I'll be looking at a 1980 450 SL today with 130k on it. No idea of it mechanically yet, cosmetically it looks well. Its been parked for some time possibly a year or more. I used to work in a car shop after school and had a bit of experience with 73 to 75 SL's & SLC's in Europe. Not a mechanic by any means, but I can "tinker". I was wondering what I should look for, dry engine& trans, oil quality, water in the Rad. I guess if I dont own it yet, starting it up and giving it a good drive will tell me a lot. I read some posts about worrying about oil pressure on a dormant vehicle, and anything else I might look out for. Afterall, I'd hate to ruin it & then buy it :-). Great forum, great reading, and thanks in advance for the replies. Neville in Austin, Texas.

Hi Dubliner aka Neville.
Welcome to Peach Parts !!
You would probably be better posting your inquiry in the technical or SL forums.
Maybe some of the guys here will tune in and comment any way.
There is a wealth of information on the forum. If you do a search on 450 SL , you may find the information you are after.
Good Luck !!

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Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

I have a 1980 SLC, basically exact same mechanics. 1980 was the first year for the Lambda system. Horsepower suffered dramatically as well as a decrease in MPG.

If I had the chance at a do over, I'd opt for either a 1978 or 79. Going forward, a 560 would be a much wiser purchase. For a few dollars more you get higher HP, better MPG's, and newer drivetrain. Not to mention better resale.

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Question Authority before it Questions you.

If the car has California emissions then look at the ends of the exhusts manifolds for a large 'can' looking object. These would be Thermal Converters, not to be confused with a Catalityc convertor. These allowed you to still use leaded gas which was important to a lot of people here in the states at the time.

I know these were put on starting in 1975 but I don't know when they were discontinued.

They are about $1800 each to replace and will burn the paint off the hood as they get VERY hot.

Also, if it has the 3.8 engine then check to see if the timing chain has been replaced. 1980 was the first year for a single chain and they had a high failure rate. By now all of these engines should have been converted to double chains, but unless you pull off a valve cover and look there is no way to tell.

Run it thru a car wash and check for interior leaks. I had one and it leaked like a sieve. Very fun to drive.

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"It's normal for these things to empty your wallet and break your heart in the process."
2012 SLK 350
1987 420 SEL

An '80 is not a particularly good year. Detuned, but still a gas hog. The better 450s would be the 77-78, or 73 if you want to mess with D-jet. If you want the performance, 560 or 500SL is the way to go. If you want better fuel economy and can live with less performance, a 84-85 380SL or any 280SL will do you.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)