To 450 or not to 450
 

Friend of mine back east texted me this craigslist link asking my opinion.

https://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/cto/5744600938.html

Good thing is the car is pretty local to him and is also in the same town as one of our other best friends, we were all in each others wedding parties, who owns a shop so he'll for sure get the most honest PPI he could.

I kind of poo poo'd the car because a) lack of title and b) the ad says no accident history but I'll be damned if that drivers door is a shade off from the rest of the car. In fact it looks like 3 shades, the front driver side looks darker than the rear but that could be lighting.

So he may or may not look at it.

He's also thinking 80's 300 or 300D

I agree with you the terribly ugly yellow color in the front is different than the terribly ugly yellow color on the rest of the car. In more than one pic.

I'm thinking 1977 is not a great year for those, due to emissions. I bet he'll find enough reconditioning needed to double the cost of the car, too. Your friend should step up to a nice 560SL, IMO. Getting an SL cheap doesn't usually stay that way. And I agree to three colors on the driver's side...

I have a friend with a 280 that's that color, maybe 1981? It had some fender damage many years ago, and when they tried to color match, it didn't work. They ended up trying to blend across several body panels, but it's clear that there are 2 different shades of yellow on the thing no matter what they did.

I wonder if that particular yellow paint ages differently than the modern formulations, or has different reflection properties in sunlight or something.

When you paint a panel by itself, it usually can be seen by the eye. If the colors are a close match and blended into the next panel, it's very hard to spot, at least color-wise.

If your friend likes the W107 have him look for either an older one or a euro version, as the bumpers on the later US market ones were very possibly the inspiration for the character Benjamin Buford Blue.

_

I don't mind the yellow, but the hood and front fender look different from the rest.

Terrible color, terrible mismatch. Pass.

We are on to a 93' Triple Black Alfa Veloce now.

Not sure if that's any better but it is sexier. LOL

He's just looking for a weekend toy.

If you want a W107 chassis car, go with the 560SL or, even better, a euro 500SL. It's actually possible to find a 5-speed euro. In the US, though, the importer ordered only autos. If you wanted a 5-speed in the US, it had to be special order.

Gary

BTW, my stinkindiesel moniker came from years of keeping several 300D and 300SD's rolling.

isn't the slightly newer 500sl about twice the HP of the mid 70-80's 450
in the USA version ?

I would pass, the condition of engine bay alone is enough to run away

it looks like another RR quarter was installed after they dipped the car into salt water.

NOTE for a few grand more he could get a car thats never been painted and isnt rusting from the inside out.
I would pass this bucket... fast

HINT if you want an older car i would be looking for them in western states where corrosive chemicals are not used on the roads.
You can find cars that slept every night in a nice garage out of the sun and moon and rain