Looking For A Pristine 250ce - Help Sought

[RAMIN]

Dear All

I am looking for an everyday drive in London and was thinking about a 250 CE (W114 Tall lights - I am not very good at the W numbers yet).

I wanted some thoughts on their suitability as an every day drive ?

I would like to know how much one in absolutely pristine conditions would cost ?

What should I watch out for?

How much should I allow for annual maintenance to keep the car in pristine condition

WHo I should contact / or if you know of any buyers ?

 

[paulcallender]

I have a W114 280CE and also a W124 230TE, so I can give you a little bit of a comparison between using these 2 cars, day to day.

The coupe would be alright for everyday use, but there are a couple of little niggles which make it less sweet than a more modern car.

1. My seat belt never really retracts that well, also because I'm quite short, its almost fully extended (it has a distance to go, from the pillar which is quite far back, due to the large doors). So, its not as comfy as a regular car.
2. There is no nearside mirror - this makes things such as changing lanes on motorways more tiring, because you have to look over your shoulder.
3. The central locking is powered by vacuum, I don't know if there should be an accumulator somewhere, but there isn't on mine. And this means, things like, if you turn off the engine, and then leave it a little, it doesn't lock the passenger door. Also, when you return to the car, the passenger door may not open when the driver's does. So, its like not having central locking, but worse, because it could unlock the passenger door for you and then not lock it!
4. You dont have electronic convenience features such as courtesy light staying on; remote central locking; etc.
5. The only sensible place to put speakers, without cutting the door trims, is on the rear shelf. So, your stereo won't produce such good sound.

Apart from that, so long as you get a reliable one, there are no problems with actually driving and using it - it will be well powerful enough for today's traffic. They don't seem to suffer much in traffic jams, either (I've never overheated mine).

I believe, condition 1 cars are valued at £8000 although I imagine you can pay much less. I think I was lucky, I paid £1000 and its in usable condition with good bodywork. Be prepared for a little bit of a search, and to look nationally too.

I haven't had mine that long so I can't really comment on running costs or items to watch for. I was told the bumpers are £500 each and the heater, if it doesn't work, is a major job to fix. Also, the fuel injection is Bosch D-Jetronic which is a very early system and obviously not as good as modern ones.

Places to look? Ebay? Cassic car magazines and dealers?

 

[reflexboy]

Was working in a house the other day which happened to be Lord Attenborough's pad, and next to his roller was a lovely CE. It was one owner and done a genuine 41K miles from new. The Lord's left hand man said the only thing ever done for the MOT was a tyre change, not because the tread was low but when the car was at 28K miles the ORIGINAL tyres started to crack! It was a real gem. Mint or what. Needless to say it was actually Lady Attenborough's runabout. Oh, and by the way, she sits on a plumped up velvet cusion to drive!

 

[RAMIN]

Thnx

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

 

[guydewdney]

in the process of re-building one..

well - a 280CE anyway....

look for rust - especially under the rear bumper near the arch, the sunroof tubes block casusing rust on the C pillar. lift the floor mats and check for rust where the handbrake cable goes into the floor.

mines in bits - so cant comment on london driving