For those that wanted to see a couple of photos of my car here it is.
Unfortunately we are still working out this new digital camera, so some of the pics are a bit dark and i had to brighten them on the PC.
But, theres more to come soon, with better light and backgrounds...an,uh, hehe, a nd the car will be CLEAN! ( I was busy today alright!) ;D
(http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3365/whitemercwithbrownyy4.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7788/280interiorcc3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9248/sheepskinsjp3.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/733/280frontleftgy4.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
(http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/5417/280rightfront2fw7.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
I apologize if this is a bit much to load up and view properly, I'm new to it all... :-[
wow!!
spill your guts boy!
I see 53xxxx on the speedometer? is that true?
family car?
tell us about the brown car?
we need details, they look in pretty good condition by the way
:)
Quote from: Des on 24 March 2007, 05:12 AM
wow!!
spill your guts boy!
I see 53xxxx on the speedometer? is that true?
family car?
tell us about the brown car?
we need details, they look in pretty good condition by the way
:)
Okay,
yep, the speedo reads true! of course ive only had the car since about August last year, so ive probably only racked up a couple of thousand at the most.
It's completely my car, but I do take the family out now and then, so i guess you could kind of call it a family car... :)
I have no idea about the former owner except that he was a surveyor or something, and went very regular trips down to hobart, from Launceston. Goodness knows about its life before then. I'm the fourth owner by the way ;)
As for the brown car that snuck in the shot,
that is a 450SEL that I half own with my dad, sort of going to get it completely restored eventually. it needs some minor paint work, and as you can see in the pic the back seats have burned a bit in the fabric, so the interior needs a little work. So that ones kind of a father-son project.
My dad himself owns a blue 450SEL, but thats not in the shots obviously.
So, hows that? :D
any queries??
excellent mate, sounds like at least your dad appreciates "real" cars.
I have a soft spot for SEL's if you are going to travel in luxury you need plenty of leg room.
you need a high mileage award badge for your car
Quote from: Des on 24 March 2007, 05:31 AM
excellent mate, sounds like at least your dad appreciates "real" cars.
I have a soft spot for SEL's if you are going to travel in luxury you need plenty of leg room.
you need a high mileage award badge for your car
Well if it wasnt for my dad i probably wouldnt have come across the world of w116's. What a sad world i would have lived in! :D
oh, and I didnt realize the reading on the speedo isnt entirely shown.
The exact reading is 538,930 kms.
I was actually pretty surprised with its initial condition given the high mileage. It originally had a bit of gravel rash along the front of the bonnet, but that was repainted not too long ago. other than that, the car was like you see it now.
Anyhow, ive hardly seen many white w116's down here, let alone 280SEL's, so if you ever pass on the road it you can be pretty sure who the driver is! ;D
we might have to arrange a tassie meet
I'll bring my 6.9
Don't know of any other 116 owners down here though.
Sure there are plenty around, just don't actually know any of them
yeah, and any owners i think i know aren't exactly "enthusiasts".
We're a limited bunchdown here, in tassie, certainly.
Every "old" Mercedes owner I see here on the roads in their 60's or 70's, their cars seem to be generally in very good condition, which would lead me to believe they are the original owners.
Old W114/5 280's, and W116 280's seem to be the most frequently encountered.
I own a 230, but the first really usable Benz is the 280 models.
Hey, nice pics Andrew. My 350 (white) ;D used to belong to my dad. he bought it for $25,000 in 1989 with 120,000km on the clock now 380,000km. I used to see a lot of white ones (280's and 450's) and it was only till I joined the forum that I realised how many other colours there were, especially metallics. I hadn't seen any metallics before apart from gold. The metallics looked so modern I used to think they were repaints.
How come we don't see your dad on the forum? Haven't yoou told him about us? ;)
BTW, I want pinstripes now.
Quote from: oscar on 24 March 2007, 06:05 AM
Hey, nice pics Andrew. My 350 (white) ;D used to belong to my dad. he bought it for $25,000 in 1989 with 120,000km on the clock now 380,000km. I used to see a lot of white ones (280's and 450's) and it was only till I joined the forum that I realised how many other colours there were, especially metallics. I hadn't seen any metallics before apart from gold. The metallics looked so modern I used to think they were repaints.
How come we don't see your dad on the forum? Haven't yoou told him about us? ;)
BTW, I want pinstripes now.
oh he knows about yas! ;)
but lets just say he's not a computer person...he can use them, but has usually steered clear of them.
So i guess you could say i can be his representative on this great forum! ;D
glad you like pinstripes. i havent seen many w116's with them, so i guess back then in the 70's some people maybe didnt like them when they were choosing the options. but then again, i suppose they wouldnt suit all colours though
:)
Nice car Andrew. There are not many 280SEL's around these days, but even fewer 350SEL's!!
Quote from: gregdeklerk on 28 March 2007, 12:52 AM
Nice car Andrew. There are not many 280SEL's around these days, but even fewer 350SEL's!!
Thanks Greg!
Yeah i was pretty surprised when i saw the production number of 280SEL's, but extremely surprised about the 350's.
