Should I - or shouldn't I - Thinking of buying an SL (450 vs. 280)

[pwogaman]

Originally Posted by rgnprof

He is convinced the A/C is not leaking and just needs recharged. [. . .]

ryan

I would not be empty unless it leaked - simple as that.

[ctaylor738]

Why would the AC need a charge if it isn't leaking? It's not like the R134 fairy comes around in the night and takes it.

I agree with the $4K number. It's tired, unknown mileage, needs work, and will be a hard car to re-sell. The general SL market is just not interested in 280's.

[neds380sl]

Although I love the 2.8 liter engine too, don't blow off 380sl's too quickly. 84 and later (85) have the dual timing chain and great gas mileage (22-23 mpg). My 84 is a gem. But, my advice, with the others, is stay away from the 450sl.

[mbboy]

Originally Posted by 450slcguy

Ps..... Stay far away from Adisco. They are really, really bad to do business with.

If you meant Adsit I agree 100% with you. Their the worst!! I've used most of them, and Phil at FastLane has become my regular guy. Not affiliated in any way, but the service has been great, the prices right, and he answers his own phone.

[JimFreeh]

Originally Posted by ctaylor738

Why would the AC need a charge if it isn't leaking? It's not like the R134 fairy comes around in the night and takes it.

This is one of those ethical tests. Anyone who insists the car "Just needs a recharge." is being disingenuous. Wonder what else he/she is obscuring....

That being said, I'm pretty fond of our 280SL, which we bought from "ctaylor738" a few years ago, and I prefer it to the V-8 models. Small bumpers are a large part of the appeal, and the ease of accessibility in the engine compartment seals the deal. Not to mention the better mileage......

As an aside issue, probably the most critical aspect of a R107 purchase is the integrity of the body. These chassis are real rust hounds. Fortunately, our 280SL was a southwest car and is free of rust.

Jim

[freshairfiend]

I am also a Euro fan and bought a 1985 280SL about three years ago. It was from a desert state and apparently in good shape, and although I'm still very happy with it, it has cost quite a lot in unexpected repairs - injectors, small transmission leak,front end,brakes,water pump and a few other odds and ends not to mention a pricey paint job. The good news is that it is now immaculate and all the spares have been easy to get. Just about all 107's are great cruisers and even the sluggish 380SL has quite good passing acceleration, however even the 560SL is by no means fast enough to drag with most of today's family cars, so I wouldn't worry too much about sheer performance. The Euro 280SL is quite quick and has pretty good gas mileage. It will run on regular, but for the small amount of mileage most of us travel in a year it's probably worth the extra few bucks to feed it 91 octane which is what the owner's manual suggests. Although afficionados love the stickshift, most people really don't care and I haven't noticed any great price differential in stick vs automatic. Pricing on 280SL's is all over the place and I've seen them sold as high as $19,000. I would be very leery of any car with acknowledged air or transmission problems though. neither are cheap to fix.

[WINTS]

I bought my 81 280 with 4 speed manual last month, and keep driving with a big smile on my face. Small bumpers, original lens, it looks so much better than a domestic equivalent.

It had most major work done, and had done very low mileage over the last 10 years. It still needs a little here and there, but it's a great car. The seller struggled to sell as most middle aged ladies here in Fla don't want a stick.

For the $$$ I spent, incredible value in my opinion...

[freshairfiend]

I guess I probably have the same smile. The previous owner of my '85 had Americanised the front with the twin headlamp assembly which I actually like better than the Euro singles. They had also re-upholstered the seats in two tone (brown and honey) which goes extremely well with the gold exterior especially when shown of with the chromed aftermarket wheels. When I had the car painted I had the hardtop done in metallic brown which looks great except that I never use it. Living on Vancouver Island this is a summer car only and I don't drive it from November through March.

[WINTS]

Speaking of upholstery, my car doesn't have an armrest, and I really miss it. The one in my old 450 had worn thin with my elbow!

Is there a way to fit one to the euro models?

[freshairfiend]

I'm not sure as I believe the factory armrest is somehow swung off the backs of the two front seats and you'd have to have the right fitting existing on them. I don't have an armrest either and would like one. In fact this is the only car I've had in years that doesn't have one. I was thinking of making a plywood box with a hinged top and then padding it and covering it with matching leather. The bottom of the box would attach to the carpet with velcro and the hinged top would cover a storage space. The only reason I've not yet done this is beacuse I'm such a klutz and if it didn't turn out just right I'd never use it.

[mbboy]

Originally Posted by freshairfiend

I'm not sure as I believe the factory armrest is somehow swung off the backs of the two front seats and you'd have to have the right fitting existing on them. I don't have an armrest either and would like one. In fact this is the only car I've had in years that doesn't have one. I was thinking of making a plywood box with a hinged top and then padding it and covering it with matching leather. The bottom of the box would attach to the carpet with velcro and the hinged top would cover a storage space. The only reason I've not yet done this is beacuse I'm such a klutz and if it didn't turn out just right I'd never use it.

I've never seen one, but you can buy a console box that would also serve as an armrest on Ebay for 139.00. Search for "Mercedes console box."

[Mistress]

Originally Posted by rgnprof

What do you think the car is worth? I have checked out 280SL prices all over the country and $5500 is not bad. Some are asking up to $14,000+ for these cars...I have only found a handful in this price range (actually, I looked at another one in Dallas and the guy was asking $5500 and it wasn't in nearly as good a shape).

I don't think parts are going to be hard to find, or any more expensive than they would be for a USA car. The mileage bothers me as well and I ran a carfax which didn't indicate any concerns other than the mileage issue - odometer has not moved for the last 2 years...

I am thinking of looking at it again this weekend and I called the owner to make sure and have the AC working. And I definitely wouldn't do anything w/o looking at the top.

Part of my problem is that I have become 'sold' on these cars with the M110 motor, especially after talking with a lot of locals - who have nothing good to say about the 380SL's, which is where I started.

If you know of another 280SL for sale somewhere - or if I'm unnecessarily eliminating the 380's, let me know.

ryan

Ryan- If you really want the 280 take cash and offer 2900.00. Your going to have to put alot of money into it. Don't be in a hurry there are alot of these around in better shape for the same price. I'd back away from the other one. Good Luck.

[rgnprof]

Man, I wish I knew where you guys were finding these cars...

I have been looking for several months- all over the country - and I'm not finding "a lot of these cars"...

I think if I can get this car for around $4500, that's pretty good - at least comparing it to other prices from all around the country.

ryan

[freshairfiend]

"You pays your money and you takes your chances" I paid $7,000 for mine three years ago and it looked pretty damned good. However, three years later I reckon I have around $20,000 into it after a lot of things that just can't be checked on came up and had to be taken care of. I wouldn't get that if I sold it, but unless a buyer is extremely lucky there will be sizeable bills along the way, even with some of the "mint, low mileage" cars. At least I now know just how good my baby is

[WINTS]

There's no doubt a lot of people don't want to do the grey market car scene, and because of that it's hard to put a value on them it seems. I've seen 280's for sale around the $12-15,000 range, and mine was over $10,000 cheaper than the high mark.

That's a shame because they are far better in many ways, certainly in the case of my car, with the manual box and original unfettered lines. I grew up driving a manual shift, so that's no problem to me, but the combination of both grey market and manual would appear too much for most.

My seller was in the middle of a divorce and wanted to get out of a few things and the 280 had to go...