Vehicle Description
This vehicle has been in my family since the '80s. My father bought it off his sister whose husband had owned it before he passed. My father then gave it to me as my first car, however he had backed it into a dirt mound on his ranch and bent the exhaust. He also found that the timing belt was off. He was a desiel mechanic and on occassion a stubburn man. I had a job and had just gotten accepted into college. My dad insisted on giving me his Honda instead, insisting it was safer and more reliable. At this point the title was already in my name for the Mercedez. My father passed away that summer in 2008. My uncle and him both had interest in the ranch and my uncle kept it on the property for seven years on non op. November 2014 I had the vehicle towed to a local mechanic to evaluate the damage and possibly fix her up after the seven year stretch of sitting. The mechanic confirmed the timing belt was off and the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. He said he dropped the gas tank to check for liquid prior to oiling her and gasing to start the engine. He got her running with a new battery, but either the timing or the fuel injectors are causing it to only reach 35mph. Still on Non-Op, I hold the title, and she does run.
The interior is in excellent condition as far as the leather and floor boards. No cracking or discoloration. There is some discoloration behind the rear seats under the back window from the sun. The wooden frame's schalack had began to chip under the front windshield, so I sanded as much as I could off. This same wood has been waterlogged in the small corner of the windshield in front of the passenger seat (sign of a possible slow leak in the weather stripping). The wood around the front driverside and passenger window has also seen better days, along with the fabric weather stripping they used back in the day, however both are intact. The exterior is in fair condition, minor rust streaks under the front headlights, an odd chipping of the paint on the driver side door, and a missing diamond shapped light fixture under the passenger side headlight. The exhaust is still bent.
Under the hood is dirty, but like I said she does run, hoses and belts weren't eatin as I had thought they would be sitting out in the field. This was confirmed by the mechanic.
Original white wall real rubber tires! Original tools and spare tire in the trunk. Original handbook.
If you can not tell I'm beyond honest about her condition. I would like to sell her to a man or a woman as a hobby car. She isnt a hot rod nor a commuter car. If you've made it this far you know Mercedez are not cheap to fix up, and unless you know what you are doing-They can be expensive cars that are difficult to find labor for. I was advised that all 8 of her fuel injectors should be replaced, off brand parts start out at about $150. Gas engine NOT deisel. She is a great project car and by no means something you need to start from scratch. I am in my early twenties and am getting married in two months and we will be downsizing to an RV to pay off student loans and travel before starting a family. We are currently both young and educated government employees and wish to live a little simpler and travel before pursuing our careers. As you can see a family owned classic car doesnt have much of a place in the lifestyle we seek to live these next few years. We are not out to lie, steal or cheat anybody into buying this vehicle. My ideal buyer would be an older male who knows how to fix her up and give her the time she deserves. She is a future and present day show girl!
