One aspect of the car hobby that always surprises me is how one person views rust compared to someone who rarely encounters it. It happens quite often to me, where after years of living in New England, I have become accustomed to seeing a fair amount of rot on potential project cars. Ultimately, it doesn’t dissuade me from pursuing the vehicle in question if I want it badly enough, but for enthusiasts who have never lived with it, it’s an immediate turn-off. This 1972 Mercedes-Benz 300SEL 4.5 listed here on eBay supposedly has a rusty frame but still runs. Should it be saved?
The seller is based in Illinois, which certainly sees its fair share of cars completely hammered by road salt and snowy conditions. To their credit, they will quickly move to scrap a vehicle deemed too far gone to be reasonably saved, but they try to put solid parts vehicles up for grabs if there’s still value in the trim, drivetrain, and body panels. This W109 is a Mercedes flagship, combining impressive highway dynamics (particularly for a car from the 1970s) along with big power and torque from its meaty M117 4.5L V8.
The engine was truly a marvel for its time, and Mercedes didn’t make all that many of them (or, more accurately, perhaps it had a lower take rate simply due to the higher price.) The engine produces 195 b.h.p. and 264 lb-ft of twist, which is still a healthy number by today’s standards. Combined with pneumatic air suspension that allowed the big Benz to be both comfortable and handle adeptly, this green machine was a major force to be reckoned with on the interstates back in the day.
The seller cites the front crossmember as being the area of greatest concern rust-wise, but unfortunately, the photos don’t tell us a whole lot about how bad the frame is. The tricky thing with rust is some vendors get so concerned about misrepresenting a car that any rust is characterized as “bad” rust versus a flaw that can be fixed. With a gorgeous color combo and plenty of desirable trim still attached inside and out – not to mention a clean IL title and an engine that fires on starting fluid – does this Mercedes have enough going for it that it should be restored versus parted out?
Pick this carcass within an inch of its frame and swap the bits into your own project recipient. Not sure how this runs – the engine is missing top end bits and looks totally inactive.
Caveat emptor!