1977 350 Convertible

[ceri philpott]

I am looking to buy a 1977 350 convertible with 117000 miles on the clock (hopefully genuine!!). I have never owned a Mercedes Benz before and therefore know nothing about these classic machines.
I would be grateful if anybody could give me any advice on things to check / look out for when buying this car to increase my chances of not buying a 'duffer'.
If you could also give me an idea of expected mpg that would be great. I intend to use this car for my daily commute to work, about 25 miles, is this practical?

Thanks in advance

 

[njpumphrey]

I sold my old 230e to a James Philpot (Abingdon) - any relation?
117,000 seems very low, so be suspicious. Is it backed up by a complete service history or a stack of MOTs? As far as my (limited) experience goes the drivers seats develop a wear hole or two around 130,000, so if the seat is worn assume it is clocked. Mpg may be around 18-25 depending on your type of driving (although it should say estimated fuel consumption in the handbook). As for buying these in general, it is more cost-effective to buy one in good condition than to restore one. Get a mechanic or specialist to check it over first (even if it seems cheap and not worth it) as it is easy to overlook things if you are unsure what you are looking for. In particular, check for play in the steering, oil in the radiator, leaks in the exhaust, all the lights, knobs, switches, wipers, etc and check the central locking system holds a vacuum. I have a checklist on an excel spreadsheet if you want? Good luck.

 

[Malcolm Brown]

I'm assuming it's a 350SL - I don't think there were any other 3.5 convertibles in 1977, but I may be wrong.

You will find various posts in this forum on what to look out for when buying a W107. [That is Mercedes' model number for the 1971-89 SL. There was a change in engine sizes, wheels and a few other bits and pieces in 1985 but the shape stayed the same.] Try searching on 107 and on SL. That should turn up quite a lot of info for you.

117k is low mileage for the age, but SLs have often been used as occasional/weekend/summer cars, so it is not infeasibly low (my '88 model has done about 75k - with history).

If you don't mind revealing the asking price, I'd be happy to venture a view on what sort of condition you ought to expect for the money.

 

[ceri philpott]

Hi and thanks for getting back to me although I'm not sure if this is the right way to respond as I have just logged on to the site for the first time
...by the way you're Mr Philpot is no relation!

I actually went to see the car the other night and it is actually a 450SL!!! Are your recommendations as to what to look out for still valid - I am assuming so. Would the mileage be affected massively by this bigger engine size?

Cheers
Ceri

 

[Malcolm Brown]

No, same applies. Fuel consumption will be worse, though!

 

[Leylandp76]

yeah but the fun factor will be higher... :lol:

... if you decide the motor's too big I'd be keen to know where it is :wink:

 

[cowsurgeon]

Fuel consumption on W107

Hi,
According to a back issue of Classic and sports car mag, the 450 SLC (which I presume has the same consumption as the SL) had a typical mpg of 14, a top speed of 134mph and does 0-60 in 8.5 secs.

Would guess that the fuel consumption depends a little on how well tuned the engine is and the heaviness of your right foot, :twisted: I recently discovered that leaving the fuel filler cap behind after filling up works wonders in reducing your mpg as expensive LRP sloshes liberally over the rear of your car for 30 miles on bendy roads.


(thanks to whoever handed it in at the shell garage in Blaydon if you're reading!)

P.S. Malcolm, if you're there - was out again today with the top down (very brave I know) and think a rear windshield is a fantastic idea after almost losing my left ear to frostbite! Any chance you could take a pic of how it attaches to the seatbelt runners?

 

[Malcolm Brown]

Chris

Just by chance, I had taken a pic of the bracket last summer. Here it is.

I've had a Saturday night out in Newcastle in February, so the idea of motoring with the roof off doesn't sound extreme by comparison. I'm surprised you don't all catch pneumonia.