There must be some awfully honest people in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Why? Because this 1978 Mercedes-Benz 280CE coupe found here on eBay apparently sat on an abandoned lot for 8 years and it was never once vandalized, broken into, or had any parts stolen from it. At least that’s what the seller wants us to believe, an impressive feat for a car left idle for nearly a decade. From the bodywork to the interior, this classic example of a W123-era Mercedes looks like a great way to enter into classic ownership, especially if the reserve isn’t set too high. The seller claims it didn’t take much coaxing to get the inline-six to fire up, which isn’t hard to believe given the reputation for reliability these cars have. Do you think this Mercedes was truly abandoned, or is this listing a case of some over-exuberant sales speak? Heck, even the original hubcaps and hood ornament are still present!
Who cares if the story is bogus or not, if it’s as good as they claim it is then it’s well worth your time.
Great looking car – always liked the colour match hub caps. In great condition! Nice find.
Sitting in a lot in Kalamazoo ?
First thing I would is to grab a ‘creeper’ and get under there to check for rust.
It may be an Ex-California car and probably has some minor mechanical Issue lurking.
Looks good from above, though.
Too bad it’s offered from a dealer.
Charging $150 documentation fee on top of their profit ??
(reserve!).
Simply keeps ME from bidding on it.
Driver’s side rear wheel arch has bondo !
That lot must have had a nice dry garage on it, because i cant believe any paint would look that good after that long sitting out expoised to the elements.
I don’t believe anything anymore. There are so many stories about cars that just don’t make sense.
I call bull just because of the unmolested hood ornament!
I love these cars but I’d pass on this one. The dealer won’t let it go cheaply and there are a few imperfections I’d like to know more about just in the crappy pics provided. (like the drivers side rear fender, for example) And what condition is the interior? It could be pretty poor if this car has actually sat outside for nearly a decade. Finally, all the dealer bullshit the seller puts in the listing is the ultimate turn off. Makes you feel like “you bid, you win, you take it, I’m not responsible in any way” No thank you! >_<
Yap ! Used Car Dealer
I am a Mercedes guy……..have owned hundreds of them and have 5 now. That being said, this is one of my least favorite cars. It was Mercedes first attempt at building a realitivley inexpensive coupe. Prior to this model all the coupes were very high end almost coach built cars. There used to be many of these in the junk yards, the 2.8 engine was not there best effort, the doors would sag and rattle like a Ford. The similar year sedans were much better cars and off course the Diesel was nearly flawless. A 240 or 300D of similar year is as close to a lifetime car as was ever built, particularly one with a manual transmission. These coupes sold well when new but have a realitivley low survival rate. People would not pay the expenses to repair the 2.8 engine or transmission like this one is equipped with and many were parted out.