1981 Merc 380 SL

[G-P]

I have a apportunity to purchase a 1981 SL380 and wanted some of your thoughts. The vehicle is very original apart from the later style wheels and so me chrome arch's. It's not been driven for around 10 years and has been sat in a garage, current owner has had it since the late 80's.
Paint work is original but it has various scratches and dents so it would need a full replay, rust is minor and very easy areas to fix.
The owner wants me to bid him which is where I need some advise from some PHers in the know, I know it's very difficult to say having not seen it but what's people's thoughts?
Thanks

[TISPKJ]

Many many moons ago I had a 76 450 which was about 10 years old at the time, the rear arches were rotten as hell, fortunately nice chrome arches were available to cover that up so be warned as to what could be underneath them.

[larrylamb11]

Always difficult to bid an owner in a situation like this.. it could be that they think it's worth way more than it is, or the polar opposite.
You need to do some research and a proper assessment of the condition before pitching an offer and decide how much of a gambler you are. A car that has been laid up for that long will very likely need a full fuel system rebuild and full brake rebuild, together with servicing etc. ... and it's probably rotten... You may be lucky and it needs nothing but you can't bank on it after a 10 year slumber. From memory they are Bosch K-jetronic fuel injection which can be hugely labour intensive to strip, clean and rebuild and troublesome to make run properly if not in fine fettle.
Do you know why it was laid up? there is normally a reason a nice car is retired from use..... That may have a bearing.
As you will know, a lovely one of these is £20k plus, projects start from around £2000. If it were me I would probably start at a 'can't go wrong' price around £1500, assuming a worst case scenario of everything being wrong with it once the car was liberated. Having pitched that I would gauge the owners reaction / negotiate from there, with a mental ceiling in mind beyond which I would politely thank them for their time and walk away. Good luck!

[jackpe]

If it's got "minor" rust you can bet there will be more. Badly designed cars including rain gutter pipes made of thin steel which go through the sills. The pipes often rust out leaving all the water coming down from the screen collecting in the sills. Jacking points go, the area around the filler (hard to fix), wheelarches, rubber underseal often hides awful rust that creaps under it, the area around the spare, everywhere.

Would thoroughly recommend that you get a PPI before buying. I did not and paid for that dearly. These really do love to rust in places that only owners or experts will know about. Mine was exactly the same as this one a 1981 380SL. For what it's worth i never liked mine, spent two years fixing the rust and then as soon as I started to drive it I got bored.

[Humper]

I've said it many times, and it's still true, a cheap 107 could become the most expensive car you'll ever buy. If you can see "minor" rust there will be more. Repairing these cars correctly can cost way more than they're worth. Parts are ridiculously expensive, especially minor, but essential items. Bulkhead is a huge issue, take a bucket of water and pour it down each side of the screen, any water ingress is rusty holes somewhere. As has been said though, if it has mint bumpers and headlights you'll easily cover £2k if you broke it.

[Zonergem]

Little to add to what's already been said, save that AFAIK the chrome trim on the wheel arches - whether through careless fitting or through trapping dirt - is another weak spot for corrosion.

It's quite possible that your vendor, like most other people selling a tatty Mercedes - believes that the high prices paid for galvanized post-1986 minters mean that his or her snotbox should be worth five figures, when three might be nearer the mark once restoration cost is worked out.

The more I looked at R107s - in the 10-20k price range - the more the horror stories and repair bills put me off and I ended up buying an R129 instead, which has yet to throw a major bill at me (though only because she's in storage till the carnage fettling begins in April).

[55palfers]

If you fancy a project OP....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KVG-545-kavanagh-SAS-SOS...

Plus the added bonus of a special registration number.

[duka]

think the vendors expectations are very high on the individual & overall worth.

[Old Merc]

You will have to start like this.




Then 100`s of hours and £1000`s later you will end up like this.
If it's done properly by an expert that is?

[74merc]

The SL shop have started selling bulkhead repair panels, so a rusty bulkhead need not be terminal. The engine would still have to come out though.

[Zonergem]

the interior is in fair condition with a nice patina about it

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MERCEDES-350-SL-YELLOW/3...

Patina:

[acme]

As others little to add, but in regards to bulk heads do not just pour water through the grills in front of the screen and assume all is ok if it exits via the drainage channels, I implore you to open the heater cover under the bonnet and put a good torch in there. I'm no gambler but I guarantee rust, just how much is the key......