Looking at an 82 SL380, what to look for?

[greglepore]

I get the sense you should pass. A nice 560 is an appreciating car.... this not so much. Its a Freon ac so converted to 134 it ll be marginal. Mine (96) is ok with windows up and top down but just barely.


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[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

What you should look for is a SL560.

or a 450

I owned an `85 380SL so here are my suggestions.
-Don't buy a 380: they are heavy and sluggish in acceleration. Mine got 16 mpg on a good day with highway driving and city mixed. The transmissions are horrible. The are solid like a tank but accelerate like a slug. Handling is designed for highway cruising only.

Things to look for are:
-leaking or dried out canvas top (several grand to replace). The plastic back window is a disaster.
-working AC: Rube Goldberg would be proud of the design. It was R12 - has it been updated to 134A?
-any flaws in interior including dash and seats - uber expensive.
-the valve cover gaskets leak and they are a pain to replace.

Other info:
-the radios stink
-the hardtop weighs 110 pounds! You'll need two very strong friends or a hoist system if you want to take it on or off.
-parts are expensive and unless you do the work yourself be prepared to pay a premium labor rate (the dealer won't have a clue what to do).

[aigel]

Here - check the BAT auction prices. A quick sampling shows that most low points are 380s. BAT is a top dollar auction site. I would look to pay 80 percent or less on what something goes for on BAT.

https://bringatrailer.com/mercedes-benz/r107/

[schwoo]

You really need to test drive it for awhile. I purchased a pristine 560sl. Beautiful car, but drove like a tank. Reliable, solid car. But not “fun” to drive. You need to really drive it before you purchase. My wife called it a old mans car.........


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[Steve Carlton]

Old, or good with the ladies...

[schwoo]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Old, or good with the ladies...

Notice they removed the headrest to get a better view of Richard Greer. Great movie for it’s time.


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[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

It's not cheap, that's for sure.

Easy then, that’s a pass.

[zelrik911]

Originally Posted by speeder

Since the battery is in the trunk, I'm not sure how the battery acid could make it to the firewall and cabin?
.

"Early R107 models (350SL & 450SL in USA) have the battery located on the right (passenger side in US) of the engine compartment. With the introduction of catalytic converters, battery location was moved to the right side of the trunk compartment."

If the battery is in the trunk, you obviously wont have this problem - so one less thing to worry about.
These are solid comfortable cruisers. If the price is right & its a good honest car; you should buy. You know where it has been garaged!

[sc_rufctr]

And BTW not that long ago a R107 were on many "my dream car" lists. I always thought they look great in Ivory!

But something like this would be immensely more practical for daily use. I have a friend who has had a string of these over the years and he could buy any brand new Mercedes Benz using cash tomorrow morning. He still drive one daily right now.

[vonsmog]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

And BTW not that long ago a R107 were on many "my dream car" lists. I always thought they look great in Ivory!

But something like this would be immensely more practical for daily use. I have a friend who has had a string of these over the years and he could buy any brand new Mercedes Benz using cash tomorrow morning. He still drive one daily right now.

Hey, I have a real nice one for sale right now!!! Its amazing that the W123's which sold for way less than the R107's are now worth way more.

https://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/d/fairport-1985-mercedes-benz-300cd/7166153581.html

[RWebb]

at least it has round headlights...

[Steve Carlton]

It's a 450SL.

[tcar]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

It's a 450SL.

I was thinking of the film "Intersection" where he drove (and wrecked) a 'Pagoda' 280 SL.

Deleted my post.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

Well, thanks for, um, opinions I guess. Not sure how a post goes from asking a simple question to "it's not sporty, it's not this, they made a million of them", etc. Thanks to those that gave advice on what to look for.

I need to stop replying to threads like this, I guess. You’re asking whether you should buy a car that you absolutely should not buy but at least it’s expensive.

You obviously know zilch about them or you wouldn’t be asking and I’m giving you the advice I’d give you if we knew each other and you were a friend. This is what friends are for, actually. Looking out for your buddies.

The car is schit and you shouldn’t buy it, period. But don’t take my word for it, I’ve only been fixing them for decades. You’re welcome.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by javadog

One thing I'd ask about, in addition to all the usual stuff in the link I posted above, is how often the car has been driven in the last two years and the longest period of time it's sat in one place. Cars like this often sit for months at a time (this one may have not averaged 1500 miles a year) and the injection used on these doesn't like to sit. It's not very fond of ethanol fuels, either.

There's a guy in Bellingham that knows these well. Don't know if he does any service work or PPI's at this point but here's a link to the 107 page on his website:

https://mercedessource.com/chassis/107

That guy is a clown, the biggest joke in the Mercedes-Benz repair world. But at least he’s well known on YouTube.

[Eric Hahl]

Originally Posted by speeder

I need to stop replying to threads like this, I guess. You’re asking whether you should buy a car that you absolutely should not buy but at least it’s expensive.

You obviously know zilch about them or you wouldn’t be asking and I’m giving you the advice I’d give you if we knew each other and you were a friend. This is what friends are for, actually. Looking out for your buddies.

The car is schit and you shouldn’t buy it, period. But don’t take my word for it, I’ve only been fixing them for decades. You’re welcome.

Um, no, I didn't ask for opinions, I asked what problem areas to look at. I've also talked with Mercedes guru's who say they are great so there's that.

[speeder]

Then buy it for sure! Pay a lot.

[Eric Hahl]

Originally Posted by speeder

Then buy it for sure! Pay a lot.

Lighten up dude! You don't even know me. I didn't say I was going to buy it. Just go look it over.
If you had actually read my post and replied thoughtfully to it we wouldn't be here. But hey, you wanna be that guy, go for it.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by speeder

That guy is a clown, the biggest joke in the Mercedes-Benz repair world. But at least he’s well known on YouTube.

I've never used the guy, or bought anything from him. I wouldn't call him an absolute joke, regardless of what a bunch of peckerwoods on internet Mercedes forums happen to think about him.

I think he knows enough to opine on what to look at on that particular car, if you were to actually look at the link for that chassis on his website. If you find something on his website you disagree with, by all means inform the OP. I've yet to see anyone post a more inclusive list of things to look for. Feel free to outdo him.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

Um, no, I didn't ask for opinions....

LOL....then you came to the wrong place...are you new here ?

It's a beautiful car btw ...