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Lost that loving feelin?

5K views 44 replies 22 participants last post by  SmattaHead 
#1 · (Edited)
Here in SWFL 107s are pretty common and I see 3 or 4 every day. I have always considered their styling to be timelessly classic but lately they are looking a bit old fashioned, almost spindly even, especially in head-on view.
I hope it's just temporary overexposure and not the end of my decades-long love affair :(
 
#5 ·
We thought we had, but it seems weather followed us down to SC this year.

I don't think I have seen a 107 down here this year. Mind you, owners may be keeping them out of the rain (and ice today).
 
#6 · (Edited)
I think we all have those moments of over-exposure and begin wondering if its time for a change. It will pass.

If nothing else throw a cover over yours and leave it be for awhile. Will come a time you'll pull it off and remember once again what took you down the path of 107 ownership. When seen by others (non-owners), they are still a very much appreciated top down body style.
 
#7 ·
I currently love my SL but there have been some well documented times that I was fed up and discouraged to the point that I had I buyer with cash in hand.


I'm glad I took a pass on that (thanks for the encouragement).

But Duggie.....you're in a unique situation where you have other neat and cool cars to play with and the money to expand if you wish.

For me the SL is my one shot at a seasonal car....for you.....it's just another seasonal car. If you are losing interest, then keep it covered for a year and play with the others.
 
#8 ·
I too have fleeting moments when I think of selling my 107 too.
One of things that helps bring me back is to work on one of its
"issues" :) How about purchasing some LED lamps and replace
the interior lights? Might feel somewhat like fondling the old girl :)
 
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#9 ·
Over the course of my life, I've had many interests that have come and gone, even those that I enjoyed for decades. Just sold my dream Harley which I'm quite sure will be my last motorcycle. Just lost the excitement of it!

If, as nobby said, you have other toys, I'd agree with the suggestion to just cover the 107 for a while, play with the others, and see if the "love" returns.

I've regretted some decisions I've made in life, but never one that I thought long and hard about.
 
#10 ·
Oh mine is well covered now, and won't see the road until May or maybe later this year. It is always fun to resurrect it in the Spring.
It's other folks' 107s that are striking me as dowdy.
Maybe I'm just envious that I don't have mine here to enjoy in this perfect top-down weather......
I did tire of my 450 after 15 years of ownership and sold it in favour of a modern convertible. Took me about a year to regret that and replace it with my current 560.
 
#11 ·
Yeah, I quit playing competitive chess (because I got stupid), quit playing guitar (because I got arthritis), quit playing war games (because I got re-married), quit doing weather (because I got burnt out and retired). All I have left is 8-yr-old bourbon, the holy smoke and my 'SL. God bless you guys!
 
#16 ·
Sorry how you feel.
I see 107's here in the Tampa Bay area every once in a while when driving around. Whenever I take mine out for a spin, every now and then, I get a pleasant comment or compliment from some random person. My most recent encounter was with middle aged woman at local Wal-Mart parking lot. She was looking at my 380SL parked next to her SUV and said that was her favorite style MB when she was growing up.
Hope you'll get the 107 fever back.
 
#22 ·
Wait a minute....

Hey Dugald, "is your SL for sale?
I positively hate selling things. Folks make appointments then fail to show. Some are just lonely and think it's an opportunity to make friends. Others feign interest, to be kind I suppose. I understand why used car salesmen think the public are assholes.
My favorites are those people who after you tell them it's sold want to know how much it went for. I tell them a really low number to upset them.
 
#24 ·
Don't like front view of r107, change it. I don't like the look of the box turn signals hanging off the bumper (looks like an after thought, "O" shit we forgot the blinkers) For that reason I always thought the front view of the R107 was its weak point visually. What I have done to change it was add cats eye blinkers, Euro bumpers, Euro headlights, wired for turn signal, and running lights.(two element bulb), Trimmed back slat grill, and made custom mesh to fit over it, added insert into center cone. Next step is to add 72/73 bumperettes to bumper, and either modify fog lights to be brighter, or remove them completely. Also added 560 spoiler.
 

