The R107-chassis Mercedes-Benz is an easy car to find if you’re simply looking for a summer cruiser or a moderately interesting hobby vehicle. However, these vehicles were effectively the poster child for the thriving gray market industry back in the ’80s, and as such, you can find some interesting specimens that were forbidden fruit back in the day. This car is a 1984 280SL listed here on eBay in full Euro-spec guise with all the desirable parts still fitted, including the robust M110 inline-six and a manual transmission.
The seller is asking $9,850 or best offer for this running, driving SL that was supposedly parked for several years after the owner passed away. That’s a very fair price for one of these, but it also reminds me how the R107’s star has fallen a bit. I seem to recall that a genuine European-market car like this would have easily been worth $20,000 or so, even with the rough cosmetics. But as the market has continued to move on from older classics, I don’t think we’re likely to see a rapid rise in value for these roadsters, which makes it possible to buy a car like this one for under $10,000.
I can recall a good friend in the car hobby business sending me photos of his identical SL parked on his farm, deep in the weeds, abandoned many years ago. At first, I was shocked: how could he do that? But then I realized it was simply a difficult car to justify restoring. Mercedes parts, whether for a U.S. or gray-market model, are not cheap. Restoring a car worth $10,000-$15,000 on a good day is difficult to justify. Fortunately, this 280SL is not beyond the point of being saved on a modest budget, as the biggest expense it appears to require is a fresh Blauschwarz paint job. The seats would also benefit from new leather.
The combination of the 5-speed and the M110 – along with those pretty glass European headlights and slim chrome bumpers – is worth the price of admission here. A smooth twin-cam, it produces 182 b.h.p. and 177 lb.-ft. of torque, and is known to be incredibly overbuilt. I’m not surprised at all that this one still runs with minimal fussing even after sitting idle for years. With the option to submit a best offer, I would make a run at this car for around $8,500 and feel good about budgeting for a respray down the road.
Before I made a bid I would have to ask about the HVAC controls condition. Gassing up the AC is no big deal. If it needed much more than that I don’t want to have to take the dashboard apart. One time was plenty for me. 🥵🥵🥵
Better the Euro market HVAC controls than the fussy Chrysler-sourced pushbutton climate control in the US market cars.