Mercedes Benz repair: Transmission and Steering, 300se, car road

Question
Mr Expert,

I looking at purchasing a 1989 MB 300SE with  142000 miles. I test drove it and notice a few things.  Is it suppose to take of slowly from a dead stop?  I felt like I really had to hit the gas to get it to move.  Second, at about 45 mph it felt like the auto trans want to turn over but it did not, what is the shifting ratio? It did seem to hit all gears when I went over 50mph.  And finally, it has a rumbling noise with a vibration coming from the right front when cruising off the the gas (it was short in duration maybe 5-10 seconds) otherwise the car road smoothly.  Any idea what might cause it?

Thanks, Don

PS would you recommend such a purchase with this items to address?  The body, engine and interior are clean.

Answer
You describe a major performance problem:
Just resolving this could be $1,200.00 - $7,000.00 USD

The transmission could be:
#1. computer calibration or wire harness = dealer only service.
#2. Mechanical issue in transmission = possible $900.00 - $2,800.00 USD repair.

The vibration in right front sounds like a wheel bearing = under $300.00 USD.