[who922]

My daughter is turning 16 in about 3 weeks. She needs a car. She spotted this 1972 250c on Sunday on the way home from church and she is convinced she wants it. The paint is faded. I went and talked to the owner today. Here is the info I got: He is moving in a month and needs to sell. He rebuilt the carburetor. He said runs really smooth when driving. He said it seems to have some sort of electrical problem with the starting...sometimes it starts right away and others it doesn't. I didn't get to try and start it because he had the battery out of it. He thinks it's just a trace thing. The matching color hubcaps are all there. The windshield has a crack in it. There is a front (running light I think) that is broken. The interior is in great shape! I couldn't believe it. He said it has 77k on the odometer. Who knows what number might go in front of that. He wants $1000.

Please tell me where I'm ok, where I'm crazy and if it is possible what else to look for. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Fonzi]

Windshield could be tough to find. I would think you would want to see it run before buying it for your daughter. It's an old car.

Perhaps it's the neutral safety switch and it needs a new shifter bushing. Is it a column shift or floor shift?

(I have two coupes I'm slowly playing with and maybe restoring or selling, a 1970 250c and 1972 250c.)

 

[jaymaynard]

Where are you? How much rust is there, if any?

How good are you with cars? When it's right, it can be a joy. When it breaks, you can spend tons of money on someone else fixing it, or you can fix it yourself.

That starting problem can be something simple, or...

OTOH, for a kilobuck, as a car for her to learn on and tear up (let's face it, first cars are sacrificial), a kilobuck isn't a bad thing at all, especially if she loves it.

 

[6punkt3]

These 250C s had their little quirks, but overall a solid and dependable car.

1. Look at the wear of pedals and ignition lock (and padding) as well as the driver's seat.
If it's 177 or 277k miles the engine is probably somewhat tired and the carb rebuild will do little difference.

I am however not convinced yet.
Maybe you can sneak in a few photos of the interior (floor,with pedals) ignition lock and dash, seats etc and the engine compartment.
tell the seller you want your wife and mechanic to look at these to make a decision.

2. Whatever you decide, the battery out of the car should not keep you or him from trying to start it or he is hiding something.
Funny if he says he rebuilt the carburetor, because this car has 2 ! and therein lies the problem usually !
They need to be synchronized and rebuilding one is ineffective because the other will be "off".

Having said that all this could be unimportant, as said above it could be something as little as lack of use.

Post some photos and we can help more.
If you're in LA County I could probably help you more...
The price is right.

Don't worry, I have 3 of these already and need to do something with those....

Good luck, and report back, we always want to know how it ends.

You're lucky !
It sounds like your daughter has character willing to dribve acr like that !!

 

[rumb]

First thing is get seller to put a battery in and see how it starts and runs.

Non-op cars are serious price reductions.

Find out how much a new windshield will cost.

I would also then take it to an independant MB shop and get a pre purchase inspection. He can check your suspension, brakes and other items that may need repaired to keep the car safe to drive.

Good luck, and post some pictures!

 

[Fonzi]

If it doesn't run, you can see how long I've been screwing with my recently cleaned carbs in this thread. The car is still not in driving condition after spending a few hours here, a few hours there for months now. http://www.benzworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=1933826

 

[who922]

Thanks for the responses!!

Perhaps it's the neutral safety switch and it needs a new shifter bushing. Is it a column shift or floor shift?

The shifter is in the floor.


Spunk 13-"2. Whatever you decide, the battery out of the car should not keep you or him from trying to start it or he is hiding something.
Funny if he says he rebuilt the carburetor, because this car has 2 ! and therein lies the problem usually !
They need to be synchronized and rebuilding one is ineffective because the other will be "off"."

He has had it for a couple of years. I don't know if he said carburetor because he thought I would think he was crazy if he said carburetors. I agree he will definitely have to start it and let it run before I would think about it.

Numb- No Mercedes shops around here!! At least 3 hours away!

Spunk and Jaymaynard, I live in New Mexico. Not a lot of water to deal with here. However I don't know where it used to be. I did notice a little rust around the back fender.

Unless I absolutely have to, I do all my own work on everything...house, cars, lawn mowers, etc... I changed out the in-tank fuel pump on my truck last fall (a job I hope I never have to do again!) I'm guessing this is a different animal, and I don't do carbs!!!

 

[Fonzi]

I'm guessing this is a different animal, and I don't do carbs!!!

Mercedes are fun to work on, and I'm studying to know how to tune dual zenith carbs (which this car has unless it's a 250ce).

 

[jaymaynard]

Mercedes are fun to work on

Just remember this handy mantra. Use liberally whenever you encounter something that makes you say "What the (&%$^*??!"

"Germans. Go fig."

 

[agillot]

wont even talk about the car , i would not let my 16 yrs old kid driving this car , it is unsafe .no air bags , marginal seat belts , on and on . this is a car for older mature drivers , not a daily driver for a 16 yrs old .

 

[carpenterman]

I thought the same thing.

 

[Grubeguy]

it is unsafe .no air bags , marginal seat belts , on and on . this is a car for older mature drivers , not a daily driver for a 16 yrs old .

Disagree. No airbags, got it (it's old). Marginal seatbelts - replaceable for $200 or so (for new 3-point ones). Appropriate for mature older drivers (??? really?) - appropriate for immature younger drivers too, because the car isn't known for its performance, it's built like a tank, has disk brakes, crumple zones, safety glass and so forth.

