Possible SL280 Purchase

[peter49]

An SL280 has been permanantly parked a couple of bays beyond mine for over 7 years in a secure basement garage.
I am considering contacting the owner, who currently lives abroad, with a view to making an offer to purchase the car.
I have established that the car is a 1980 model though all other details are unknown. I would expect the mileage to be less than average for it's age and the bodywork seems to be in good condition below a fair layer of dust.
I have never undertaken a renovation previously and would probably sub-contract the job.
Does anyone have thoughts on a valuation and costs involved in renovation?

 

[grober]

Cars that are sat around for long periods of inactivity usually require quite a bit of recommissioning work even if they were in reasonable condition way back. e.g. 7 years = new tyres all round for starters Sometimes they are "parked up" with one or more expensive faults which has put them off the road in the first place. structural MOT failure /engine/gearbox blow up etc Body condition is all on these cars and should be the primary basis of any valuation. Because its a non runner you would be going in blind so very difficult to value mechanically even. History and provenance is also very important so you need to contact the owner for more details for starters.

 

[w124nut]

You probably appreciate that the 280SL is the entry model of the range and this will be reflected in its value. Having said that, condition of the bodywork will be the main deciding factor on value with the threat of rust being high on the list of things to look for.

If not immediately obvious, a 33 year old car will have rust areas that I think are well documented on this and other MB forums. I would search these out to see what would be the likely problems that you may encounter.

Without doing a bit of homework, you haven't a starting price on which to negotiate. What I do know for certain is that to bring an old car up to class 1 spec, will take an eye watering figure. I have just gone through this exercise with my 1994 W124 cabriolet.

 

[Druk]

Spares prices have gone through the roof lately for these. By a factor of X10 at least so be careful. Rust is your biggest threat and although it's been dry for 7yrs it may well have been festering away in there unseen. Main thing is to lift the footwell carpets as the underlay is foam and will have retained the damp for a while. They rust badly inside the scuttle air vents and it finds it's way to the footwells every time.. If it smells damp do a runner. Also the boot floor to the left side where there is foam under the carpet. The boots are notorious for leaking, both around the seal and at the rear lamps.

Even in good condition £5 to £6K tops. Unless it's Concours in which case maybe £10K. Repeat!!! spares and the 14" tyres are expensive and the 280 imho is not that particularly rewarding to drive. Expect average 20mpg.

Plenty of these things on eBay.