

[jojojoos]

Hi All,

I am new to this forum as of about twenty minutes ago, and am excited for the newest member of our Mercedes family. Unfortunately, my 1983 240D is in need of a new master brake cylinder (can someone answer a couple questions re the repair process?) and sitting in my driveway for a bit.

I've found a 1968 280S. The car has 115,xxx miles on it, new paint, straight body, new spark plugs, tires, and a decent amount of repair history. The asking price for the car is $3,999. I have a good mechanic to do maintenance on the car, but am hoping I won't have to call on him for more than routine maintenance. This car will be a daily driver, with round trip distances maxing at about 12 miles/day.

Too, the car hasn't been driven much in the past year, so I was unable to take it for a test drive (as it stalled when I was getting ready for my spin. The seller assured me the car does not have stalling as an issue, and attributed it to it's lack of operation over the last year. I will drive it tomorrow.)

It would be great to get some feedback regarding this car. It seems like a pleasure to drive and own. Am I blinded by beauty, or can this car stay in our family for the visible future?

Thanks much,

Jonathan

[TJ 450]

Welcome Jonathan,

Being a 1968 model, the 280S would be a W108.

As with any older MB, you should place an emphasis on checking for rust... everywhere. After that, general driveability and checking the condition of the fluids should give you a good insight into the condition of the car.

Beyond that, it would be good to have a leak-down test done on the engine, otherwise a compression test would probably suffice.

If it all checks out good and is a sound example, I'm sure it would be a good candidate for a daily driver.

Tim