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Mercedes W108 280se For Sale (1970) edit C117459 | | | Mercedes W108 280SE for sale – 97,872 miles
After much soul searching I have finally decided to sell my pride and joy. I have owned this car jointly with my uncle since April 2007. We bought the car from Jersey after looking at 3 or 4 in this country that where nowhere near as good.
The car was fist registered in Jersey in April 1970 by Jackson’s of Jersey who are still Mercedes-Benz dealers today. After its first owner had the car for 2 years the car was bought back by Jackson’s who sold it to its second owner in January 1973. He then owned it for the next 34 years until we bought it. Having been garaged throughout its life the car has been totally cherished and has spent virtually all its life in Jersey, where they use no salt on the roads in winter (the saving grace for this car) and have a speed limit of 45mph. Also the climate is much better in Jersey which explains how this car has survived so well.
As a member of the Mercedes owners club I did lots of research before buying the car. Hardly any survive as most are owned by people who cannot afford to maintain them properly or they have been ravaged by rust. To buy a restoration project for £2000-£3000 is just not economical to do as the cost of restoring one far outweighs the value.
These were the last of the truly hand built Mercedes cars. A good coupe version of this model will now sell for £25,000 plus and the convertibles go for anything up to £100,000. Apart from body styling they are essentially the same car in terms of components and quality of materials used. I have owned many Mercedes from the seventies onwards and none has given me greater pleasure than this one.
The car comes with a full service history from new in the original Mercedes wallet with all the booklets. The original Jersey registration book is present as well as the original Mercedes data card. The service history is unbelievable with 19 stamps in the book. It is as follows;
- 12/01/1971 @600 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 12/01/1971 @600 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 29/06/1975 @12,662 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 17/02/1977 @17,621 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 22/04/1979 @24,393 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 03/06/1980 @30,296 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 13/03/1982 @33,681 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 16/03/1984 @40,277 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 04/06/1986 @44,388 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 13/09/1989 @52,938 miles service by Jackson’s of Jersey
- 05/02/1991 @58,301 miles service by West end Mercedes-Benz of Jersey
- 13/05/1994 @66,237 miles service by West end Mercedes-Benz of Jersey
- 09/09/1996 @71,200 miles service by West end Mercedes-Benz of Jersey
- 25/06/1997 @74,390 miles service by West end Mercedes-Benz of Jersey
- 29/11/1999 @79,620 miles service by SGM Mercedes of Jersey
- 14/03/2001 @83,620 miles service by SGM Mercedes of Jersey
- 13/04/2004 @87,182 miles service by SGM Mercedes of Jersey
- 01/06/2007 @90552 miles service by H. Marsh & sons of Wilmslow
- 10/11/2008 @92781 miles service by Best treads of Knutsford
As well as the fully documented service history the car comes with all its MOT’s since it has been in England and invoices for any work done by ourselves.
INTERIOR
The interior is finished in Bamboo Tex with matching carpets and door cards. They are all unmarked and are a testament to the build quality of that era. The headlining also is unmarked with no splits or sagging. All the wood and chrome fittings are also in excellent condition.
The car still has its original Blaupunkt radio which works perfectly (These alone sell for up to £300). It also has an electric sliding sunroof which works perfectly. All the dials, interior lights etc work perfectly. The only thing that doesn’t work is the clock.
The boot area is also in excellent condition retaining its original jack, spare wheel and Mercedes – Benz toolkit.
BODYWORK
The bodywork is in amazing condition with no signs of rust. To my knowledge it is completely original. The only blemishes are the odd stone chip on the bonnet and the front of the car which are hardly noticeable. Being ultra critical there are a couple of area’s where there is evidence of slight bubbling of the paintwork (tiny area) but you’d be hard pushed to find them. This car to my knowledge has never been restored and as such is completely original. Considering this car is 39 years old it is a testament to its previous owner. There are no scratches of parking dings anywhere and the car has never been involved in an accident. Remember that this car is 39 years old and is original – a great rarity these days. It is not a restored car that lacks the character and special feeling of an original. The underneath of the car is as good as the top and again is rust free. The car has been regularly waxolyed and shows it.
The chrome is also unmarked and dent free and has never been re-chromed, but just very well kept. To buy a front bumper alone will set you back £2000. The stainless steel trims are factory fresh.
All light lenses are free of cracks and all windows free of chips. The badges and exterior fitments are all original and correct.
MECHANICS
In a word superb. The car starts first time and is used regularly which I believe is better for cars rather than being stood and only used occasionally. It has never let me down and inspires confidence every time I drive it. The gearbox is smooth, the steering is spot on and sharp and the brakes are excellent. There is no smoking from the exhaust and the engine is strong and responsive.
It takes a while to get used to driving such a big car and considering its age it drives really well. Many old classic cars overheat, breakdown and are temperamental. This one isn’t – it was built by the best engineers in the world and as such feels absolutely bullet-proof. I think this is one of the only cars of it’s era that offers the reliability of a modern car. The doors close like a safe door and the interior must be one of the hardest wearing ever made.
The car is taxed until the end of March 2010 – being 1970 car the road tax is free. It is also MOT’d until the end of January 2010.
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