Anyone Have Experience with a 80' MB 450SL?

[M.D. Holloway]

I wanna pick the goo outa your brain concerning this particular car

[javadog]

Look in Chocaholic's thread on his new 911.

JR

[WPOZZZ]

CIS, just like an SC.

[Don Ro]

A buddy had one - it rode like a buckboard.

[recycled sixtie]

You don't fit the profile MD. That's an old man's car unless you want a hwy cruiser...
Just my own self centred opinion of course.
G

[HHI944]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

I wanna pick the goo outa your brain concerning this particular car

Sleep deprivation?

[herr_oberst]

An 80 foot Mercedes Benz? Where you gonna drive that?

[porsche4life]

An 80 foot Mercedes Benz? Where you gonna drive that?

Damn, beat me to it!

[RANDY P]

assuming you're talking about a car and not a boat- Timing chain.

[HardDrive]

I was driving around my neighbors 560sl for a little while. The ride is floaty. 1980 idea of 'luxury'. If I were going to go that route, I would spring for the 5.6l engine. No denying its power. You put your foot down and it hustles.

[McLovin]

It's not worth it, at almost any price.

The prices on these aren't high, and if you are going to have one taking garage space, insurance and registration costs, maintenance costs, etc. it's worth looking for an 86-89 560 SL. They are much better and finally had reasonable power (still not rocketships, but at least not slugs). And can be found for cheap.

'80, as I recall, was a particularly bad year. In addition to still having the old emissions system with pipes, tubes etc. running everywhere, I think it also had really high gearing as a "band aid" to try to get it past US smog. Which made it even more sluggish than the normal late 70s/early 80s US SLs.

[cairns]

I owned a 73 for a long time. They're heavy, not very powerful and have vague (recirculating ball) steering. They are pretty reliable, however. You can buy parts pretty inexpensively and they're not hard to work on. They are very well made and the parts are very high q. An enjoyable ride but not a sports car- but a nice GT IMO.

But I would steer clear of a 1980. I would either get a newer 560 as advised or (my preference) look for a 72-73 350 or 450 with a manual transmission. Around 10-12K for a decent one. The six is almost as powerful but weighs a lot less. And get one with the European bumpers and headlights. I redid mine, lost pounds of ugly fat and could see at night. I hate the US bumpers- they ruin the looks IMO.

[petrolhead611]

These cars can rust terribly in the bulkhead area and its very awkward to fix. The bodywork can still look fine on the outside whilst the inner structure is shot.

[speeder]

I own a 1980 450SL, my dad bought it new in 1979. 1980 was the first year for lambda, (O2 sensor), on the CIS and they do have a slightly higher rear axle ratio but I do not consider it a negative. I drove it x-country to CA last summer and it got 17-18 mpg @ 80 mpg with the A/C on. And it burns 87 octane recommended, (owners manual and fuel door sticker). It is not, "the bad one", as far as emissions equipment. That would be the '76/'77s with their catalytic converters attached to the exhaust manifolds, flanking the heads left and right. 1980 models had a much more modern, (for the time), and simple system.

17-18 mpg not good you say? Early 450SLs with EFI got 10mpg on the highway going downhill. On premium gas. Early CIS cars, (76-79), got 12mpg highway. Yes, they were quicker, especially the EFI cars, but not that much. We had a '76 before the '80 and I did not notice a difference at the time. The 380SL model that debuted in 1981 was noticeably down on power.

The w107 Mercedes was made from 1972 MY to 1989 MY. They sold many a ship load of them, in fact it may have been their best seller ever at the time. Almost all models and years have their pros and cons, and at this stage of the game, condition trumps nearly all. CW says that the 560 is the one to own but I don't agree. But then I don't think that a G-50 Carrera is the "one to own" either. Too heavy and loaded with crap in both cases. Still, like 911SCs and Carreras, they are all alike enough that the condition and color of the particular car is more important than the year, IMO.

They do not ride, "like a buckboard" and they are not slow in traffic. They handle surprisingly well for their weight and cushy ride. The problem with random observations from people who knew someone who had one, etc., is that they are 25-42 years old and their friend might have owned a POS worked on by Willy's BBQ and fitted with shocks from K-Mart. They are still high-end German cars and require proper servicing and parts.

My .02.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by petrolhead611

These cars can rust terribly in the bulkhead area and its very awkward to fix. The bodywork can still look fine on the outside whilst the inner structure is shot.

^^^^^

[speeder]

Forgive my grasp of British but what is "the bulkhead"?

[Embraer]

firewall

[speeder]

Thanks. That's what I thought.

[cairns]

Here's one that's probably worth every cent of the asking price:

1973 Mercedes-Benz 450SL Conv /Coupe Roadster for sale | Hemmings Motor News

Only thing I noted was the lack of headrests. The car should have them.

When you're looking reach under the front fenders and curve your hand backwards to feel the top of the inner front fender- esp. the passenger side (it gets dirtier). If you can feel rust or a hole stay away. The inner fronts will rust long before the bulkhead.

[M.D. Holloway]

Reason I ask is that I obtained a 1980 450SL for nothing but its rough, real rough.