Nancy,

At $6,000, if it is mechanically sound you have a real deal. Good Luck.

Lou

Nancy,

Are you planning to get the car inspected by a mechanic?

Check out this site on evaluating SL's before buying.
http://www.oursl.com/evaluating.htm

I recommend an inspection by a mechanic who knows these cars. Off the top of my head, I would have the mechanic check these things:

- check for rust
- compression test and leak down test to check for engine wear
- check for rust in gas tank, this can ruin the expensive fuel injection pump
- check that all (17 or more?) grease fittings will take grease, shows neglect if plugged up
- check front suspension for wear, king pins/A-arms
- check that car idles at same RPM when foot is on brake or not, in gear or not, A/C on or not
- check fluids (transmission, coolant, engine oil, diff. oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, etc.) for correct level and for contaminates
- check for rubber seals on both top and bottom of oil filter canister (top seal often missing - allows oil to bypass filter)
- check condition of rubber (motor mounts, sub-frame mounts, transmission mount, differential mount in trunk, flex disc on drive shaft, etc.)
- check for rust again

Drive the car for 30 minutes in hot weather in stop/go traffic to see if it over heats, it's a common problem. Temp should stay around 180. Does the car blow smoke when pulling away from a traffic light? If an automatic, test the kick-down switch while driving. Does the car shift smoothly up and down in all gears? Test all the controls, gauges, and lights. Be maticulous and complain about everything that's not right.

If the owner/seller does not have a Data Card for the car, you might request that they get one so you can make sure the car has original paint, interior, and top colors, correct options, etc. You can also tell if it's the original engine, transmission, etc.

Do you have any digital pics of the car?

A driver for $6,000 is a great deal.

__________________
NOW: 2017 C43 AMG, 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 1966 230SL, 1980 450SL (for sale!)
PAST: 2006 C230, 1997 E300D, 1994 E420, 1994 Neon Spt Cpe, 1984 300ZX, 1983 Celica GT, 1976 Electra Limited, 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650, 1979 Suzuki PE175, 1978 Suzuki DS100
www.mbca.org - www.sl113.org - www.ohio4x4.com

Just my opinion - but y'all are off the hook...... braggin about how unobtainable and fragile these cars are.

Quick search on ebay shows pagoda roof Benz available from 4-$8G.

Yeah sure, fiddly bits like chrome strips, headlight rims and bumpers are expensive....... and whoever paid $495 for sunvisors must have really hated the 'worn out' sunvisors that came with the car....... Vinyl spray paint is available to match interior colors, if discoloration is the problem...... i just restored sun visors on my '77 280SEL with vinyl paint that matched interior color perfect.

Is the engine, tranny, drivetrain and suspension really any different say, from 110 chassis 230.6cyl except for mechanical fuel injection that never breaks?? If the radiatior sucks, first thing I'd do is look for $162 Nissan replacement that will bolt right in.

Nancy, you understand MB's from your ownership of the 250C.... Dont let snobs discourage you from seeking out and obtaining the kewt Pagoda of your dreams.

You say the car at dealership needs paint?? If its oxidized and faded, original paint can be restored with rubbing compound and elbow grease, especially the basic colors..... notso with metalic paint that caused problems for MB throughout the later '70s.

__________________
'80 300SD/ w116
'79 240D 4-spd
'71 750cc Guzzi

previously owned:

'83 240D 4-spd
'77 280SEL 4-spd
'74 280/8
'72 250/8
'65 220Sb 4-spd
'63 220Sb 4-spd
'63 190c 4-spd
'61 220Sb 4-spd
'60 190b 4-spd

240DieselDog,

Your right, it's not too much more expensive to operate these Benzs than other Benzs of their time. And as with all old Benzs, if you get one that's been neglected or is really rusted then you could be paying quite a bit to set it right.

The Pagodas will cost more under two conditions:
1. The specific part that broke is a W113 chassis specific part.
2. The owner wants the specific repair to be high quality.

