Moving! Do I sell or keep my 450sl? Advice appreciated!
 

Good morning! I am turning to this forum hopefully to get some advice on my car situation. Let me explain.

I own (as my primary vehicle), a white/tan 1980 450SL that is in great shape and runs like a champ (~ 108K miles). I’ve had it for almost 5 years and have used it as a daily driver over two lengthy spans. I live in Texas, and I just found out this weekend that my fiancée was offered a professorship in Illinois, so we have decided to pack up and move north. However, I am trying to figure out what to do with my car. I am pretty sure I’m not going to take it up there with me, so I’m deciding whether or not to try to sell it before I leave, or just keep it around for when I come back to town (my family is still here) and buy something new for up there.

Now let me give a little bit more detail on the car.

As I mentioned, it runs like a champ. My only apprehension about trying to sell the car is that I have been in the middle of fixing some things and working on the car to eventually get it in as good a shape as possible. The biggest thing still wrong with it is that I had to pull the AC Servo last summer (it was causing a battery drain), and I haven’t gotten around to replacing it yet, so the climate control system is not functional right now.

The only other area of major concern for me is the center console and area where the climate control unit and radio is. Everything there is in good shape, the only problem is that the framework for the center console was broken when apparently the previous owner tried to install an aftermarket tape player. From the outside, it looks fine, just some of the components are a bit loose in the back and don’t have a tight fit.

Other than that, the car is in, my opinion, great shape for being 28 years old. I am not sure if the paint is original or not (I think it may be), but overall the paint is great all around the car. There are a couple of small dings and chips around the car, but nothing that really jumps out. I have the hardtop (which has been stored and is in nearly perfect shape) and the softtop is also in good shape. This is a GREAT car, either as an everyday driver, for a weekend mechanic, or for a true Benz enthusiast.

So I guess my basic question is what would some of you who know the values and markets for these cars? By not having the servo finished, is there any point in trying to sell it? I have looked at getting the digital replacement, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. If I were to go ahead and make that purchase, would it significantly redeem some of the value of the car? Or, with a car like this, am I just SOL and better off to just grin and bear it and hold on to it knowing that I won’t ever really get a chance to sell it?

Take it with you. Drive and enjoy. I think what you're really asking is will its value increase over time and should you wrap it up and hope for that day. My opinion is cars are not commodities, drive and enjoy.

Don't get sellers remorse. I've owned several cars that I wasn't sure if I wanted to sell, but I did sell them anyways and every time I'd wished I hadn't. You sound very attached to this car and it's serving you well, I must agree with Michael. Take it with you and enjoy it. Just remember, if your moving to a small town in Ill., the first thing you want to do is find a good, reliable Mercedes mechanic. They can be hard to find in some of the smaller towns. Good luck and enjoy the car.l

keep it-hard to replace cause then you have to go thru someone elses problems.

keep 'er. . .you will regret selling her, and will definitely not get paid the value you place on the car. . .plus, its a 107 its a timeless classic in its own right. one thing about illinois, get that heater core working if you decide to wait on replacing the servo. . .

You can always sell it in Illinois and perhaps for more money. Especially if it's a rust free Texas car.

Why sell? You'll want to store it probably from mid-to-late November to about now, and that's not any big challenge (been doing it with my toy cars here in west Michigan for years). The rest of the year it's entirely reasonable to drive it. If you're heading for the north end of IL, your season will be about like mine, and if you're south it'll be a bit longer. Hang onto it and pick up maybe something like a used Subaru for winter. There's some really nice weekend driving to do in the central Midwest, and the 107 is the right vehicle IMHO.

I'd have to agree with everyone else, keep it! I was the former owner of a 78 450sl, which I sold when I needed the $$, instead of an extra car. Now I'm starting to look for a 560sl, I miss that car! Going from TX to IL, you will REALLY appreciate the car in spring, when you can take it out for the first time and drop the top after a long winter, especially in Northern IL! I am just over the border in WI, in the giant Chicago-Milwaukee megalopolis and can't wait for convertible weather to be here again.

If I were you, and like the car and the way it drives, I'd keep it! I have a 1979 myself, and really like it. I installed the digital servo, and it works great - you may need to replace a few vacuum pods, and I found two defective vacuum check valves under the hood near the driver's side hinge, they were not "checking", probably the rubber check valve inside was hardened. I haven't had mine out since last October, due to the rain around here (I prefer to not drive it in the rain as it's very pristine), but with the hardtop on it is totally rain-tight and has no wind noise. I also have an '82 380SL which I drive everyday, and it also is completely rain tight. My '82 has a 560 engine and tranny installed, and it has great performance, while giving pretty good mileage for such a large engine.

Leave it in Texas for when you go down and visit, if after a while you decide that you would like to have it in Illinois you can always move it then. Which University in Illinois are you moving to? I am originally from the Champaign-Urbana area (home of the U of I), you will find people to work on your car there if you need it, and there is a Mercedes dealership in Champaign. I think we have a forum member that is in Champaign as well.

Best of luck, congratulations on your fiancee's new job!

Thanks everyone!
 

Thank you very much for the feedback. I think I agree with most of you who think I should keep it and take it up there with me...

I think i was underestimating the reliability and durability of this car. I just want to make sure I get everything that I am concerned about (climate control, shocks, etc) taken care of before I head up there.

Thanks!
Zack

You have to take it with you....