(It is a 450SL, but when they did the paint job, it didn't have any logo on it, so they put that one on it. The owner put the middle taillight on it to make it look more like a 560 - doesn't really matter much - it runs smoothly).

I wouldnt let my wife sit on the hood of my car !

That is clean. At $4200 you can't lose much. If the mechanic checks it out and all is well, you got a bargain. I assume the prior owner had all documents for the car's history.
Congratulations, now put some 60 seiries tires on it and tear up the roads
Leonard

Not a fan of those rims..but the car itself looks very nice.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

You've already bought the car. I just want you to be careful driving it.
My girlfriend's mom died in a 450SL because some how the accelerator
pedal got jammed down and stuck. She hit a wall at 70 mph and was instantly killed. My point is that the front end is not as "crash resistant"
as late models. I myself drive a 74 450. but please becareful- you don't have modern day crash design systems

^^^ Don't worry, I'll be very careful.

Guys, like I said before, I need to get new tires. Do you have any recommendations? I'm not looking for anything tremendously fancy or something that will stand out, I just want good, durable tires.

What brands do you recommend and rough prices?

What size are the rims on the car? That will make a difference in a tire recommendation. Last year I went into the tire forum on this site and told Luke at Tire Rack what I hated about my present tires, and what I was looking for in my next set. His recommendation (Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3) was as if he read my mind.

You need to decide what is most important. Comfort? Dry handling? Wet handling? Braking performance? Noise? Long lasting? I'm assuming you wont ever be driving it in the snow. Tell Luke what is most important, and then buy the best tire you can afford. Spending an extra 1-2 hundred dollars will make a night and day difference in how much you enjoy driving your car.

Jonathan

I'm sorry to hear of your girlfriend's loss. Unfortunately, there is no modern day crash design system that will save you from hitting a wall at 70mph. That was unfortunate. I had the same thing happen to me with the gas pedal on a '79 TVR 3000S convertible. Fortunately, it was stick so I popped it out of gear and turned off the ignition before it redlined. Either way, if it redlined, that would be ok as long as I walk away.

Powell

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'70 Mercedes 220D 4 speed manual "Helga" WVO
'86 Ford Ranger Turbo Diesel "Veggie Ranger" WVO
'97 GMC Suburban 6.5TD "Shamu" B20/100
'95 Dodge RAM 2500 CTD "Clifford" B20/100
'00 Club Car 48v Electric Daily Driver
http://www.southerngrease.com

Are they the original 205/70-14 size? I just put a set of Michelin Weatherwise Sports (similar to the Rainforce MX4) on mine. Available only from Sears...right now on sale for a little over 60 bucks each. If you're a Costco or Sams member, you could also look at the Michelin X Plus for about $75.

Michelin is always a good choice...

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'01 SLK320, '79 450SL & '01 C320 -- What? 3 Mercedes? I am DEFINITELY crazy!!!

Sounds like maintenance of the throttle linkages.

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PagodaLOVER
1967 230SL, manual
1959 180D, manual

SLs had crumple zones from 1963-onward. They were the safest for the day. Can't speak for later R107 cause I have no experience.

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PagodaLOVER
1967 230SL, manual
1959 180D, manual

I hope that's not a chronic problem with the SL's of that age.

I presume there wasn't enough time to drop it into neutral and mash the brakes.

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1974 240D 3.0L 4(M) - 250K -OM617.910 + 300D FW + Rajay turbo power!
1977 6.9 3(A) - 84k

Though I picked up a dirt-cheap set of decent OE Bundt-Cake rims for my '72 250C, I actually prefer your style of wheels over the Bundt-cakes. Those are relatively clean and tastefull, compared to many of today's bizzare, over-the-top, bling-bling type rims often seen on SUVs, BMWs and Benzes.
Just hope those don't have cheap chrome that peels off in a few years.
As for tires, the All-Season Michelin X tires I got from Sams Club, though pricy, were a big improvement over the Generals that came on my '98 Nissan. Consumer Reports also top-rated the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred and they're a bit cheaper than the Michelins.
Note that my Nissan has 16 inch rims and availible replacement tires for the original 14 inch Mercedes sizes is starting to become limited. If your aftermarket rims are 15 inch, you'll have more choices for replacement tires.
If your SL is as solid and rust free as it looks, you stole that car.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

Dang, Harami... Do you sleep OK at night? After a theft like that, I couldn't sleep for a week!

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RM Smith
1988 560SL

"Where is it again that we are going, and why are we in this handbasket"?