MERCEDES-BENZ W108/W109 (1965-73)
IS IT SITTING UNUSUALLY?
Watch out for cars that sit lower at the back than the front, often also showing a touch of negative camber. This means the springs – or more usually the compensator spring – have lost their ‘boing’. With the various parts that need replacing at the same time it can add up to a £1200 bill. Also listen out for any clonks coming from the front suspension over rough surfaces. Nothing is cheap for these cars, and a typical front suspension rebuild starts at £600.
BEWARE A ROTTING BODY
Body corrosion is the major enemy of these cars, and should be the deciding factor in a purchasing decision. Prime areas to worry about are inner and outer wings, boot floors (especially the spare wheel well), rear chassis rails, below the windscreen, inner and outer sills, bottoms of door pillars and door bottoms themselves. On the plus side, panel availability is very good, either from Mercedes-Benz itself or pattern parts suppliers like DB Depot in Germany. On the downside, those panels are mostly expensive – even the pattern ones.
MAKE SURE IT’S ALL THERE
Check that there are no leaks in the footwell from the heater core, and that the heater blower works. This may sound trivial, but to get at either you have to dismantle the dash and, including reassembly, this means around 40 hours of DIY work – or a very large bill for someone else to do it. Leather sounds nice but actually looks little better than the more common option of MBTex vinyl and isn’t as hard-wearing. You can often track down better MB-Tex seats if needed, but for worn leather seats budget at least £600 each for refurbishment.
DOES IT RUN NOISILY?
Engines are generally robust and long-lasting but do have a couple of weak points. Look for a puff of smoke under acceleration, which points to worn valve guides. Rectification is around £500 for a six-cylinder and £700-800 for a V8. Also listen for a rattling timing chain. These can stretch enough for the timing to slip – and for valves and pistons to meet. That will mean a £7000-10,000 engine rebuild by someone who understands these units. An otherwise good car with a noisy chain is still worth buying, but expect to pay £500 to have a new chain and guide rails fitted.