Need advice-looking to purchase a 107 SL
 

Thinking about adding a 107 SL to the family and need some recommendations on what to look for/years to avoid etc. and some price guidelines.

Thanks.

It would be of import to assist in answering your question, to know what is your price range?

$10K is all I'd be interested in spending on one.

I'm no expert, but I would strongly recommend the 1989 560SL.

For your budget, they can be had.

I would NOT pay over $10K for a less than 100K miles example, in very good condition. I would not be a buyer of one with excessive miles on it - at any price.

Skip

You should get a nice driver for $10k. By driver, I mean a car with a healthy amount of mileage but in good shape to be driven every day.

450SL's are slower, thurstier and cheaper to buy.
560SL's are faster, more modern and more expensive
380SL's get great fuel mileage but are sometimes considered under powered and can have a single row timing chain which is known for breaking. Many have been converted but if yours has not, plan on changing the timing chain every 40,000 miles.


The Euro cars are all over the place price wise.

Ebay should give you a good indicator of what these cars go for.

Good luck in your search.

Thanks guys.

R107's are rust prone chassis.
Given your location, rust free cars are likely to be rare.

For 10 large, you should be able to score a nice southern car.

Jim

Personal preference would be for an early small-bumper model simply because they look better, cleaner, and have simpler easy (in my opinion) to maintain systems. The cast iron engines are old-school engineered and virtually bullet-proof. If not one of these then seek out a late 560SL, an 1989 if possible.

Most folks who are far more experienced than me when it comes to buying used cars will always recommend buying a car in the best possible condition that you can find. Setting a low-dollar budget limit on a Mercedes is, to my mind, a virtual guarantee you will need to compromise on condition which always translates into you spending money to remedy deferred maintenance items. This is seldom (never in my experience) cheap to do on a Mercedes unless you possess good DIY mechanical skills and, hopefully, some experience with the German way of designing and building vehicles of earlier vintage.

Just my two cents; best of luck in your search. Mercedes roadsters are under appreciated, and, fortunately, somewhat under-valued in the market.

Thanks for the advice.

I as well prefer the early small bumper cars for the reasons you mentioned, or the last ones built.

Like you said the key is avoiding one (at all costs IMO) that has suffered from deferred maintenance.