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!
The issue with Mercedes is that all the parts have to come from Mercedes. And Mercedes parts aren’t cheap.
Some time ago, I had a ’60 190D that I liked a lot, but when I went to re-do the brakes, each wheel cylinder (2 per wheel) was $250. 8 wheel cylinders = $2000, and that was just a start.
Rust: Sure, a rocker here or a quarter there, but frame rust on a ’72 Mercedes? Pffft.
What frame, unibody if I remember right? Air suspension possibly as with the 300 SEL 6.3 a couple of years earlier? I had the 69 version 6.3 that had rust at the jack points similar to a car here recently. Not worth fixing and only parts car.
That may still be true for a 1960 Mercedes, Rex, but I’ve been able to source quite a few after-market parts for my ’79 450 sl. The problem is that you must be selective; e.g., the front subframe bushings from Mercedes at $250 are a much better value than the $60 Mahle parts that last 2 years.
The couple of underside shots don’t show much but they don’t look so bad either. If the car ran it would make one classy winter beater.
Some of the finest cars ever made, but parts are too expensive for me. Why is it that less expensive cars have replacement parts being made by manufacturers other than the original factory, but the cars I want to restore like this one cost too much to fix? I’ll answer my own question: pure market economics. Too small a demand to justify the capital outlay. Some car clubs (like Packards Int’l) can point you to members who are actually making new parts, but outside of referrals like that, you’re stuck.
RUN! DON’T LOOK BACK, JUST RUN!
It’s riding kind of low. Did these have an air suspension or hydraulic system? Was there an on-board compresor providing air to the suspension?
The later MB systems were problematic and expensive to fix,
There is a reason that so many are selling for so little.
(If it were a 6.3, it would certainly be worth fixing)
I did own a 300SEL 6.3 about 25 years ago and it was a money pit due to rust, air suspension (the least of the problems), and a leaky mechanical fuel injection pump (the dangerous part). I replaced the air bag assemblies myself for about $1000 in parts. The rust and the injection pump would have cost much more. I lost and traded for a much more civilized 300 SD diesel. The 6.3 engine was also used in the 600 limousine series that is a much much bigger expense times five maybe.
On 8/9/2026 seller posted a video on their YouTube channel that this car sold after 692 days to someone in Texas.
Steve R