SL buying guide/advice

[NicDale]

Hi all, my dad is going to be 60 this year and as a birthday present for him my brother and I have decided to buy him an SL.

I think the shape we are after is the R107, looks like this:

We've a budget of £8k at the moment, but would be prepared to spend more for the right car. Is this figure too low?

So where to start, what to look for, what are the known problem areas?

All help is really apriciated, we've until August to buy a car and get it looking good.

Thanks,

Nic

 

[jaymanek]

I paid £10K for mine back in 2000.

I thought I got a bargain as it was mint and mint ones normally fetch £15K upwards.

The 280 is the one to avoid and post 1985 cars are much improved.

Go for one of the V8's in my opinion (420 or 500) and you wont go far wrong.

Watch for rust. Sills, Boots, Hood Compartment, Floor, Wings etc.

Specialist dealers have a large proportion of the nice ones but you will pay a lot more than 8K buying from a dealer.

Keep an eye on the usual websites, Classic Car Websites, Auto Trader, Ebay etc.

Id say 9-12K will buy you a nice one, under that and you will be buying high mileage or rusty examples.

 

[NicDale]

Thanks for that Jay.

How much is a new roof?

 

[jaymanek]

I had mine done for 600 by a local company. Its the going rate here in midlands.. Down south it can cost up to 1000.

 

[kth286]

shame you will now be paying extra for the summer premium - should have already bought one.

 

[NicDale]

I reckon the summer premium is somewhat negated by recession, but thanks for your useful buying advice.

 

[nickod]

that red 500sl is my car give me a call 07887 627 096

 

[Roger Jones]

In the MB Club Gazette there were over 120 small ads over the past year for the R107 SL (including the few SLCs) The average asking price was just under £10,000, the median £9,500, the maximum £25k (ho, ho) and the minimum £1750 (a near wreck, presumably). Over half of the prices were under £10k, and over a third under £8k.

Mileage: average 81k, maximum 229k, minimum 18k.

The 107 is the most advertised car in the Gazette small ads, outstripping the W124 by 50%.

 

[GH421]

Hi Jay, you're Chiraag's (chigz - JohnnyBlaze's) mate right? With the 560SEC?

 

[NicDale]

In the MB Club Gazette there were over 120 small ads over the past year for the R107 SL (including the few SLCs) The average asking price was just under £10,000, the median £9,500, the maximum £25k (ho, ho) and the minimum £1750 (a near wreck, presumably). Over half of the prices were under £10k, and over a third under £8k.

Mileage: average 81k, maximum 229k, minimum 18k.

The 107 is the most advertised car in the Gazette small ads, outstripping the W124 by 50%.

Now thats a useful post, thank you Roger. Where do i get a copy of the Gazette from?

 

[NicDale]

that red 500sl is my car give me a call 07887 627 096

May well be on the phone soon, i don't think red is first choice colour though.

 

[stats007]

Now thats a useful post, thank you Roger. Where do i get a copy of the Gazette from?

Join the MBOC. These cars can be absolute horrors so check them over thoroughly for the things Jay mentions above. Even if there's a 'restoration' file be wary as many are just tarted up for sale. There's a late model 500SL on the Sytner auction site at the moment if you have access.

 

[Roger Jones]

It is worth joining the Club, not just for the Gazette but also for the superb quarterly MB Classic magazine, and of course the various other benefits:

http://www.mercedes-benz-club.co.uk/

PM me and I'll send you the latest issue. You can have other recent back issues too for the cost of postage.

 

[SilverSaloon]

i would say for your budget you should get a good pre 1985 model, or a reasonable post 85 model. the budget is sort of borderline on getting a good car or one that needs work on a post 85 one.

from my experience; check sills, around the very corners of the boot area inside (water trap behind rear bumpers), see if you can remove a headlamp (just a few bolts) - this will show the true condition of the wings as they rot badly here. check the mounting of the front bumper to the front crossmember - one side of mine was rotted away. check the inner bumper areas and the rear valance panels - both my panels were rotted away and the inner bumpe stiffener non existant. try and see if you can remove the grills just below the windscreen to see if the plenum chambers are rotton or ok.

the car is almost certainly going to have some rust; it just depends on how bad it is and whether you can budget the repairs.

i paid a lot less than £8k on mine, but it looked pretty good on the outside but rotton when i started to remove trim. beware. i expected it (well maybe not as much!) at the price i paid, and bought it as a rolling resto project, but just be aware the trim/chrome etc hides all the rot quite well.

see some pics here:

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=63409

you can see how good the car looked on the outside before i started the restoration. as soon as i started to remove trim etc, the true rust was revealed.

good luck - excellent choice of car - i love mine and cant wait for the summer and the resto to be complete, but buyer beware!!

oh, and also get a copy of this book: