I have just been offered a v.nice 73 Merc 350 convertible, totally original as far as I can tell, almost perfect original paint, v. clean under the hood, 81,000 miles, 1 lady owner (yes I know!!), little SH as this was allegedly lost during a house move. The car drives great, and the neat- and tidiness has the patina of a cared-for original and is clearly not just a dealer valeting job. The interior is well used but not worn or damaged. There are a couple of minor niggles I can find, loose rub-rail, cracked indicator light, and a small hole in the hood. I can find no rot. The car has a mix of tire brands although all appear legal. Asking is £8,995. Overall the car looks very honest and cared for and is being offered by a reputable S. London classic dealer. Car looks and feels as though it will go for ever and would make a good daily driver.
Anyone care to offer an opinion???
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You pays your money and takes your chance.A friend of mine had one it was his dream care turned into a nightmare .Its to old for every day use something for weekends I would say
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Take a look under the air filter pan lid before you wave any money around at the dealer. Any oil under there, don't just walk, run.
HJ
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for this price its worth getting a company like ABS inspections to look at the car, also AA, and RAC inspections are good.
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Looked over a cheapo 500SEL weekend before last and remembering this advice looked under the cover. Guess what? Nice clean new air filter and pan very obviously wiped round. Film of black oil in the chamber underneath, however. Previous punter who had left an offer on it, did not lift the cover, I was told.
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Hi,
The advice that HJ gave is good. The trouble with these old SL's is, that they rot, and let in water. You have to look over them with a fine tooth comb. Check all the sills inner and outer. Especially around the jacking points. Check the boot for any water ingress and in the front foot wells. The front and rear windscreens are apt for leaking. Then causing rot. @1973, they have the old electronic injection system. If running well then ok. But if there is problems. You need somebody who knows what they are doing. As a previous guy said. These cars are not your every day run around car. And are not for running around in our winters. Have a good drive in it. And get it thoroughly checked over.
Hope I made some sense
Good luck
Andy@ www.mercedesservicing.com
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This is, I think, from the title of the thread; a SE L not a SL but I am with you on the sill Rot... and the door corners These Cabros were just about hand built and in general a better buy than the 1970s SLs (the 60s 230 250 and 280SLs were better than the 70s replacments)
~R
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