Examples of #1 are the chrome trim and fuel injection components.
An example of #2 would be new sun visors. It's up to the owner to decide if they want painted sun visors or brand new (and historically correct) sun visors.

__________________
NOW: 2017 C43 AMG, 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 1966 230SL, 1980 450SL (for sale!)
PAST: 2006 C230, 1997 E300D, 1994 E420, 1994 Neon Spt Cpe, 1984 300ZX, 1983 Celica GT, 1976 Electra Limited, 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650, 1979 Suzuki PE175, 1978 Suzuki DS100
www.mbca.org - www.sl113.org - www.ohio4x4.com

If it does not have major hidden rust, and if it starts and drives OK , has oil pressure, doesn't overheat, and doesn't smoke, I don't see how you can get hurt at $6K. You may not score well with the concours crowd, but it will be fun and for sure a learning experience.

__________________
Chuck Taylor
Falls Church VA
'66 200, '66 230SL, '96 SL500. Sold: '81 380SL, '86 300E, '72 250C, '95 C220, 3 '84 280SL's '90 420SEL, '72 280SE, '73 280C, '78 280SE, '70 280SL, '77 450SL, '85 380SL, '87 560SL, '85 380SL, '72 350SL, '96 S500 Coupe

Nancy - Did you buy it???

If you want more info on purchasing, look at this.

__________________
NOW: 2017 C43 AMG, 2006 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 1966 230SL, 1980 450SL (for sale!)
PAST: 2006 C230, 1997 E300D, 1994 E420, 1994 Neon Spt Cpe, 1984 300ZX, 1983 Celica GT, 1976 Electra Limited, 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650, 1979 Suzuki PE175, 1978 Suzuki DS100
www.mbca.org - www.sl113.org - www.ohio4x4.com

you sound like the typical buyer that has no experience and can fix nothing..you probably put your car in a restoration shop and was quoted $15,000 but when you went to pick it up the price with all the hidden charges brought it up to $50,000 now YOU are driving the black hole!..as for me my 113 cost $13600 and it is almost mint...seek and ye shall find!

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Sorry to burst your bubble but I am more than capable of doing it myself. The car in question was restored to 100 points as is my Gullwing and 300SC roadster. I'm sure your $13,600 driver is great but I can, without even seeing the car, be certain that it is far from mint. By the way, why did you put those rust cover ups on the wheel wells?

spfred,

I owned a 1976 280slc that had a 6 cyl. I bought it in Dubai in 1983 and brought it back to the States and had it converted. Should have never sold it.
There is a red 280 sl for sale in Corpus Christi as we speak.
Nancy, check out www.collectorcartraderonline.com. There are hundred of sls and slcs on the sight.

I owned a 69 280SL for about 9 years. I bought it for what I thought was a cheap price only to learn later that I should have spent the extra money for a better one since I ended up putting it into the car anyway. These cars are notorious for rusty rockers, which rust from the inside out so cars that appear solid can be rusting from within and you can't tell. The parts are very available but as someone previously mentioned, very expensive. King pins $1k, new top, $1k, a new front bumper is almost $3,500! Many of these cars look OK but have been restored by hacks and many corners cut. I learned after my car had been whacked in a parking lot that the previous owner had the front fenders replaced and the shop that did it, cut the fender by the engine bay to the door and rewelded it instead of doing it the right way which was more labor intensive and required taking the dash apart and removing the windshield. There are no bargains in these cars, you get what you pay for. Most shops don't even know enough to put the "notches" on the inside of the fenders by the grille. 9 out of 10 113 SLs are what I call $15k cars. You can put $15 into them and you still have a $15k car because you end up fixing other people's mistakes or fixing basic stuff like front suspension things, rust repair or deferred maintenance.

They are great cars, I loved mine, had lots of fun, spent about $35k over the course of 9 years and don't really miss the $1k repair bills.
Be careful, as they say the most expensive Mercedes is the cheapest one.