fatherpierre

I've been scouring Ebay and elsewhere for one of these for ages.

All I've found are rotten old duffers or idiots wanting £5k for motors that wouldn't get you a poor SL.

I picked her up and did the 120 mile drive back expecting the worst - but not a peep from her. Got to 80 then stuck the cruise control on and it did 30mpg. Not bad from an old straight 6 lump with 190k on its clock.

Even the original Blaupunkt stereo works and the 1st aid kit is untouched....

My 1984 Merc 280CE:

GC8

Im looking for a good late A/B registered 240 at the moment; or maybe a pillarless coupe.....

How many old Mercedes do you buy a year on t'eBay; on average?

Simon

CrisPDuk

fatherpierre

This is my 6th old Merc since just before Xmas. I'm probably going to keep this one as I got it for about 1/4 to 1/3 of its value and she's as good inside and mechanically as the bodywork.

240s don't come up very often and fetch decent cash on ebay.

Pauleds2

Do you mind me asking how much you paid for her?

clarence

Some fotos of the interior & engine bay please.
My dad used to own a 1977 W123 280E saloon, & that was back in the early 80's. I remember it was a very quick car & come to think of it, the straight-six twincam engine is way ahead of it's time in terms of design and performance.

fatherpierre

I got her for a mere £600. She's got a long MOT and a full 6 months' tax too .

All four tyres and the spare are all pretty new and decent Continentals. Other than one of the leccy windows not working, everthing's in full working order - even the blower which is rare on old Mercs.

It is pretty quick in kickdown.

turboman786

PIMP!!

PG

I am glad you added the (to me) bit otherwise I would have thought it was a brand spanker with a private plate
You gotta love old Mercs ! I had a '90 190E and it was a minter with 100k on the clock and fmsh

Was ****e in the snow but comfy, quiet and sold it for more than the £1200 I payed for it (some 4 years ago)

fatherpierre

There's nothing built as well as these old tanks.

GC8

Thats exactly the same as my old W123; it makes you think though: I can buy a reasonable C Class 250 diesel for only a little more than a really nice late 240D saloon.....

Simon

brickboy

Veeeeerrrryyy nice indeed -- the right alloys and everything

norbert

Look sweet.

I'm jealous.

How did you get it so cheap? Even scabby coupes with the 2.3 engine go for well over a grand. There's an 83 280CE near me up for £4500!!!!! It doesn't look any better then yours - it does have half the mileage but that engine will do starship miles without fuss.

16vmarc

You guys have too much money

fatherpierre

By simply watching the market. The bloke had it on ebay with a starting price @£700.

The ad was poor and it wasn't described properly. He was selling on behalf of someone else so didn't put in any effort with the ad. I watched it end with no bids then emailed asking for the owner's contact number.

The car had been sat on a SORN for a year and the owner had no idea of its value and just wanted it sold as he needed the money because his business was struggling........

Now she's mine

brickboy

FP -- have you had any serious / expensive problems cropping up with any of the Mercs you've bought?

Everyone says that "80s Mercs last forever" but as you've had quite a few of 'em it would be interesting to get your own experience of any pitfalls ....

fatherpierre

From the ones I've owned I 've only had one that had a dodgy alternator. I got a replacement from German/Swedish/French for £65.

The ones I've had have are generally so old that anything major has already gone wrong and been fixed.

Parts for old Mercs are dirt cheap and fixing them isn't so complex - not that I've ever had to do anything other than the alternator and pads on a couple of them.

I went to look at a 230CE the other week that had not been started/driven for nearly 18 months. I turned the key and it started immediately. Other than faded brakes it drove like a dream.

I suppose the ones I've bought would have been scrapped long before reaching the age I buy them at if they broke and were too expensive to fix.

You thinking of dipping your toe into the Merc banger market?

brickboy

Thinking seriously of a mid-80s SEC two-door, either a 420 or 500 for summer fun

Bit worried about costs of fixing the V8s if I get a bad 'un though

fatherpierre

But if you buy one for next to nothing, after careful searching, it won't matter so much if it breaks!

Go for the 500 over the 420 as they both guzzle but the 500 is a bit smoother. I'd go for one of the 6 cyls, personally.

brickboy

Sounds good -- as you say, the key is careful searching and not getting the first one you see ..... here's to happy hunting

fatherpierre

If I see any V8s that are cheap I'll PM you. You only after SECs or would a standard one suit you (miles cheaper)?

brickboy

Thanks -- any S-class would do, an SEC would be ideal but not essential

CLSII

Fantastic looking car and a real bargain.

It's a shame that modern Mercs aren't in the same league.

You've got me looking for one now as well.

When you say they guzzle petrol what sort of MPG are you expecting from your latest acquisition? It seems to me that even if its horrendous zero depreciation will offset it anyway, I'd still be interested to know though.

fatherpierre

This one did around 30mpg on a 100+ mile run with cruise control on at 80mph with no traffic.

I've been using it for the 20 mile round trip to and from work in medium, stop/start London traffic and she's giving late teens to early 20s with that sort of running. It's not too bad considering, and no worse than many modern 6cyl cars around the 3 litre mark even if it isn't as rapid or smooth!

I was referring to the V8s with regard to guzzling. My 500SE seemed to use a gallon just starting it up and nipping to and from the local High Street!

Franx

Still on the old Merc thing, has anyone had a 190 diesel? Are they likely to be still viable, or best avoided? Just fancy something fairly nippy, but for the moment at least, reasonably economical

Nice car btw