1984 Mercedes-Benz 200-Series

280SEL Sedan

Automatic

Clear

Gasoline

benzboy17 Store You are looking at my beautiful, super low mileage, 1984 Mercedes Benz 280sel. This is a European, or grey market version, meaning that it was originally purchased in Europe (in this case Mainz, Germany) and then shipped over to the states. The most noticeable differences on these vehicles are the much smaller and more stylish bumpers (compared to the fat, ugly bumpers that were required in the US), the great looking Euro headlights (not like the unappealing sealed beam versions mandated in the US), and the fact that the engines are much more powerful. In fact, the straight 6 engine on this vehicle actually has slightly more horsepower than did the 3.8 liter V8 that was available on the S-class vehicles sold in the US in the same year, while returning much better gas mileage. You don't have to worry about part availability, though, as 99% of body parts are exchangeable with the US cars, and even all the engine/ maintenance parts are not hard to come by, even at your local Autozone/NAPA. This W126 Mercedes was truly the last of its kind of car. Every part of this vehicle screams solidity and reliability. These things were made to last, and to be driven hundreds of thousands of miles, and with less than 92,000 on this one, you have a long way to go. The car is also super easy to work on, unlike a newer vehicle. I could (and have, though not all at the same time!) change the oil and filter, air filter, top off the antifreeze, change the sparkplugs and wires, distributor cap and plug, etc etc in under an hour if I worked quickly. There is tons of room to work in the engine bay. As you can see from the pictures, this car is in great shape for its age. The paint is the original signal red, and shines up very nicely with a little elbow grease. The body is straight and smooth, and the undercarriage looks like one on a much newer vehicle. The chrome is shiny. When I purchased this vehicle, i was told that it was completely rust free, and I believed this to be true until I removed the chrome wheel arches (not original). I found that there was some rust on both of the front fenders, along with a couple dents/dings. These were caused by very minor fender benders that pushed the screws which secured the fender arches and allowed water in. It really isn't that bad, and you could drive around like it is for years as it still looks great, but as I wanted this car to be perfect, I purchased two rust and dent free fenders from a couple nice parts cars to put on. (It's an easy switch, just 10 or 15 bolts) These will be included in the auction. Other than these couple imperfections, there is no other noticeable rust or dents on the car. The only other thing worth mentioning is that there is some slight bubbling above the left rear part of the bumper that hasn't changed or enlarged whatsoever since I purchased the car years ago. The wheels are the original alloys, and the tires are newer General Altimax RTs with plenty of tread left. The beige velour interior is also very nice, with no rips or tears and the only things worth mentioning would be a couple darker spots on the rear seats and carpet that would probably come out with a little cleaning. The carpeted floor mats are genuine mercedes, bought from the local dealership last year. The car is a non smoker. All power seats work, front and back (yes! the rear seat reclines!). This is a very comfortable car, with big seats and tons of legroom front and rear. (Great for long road trips!) The zebrano wood is in great shape and the dash looks perfect. All power windows work, as does the huge power sunroof and power mirror. The headliner looks new, and all interior lights and gauges work. Even the vacuum adjustable headlights (another euro feature!) still function like new. Mechanically, this car is in great shape. The 2.8 liter DOHC straight 6 fires right up the first time, runs smooth other than a little puttering at first (I'm 100% sure this would go away with a quick adjustment of the timing (a 30 second procedure) but it has never bothered me), and has plenty of power. With four wheel independent suspension and four wheel disc brakes, it even handles and brakes quite well considering how large this car is. I have spent thousands on this car in parts and labor. Some of the more recent additions/work are new spark plugs, new distributor cap and rotor, new beru spark plug wires, valve adjustment, motor mounts, front lower ball joints, hoodpad, all filters, and much more. When I had suspension work done, I pretty much bought everything that might be needed, so I have a lot of brand new parts left over that will be included for you to use when those parts finally do wear out including tie rods, center/drag link, control arms, and some bushings. The oil has always been changed on time (last changed less than 100 miles ago). This car is very well documented, and comes with tons of original papers, manuals, and documentation. I have both the german and english owners manuals, two regular keys and the valet key, the original Becker demonstration cassette along with the Becker tape head cleaner. The tags that hung on the cruise and climate control in the showroom are included as well as service manuals, and much more. One interesting paper shows the purchase of one of the owners of the car in 1987. The car had 35,000 miles and was purchased for $29,900. The man traded in his '84 Cadillac Seville for about half of the cost. The car also has the original Mercedes tool kit with all the tools you need to perform all the basic services on the car. If the buy it now is used, I will include the custom sheepskin seatcovers that are seen in some of the pictures. These were over $500 originally and are insanely comfortable. I will also include a very nice cd player with aux input and the stereo harness adapter. If you have absolutely any questions, please ask and I will answer as quickly as possible. This car is sold as is with no warranty. I will help with shipping anyway that I can. I have used DAS shippers in the past with good results. They are very reasonably priced and I would suggest using them if shipping. Of course local pickup would be great too. I accept cash, money orders, wire transfers, and checks (once cleared). Thanks for looking!!!!