1974 Mercedes-Benz W114 280C review from North America

The odometer was flaky from the day I bought the car, and finally stopped at 112,000, so the mileages are estimated. The speedometer works perfectly.

Ignition points need cleaning or replacing about once a year. This is one of the few repairs I do myself, and the part is less than $10.

The master brake cylinder and both rear calipers were replaced, on three separate occasions.

The starter, alternator regulator, battery, and a battery cable were all replaced around 2001.

Both front seat belts broke. The replacements were expensive, but easy to install myself.

Both back windows stopped working, but I never bothered trying to fix them. The front right window pops at the top, probably because of a cracked part of the riser assembly. The driver's side window switch went bad this year, but I got another one at a junkyard for almost nothing.

The vacuum pump diaphragm for the power brake booster recently started to leak oil, which made for some spectacular exhaust clouds. The repair was inexpensive.

I love this car, and I hope to keep it for years to come. It's not especially powerful, but it's better than the diesel models.

It's very comfortable on long trips, and very rarely breaks down to the point of being immobile. The only time I have ever had to stop on the side of the road was because of the ignition points, but I cleaned them with a nail file and was on my way again in ten minutes.

It's attractive enough to start conversations in parking lots, and I've had strangers ask what I would take for it. I'm not interested in trying to sell it, especially since the bad odometer would destroy the price, so I just tell them it's not for sale.

Mileage is somewhere around 18 mpg.

This car doesn't exactly have the mileage or reliability of a Honda Civic, but it has something the Civic never will: personality. Considering how little I paid for it, and how low the registration and insurance costs are, I think the value is great.