The R107 Mercedes remains a car that is both rising in value and wholly attainable on a budget. The best cars, usually later models and Euro-spec examples, can easily clear the $20K price threshold, but others like this dusty 1980 example here on craigslist in Texas are quite affordable (to buy) at $5K. Will it ever be worth $20K? Doubtful, but the upside is you can enjoy this one without worrying about piling on the miles.
The seller doesn’t give us much to go on, other than that the Mercedes ran a few years ago. Equipped with a V8 that was a big choked at the time due to stringent fuel economy requirements, the European market cars were always a better option if you could find an importer. This one would clean up nicely with the Euro-spec headlights and slim chrome bumpers.
A hardtop is included, which is a bonus. The colors aren’t great, and no pictures of the interior don’t help matters, either. The trouble with sunny, dry climates is they often lead to dry-rotted interiors, with cracked dashes and tired seating surfaces. The Bundt wheels are always a great look for these cars, but they look massively better with the small bumpers attached.
And remember, if you’re looking for a Mercedes-Benz project car, check out one of our latest Exclusives for a multi-car collection in Woodstock, Georgia! But if a solid coating of Texas dust doesn’t phase you, the 450SL could be worth checking out – but not without a significant price reduction for a car that’s an unknown quantity at this point.
I like pizza
I own 5 collector Mercedes at the moment including two 560 SLs. Maintenance history is is key to a successful purchase. If regular maintence has not been done, the costs to catch up can be high. I bought a one owner, 35 mile 560SL with few maintenace records – owner claims he did annual inspections but lost the records. It cost me almost $4k to make the car safe – all items he should have done if he had truly had it inspected yearly. so cheap Mercedes can be only the beginning of their cost. Beware of this one and ones like it.
Because the weather here in Denver is so nice, I took out our ’83 380SL to my shop this morning! Because I’m a mechanic, we converted it to a double-roller and all that – fun cars!
Replace brake calipers and hoses, camshaft oil feed tubes and rebuild the fuel distributor. Should be good after that!
Would love to get a hold of both Benz’s. Benz has been one my most desired cars since the 1980’s and riding the diesel Benz cabs in Israel back in 1985.
A must have..
Recently bought one in Larado Texas. Solid body so so interior. Can’t find anyone that want’s to ship it to Ohio for me. Seems no one goes to Larado.
Gone like the wind…. sold perhaps, as it has been deleted from CL