"AdverseMartyr" (ewilliamson)
06/06/2015 at 06:32 • Filed to: None
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"AdverseMartyr" (ewilliamson)
06/06/2015 at 06:32 • Filed to: None | 12
| 17 |
Well,
I went and drove the 1980 450SL I was looking at, and took the hard top off to get a look at the soft top. Everything went well and the top looked fine, so I leaped. $2000 bought me a silver parts car and this:
It definitely looks decent from 20 feet, and I won’t know everything until I get it cleaned up, but I like it.
It needs tires, AC, and a whole list of things.
First thing is to get it checked out, and make sure it is truly road worthy.
Then deal with its minor (from everywhere I checked) rust issues.
There was a knuckling sound occasionally while turning and the steering has some play in it. Brakes worked alright, and all the lights work properly. All in all it seems like a good car for being 35 years old and having 134,000 miles on the clock.
Most importantly my dog was eager to hop in while I was cleaning some of the bright-work and armor-all(ing) the dash to give it some life, and stop the cracks.
This spot is my biggest fear for the body:
I’ll be talking to an autobody shop once it is on the road.
Update : Well, I washed it and the possible rust I was worried about on the rocker panel was just a lot of red dust. It’s actually got a rubberized coating down there. One possible problem down.
I found a few scratches in the paint, and someone went at the chrome on the rear bumper with an abrasive at some point so that is scratched.
I tried the key in the door locks/trunk and nothing locks.
Party-vi
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 06:35 |
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Good god man! Overall not a bad buy though. Congrats!
TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 06:37 |
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Ouch, that’s a bit scary. Those old Mercs had pretty good bodies and fantastic interiors though. Seems like you scored a pretty good deal.
LongbowMkII
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 06:52 |
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Good buy. These are going to start appreciating before too long.
PG; the scalpel wielder
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 07:23 |
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those seats are immaculate! I assume they’ve been replaced at some point because I cant imagine someone having that rust and those seats at the same time.
They are a fun thing to cruise around in. I spent a few days being driven around by a GP doing home visits a few years back when I was still a student, and his was even more rough than yours, but boy it was classy. There is just something about not caring too much about a formerly expensive car and just driving it
JR1
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 08:43 |
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Might be a little rust but you can’t beat the price you paid for it. Nice buy!
JGrabowMSt
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 08:43 |
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Fresh fluids, general maintenance, and some new found TLC should keep that on the road for a long time. Benzworld forums can help you out a ton if you should run into weird problems, as my experiences with R107s is limited (and the 560SL is a bit of a different car).
Car looks good, I can’t wait to see you bring it back to it’s former glory! Keep Oppo SL!
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LongbowMkII
> PG; the scalpel wielder
06/06/2015 at 09:01 |
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you’d be surprised. MB-tex is some amazing stuff. my wife bought a super cheap w124 beater and the (oxblood red) seats looked new despite the rest of the car warranting the price haha.
Nibby
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 09:05 |
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mmm
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TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
> PG; the scalpel wielder
06/06/2015 at 10:13 |
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R107 interiors are secretly legendarily strong.
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TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
> LongbowMkII
06/06/2015 at 10:18 |
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Actually, I believe that good examples have barely depreciated at all. I heard of one that recently sold for £28,000, just £1,000 less than the asking price when it was new.
415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
> AdverseMartyr
06/06/2015 at 10:24 |
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If I ever get tired of my diesel I have always wondered if I could swap one of those into my 300d haha. Welcome to the club. I have always wanted an slc euro model. There is a rally car kit for those.
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LongbowMkII
> TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
06/06/2015 at 10:36 |
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maybe in england. you can find decent examples in the US for 5-10k. sounds like an import opportunity.
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AdverseMartyr
> PG; the scalpel wielder
06/06/2015 at 18:56 |
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Well. I’d like to fix it up a bit more, and then sell it. Then fix the silver one up as a formerly expensive car and drive it. (The silver one has the Sparco seat, and has a ton of body rust so it’s all set for being a beater.)
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AdverseMartyr
> TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
06/06/2015 at 18:56 |
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If you adjust for inflation those examples have depreciated quite a bit. But it is definitely a good sign for them.
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AdverseMartyr
> TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
06/06/2015 at 19:02 |
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That’s what I thought.
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AdverseMartyr
> Party-vi
06/06/2015 at 19:03 |
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Thanks!
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AdverseMartyr
> LongbowMkII
06/07/2015 at 01:03 |
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Thank you.