Used Car of the Day: 1981 Mercedes-Benz 280ce Euro

by Tim Healey

Published: March 28th, 2023

used car of the day 1981 mercedes benz 280ce euro

Today's UCOTD is a rare bird -- a 1981 Mercedes-Benz 280ce Euro that was imported from Japan.

It has the original M116 engine with about 92,500 miles on it and new tires.

It's all Euro-spec and the only issues seem to be some minor paint peel and a bit of surface rust.

The seller asks $15,000.

There's not a lot of text in the ad, so take a gander at the photos instead.

[Images: Seller]

Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.

#UCOTD #UsedCaroftheDay #MercedesBenz #UsedCars

Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

More by Tim Healey

Comments

Join the conversation

5 of 10 comments

95_SC on Mar 28, 2023

15k for some old rusty 80s junk that is slower to 60 than the Exxon Valdez? Pass. Plus no TikTok on the old Mercedes

Like Reply
- See 1 previous
- 28-Cars-Later on Mar 28, 2023
  
  Cars from Japan are usually in time capsule condition, you should look into them if only to gain knowledge.
  
  Like
- Kevin on Oct 10, 2023
  
  This has a twin-cam six with ~180hp and zero emissions controls. By modern standards, it is feather light. It's not slow, at all. Lovely howl when you get on it too - friend of mine had a gray-market 280E sedan back in the day. That thing would rip up to 135mph and sit there all day long. It wanted nothing more than to cross continents at triple-digit speeds.
  
  Like
Tassos on Mar 28, 2023

Strictly a collectible, nota daily driver. Way too old. Even the Awesome S class from 1991-99 is getting to old to be a daily driver these days.

Like Reply
- Sundance on Mar 29, 2023
  
  Too old for a daily? No, that's absolutely wrong. Of course you can drive a C123 on a daily base. That's not so rare here in Germany. And regarding the S Class you mentioned: My CLK W208 is from 1998 and a daily. No problems with that.
  
  1

Recent Comments

Zipper69 "At least Lincoln finally learned to do a better job of not appearing to have raided the Ford parts bin"But they differentiate by being bland and unadventurous and lacking a clear brand image.
Zipper69 "The worry is that vehicles could collect and share Americans' data with the Chinese government"Presumably, via your cellphone connection? Does the average Joe in the gig economy really have "data" that will change the balance of power?
Zipper69 Honda seem to have a comprehensive range of sedans that sell well.
Oberkanone How long do I have to stay in this job before I get a golden parachute?I'd lower the price of the V-Series models. Improve the quality of interiors across the entire line. I'd add a sedan larger then CT5. I'd require a financial review of Celestiq. If it's not a profit center it's gone. Styling updates in the vision of the XLR to existing models. 2+2 sports coupe woutd be added. Performance in the class of AMG GT and Porsche 911 at a price just under $100k. EV models would NOT be subsidized by ICE revenue.
NJRide Let Cadillac be Cadillac, but in the context of 2024. As a new XT5 owner (the Emerald Green got me to buy an old design) I would have happy preferred a Lyriq hybrid. Some who really like the Lyriq's package but don't want an EV will buy another model. Most will go elsewhere. I love the V6 and good but easy to use infotainment. But I know my next car will probably be more electrified w more tech.I don't think anyone is confusing my car for a Blazer but i agree the XT6 is too derivative. Frankly the Enclave looks more prestigious. The Escalade still has got it, though I would love to see the ESV make a comeback. I still think GM missed the boat by not making a Colorado based mini-Blazer and Escalade. I don't get the 2 sedans. I feel a slightly larger and more distinctly Cadillac sedan would sell better. They also need to advertise beyond the Lyriq. I don't feel other luxury players are exactly hitting it out of the park right now so a strengthened Cadillac could regain share.