I have been daily driving a '94 E420 for almost 3 years now and last Thursday I purchased a 1985 380SL Euro.
Here's some info:
-Imported new to California in 1985; has been federalized with smog equipment, and it's all going bye bye.
-Odometer stopped at 86k miles, current mileage unknown. I would guess at least 150k.
-Sat for a number of years, then brought up to decent running conditon again by an MB dealership in 2008.
-PO drove it for the last 5 years and she said she wasn't afraid to drive it anywhere.
-No maintenance records besides one receipt from when the MB dealership got this car from barely running to much improved. Mostly ignition work. Seller mentioned her son doing some work to the ignition system, also a new brake master cylinder.
-Paint and body 7/10, very minor dings, several chips here and there, overall shines good and is a great 20-footer.
-Interior 7/10. Seats very good, door panels good, has a dash cap. Could use various trim pieces and new carpet including in trunk.
-Windows work well, aftermarket radio in-op, climate control in-op.
-Soft top in great condition, came with hard top also in good condition.
-Euro bumpers in straight condition, will need re-chromed someday.
-We put this car on a lift and took a look. Having spent time in California... there is NO RUST on this car!!!
The car is an absolute blast to drive still and everyone turns their head when it goes down the road. Right now the most obvious issues are:
-Runs rough when cold, smooths out quite a bit when at operating temperature but still a little rough.
-Brake pedal is quite firm
-Transmission shifts fairly well out on the road but shifting into reverse and drive are often quite harsh, the RPM will rise a bit and it will "slam" into gear.
My burning question: are these issues commonly traced back to all VACUUM LEAKS? If so my problems may be an easy fix.
Due to the unknown history of this car we're going to play it safe and replace the timing chain guides at the very least if the chain looks good. Although depending on the cost of chain replacement I may just go ahead and have it done. I have to drive this car 100 miles north to get it home so I plan on having this done, and hopefully the above 3 issues fixed. Also things like making sure the entire braking system is safe and things like the coolant system to make sure I'm not going to overheat on the freeway on my drive home.
Will also probably put on a new set of tires for the drive home too, the current set is 10 years old. A blowout on the freeway would be horrible. I went to tire rack and discount tire's website and they are not showing hardly any options for my 14" rims. Are there any alternatives to the original 205/70-14 tires?
I'm very thrilled to have this car. You guys would turn pea green withy envy if you knew what a screamin' deal the seller sold this car to me for. For the price I paid usually it's a rusted, torn up junker. This is a running, driving, very presentable EURO SL in a fantastic color combination too!
Here's some info:
-Imported new to California in 1985; has been federalized with smog equipment, and it's all going bye bye.
-Odometer stopped at 86k miles, current mileage unknown. I would guess at least 150k.
-Sat for a number of years, then brought up to decent running conditon again by an MB dealership in 2008.
-PO drove it for the last 5 years and she said she wasn't afraid to drive it anywhere.
-No maintenance records besides one receipt from when the MB dealership got this car from barely running to much improved. Mostly ignition work. Seller mentioned her son doing some work to the ignition system, also a new brake master cylinder.
-Paint and body 7/10, very minor dings, several chips here and there, overall shines good and is a great 20-footer.
-Interior 7/10. Seats very good, door panels good, has a dash cap. Could use various trim pieces and new carpet including in trunk.
-Windows work well, aftermarket radio in-op, climate control in-op.
-Soft top in great condition, came with hard top also in good condition.
-Euro bumpers in straight condition, will need re-chromed someday.
-We put this car on a lift and took a look. Having spent time in California... there is NO RUST on this car!!!
The car is an absolute blast to drive still and everyone turns their head when it goes down the road. Right now the most obvious issues are:
-Runs rough when cold, smooths out quite a bit when at operating temperature but still a little rough.
-Brake pedal is quite firm
-Transmission shifts fairly well out on the road but shifting into reverse and drive are often quite harsh, the RPM will rise a bit and it will "slam" into gear.
My burning question: are these issues commonly traced back to all VACUUM LEAKS? If so my problems may be an easy fix.
Due to the unknown history of this car we're going to play it safe and replace the timing chain guides at the very least if the chain looks good. Although depending on the cost of chain replacement I may just go ahead and have it done. I have to drive this car 100 miles north to get it home so I plan on having this done, and hopefully the above 3 issues fixed. Also things like making sure the entire braking system is safe and things like the coolant system to make sure I'm not going to overheat on the freeway on my drive home.
Will also probably put on a new set of tires for the drive home too, the current set is 10 years old. A blowout on the freeway would be horrible. I went to tire rack and discount tire's website and they are not showing hardly any options for my 14" rims. Are there any alternatives to the original 205/70-14 tires?
I'm very thrilled to have this car. You guys would turn pea green withy envy if you knew what a screamin' deal the seller sold this car to me for. For the price I paid usually it's a rusted, torn up junker. This is a running, driving, very presentable EURO SL in a fantastic color combination too!