Tobacco Brown W114, All Original, Lovingly Maintained

Price: - Item location: Oakland, California, United States
Description:

1975 Mercedes-Benz 200-Series 280

1975 Mercedes-Benz 280 (W114.660) in MB Tobacco Brown. Manufactured February 1975. M110 inline 6 gasoline engine with Solex 4A1 carburetor. Automatic transmission, power windows, power steering, original Becker Europa AM-FM radio, cruise control, air conditioning. Original MB-tex upholstery is in good condition. Exempt from smog checks in California in perpetuity. California registration is current, with original blue plate tags.

Car drives really smoothly, both in traffic and at highway speeds. Acceleration is slow, but car handles responsively. This car is a joy to drive and look at, and I've loved every minute of owning it. Includes original owner's manual, bill of sale, tool set, and all documents the car was sold to me with. It's the second W114 I've owned, and it's a really nice specimen.
Videos of the car are here:Driving
EngineRadio

This car was purchased new outside of Chicago in 1975, and driven to California shortly thereafter. The car stayed with the original owner in California until the early 2010s, when the owner passed away. I purchased the car from the original owner's son-in-law in 2016. I've used it for weekend driving since then, carrying out routine and required maintenance. Unfortunately I just moved and my new place doesn't have a garage, so it's time to sell.

Known issues:
  • There are 2 areas on the car where the clearcoat is a bit faded/matte: the passenger side fender (behind wheel) and the trunk lid. Both look fine with regular waxing, but would eventually benefit from a new coat. Also a few incidental dings, but nothing large.
  • After inspection, I was advised that it'd be a good idea to replace the suspension subframe bushings. However, this doesn't perceptibly impact the ride.
  • A few under-dash plastic panels have come loose; they came with the car when I bought them, and they'll sell with the car too.
  • The car is equipped with cruise control and air conditioning, but I haven't tried to get either one working.
  • The seat padding could stand to be replaced; the original foam is surely degraded and the back seat isn't well-padded anymore.
  • The AM reception on the radio doesn't pick up any stations.
  • Driver's side plastic map pocket is cracked.
  • Like all M110s, from a cold start, this car needs a few pumps of the gas pedal to fill the carb bowl before cranking, and 30-60 seconds with your foot slightly on the throttle to warm up the carb before driving.
  • Please note: for those unfamiliar with this vintage of W114, the car has a 5-digit odometer. The odometer works and mileage listed is as displayed, but actual mileage is assumed to be 142,644.