Deciding to save a Mercedes-Benz R107 is a challenging decision, no matter how low the purchase price. These cars are inherently good at what they do – excellent highway manners and truly enjoyable as a usable convertible – but they seemingly fall into disrepair at a higher rate than most any other European car. The example shown is a 1979 450SL listed here on eBay with 123,000 miles on the clock. It doesn’t run, and the seller is asking $2,400 or best offer.
Recently. I had a chance to assess an R107 for possible purchase. I had known of the car for years, belonging to a friend of mine who described it as a gra market model with the venerable inline-six under the hood. This engine wasn’t sold in the R107 in the states, so it was an interesting project for a few reasons. However, when I saw the car, all hope was lost: it was almost entirely disassembled with many of the desirable European market parts missing. The interior was a mouse house, and the bodywork was half in primer. Suffice to say, it was not worth the price of admission. When I look at a car like this one, a U.S. market example, the condition is certainly better, but the model itself isn’t particularly desirable.
The interior, however, presents better than I’d expect for a slight derelict convertible. It seems that the optional hard top, which is currently installed, has been affixed for some time, helping to keep the outside elements out of the cabin. Though the dash is cracked, the seats are in good shape and the carpets don’t look too foul. All of the U.S. cars came standard with a 3- or 4-speed automatic, so there’s no surprise to see the slushbox in place. If you wanted a stick, you’d have to hold out for a European-market example. The dash does have cracks, and the seller notes that the rear glass in the hardtop is also damaged.
The 4.5L V8 generated just over 220 horsepower, but these cars accelerate quite leisurely. That’s OK – they were never intended to be sports cars – but the combination of this engine with the lazy transmission can make the experience less than sporting. The trouble with the R107 is that there are so many examples for sale at a given time that it’s hard to justify spending real money on a project unless it’s a gray market car – but even the one I looked at was too far gone to take seriously. This SL appears to have good bones, but the price will need to come down to make its future preservation a reality.
I like the write-up here – these are tricky cars to figure out. They seem like fantastic cars when in great condition but then they are also usually expensive enough that there are many other tempting choices. And ratty examples are plentiful and cheap but seem not very enjoyable as is and prohibitively expensive to restore. A former colleague owned an early one in a nice soft yellow color. It was nice-ish, he was looking to sell it very cheap but on closer inspection rust was starting to creep everywhere.
Another time – perhaps 10 years ago by now – there was a rare 450SLC 5.0 for sale nearby and the price was very tempting. But it turned out that the engine wasn’t very healthy which made it an impossible buy. I’d bet that the cost of fixing the engine had been quite a bit more than what could be justified. So it seems to me that these ”bargain” SL/SLC will keep sitting around forever waiting for a time when values are climbing to where you can justify fixing them up. But given how common they are, will that time ever come?
The R107s are worth saving in almost any condition. The values on these just keeps climbing. $2,400 is a good price.
I will respectfully disagree. Unless you are a skilled M-B tech or DIY, you won’t fix this up for less than a #2 condition example would cost you.
Maybe I just did not get to drive a good one, as these seemed to be very poor examples of German engineering. The steering -recirculating ball(?)- was vague even after we installed new wear parts on all four corners. My friend just bought the most he could afford and we attempted to make everything work as intended. Had some trouble with the ignition, but in time all was AOK. His was a pale green and with the brown upholstery, it looked great. He still owns it 10 years later.
The plastic over the hardtop doesn’t fill one with confidence. LS, 6 speed and electronic power steering anyone?