[Guest (MBNZ)]

I just saw a 1975 280c for sale for $2800. The interior is pretty decent, however there is some sun damage to the center dash speaker, and the seats (slight). The body looked fairly straight, but I noticed a bit of rust at the right front fender at the headlight. The half dozen bubbles were the size of a pencil to just a bit smaller than a dime. I was not able to look over the car inside and out as the owner was not around and I was in a hurry anyway. <br>
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Ihave never owned an MB of any kind but would love to find an older MB to enjoy. Would this be a good car to start with? I have always loved the looks of the mid 70s cars and would love to have a little project to work on. I am not looking to restore to showroom quality, but to have a nice old MB to drive and enjoy. <br>
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Are there good books, websites, etc. for these cars?<br>
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Thanks, <br>
Ed

 

[Guest (MBNZ)]

Edward, By no means am I an authority on mid-70s Mercedes. However, I did sell them once (summer of '70), and got through school working on them (and a lot of other German stuff that came crawling around the garage I worked on '67-'71.) <br> <br> Generally speaking, the older Mercedes were very durable cars, and the 1960s-70s cars are not that difficult to work on. (There are exceptions such as the air-bag suspension models.) However, the costs of parts is now and always has been staggering. (Want an example? When I did a valve job on a 1968 Ford 302, I bought a complete set of new valves for under $20. I think the intake valves were 80 CENTS apiece! But, when I did exactly the same job on a 1956 300 sedan the owner wanted to restore, each exhaust valve cost $55. They are sodium filled.) Similarly, trim pieces and interior items, if you can find them will blind you with their expense. <br> <br> So, my advice is be sure you really want the car you are considering buying, because it takes a lot of commitment to keep that star pointed into the wind.