1972 Mercedes 280SEL 4.5 W108

1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SEL 4.5 W108

1. This is a rust-free California car, acquired in Sept. 2014 from a Los Angles dealer
2. Cosmetically excellent inside and out. Near-perfect paint, white ceramic steering wheel, new rubber all around, coco mats, etc.
3. Mechanically excellent. Recent engine rebuild. Every mechanical function down to the last light bulb works as originally intended.*
4. Like new tires. Less than 5000 miles.
5. ~$15,000 invested in the last 2 years; all receipts.
6. Pre-sale inspections and test drives welcome.
7. Detailed story below. ~300 pictures available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/124126936@N04/albums/72157677475999685

· I am not an auto dealer. I am a close friend of the owner of the vehicle, assisting him in selling the car. My 100% + feedback rating is worth more to me than either of us having less than a stellar buying experience.

· If you have any questions feel free to ask before you make an offer !!!

· Payment terms: I accept PayPal, cash, bank verified cashiers check day of sale at pick up.

· Accepted offer will be notified by me within 24 hours. $2000 good faith down payment by PayPal will then be expected within 48 hours. Vehicle will be immediately available for viewing, pickup or shipping (I will assist making arrangements if needed).

· I will gladly welcome pre-purchase inspections and test drives here in Nashville TN. If that’s impractical for you, please bid with confidence. Unless you are looking for a #1-class W108, you cannot possibly be disappointed with your purchase. If the vehicle is not exactly as I describe, I do not expect the buyer to pay for it and will refund the good faith deposit immediately. After the deposit is made, please come see the vehicle before taking ownership ... or not. But once full payment is made and the car is shipped, it’s yours. Thanks ... and happy bidding!

Detailed narrative history of this 1972 Mercedes 280SEL 4.5 W108

Up for sale is my 1972 Mercedes 280SEL 4.5, W108. I’ve been a Mercedes enthusiast for over 40 years. This is the 9th I've owned (I prefer to think of it as "stewardship"). This vehicle is always garaged and/or car covered and is driven often, locally. Without a doubt,I can proudly say that this has to be one of the cleanest and best taken care of W108's left in North America.
This is a rust free CALIFORNIA car. I acquired the vehicle in September, 2014 from a dealer in Los Angeles. According to him, the original owner had the car up until 2006 and, due to poor health, sold the vehicle to a second gentleman in Northern California, who later sold it to the dealer in 2008.
The dealer claimed he had spent a lot on the vehicle since he took ownership. While that was apparently true, unfortunately for me, he claimed a LOT of things that later proved to be untrue. So I won't include any of his falsehoods; just the things he said that I know to be true (in “ ” quotes, from his original eBay ad).
1) “The car received a paint job with its original color with a single stage paint.”
This would have been 5-10 years ago.
2) He “had the wood removed and it was redone by Madera Concepts in Goleta CA, the most reputable wood shop in the country and considered by many to be the best. This was a $3400 job.”
You have to admit, the wood looks terrific! I doubt you've ever seen a W108 with such a beautiful wood finish.
3) He “had the Becker radio fully refurbished by a Becker authorized center in NJ and they added an AUX input, so that I could listen to my music and still have only the original equipment in the car. I changed all speakers to high end brands for a better sound,since its original ones didn’t have a good sound.”
Yes, you can hook up an external CD or mp3 player through the AUX mini-plug input jack. The sound is still 1970s quality, though. Not your modern-day high-end sound system.

4) “All the rubber seals are new, starting from the trunk seal to all 4 doors. The hood received a new original pad.”
5) He “purchased the new refurbished steering wheel in 2010. Cost over $700.”
The white ceramic steering wheel is, to me, one of the nicest interior touches, even though there are a few minor cracks in it.
6) “The trunk received a new original rubber mat and, also, a carpet one. In the trunk you will find the original tools. The vehicle received 5 brand new Hankook whitewall tires, which are the factory recommended size, and new original hub caps.”
These tires have maybe 5000 miles of usage on them. Still like brand new.

