Mercedes-Benz W114 buyer's guide

The petrol '/8' — the stroke-eight sedans and pillarless coupes.

Years: 1968–1976 · Models: 230, 250, 250C, 280, 280C

Overview

The W114 was the petrol half of the 1968 '/8' (Stroke Eight) range: a clean, modern sedan and a pillarless coupe that replaced the fintails as Mercedes' mid-size line. The twin-cam 280 models at the top of the range are genuinely quick cars. Huge production numbers and a working-car life mean survivors in fine condition are scarcer than the build figures suggest.

Engines

Six-cylinder petrol engines: the 2.3-litre M180, the 2.5-litre M114, and the 2.8-litre twin-cam M110 in carburetted and injected forms.

What to check

• Rust in the sills, floor pans, wheel arches, and trunk floor; the coupe's frameless door glass and its seals deserve a close look as well.
• On the twin-cam M110, valve clearances and timing-chain noise; neglected adjustment shows up as a noisy top end.
• Carburettors on the earlier cars (Zenith and Solex) — flat spots and poor idling are usually carburettor and vacuum problems, not engine wear.
• The coupe's rear side-window mechanism and seals, which are coupe-specific and increasingly scarce.
• Front subframe and suspension wear, and perished rubber throughout on cars that have been stored.

Values

Coupes are worth more than sedans, and the 280 and 280C are the pick of the range. As with all high-production Mercedes, low mileage with records outweighs specification; an original, documented car is the exception the market rewards.

Buying tips

The M110's valve adjustment is maintenance, not a flaw — check when it was last done. Put body condition first: everything mechanical on a W114 is fixable at sane cost, but rust is not.

See the 10 W114 cars currently listed.