Looking at an 82 SL380, what to look for?

[Eric Hahl]

I'm buying a new home and there is an 82 Benz SL380 sitting in the garage. I noticed it, and it looks to be in great condition so asked about it.

Turns out it is under 60k miles, has all records from new and this is the third owner. Owner says she knows the prior two owners so might be a family car. Don't know for sure yet.

Anyway, she offered it at a price that seems in line with excellent condition SL's so I thought I'd entertain the notion of picking it up. I'm going to go back down and take a closer look this week and test drive.

Any specific things I should look for, be aware of? I did a little research and found out about single row timing chain that should be upgraded to dual row. What else?

[HardDrive]

What you should look for is a SL560.

[fanaudical]

I don't know anything about these - but looks fun. You might inquire with Star Motors in Tualatin (independent Mercedes shop) about known issues or a PPI.

[Eric Hahl]

I've heard the 560 is a pig.

Thanks Jim, will check that out.

[LWJ]

Lovely.

[aigel]

What is the price? Note that these are a dime a dozen, even in good condition.

My experience was with a 78 IIRC. A buddy bought one. It was a lot of work replacing all the dry rotten vacuum lines to get it to run right. It was built like a tank with that god awful MB dump truck steering wheel etc. and it is NOT sporty at all. If that's what you like, go knock yourself out!

Also consider how long it has been sitting. Getting something back from the dead is not easy and usually there is a reason it stopped driving...

G

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

I've heard the 560 is a pig.

Thanks Jim, will check that out.

A 560 is a pig, but an ‘82 380 isn’t?
That doesn’t make sense.

[wdfifteen]

I like the seat covers. If it runs and it's not a money pit maintainance wise it could be a fun car.

[dewolf]

Rust

[sc_rufctr]

Paging Speeder.

(He'll probably tell you to steer clear from these old Benz's but I like them because they're fixable)

[dewolf]

Unless the firewall has rusted. Hard to tell without pulling stuff apart. If it is.....$$$$$$

[sc_rufctr]

If it's relatively rust free then why not get it going and enjoy it?

I wouldn't do a full on resto on something like this but after all of the required maintenance has been done these old cars can be reliable.

[zelrik911]

Looks good, you should buy it. I had one just like this & it was nice to own.

Mine had rust inside the petrol tank around the "swirl pot", however this car looks too good to have that problem.

Also check that battery acid hasnt leaked out onto the firewall and got into the cabin & corroded the floors (mine was RHD).

[onewhippedpuppy]

I’ll just echo that these things are done a dozen with low miles and in excellent condition. So if not in excellent condition, walk away. I’ve always been told that these are way better with the V8 but don’t have any personal experience. It does look quite nice, would be a fun date night cruiser.

[javadog]

https://carclassic.com/library/r107-w107-guide/

[speeder]

Originally Posted by zelrik911

Looks good, you should buy it. I had one just like this & it was nice to own.

Mine had rust inside the petrol tank around the "swirl pot", however this car looks too good to have that problem.

Also check that battery acid hasnt leaked out onto the firewall and got into the cabin & corroded the floors (mine was RHD).

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

A 1982 380SL is not a desirable or valuable car in any world. In fact, it's the least desirable R107 SL, a model that was sold in huge numbers and had other undesirable years/models. It's underpowered and has the problematic single row timing chain, which failed so early that MB switched to a double row chain almost immediately after releasing this model. It took them a couple of model years to implement the redesign engine and the 1984/85 380 engine models are less awful. The expense of converting this one to a double row chain makes zero sense, a better plan would be to drive it until it blows up and then buy another, if you still actually wanted to drive this model after owning it. A better plan still would be to not buy it in the first place.

All R107 SL cars are boulevard cruisers and not sporty. They are heavy and built like tanks. Mercedes was selling quality and status in those days, not fun. Then the 380 models came along as a half-assed attempt to improve fuel economy during one of the "oil crisis" era times, (previous fuel mileage on MB V-8s was horrendous), and a big part of the quality equation took a powder.

I drove my dad's 450SL when it was new and thought it was great because it was built so much better than other cars at the time but the bloom is off the rose for me on all of those cars because they really don't stand the test of time wrt performance or efficiency. Remember, they are not sporty. If this car is cheap enough and mint, go for it if you like it. It's worth maybe 5 grand including anything you have to put in it to get it on the road.

[javadog]

I'm amused by all of the people that think these cars (any Benz 2 seater) should be "sporty." Plenty of those out there from virtually every other carmaker.

No, a Benz 2 seater is useful for 2 people, preferably of the opposite sex, to cruise to a restaurant for dinner, or a BNB for a long weekend, or head out to the country house or the lake house for a few days. The emphasis is on cruise... in comfort, with the likelihood that you'll get there and back without incident. Top down if the weather is nice,, top up if you want relative quiet and climate control.

I took a million weekend trips in assorted Porsches, Ferraris and whatnot over 30 years. Usually, at the end of the trip, I was worn out. Often sunburned, half deaf and needing a massage to unwind the kinks. Yeah, fun when you depart for the trip, can't wait to get out of the car when it's finally over. A Benz 2 seater offers a different experience...

I've owned one Benz 'vert, a '94 300SL. I picked that year and that engine for a very specific reason. Those cars had their issues, as all cars do, but I enjoyed every time I got in the car. I've done plenty of the hardcore sportscar/exotic crap. Sometimes all I want to do is relax and chill.

I'll probably buy another one, some day.

[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.

[Pedro '84 Coupe]

I almost bought an '83 380SL coupe a few years ago. The only thing that scared me off was reading about front subframe issues. They either rust or crack (or both, can't remember) and are a weak point of this chassis. The one you pictured looks very nice and I noticed she has the hardtop too. Can't really tell but looks like that one has the federalized big bumpers too. The one I was looking at had the Euro bumpers and headlights which look so much better. Make sure the A/C and heater controls work. They run on vacuum lines too and those are usually dry rotted. Hope it checks out OK. Good luck!

[Eric Hahl]

Originally Posted by McLovin

A 560 is a pig, but an ‘82 380 isn’t?
That doesn’t make sense.

Didn't say the 380 wasn't, also didn't ask about opinions on other cars. Not sure why every thread dissolves from on topic to off so quickly.