7) “The chrome is in phenomenal shape and all bumper rubbers were replaced to new and original. I bought everything for this vehicle from Mercedes Classic Center in Irvine, which is the only classic Mercedes dealer in the country and they only carry original parts. All window regulators were replaced over time and the driver’s one was replaced last with an original and brand new part.”
NOTE: Apparently, Mercedes Classic Center in Irvine, CA no longer sells directly to the public. They will refer you to a Mercedes dealer now.
8) “The interior is as clean as it gets and the coco mats were added by me for the original look.The door sills are original and brand new as well.”
The pictures of the interior speak for themselves. And beneath the coco mats are the original ones, still in excellent condition.
9) “A lot was done on the suspension, as you can tell from the photos (at the link above for Flickr.com) of the undercarriage. Go and drive on the most uneven streets and you will not hear a single sound from the bottom or interior. My suspension is as tight as on a new car.”
I can attest to that!
10) “The master cylinder was replaced and the brakes are solid.”
Miraculously, I was able to drive the car home from Los Angeles to Nashville (2200 miles), doing 70-90+ mph all the way. While all of the above proved to be true, the dealer had made other claims about the mechanical condition of the car that, in retrospect, seem to have been just flat out lies. My mistake was believing him. I was so taken by the beauty of this car that I wanted to believe that the engine, etc. was in just as great a shape as the interior/exterior. I did this even in the absence of ANY written history, which he claimed he had “lost” when he sold a similar vehicle and had left the records in that car. My bad.
That big mistake has cost me dearly. My most excellent mechanics and I have spent the last 2 years correcting everything that needing correcting, at a cost to me of over $15,000 (and I DO have all the records for these repairs and improvements!)
My wizard of an old-school mechanic (Erol Baycora, Erol's Autobahn, Nashville TN) did what amounts to a near-complete engine refurbishing. Here is what was done under the hood since I acquired it:
Resurface head (machine shop)
New head gaskets
New front crank seal
New valve cover gaskets
2 Valve stem seal kits
8 New injector seals
New lower oil pan gasket
Replace intake manifold (used)
8 New lower plenum intake rings
New water pipe (under intake)
Radiator re-cored to new
New radiator hoses and cap
New thermostat, gasket and housing
New starter
New battery, cables and terminals
New water pump and gaskets
Power steering pump seal kit
New motor mounts
New transmission hoses
New chain tensioner & rail, 3 upper chain rails
4 New belts
The car has only been driven about 2000 miles since the engine was rebuilt.
Interior work:
Rebuild dash vent levers with new parts
New heater blower motor
New gas pedal
Rebuild clock (at Palo Alto Speedometer)
New rear window defroster switch relay
Exterior work:
New front brake hoses
New brake pads
Replace antenna with new motorized antenna
New wipers
$400 custom-fit all-weather CoverKing car cover
Fix ALL light bulbs inside and out
So … At this point, I can truthfully say that, mechanically, the car is as close to perfect as it gets. EVERY LAST THING on this car now WORKS as it was originally intended to! (including the ice-cold AC, which was never a problem).
*The ONLY exception is that, while all the door locks work independently, they do not work as a unit due to leaks in the vacuum seal system. The expense for this repair makes it not worth fixing.
Recently, I had some paint flaws fixed at Team Witt Customs in Madison, TN. Done in the original #423 chocolate brown. Unless I showed you where, I doubt you could find them. The finish is still not perfect, but it's very close to it. Just a few road chips here and there.

This vehicle is not just another pretty face … it now has an incredible engine and power to spare! It runs like a clock. I am able to accelerate this car to 100 miles per hour easily within secondsand hold it for as long as I have the courage. It has all the power you would want and expect.

Mileage? I don't know. The odometer currently reads about 02050 and doesn't have a 6th digit. Without records, the mileage is unknown and unverifiable. But …

Given that this is a rust-free CA car, that all the mechanicals have been fully refurbished and the cosmetics restored as needed, how much does the actual mileage really matter?

More to the point, if you asked me, “Would you put your family in this car and drive from coast to coast?”, I would say “YES!” with confidence, since this vehicle drives so well. It's ready to go cross-country, be your daily driver, a weekender or special occasion chariot, or a cherished addition to your collection. You choose.

Good luck!