Congrats @mdutton4!   I'm thrilled to know she's going to a great home in the same state.    Thanks everyone for the questions, dialogue, and interest.    Cheers!

Thanks for the love, MB peeps.  She's standing tall and ready for a new home, with a full tank.

Last day!   

I had a question about SLS…A small correction to prevent confusion.   There is no leak in struts … that notation was from previous owners repair list.  German spec SLS system is new and functioning properly!

Thanks for all the participation in the auction and for all the messages.  So many of you out there have the same addiction (or affliction?)….Tomato-tomahto…This rare stateside 280TE is ready to be enjoyed as the start of, or new addition to your collection!

@terner10 yes exactly...the little black golf tee is all the way down but door opens and closes just fine.  It just doesn't lock.  Probably not a huge lift to fix (seems like a mechanical link, not a vacuum thing) but it just fell to the bottom of the priority list. 

@terner10 you bet!

Re: previous listing -- Yes, car was listed by my local consignment broker and it did sell, but didn't close.  A regional collector I know is a Benz guy and bought another one at the same time...he didn't really want both.  He would have followed through with the purchase, but I love the car and didn't really mind keeping it and told him so.  It worked out fine for both of us.  Buyer paid his BaT commission as promised, and I put the paddle board back on the roof for my husband to continue Summer beach paddles.

Re: under door edges -- Yes, photos are accurate.  If it was deeper rust vs surface around seals, I would have had the shop repair/paint when I had the other work done, but it wasn't bad enough to warrant removal of doors, seals, trim, etc.   If I thought it would creep around the edge I would have repaired, but it doesn't really bother me.  BTW, It hasn't changed in two years.  I'm not sure it is a huge undertaking, but it just didn't seem worth the extra time/money.

Re: locks -- Yes, right was repaired and works, but it's slowwwww (better after engine has been running).   Left rear door lock doesn't work...I forgot to mention that, apologies.    I don't remember why we didn't fix it...other than we live in a small lake town and I literally never, ever lock the doors so it wasn't super top of mind (the lever on that door is in the down position so it looks like it is locked...)
Hope that helps!

Just one day left!  I've had a few private messages/questions so I thought I''d address a few of those answers here.
Can the wagon handle a 1,000 mile trip home?  It's an old car, but I maintain my cars to get in and go without worry.  It's a strong driver and I have confidence in it.
What airport do I fly into to fly-n-drive home?  Grand Rapids, MI (GRR).  Great airport with lots of directs.   I'll pick you up.
Is the air cold?  It's cold, but not new car cold.  Frankly I've used it once and tested it before sale.  Because the engine is gas vs. diesel, performance overall is better.
What needs to be done?   I've done the major mechanical, detail, and cosmetic work.   You can always chase a few of the items listed and continue the improvement, but it stands tall as a collector car or a posh daily driver.
Have you driven it in the Winter?  No.  Maybe in Germany when new, but a Southern US car since 1990 or so, and I've never even driven it in the rain, let alone Winter.
Why are you selling it after only two years?   I have several MB's and several wagons...thinning the herd starting to enjoy Airstream life.

I'll only with the car today, not tomorrow when it closes, so any questions that require photos, please yell.   This is an awesome, rare 123, and while I LOVE diesels, the power and drivability of this car give more confidence in traffic, the on ramp, and on the highway. 

@djangomason.  Here you go.   No, no… I didn’t paint myself.    I have a local shop who has a guy that specializes in classics.   He’s very very good.   Once I went to the effort to take out the rivet holes from arches that left multiple dents and bruises everywhere else, including several dents on tailgate. 

Here''s a little history on the car, and some details about paint, condition and operation.
Per the description this is a Europe-only model that was legally imported to the United States from Germany in the late 1980’s.  I think it was only driven for a few years in the Louisiana before it went into long term storage.  

The 280TE was produced from 1977-1986 with a total of 19,789 units built over that entire run (less than 1% of total 123 production ! ). 1980 only saw 3614 units produced.  It's kind of a rare bird. 

While the hood and roof show original paint, much of the car including lower doors, quarter panels, front valence, and tailgate were repainted in 2024.  When I bought it I could tell it originally had chrome trim attached to the wheel arches.  As a result, the rivets were removed and areas around the arches reconditioned.  At the same time, various dents and dings were repaired below the side trim and on the tailgate.   The driver side receive more paint work than the passenger side which has a few more chips and dings..   While normal surface rust is present by the seals under the doors, floor boards and everything structural underneath is in good shape.  I did my best to show where there is still a little rust in behind the rear wheels that I didn't repair.  The headliner, interior upholstery, dash, carpets, and headliner are in excellent condition except for some abrasion on the driver’s side bolster, and areas of wear on the rear cargo floor.  The photos are all as accurate as I could get.

The wagon comes with the original owner’s manual, two keys  maintenance records, Becker radio, coco mats, and car cover.  

Operations/Flaws
abrasion on driver’s seat bolster and slight stain on passenger seat bottom
rock chips and small surface dents on hood and passenger side.  Original paint on roof shows some crazing.
radio antennae works intermittently
One of the idiot light "word" panels in the center of dash just fell into the dash so you can see in there....
Central locking system is slow to respond until the engine is warmed up. One of the rear doors doesn't lock.
Driver seat heater works/passenger seat heater does not
Headlight washers/wipers are non-functional.    
If driven daily, does not leak oil but if it sits for more than a week, you'll get a drop or two (these cars need to be driven)

I will post phots  of the paint work that I did this weekend so y'all can see the extent of the work.

@djangomason thank you!   Short answer -- I have 12-14 MBs in the garage at any given time,  including a R107 I've had for 38 years.   I just enjoy the hunt finding good or unusual cars, tinkering and making them better, watching the collection morph, then finding the next one.   At one point I had four white 123s including this 280.   I've really enjoyed this chapter, but now starting to collect some different models.   

I regularly put about 500-750 miles each Summer on every car to keep them exercised. ( and enjoy Lake Michigan Summers in the process)   In terms of distance, I'll give the standard disclaimer about an old car.....it's an old car....but I wouldn't hesitate to drive it.   It's a strong runner. FWIW, my shop is 50 miles away via highway miles and that is the furthest it's been.    Hope that helps!

Welcome to the auction.  I've owned this rare bird for a few years, and it's a real head turner.   In nice enough unmodified condition to proudly drive to any show, but patina'd enough to not feel guilty driving it, and mechanically strong enough to feel confident on back roads or highways.  

I'm a casual collector of MBs.  All my kids are kept in a spotless year-round climate controlled environment and serviced by a reputable local German shop.   I'm not mechanical, and because of that, I make sure everything that needs to be done is done by people who know.

I originally collected several diesel 123s and this is the last one in my collection...mostly because the gas version is stronger and easier to drive in today's traffic.  It has the super rare option of heated seats, and it still has the original rare cargo cover/dog net.  There are some bumps and bruises here and there, but all in all, it's a winner you'll be proud to drive.  I'll give more a more detailed overview in next post.   Hit contact seller to come for a visit or inspection.