I am considering the purchase of a 1975 450sl that has 60,000 miles and has only been driven about 3000 miles in the past 15 years. It was been garaged in the north for all this time. What problems will I encounter from the car sitting that long and what would be the maximum price to pay for such a car. The body is mint, yet the seats need new cusion, and the soft top needs to be replaced. I would appreciate any help.
1975 450... Sweet! I'm sure if you search on this forum, many ideas wil be found to help you along the way. Resurrecting stored and infrequently used Sl's has been discussed many times, with many success stories along the way.
First (if you haven't already), Seek out and buy a good manual... Cd's are easy to find, and for the vintage of your car, printed manuals are available (ebay, etc). Even the ole haynes for this vintage is fairly good at rudimentary items. Secondly, change all fluids (including Brake fluid). Pay attention to all rubber parts like seals and hoses... passage of time is harder on them than use. Consider a MB tech inspection or other professional evaluation...
Lastly, enjoy the ride! Post back soon with pictures, and have a look at the galleries section located here on BenzWorld.
Glad to have you aboard!
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RM Smith
Where is it again that we are going... And why are we in a handbasket?
Thanks for the help. What is the most you would guess the car is worth?
Thats a loaded question... I can tell you the horsehair pads for the seats will run you around $200 each seat, and the soft top around $450 (canvas). Labor is around $4-600 to install, but is possible for a competent DIY-type.
If all service records are present and current, and the body is rust-free, then I would not be surprised to see it near $7-8K or perhaps a little more (the low mileage may inflate the price a bit). For not much more than that amount, a good 560Sl can be had. If your heart is set on a 450, then research the catalytic convertor issue. I believe the '75 had the cats mounted on the exhaust manifolds in the engine compartment. Not a huge deal, but can be a source of lots of heat! Navigate to: http://fly.hiwaay.net/~gbf/107/rt.html
for a good discussion on the venerable 107.
I have a 76 450sl and love it. That said, the 75 & 76 models are not the most desirable - they were the first years with pollution control equipment and MB made a really bad design decision to leave the cat. converter in the negine compartment. thus, these cars tend to run
hotter and bake electrical lines over the years.
The cats can be removed or updated, however.
60,000 isn't much, but northern cars usually have rust somewhere, unless it was really garaged. check that carefully.
as the other posters said, price is a guess. if it's been sitting around it may need a lot of clean up work. you see some cars like this (if it really runs and is fairly clean) for as little as $4-5000. Then again, some people ask $8-10 for such cars. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $5000 for an SL that needs a new interior and a soft top.
A soft top w/installation will run you at least $900.
Check the records on the car - who owned it, did they service it, etc.
You might offer just $3-4000 for a car that needs a lot of work.
But hard to say from here - maybe you've found a beauty.
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