1976 280S Mercedes-Benz NO RESERVE! Rare comfortable classic!

1976 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Additional Info:

Hello and welcome to my listing. I am selling my 1976 Mercedes 280S, which is an uncommon model in the US. I have owned the car for a few years and put a couple hundred miles on it as I planned to do a light restoration. I have a few other classic Mercedes and this w116 sedan never got priority status. The car has always been garaged under my ownership, which in Arizona is important.
The body is in good shape as shown in the photos. The trim is all there and still has a nice shine with a light patina of age. The factory allow wheels are very nice, the tires should be replaced due to age. The paint is an older repaint, I have no idea when it was done. The body seals are in surprisingly good condition.
The interior looks pretty great considering it is forty years old. The seats are still supportive and move through their range of adjustment without binding. The back seat needs its seatpad replaced which is an easy enough job. The power windows all operate, though it never hurts to clean and lubricate the regulators and mechanisms. The sunroof works. The climate control in the car does operate, but will definitely need to be serviced. If you're familiar with these cars and the first generation of MB automatic climate control you're aware that the servo is basically a Chrysler unit and they tend to corrode, or leak coolant, or not hold vacuum. This one seems to operate well, but replacing it with the modern unit is a huge upgrade. The AC compressor does kick on, but I have no idea if there is enough refrigerant in the lines, or enough mineral oil in the compressor which is why I mentioned the AC/Heat should be serviced. The stereo is an old Sony cassette system and it also works. The instrument cluster gauges all function. I believe that covers the interior.
The engine runs well, though it would benefit from the carburetor being tuned and set by someone familiar with the Solex 4A1 that it has (factory original unit.) The car hunts slightly at idle which is why I've said it will benefit from carb tuning and adjustment. Even if it didn't idle hunt carb cleaning and tuning is definitely a good idea on any forty year old car. Amazingly all the emissions equipment is in place. The 2.8 inline six is Mercedes' first twin cam engine and was a long lived success, it also has a cross flow cylinder head. Because this car is forty years old it definitely needs all coolant hoses replaced, I have no idea how old some of them are but safety is important! The transmission operates as it should with no slippage when shifting. The battery is old and has lost its charge, it requires replacement but the car will start with a jump start. The brakes work well, but I have not checked the wear on the pads. I know that the passenger front brake hose needs to be replaced (I have the part and will include it with the car) as it seems to be partially collapsed. Specifically this is the rubber hose about a foot long which runs from the metal hard line attached to the body of the car, to the caliper. The car has a working original mechanical fuel pump. I also have all the original books/papers/owners manual.
All in all this is a comfortable classic Mercedes which, with a little work will provide pleasant daily driver status for a long time. It may not have the power of a fuel injected car, but it is also much simpler to work on and the parts are nowhere near as expensive as a fuel injected car. Because of the age of the car and its tires I INSIST IT BE TOWED OR HAULED TO ITS FINAL DESTINATION, NO EXCEPTIONS! I have retrieved many old Mercedes and regardless of their condition I now tow them home or arrange for them to be shipped home. When cars get close to a half century old they can have unexpected failures and it's not worth risking everybody's life on the road to try and "chuck in a battery and drive it home." Tow/haul/ship it home and commence with rough safety inspection. If you've ever been stranded on the side of the road trying to fix an old car you will understand where I am coming from, it is not fun. There is no warranty expressed or implied in the sale of this vehicle. I have tried to describe it to the best of my ability but I am by no means an expert and may have overlooked something.
As you can see I am serious about selling the car because I am starting it at a low price with no reserve. I am not trying to hold out for some unspecified sum, I am willing to sell it for whatever the market will bear. Bid to win! Obviously I expect the car to sell for more than the starting price, but if there's only one bid for $500 someone is going to get one heck of a deal on this car, I paid almost ten times the starting price. In dealing with eBay in the past I have had mixed results. Sometimes the buyers have excellent communication, pay promptly, and arrange vehicle shipping fast, other times I have to deal with non paying bidders or people who want to leave the car on my property for three months while they try to find the cheapest shipping they can. Because of that, here are some terms.
1- Payment is due within ONE WEEK of the end of the auction.2- shipping MUST be arranged within TWO WEEKS of payment clearing.3- As stated above, THE CAR MUST BE HAULED/TOWED/SHIPPED TO ITS FINAL DESTINATION, NO EXCEPTIONS. BUYER ARRANGES AND PAYS FOR ALL SHIPPING!!!4-NO TRADES.5- $500 Deposit due WITHIN 24 HOURS OF AUCTION END TIME.
If you win this vehicle you are entering in a contract to purchase it, eBay frowns on non paying bidders. If payment is not received within the timeframe specified above you will be reported to eBay as a non paying bidder.
Why am I selling? I have too many old Mercedes that require my attention. I am reducing the number of cars I own so that I can really focus hard on the ones I love. I was diagnosed with a medical condition in 2013 and it has slowed down the rate at which I am able to work on cars. To compound that my dad was diagnosed with kidney, pancreatic, and bowel cancer last month. I simply don't have the time I once did to work on old cars. After this car sells I will be listing others for sale.
Feel free to ask me any questions and I will reply to them as rapidly as I can. Thank you for reading my listing and have a wonderful day/night.