Would a 1982 SL 380 be a suitable donor for our 1985 SL 500

[Dave_kellie]

Hi

Just purchased a 1985 SL 500 over the weekend car looked in very good condition but I did not grovel around on the floor in the wet looking under the car wish I had now.

Took the car into our local garage to see what the state of play was, things are not looking good Steering , Exhaust system , 3 tyres need replacing as incorrect speed rating, brake pipes all need replacing , radiator leaking , windscreen has small crack but not a MOT failure.

Plus serious amounts of welding on the front end chassis due to the car having been in a accident at sometime and was badly welded 2nd hand front chassis rails and some corrosion around the servo and N/S bulk head has signs of filler.

Would a 1982 SL 380 be a suitable donor for our 1985 SL 500

The car also has it fair share of oil leaks and some issues with the auto box which looks like a vacuum pipe issue

Or is the car a £4,000 scrapper ?


Dave & Kellie

 

[stats007]

Personally I think you'd be better off passing the car on via auction - or worst case break it for spares. You'll probably spend the £4k it's worth trying to sort it - and using a donor car won't guarantee the parts are any better if compatible (which most are bar exhaust / rad etc).

Not sure I'd touch any R107 500SL that was less than £7.5k to be honest - £10k is more realistic.

 

[television]

Did some work on a 380 a couple of weeks back, the car had not been looked after after being in Spain for 10 years and returning home, as stats says a bad one will never be good as there is so much on them.

Malcolm

 

[Dave_kellie]

Thanks guys for the advice looks like the SL500 will be broken up and the parts sold on eBay to get back some of the £4,000 paid for the car.


Looks like this is also the end of the dream of owning a classic car


Dave & Kellie

 

[stats007]

Never say never...

R107s are notorious at hiding problems but get a good one and they're a joy to own.

You weren't the first and won't be the last to find out the hard way unfortunately.

 

[Myros]

Dave

sorry to hear about your 500 not being what you wished. Have a good look on e-bay, European as well, and you'll see that you can get some of your money back, as long as you have somewhere to store and dismantle the car. You'll probably be able to net a thousand for the doors, wings, bonnet, bootlid and soft-top alone, if they are in passable condition. If your hard top is fair, anothe £4-500. A hundred each for the headlamps, 50 each for the tail lights, it soon mounts up. The interior could be real find if it's in good nick. A lot of restorers don't necessarily want a brand new interior, but one that has an aged but cared for patina.
I suggest you join all the SL forums you can and get a feel for the market.

Don't forget there are a few of us on here who might be interested as well.

Good luck and don't let it put you off 500s.

 

[Dave_kellie]

Guy’s thanks for the advise we are taking the car to a local car restores to see if the first garage over reacted on it assessment of 22 year SL 500 to us things like the heated seats ,incorrect wiper blades in the headlight wipers l not working will not stop us enjoying the car,

Replacing things like exhaust, tyres, wiper blades the car is not a problem as long as the structure of the is OK

The main factor in keeping the car on the road will be the cost of the welding to bring the car up to MOT standards for the next 3 – 5 years

Dave & Kellie

 

[42847]

w107

if the car looks presentable,its worth spending a few thousand making it right..£4000 was a cheap car to start with....i would prefer to buy at that price and end up with £8000 in it rather than buy one at £10,000 in case the £10,000 one was tarted up....my 380sl needs £80 of welding every year for mot,but still worth it, for the pleasure that it gives

 

[ianh2]

hi Dave.
What happened??