I’ve become a fan of older Mercedes-Benz products over the last few years, perhaps more than any of the other European marques I tend to be smitten by. The main reason for this is durability: despite the reputation of Euro cars in general having higher-than-normal maintenance costs (and some of this reputation is justified), I’ve found my Mercedes vehicles of a certain age have been shockingly easy to live with. That’s probably why so many of the R107s end up for sale as running vehicles despite looking like they just drove out of a salvage yard. This particular car is a 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380SL and it’s listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $2,500.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Hans H. for the find. Now, of course, any older European car is going to be a huge money pit if you buy the worst example you can find. Whenever I see random posts on Reddit or other general message boards about how “awful” someone’s experience was with a European car, I always want to ask whether they bought a car owned by an enthusiast; if they bought one with records; and if they had a pre-purchase inspection performed. Usually, the answer is no to all three questions. So, my rule of thumb is to be able to answer yes to those queries for a car that costs real money, or to spend as little as possible and hopefully be pleasantly surprised. This R107 falls squarely into that category, and I dig the slightly “Mad Max” vibe this example has going on.
The seller claims this is an estate vehicle that could be viable as a parts rig, owing to some rust in the rockers and fenders. There’s also this body damage to the driver’s side quarter panel. Someone rattle-canned the wheels, that look like standard Mercedes rims. The roof rack would look better if there was a corresponding front cross bar; with the full rack, a rally light bar, and some meaty tires, this R107 could be well on its way to a safari / rally-style build. Given the R107s actually have a legitimate competition history in various rally events, it wouldn’t be out of line to give this 380SL the off-road treatment.
As much as the R107 has a reputation for being the kind of luxury car you find at a Buy-Here-Pay-Here lot, the reality is they are well built enough to survive being neglected and passed around a circle of third and fourth owners who have no interest in writing the necessary checks to bring a car like this back into good health. The seller’s car may be a running, driving example but the presence of rust in the body really does make this one a tough sell to justify bringing back from the brink. What would a fair offer be for a car like this if it’s destined for a future as a parts rig?
“There is no car more expensive than a cheap old Mercedes.”
The guy who told me that owned 3 of them.
There are always cheap R107 projects around, especially this time of year. I have owned several, and enjoyed working on them. If you know where to look, parts are fairly plentiful, often from cars like this one.
Some 20 years ago, I got a high-mile ’81 for my wife to play with. It was reliable, but quite slow by modern standards. She never really liked it, and traded it on a (then) nearly new C5.
Cars like this can be patched up to DIY “10 Footer” grade drivers, but you will still lose money. Tired examples just don’t have any real value. Most (sensible) R107 buyers only want decent, rust-free cars.
Bought cheaply, this car could be a money-maker, But only if parted out.
Ghost-Busters-Hearse-in-parking-lot!!
Looks like a surplus military ambulance (maybe 73-75) to me, there were quite a few around the DC area at that time. A coworker bought a surplus one and it sat in his driveway for over 20 years, his neighbors loved the yard art (not), he was just a bit eccentric. He also had one of the nicest and largest collection of Macintosh hifi and stereo equipment ever!
Stay away from this beater!
If you are going to buy an R107, the 380 is not the one you want. The timing chains on these are known for issues. The rest is what it is. I owned a 560, which had some guts and handled well. I still could not get over that a $50k car in 1986 did not have a power top when my 67 Dart did.
Does anyone have any information about the Ambulance??