Good years for an SL?

[rob_in_boston]

Thinking of trading in my BMW for an late model to vintage SL. Are there years to avoid? My requirement list is:

cool looking
reliable
It doesn't need to be a high performance machine.

And I'd like spend less than (yikes) 10K. Looking at ads in the The Star and else where show this is possible for 70's and 80's vintage.

Any help would be great.

Seems that best prices going are for the 380SL's and they are still pretty fast cars. Just make sure if you get an early one like a 1981 the double timing chain has been done on the car. I had one of these for several years and it was a great car..When I bought it, it had 95,000 miles on it. I drove it for about 3 years and never had a single problem with it. Good Luck
Ed

[Catrinus]

You should probably check out the SL Forum on this same Shop Forum. It looks like that's where the SL fans are...

Catrinus
73 280C

[300SDog]

Instead of year think about the features you dont want - stuff like automatic climate control. Electronic fuel injection is said to be less reliable than the mechanical injection pump. But I dont know for sure because I've never owned a car equipped with the EFI system. And Ed is not joking when he says the single row timing chain sucks.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

Problem is,on the '70s SL, that the automatic climate control was phased in at about the same time that the early electronic fuel injection was phased out. If I had to choose a 450SL, I'd pick one of the early ones with the small bumpers. Supposedly after 1980, the automatic climate systems are better. For bargain SL my vote would be the 380SL, but only if it has the double-row timing chain. The final 560SL version might be the best of the bunch. (Though my personal choice would be Chuck Taylors grey-market 280SL, with the 5-speed!)

Happy Motoring, Mark

(now out of print but still available from Classic Motorbooks) has a LOT of very practical information on the whole run of these not very practical cars...Barrett is the tech editor for The Star, and this $20 paperback contains unique information on what to look for and avoid in almost every model built by Benz.

'Tis a shame that MotorBooks has let so many of their very good series on various makes go out of print...their Buyer's Guides dealing with Duesenberg and Packard were also first rate.

[nachi11744]

Hello,
Buy a W107 560SL, cry once and be done with it.
Have a good week.

[cbdo]

Mark's dead on the money. For character and absence of problematic systems, the early small-bumper 450 ('73 and earlier) is the ticket; for a cheaper car, accept a '74 which has the battering rams but the same minimally-desmogged engine and simple AC. For an inexpensive SL, go for a 380 but make sure the timing chain is dual-row. For the generally-agreed best of breed, the 560. If you find a good deal on a well-cared-for 280SL, think about it strongly. And whatever you buy--it's all about maintenance history. Entirely. It's never been said better than, "There's no more expensive car than a cheap Mercedes."

'73s, citing the cleaner bumper profile and absence of "luxury" features which changed the character of later models.

[autozen]

I worked at the dealership when the first 450s arrived in 72. I've been an MB mechanic for 30 years and worked on them all. My choice would be a nice 380SL. It really doesn't matter what year as long as it has a duplex chain. A nice one can be had in California for $5000 to $7000. I wouldn't even consider a 450SL for several reasons. The heavy cast iron block makes the car a sled compared to the all alluminum 380. The gas mileage sucks. The early ones had a heater system that requires $2500 or more to repair WHEN it fails, and it will. The later models have that rediculous climate control system built by Chrysler. A 560SL would also be a good choice, but I think the 380 is a better value. The only noticeable exterior difference between a 380 and a 560 is the third brake light and the door handles.

Peter

[cbdo]

Peter, I hadn't been aware of the weakness of the early cars' heaters, though as a 560SL owner I'm quite aware of the quirks of the later AC system. What are the parts that break in the early non-automatic system? When AC is fitted in that system, is there another weak point added, or is the AC part pretty solid on those? TIA--

[autozen]

Craig,
There is no problem with A/C in the earlt SLs. Hot engine water is supplied to the heater core through a valve mounted on the fire wall. When the heater levers are in the off position the valve is held closed by a vacuum element. There is a vacuum switch attached to each of the two heater levers. When either lever is moved slightly on, vacuum is lost, and the valve goes full open. The only way to control amount of heat is by control of a flap in the heater box which is mechanically connected to the heater lever. The hinged edge of each of the two flaps is held in place by a foam like material. When this foam material disintegrates, the flap binds up and won't move. This is evidenced by the fact the lever won't move. You van remove a cover and loosen the nut that connects the lever to the flap so a potential buyer can operate the lever and not know the flap is stuck. The only repair is remove and replace the heater box. Of course the plastic in the console area is brittle with age and starts breaking apart. The dash is probably cracked and should probably be replaced while you are there. All this adds up to frustation and big bucks. That is why I recommend the 380 along with the all alluminum engine.


Peter

[norbtx]

I like Michelins on my cars myself. Good years are OK for the price.

[cbdo]

Peter, thanks for the wonderfully clear explanation. Nice addition to the knowledge base!

[autozen]

Craig,

You are most welcome. I'm always happy to share whatever I have learned in 30 years as an MB mechanic.

Peter