Exhaust for 1988 280GE 5 Door

Welcome to the GWOA, and thanks for the full Membership. (you get search and more visibility in the Forum with this).  You noticed that creating posts takes a good 1minute+, and when you hit submit again it can do it 2, or 3, times.  But we can remove the duplicates.

For exhausts, there was a recent posting about the same, and some tips on stainless steel fabrication exhausts, in various locations, and cutting out one of the boxes too.  Getting a MB or aftermarket specially for G is likely to have to come from Germany (as you found).  I once bought an exhaust in the USA, which was shipped from Germany and then I picked it up on a repeat visit and brought it back to the UK as hand luggage, wrapped in brown paper.  I paid some import duty and still saved hundreds.  That exhaust is still going.

I would go the custom SS route now.

http://gwoa.co.uk/content/exhaust-system

Try cybox in Bromborough,  they can make you a custom one

Don't get an original, go stainless, straight pipe then a double exhaust box with immediate exit on the right, quiet and smooth, no need to go over the petrol tank [its a water and rust trap anyway]