When I was 16, I got into a fender bender with a Ford LTD. I was driving my dad's 108. The Mercedes' front right fender was crunched, and the LTD came apart in little pieces, and I was driving about 30 mph. If the aforementioned daughter goes jousting with anything less in mass than an SUV, she's going to walk away with a nervous giggle and "daddy, ummm .... "

If this thing runs well and you can get a good idea that it won't strand junior on a dark road somewhere, I say go for it. It'll be a sound investment, and definitely a safe one.

 

[rumb]

Worthy consideration. My 16 yo at the time daughter got T-boned when she ran a red light. Also be ready for other kids to key scratch the side of the car repeatedly. Of course a MB is built better than many other older cars.

wont even talk about the car , i would not let my 16 yrs old kid driving this car , it is unsafe .no air bags , marginal seat belts , on and on . this is a car for older mature drivers , not a daily driver for a 16 yrs old .

 

[Mike D]

Windshields for the coupe models are expensive. The last one I replaced was apx. $700.00 total. Had to special order the glass from a classic car glass specialist, $200.00 for the gasket and about $100.00 for labor.

I wouldn't buy this car as a daily driver for a teen. As a cruiser yes but not as a DD.

 

[who922]

Those are helpful...and confusing...comments. I just checked at lunch and it is still available.

I'm not sure why they would key her car, but with the faded paint job it has it probably wouldn't matter. How new of a car am I going to have to get to have air bags? Then I am in the dilemma of just buying an older nothing car which I would have to have cash for or having to get something new enough to be financed. That was the appeal of this car. Very old (in fact the same year as my first car; a 72 gold Plymouth Duster). But it's a Mercedes!!

I checked with Safelite on windshield replacement and they quoted me $260. I found the gasket for $99 online.

I have a 65 ford f150. We were in a crazy hail storm and it was parked on the street. Our car at the time, a Dodge Colt, got beat to pieces! My 65 had one ding on it...on the replacement gas cap! They are much tougher!!

I also found 3-point replacement seatbelts for $80 each.

I did think of 1 other question....Is insurance just standard or is it some special insurance for classic cars?

So I have to make a decision pretty quick....birthday is just a couple of weeks away.

 

[Fonzi]

Those are helpful...and confusing...comments. I just checked at lunch and it is still available.

I'm not sure why they would key her car, but with the faded paint job it has it probably wouldn't matter. How new of a car am I going to have to get to have air bags? Then I am in the dilemma of just buying an older nothing car which I would have to have cash for or having to get something new enough to be financed. That was the appeal of this car. Very old (in fact the same year as my first car; a 72 gold Plymouth Duster). But it's a Mercedes!!

I checked with Safelite on windshield replacement and they quoted me $260. I found the gasket for $99 online.

I have a 65 ford f150. We were in a crazy hail storm and it was parked on the street. Our car at the time, a Dodge Colt, got beat to pieces! My 65 had one ding on it...on the replacement gas cap! They are much tougher!!

I also found 3-point replacement seatbelts for $80 each.

I did think of 1 other question....Is insurance just standard or is it some special insurance for classic cars?

So I have to make a decision pretty quick....birthday is just a couple of weeks away.

I would call again on that windshield. Safelite checked and said they were not able to obtain a windshield for my 1972 250c. At that point, I told them that I have a windshield they can use. Then they said to talk to the store manager to see if they might install it for me. The answer was no because they aren't skilled at installing older windshields. I told them that it's ok because I have not only one, but two they could possibly use. The answer was still "no". They told me to find a classic car restoration guy. At that point, I started a thread and obtained instructions on how I can do it myself.

 

[Grubeguy]

How new of a car am I going to have to get to have air bags?

'90s or better, but don't take me to the bank on that.

I also found 3-point replacement seatbelts for $80 each.

That's not a bad deal - the price I cited was what I paid in replacing my 108's set with something that looked like it came with the car. This is going to be a recurring theme when you buy an older Mercedes - what parts are "acceptable" for repairs. There are those on this forum who would say that ONLY parts from the Mercedes Classic Center should be used. I enjoy sparring with them because I feel this is utter BS. If this is going to be a daily driver, YOUR daily driver, parts are parts are parts. If you plan a concourse restoration to get all 400 points for a client, then use the classic center and drive the thing less than 100 miles a year.

I did think of 1 other question....Is insurance just standard or is it some special insurance for classic cars? So I have to make a decision pretty quick....birthday is just a couple of weeks away.

State Farm, Geico, Farmers, etc etc etc will provide your daughter a policy, and that I WOULD take me to the bank on. There are insurance companies that specialize in classic cars, but there may be stipulations on how many miles can be put on the car, what it can be used for and the coverage type.

Go to the Online Resources portion of the forum, and look for info on your car - tons of stuff there. I've got a repair manual that I can send you as well (PM me and provide your address).

My advice - buy the car, upgrade/replace as you wish, keep old parts if you worry about originality, and drive the thing's wheels off. Take a ton of pics, and be proud that she drives something you researched the hell out of and made a good decision on. When it breaks or wears out, come back to us and we can forward you to vendors we have used/trust, or provide knowledge on how to fix the thing yourself.

Good luck, keep us posted on your final decision