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#30 · (Edited)
Being an long time 107 owner, and a more recent 129 and 170 owner, I can tell you that they are all great cars. While I love the classic styling of the 107, hence 2 of them :grin I really like the amazing power and comfort of the 600SL. The fact that 20 years down the road, I bought a flawless looking Super car that cost the original schmuck around $ 150,000 for $ 7 grand still stuns me ! I bought a 93 with wiring issues that I easily cured. That saved me quite a few thousand. I also bought during the great recession a few years ago so that helped immensely. The 129 really is an amazing car. The electromechanical/hydraulic ballet of the soft top is a sight I never tire of. They are complicated beasts but when working properly are the 8th wonder of the world. The V-12 is perhaps the best engine MB ever built. It's mechanical reliability tops the list. That said, if you have an issue, it's not for the faint of heart. A new engine is available thru MB for around $ 35,000. For the long block :eek. The 600 also has hydropneumatic suspension. Again, a mechanical marvel. Unless it pukes ! So far everything that has gone tits up on the 600 has been easy for me to bird dog and repair. That said, I COULD NOT afford this car if I had to have it repaired by an indy or a $tealer :eek. The popular wisdom is to avoid the 600's completely. If you are not a total DIY with fair equipment and extreme mechanical apptitude, you need a fatty wallet ! The 500's seem to be the best all around car for reliability and performance. Then onto the 170 or SLK's. They are cute cars that drive like a roller skate ! The tops are amazing and end the stupid hard top issue with a simple push of a button. My wife loves hers, what little she drives it (only in summer). It however is not quiet or comfortable compared with the 600. The visors sit under the header panel and do not flip up, so even at 5'8" the wind is always blowing my hair up. This does not happen in the 600. I sit lower in the 600 and the visors and windscreen take care of the rest. Interestingly enough, getting in and out involves some type of monkey motion that does not involve me beating the hell out of the drivers bolster like the 107 and 600. Who knows why. The supercharged 4 has enough soup to herd the thing around, but does so with much more fanfair than the barely idling V-12. Each car is somewhat mission specific. Take my advice. Own all three ! :grin
 
#45 ·
LOL! My sentiments exactly!

I have my 560 out and back on the road. She runs great, and I enjoy driving a good looking classic around as my daily driver. But, I have to admit, that I am considering parting with it (again!) for something more modern. Every time I think of parting with my 560, I'm sure that I will miss my classic. :frown
 
#37 ·
This was the first year in maybe seven that I didn't drive the 380SL in the winter, because I acquired a 2012 Sonata from a family member (with only 5K mi on it). It's loaded, and has tons of creature comforts that weren't even imaginable when the 560 was last made. It has 50 more HP than the 560SL and gets about double the gas mileage on regular. I wonder if driving it has spoiled me. But this is really my first "new" (to me) car that I've ever owned that was built after 1986, never mind in this century.

Meanwhile, the 380SL in need of the engine/trans that I have ready for it, started first try, immediately, after sitting a month. I wish that it ran as well as it starts! I have some fairly serious projects needed on it this summer, and then, SWMBO wants me to sell it. I've got the paint, the new top, and the engine/trans, I might as well install/use them...:(

Before the unexpected Sonata, I was actually looking at the possibility of an older CL or maybe a CLK convertible.
 
#38 · (Edited)
My SL500 is the finest car I have ever owned. Yet, I really, REALLY miss the fun of the 350SL Aaron now has. Once in awhile I get a serious itch for another. After the lottery I guess.

BTW, I think the 99-02 SL500 is probably the best bargain out there right now. I'd go with the M113 engine rather than the M119. Fewer issues.
 
#41 ·
How much of that difference in ride and power was due to condition?

FWIW, I've seen people claim with a straight face that the M112 was the best six-cylinder engine Mercedes ever built; since the M113's that same engine with two more cylinders, I can see that it'd be a good one.
 
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#42 ·
Just back from sunny South (via Outer Banks). In 3 months, I only saw one 107, and it was an older faded silver US spec model and had the hard top on. I concur with Dugald that they can look kind of old fashioned and not that attractive.

But with top down and a sunny day, they can look great. Like this euro 300SL:



Regarding the later SLs, they are what I think of as 'cars of the electronic era'. Engines and chassis may be great, but lot's of other "stuff" to go wrong. We have dodged a number of bullets on our 98 E320 of the same era with DIY repairs. But haven't spent the $4000 plus that an evaporator replacement will cost. At least the early 107s have a minimum of other "stuff" to go wrong.
 
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