Your 350 sounds like the Euro parts model I have. Mine is a '72 with a manual 4 spd. and crank windows. From what I have heard the 350 is a great engine. The Euro version has about 50 hp more than the 450 US version. If your car has Euro lights and bumpers I would guess that it is a Euro.

If the car is an SL and interior is good and the car runs well it might be worth $4000. I just put MB Tex seat covers, and horse hair pads im my 77 450slc and there was nothing left out of $1,000. This doesn't include things like the door panels, carpets, console, etc. You could easily put $2,500 into the interior. The rust repairs will probably cost $1,000 by the time you find the other places that need attention.

Watch for rust around the bottom right corner of the rear window. There is a hole under the window seal for the rear window defroster wire to go into the trunk. If you have to get this fixed you will probably need a new window seal, $75 please, plus probably $75 to get a glass shop to change it out. Find one that know how to change a MB rear window. The aluminum trim is installed into the window seal AFTER the window in installed in the seal but BEFORE the whole assembly go into the car.

How is the rag top? That could be another sink hole. It might be cheaper to buy a used trunk lid from www.adsitco.com than to repair what you have.

Check www.collectorcartraderonline.com. They have about 70 slcs listed and God knows how many hundreds of sls. You might either find if your guy is saking a reasonable price or you might find a better one.

Sls have a much beter resale value than the slcs but the slc are a safer and much classier car. Also the slc is a lot easier to AC in a city as hot as Houston. Check that; one, the ac works and secondly that it has been changed over to 134. All these things drive the selling price down and your repair costs up.

I only paid $4,000 for a 77 450 slc in very good condition 2 years ago in Houston and within the first year had put another $4,000 into it in things like front end rebuild, timing chain and slides, seat covers, body work, tires, motor and front sub frame bushings, tune up, head liner, etc. Fortunately I do a lot of the work myself but I also use a guy in Corpus that is the head mechanic for Ed Hicks Mercedes. He works on the side at half the going shop rate.

If you get it and do the work yourself I suggest setting up a mechanic's account with your local MB parts shop. As a mechanic you will get a 30% or so discount on parts. I bought about $1,000 worth of parts fro another MB I have and Ed Hicks was over all not quite as cheap as online suppliers but they are local and everything came in one bag. Also, if it isn't right I can return it.

Good luck.