1969 Mercedes-Benz 300-Series

SEL Sedan

6.3 L, 8 cylinder with recent tuning

Automatic

10901812001578

Clear

Gasoline

This car was bought locally in the Portland, Oregon area about a year ago and I've had fun driving it a couple times a month, putting on about 750 miles since acquiring. Unfortunately, I need the garage space for other projects and have decided to let someone else have fun with this great cruiser. The car is a great driver and is ready to be a daily driver, an occasional ride or could be a restoration project if someone was looking to take a driver and make it a show car, trailer queen or family jewel. Prior owner told me that he had it for a number of years, but had purchased it for his wife and it was only driven every once in a while since she had other daily driver vehicles. Stated mileage is 30,517, but I believe it to be 130,517, though I have not done research to verify. Prior owner restored vehicles as a hobby/side business and told me that he had tinkered with this car a little but mostly had others work on it who had more experience with older Mercedes Benz vehicles, particularly the big 6.3 motor. The car appears to have had a repaint in the last 5 or so years but I didn't ask the prior owner what the original exterior color was when it came off the production line. MB enthusiasts might be able to find that information using a VIN decoder as I've not done that research. The black paint has a good shine to it, which suggests it was somewhat recent work, though there are some dings, scratches and imperfections that you can notice when inspecting up-close. It looks nice as a driver, and it gets plenty of looks going down the road, but would need a repaint to be a show car or family jewel. Exterior chrome is in great condition. The condition of the seats suggest to me that they have been restored in recent years - unfortunately, I did not confirm that detail with the prior owner so I don't want to declare that definitively. While they have the look and feel of leather, I beleive they are actually simulated leather. Either way, the condition of all seats is great and I'm happy to email up-close photos to interested buyers so you can see for yourself. Interior wood inserts are in various states of condition, but appear to all be original. Across the top of the dash, where it meets the front window, the wood is in its finest condition - looks nearly new because it appears to have been covered up for most of its life with a dash cover. Along the portion of the dash facing the front seats its not quite as nice as the dash strip, but decent. Along the doors the wood shows the wear of 43 years of arms and hands grabbing for the opener, window buttons and door handle. Door panels seem to be missing a screw or two as they hang a bit lower than original but not low enough to cause a problem closing the door. I see no reason why the right connector/screw wouldn't easily fix that - I just haven't spent the time to hunt them down because it hasn't been a problem for me. Otherwise, the white interior ceiling upholstery is nice, as seen in the photo. Floor carpet appears to be recent replacement and is in great condition. Has a cool little pedal to the left of the brake pedal which allows the driver to engage the wipers for as many swipes as needed and disengages when you take your foot off that pedal. Car ran a little rough when purchased it so I had a local independent Mercedes shop, Hartmann Motors, take a look at it. They made some adjustments to the points, which helped the motor start more easily, idle smoother and take off from a stop without hesitation. Their basic assessment was that the motor is strong but simply needed to be driven to remove buildup - and they were right. It runs great, has tons of power and shifts smoothly. Radio is an aftermarket Kenwood which works fine. Speakers are Pioneer. Antenna raises and lowers when radio is powered on/off. Tires appear to have relatively low mileage and there is a full size spare in the huge trunk. Air-ride suspension is in great condition and fully functional from a sliding switch down near the driver's left foot. Unlike some suspension systems in these older SELs, which can take a few minutes to rise and lower, this one does so in seconds. The sunroof opens and closes without hesitation and with all the windows down it makes for a real open-air feel for your cruising. All windows are functional, though a couple are showing their years as they don't quite go up and down as quickly as they should. If you choose to have all the windows closed, the air conditioning does still cool the interior. The cold-start option has been disabled by Hartmann as they found the switch defective and I've not found it to impact the starting - and presumable could easily be fixed by the next owner. Parking brake will need attention as it currently doesn't seem to grab when it is engaged, using the handle under the steering wheel. Title is clear and ready for tansfer. Happy to answer whatever questions I can to assist buyers. Car is available for inspection and driving during the auction and I encourage any interested parties to come have a look, listen and drive/ride.