Long live the w116! ;D
7 032, 280SEL's were produced, that's worldwide sales,
probably less than half left on the road, say under 3,000 cars
I would wager a bet there is more FJ Holden's left on the road here in Australia than there are 280SEL's left in the world.
Quote from: Des on 28 March 2007, 05:16 AM
7 032, 280SEL's were produced, that's worldwide sales,
probably less than half left on the road, say under 3,000 cars
I would wager a bet there is more FJ Holden's left on the road here in Australia than there are 280SEL's left in the world.
all i can say is.... whoa!!! ;D :D
if thats about right, then seeing as there was only about 3,000 and something 350SEL's produced, you can see how rare they are.
i guess in that case If you see a 350SEL on the road, throw a hook james bond style on it's tow bar and FORCE it to a halt and offer the owner the highest you can afford! ;D
EDIT:
Uh, well maybe i was a little hasty on the "highest you can afford" remark. it's not a 6.9 after all...
rare doesn't = desirable in my books, well it's not the only factor I would consider it buying a car.
A model T ford might be rare, but I still wouldn't want to own one.
An FJ holden might be rare and collectible but I still wouldn't want to own one.
A 6.9 is rare, collectible and appeals to me, thats why I want to own one
Quote from: Des on 28 March 2007, 06:17 AM
rare doesn't = desirable in my books, well it's not the only factor I would consider it buying a car.
A model T ford might be rare, but I still wouldn't want to own one.
An FJ holden might be rare and collectible but I still wouldn't want to own one.
A 6.9 is rare, collectible and appeals to me, thats why I want to own one
again i was a little hasty. it's not the holy grail after all.
still, personally, if i saw a 350SEL i would snap it up. provided i could afford it of course, but only for collection sake.
im happy with the 280 though, its like the 350 only with 2 cylinders less, an extra cam, and a desire to be in the high revs all the time! :D
i'm actually really attached to this car.
Quote from: Andrew280SEL on 28 March 2007, 06:25 AM
i'm actually really attached to this car.
And that's what it's all about ;D
And as I said not long ago, as much as I'm hooked on my 350, something draws me to the 280S that begs it be fixed and driven. Each model has it's own uniqueness underlying the common 116 body that is more than just pure engine size. I want a 6.9 too but I'm sure any 6.9er would say the attraction is more than just the huge motor.
Good looking car andrew. Is that cover on the dash to protect it from the sun or is it a cosmetic thing. Never see them here.
Agree with you and Oscar about the 280, everyone who owns one, likes it very much. It must be the combination of the sound and that it is an engine designed for reving, which makes it sportive. the performance is designed to come at high revs. Many also say it is the best gas MB engine for durability. The look of that long rectangular block is also good. aah, consumption, well thats never good with these.
It would be nice to know more about the history of the development of this motor, because I have read from some place that at that same time Jaguar also developed a twin cam six, and there are some rumours that some spying and copying did occur. But details I dont know. (that would be a good question for a next quiz)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v368/aslak0/MB%20107/engine280TE.jpg)
That is a fine looking car - and despite the advantages of alloy wheels, I do prefer the painted hubcap look. The mileage and condition bear testament to the design and build quality of the original concept.
Quotethe huge motor really has a lot going for it-plus engineering integrity, reliability and nice styling
Yes indeed it does; each and every 116 has that same engineering integrity, reliability and nice styling. We are lucky to be the custodians of such fine vehicles - be they a 280s or a 6.9, short or long wheelbase.
In my books a 280 is as desirable as a 350; is as desirable as a 450; is as desirable as a 6.9.
Dash covers protect from the sun and stop glare off the dash.
Forze Benz!! ;D
BC
Quote from: Tomi on 28 March 2007, 02:21 PM
Good looking car andrew. Is that cover on the dash to protect it from the sun or is it a cosmetic thing. Never see them here.
Ah, well ill be honest. while i do like the look of it a bit, its mainly to further protect the dash as like a lot of aussie w116's the dash does have a couple of cracks on the top near the gauge cluster area. So it also covers the cracks up ;) ;D
but its an aftermarket one, so i wont claim originallity. i'm not entirely sure whether there was ever factory ones or not. I spose there might have been, but ive never seen any.
Quote from: Brian Crump on 28 March 2007, 07:08 PM
That is a fine looking car - and despite the advantages of alloy wheels, I do prefer the painted hubcap look. The mileage and condition bear testament to the design and build quality of the original concept.
Quotethe huge motor really has a lot going for it-plus engineering integrity, reliability and nice styling
Yes indeed it does; each and every 116 has that same engineering integrity, reliability and nice styling. We are lucky to be the custodians of such fine vehicles - be they a 280s or a 6.9, short or long wheelbase.
In my books a 280 is as desirable as a 350; is as desirable as a 450; is as desirable as a 6.9.
Forze Benz!! ;D
BC
I'm with you on that one Brian. Although I prefer the standard length models...please don't call it SWB as there were only two types - Standard and LWB. SWB reminds me of 60's and 70's Landrovers!
