helpful 107 300sl owners wanted

[chris beer]

hi I'm interested in buying a mid 80's 300sl, is there anything in particular I should be looking out for? does any one have any experience of a possible trader in croydon going by the name of 'chas, charles or charley'. All info treated in strictest confidence...many thanks. e mail chrisbeer2u@yahoo.co.uk

 

[Stan]

Hello Chris

I cant help you with the trader in Croydon but like you I am interested in buying a mid 80's R107 also.

I spent a long time searching through this forum which is excellent but it gets a bit tiresome after about 4 hours!

Please go to the search option and put in R107 and you will get a lot of useful info - but save your valuable spare time and start at the back of the search results first. Seems like 2005 was the year that R107 insterest was quite high but I guess people are more into early- mid 90's mercs now ...

From what I have found its not about the engine/ type/ model etc just go for the best you can afford regardless of year and check the paperwork is all intact - history is everything for these tanks.

I keep my eyes open for them weekly now on the web and few of the other useful links in the posts here - however because its got a 3 pointed star badge some people think they can charge what they like for them - remember its still just a car thats 20+ years old and will have the same issues like any other old car. To be fair since they were so expensive when new you would assume the people who had them would have looked after their investment?

Anyway good luck with your search and if any R107 owners can recommend people /garages who are at least honest so much the better?

Regards

Stan

 

[MIW615]

hi I'm interested in buying a mid 80's 300sl, is there anything in particular I should be looking out for? :

Have a good look round for poor body repairs, over the years it is bound to have had a few "bumps and scrapes" and one other thing RUST, RUST - can be expensive it's got hold of the bodywork

 

[David Pemberton]

Hello

I've had my 1987 R107 300SL since 2001 and it's been totally hassle free. It doesn't get as much love from me as it deserves, but it does live in a bone dry garage under a cotton cover connected to a trickle charger. On that diet it starts every time wth brief twist of the key even if I haven't used it for months and months.

The 300SL was extensively revised in the mid 80s and benefits from a good engine that saw a lot of use in other MBs right through to the late 90s - this may make it the cheapest and easiest of the R107s to maintain. Fuel consumption about 23 mpg in mixed driving. Quite quick and the stright six makes a nice howl, the kick-down switch lets it redline. Modern features like ABS and seat belt pre-tensioners are nice. Hard-top transforms it into a good long distance are even in winter.

Bad points - orginal design is late 1960s, launched in early 1970s (see excellent LJK Setright books for the details) so don't expect everying you'd find in a 1980s car - although this was MB's top model so even though the base design is old it still trumps many 80s cars. Handles like a yacht, which is why I don't mind having only 170bhp - can't think what you'd do with more. Rust - but my 1987 SL is better than my 2000 C220! The mid 80s facelift raised the seating to allow for all the cables/harness that the increased equipment required (these car are pre CAN technology) and this reduced the space for taller people so my SL is more cramped than my C.

I got my car by accident - literally my beloved SAAB was written off and a friend had the car as surplus after he ditched his girlfriend. The SL never made me interested enough in MB to join this formum, the C220 is conceptually much better. Still I like it enough to keep it, and on a classic car policy it costs buttons to run and is a joy on the dozen times a year it is driven.

I think that there is a R107 specialist in Lincolnshire (and probably several elsewhere too).

Do contact me with specific questions.

Best wishes

David

 

[Myros]

our 500SL 1985

puts the biggest driving smile you ever saw on my face. My missus likes it, my kids love it, and the only real trouble I've had is a wayward ABS light. Drove it in a spirited fashion all the way to Austria and back not long after getting it, never missed a beat and got 27 mpg out of it as well.
A few little blemishes here and there, but it's not a concours car,and I do drive it whenever I can, so only the worst salting keeps her in the garage.
Once you are used to the handling, you can hustle them pretty well, and embarass a lot of people from the lights if you like that sort of thing. The v8 makes a fantastic noise, like a wild animal ravenous for fresh meat.....love it.

 

[BlackC55]

I know of a great nick 280SL for sale.

58k in blue.

I have jst serviced it and it is in great condition.