Nothing wrong with a Landie - so long (short) as it is a real one and not a British Leyland hybrid...many old Landies are still chugging on nicely here and will still outgun a Toyota Landcruiser on an uphill run.
I like the term short wheel base cos I think of close coupled wheels - just a matter of perception but I take yr point and will reform my terms. Standard it is ;D
BC
Martin - this is a Landie - http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~lloyd/4/LandRover/S1/
BC
Thanks Brian, My father had Landrovers for years. The last one was a blue and cream panel sided LWB with a wooden bench along each side in the back, I think that was in 1978. When we were kids my two brothers and I had our own wooden based cushion, which were not fixed down. Many a happy trip was spent hanging on to the cushion and being bounced around the in the back, trying not to trap our fingers between the wood panelling and the wood base of the seat cushion ;D!
Quote from: Tomi on 28 March 2007, 02:21 PM
Agree with you and Oscar about the 280, everyone who owns one, likes it very much. It must be the combination of the sound and that it is an engine designed for reving, which makes it sportive. the performance is designed to come at high revs. Many also say it is the best gas MB engine for durability. The look of that long rectangular block is also good. aah, consumption, well thats never good with these.
As a fellow M110 owner/lover, I want to say something about the consumption on these engines. Granted, it's no '84 190D 2.2 giving just over 50 MPG with the 5-speed, but it's not bad...for example, a buddy of mine just bought an '07 Chevy with a
4 Cylinder...he's getting low-mid 20s. My 280 gives me 19-22 in proper tune, plus it sounds better and has lots of power. My M110 is 30 years old, and the design is 35-40 years old, and has almost 450,000 kms on it...his 4 cylinder is brand new...
Gripe about the way the M110 uses gas if you like, but I think it's decent.
coming to think about it, i have to agree with you . My 107 SL 2.8 makes 10 l/100 km on highway when following speed limits, which is about the range you say. Once when the exhaust pipe was broken it made 9 l/100 km because I did not want to make too much noise and drove slower.
but city driving gets to be fun driving and it gets up to 15 l /100 km. its not that bad compared to the fun.
Quote from: Patrick Bateman on 30 March 2007, 07:06 PM
Nice car there looks to be in great condition ;)
I'm jealous of you - the car i drove when i was your age was an embarrassment - I did restore it too, God knows why.. I guess i loved it at the time, until i discovered mercs ::)
what did you drive if you dont mind me asking?
I'm not sure of your age, but were you a holden kind of guy, with big exhausts etc. I lose count these days at how many guys of my equilvelent age are getting around in aggro commodores. not sure if it was always like that or not.
:) 8)
Quote from: Patrick Bateman on 31 March 2007, 04:54 AM
Naturally, since those days I've reverted to my old attitude that they are both shithouse in that I'd personally never buy a late model Australian made car again - the depreciation is just utterly stupid. An older hero model might be fun tho ;)
pat, couldnt agree with you more! :D ;)
i'm glad you found the path of car enlightment: the mighty w116!!! ;D ;D
:D :D
I was a ford man. 85 ZL fairlane. I loved that thing when my folks had it. It was 3 yrs old when I started driving it. It was 15 yrs old when I bought it. yuk, it had changed somewhat :D. The best part of it was a cockpit like button fest on the dash plus the triple deck pioneer brushed aluminium stereo with buttons for everything and a 7 band graphic equalizer with 7 slide switches. The stereo was stolen about a year before I bought it back to restore it. I had it for a year maybe then swapped it for the 350se. It's now the size of a shoebox occupying land fill somewhere. Found On Rubbish Dumps, so true in this case. I'll admit, it was a pretty cool car though in the late eighties. But how much cooler is the 350. The fairlane was cool for a few years and had 390,000 km when it died. The 350se is nearly 390,000km but had a frozen speedo for nearly two years before I got it and it's been much cooler for 34 years 8)
Quote from: oscar on 31 March 2007, 10:09 AM
:D :D
I had it for a year maybe then swapped it for the 350se.
that was an awesome deal ;)
I used to be a holden man, Kingswoods, last Holden I had was a WB Statesman Caprice,
not a bad actually, comfortable, bit, nice big boot, which puts the w116 boot to shame, reasonable power to cruise along in, soft suspension, although rubbish handling, very poor factory support for parts, lost count of the number of interior trim pieces and tail lights lenses that weren't available anymore, this was back in the late 1990's.
I don't even think electric window motors were available anymore, I know the console bank of switches wasn't
how can you own a car when parts aren't available anymore new?
Nice car but a mere shadow in the sun light of a 6.9!
I was looking at this one on ebay this morning
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/GMH-WB-HOLDEN-STATESMAN-CAPRICE-308-V8-EFI-EX-SHOW-CAR_W0QQitemZ250098501423QQcategoryZ135457QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I think they have done a really good job with the retro motor, its still the 25 year old block with the top end, where it counts all modern setup.
With the amount of performance tuners around you could get one of these really hammering.
Mine had that same colour interior, big fat comfy seats, they are from an Opel Senator, great for a long distance drive.