Hello! I'm new here. I'm so close to buying a 1974 450SL that is already in great condition.. but there are a few things holding me back..

1. I'm a 22 yo female. I know nothing about fixing cars. There are a few little European shops in my area that work on classic cars. My dad can fix basic car things. I think he'll be able to help, even though he says he wont since he doesn't think its smart to get one lol.
2. I put 15,000 miles on my Cadillac ATS last year... I'll still be driving the Cadillac in the winter, but I'm planning on driving the Mercedes 7/12 months.. Can I put 8-10k miles on it a year?
3. Everyone's telling me I shouldn't. The way people talk about classic cars makes me feel like it'll break down if I drive it down the street, and I'll pay $3,000 in repairs. Is everyone just dramatic?

I'm definitely only planning on buying one if it's been taken care of, needs no major fixing, etc.

Welcome to the forum Sms84.

First, i'm going to pick apart your thread with some ice water so please don't take it the wrong way.

A 1974 450SL is a 44 year old car. What "defines" this car as in great condition? Is the car running in tune? Does it have a mountain of receipts detailing work done? Has it had the subframe repair done to it?

If you can't answer these questions, especially the subframe question, I would take the claim of it being in great condition with a grain of salt. I suggest you take it to one of the european shops around you to do a pre-purchase inspection.

A 1974 450SL I believe runs on a Bosch D-Jetronic fuel injection system. It's a surprisingly robust fuel rail system that was designed in the 60s. These systems are quirky, complicated, and run on several parts that have become unobtanium. There are fans here of this older system, but it terrifies me and I stay away. If it has the K-Jet system, it's a lot easier to maintain since the parts are simpler.

Everyone who is telling you that you shouldn't do it are absolutely correct, especially if you don't want to do it yourself.

You can expect repairs bills in excess of $1000 per repair on parts alone. Labor doubles and triples that. While it's nice to have a father that will do work for you for free, the effort involved in doing a lot of this work is immensely hard, dirty, and it's unfair to expect him to do it.

Why are these cars so expensive to have a shop work on them? Well, the knowledge required to troubleshoot these cars has faded from most shops. Your mechanic will then have to spend a few hours of time reading over manuals and alldata articles, maybe searching the open internet for answers, and this will all be on your dime. The shops that do have the knowhow have a captive audience of collectors and rich people where money is no objection and charge accordingly.

If everything I've written hasn't swayed you and the r107 bug hasn't been shaken loss, get a pre-purchase inspection and see what's really wrong with it. Do a search here on what the subframe defect looks like. At one time, the dealerships would have replaced this part for free, but since we're in the 40+ year range that time has passed.

I would suggest that you plan on getting comfortable with working on your car or plan on shelling out lots of money to have someone else do it for you. Don't fret, when I was 19, I got a 300D from 1985 and learned how to wrench. It isn't mentally difficult, but very physically difficult. These cars aren't that complicated once get into it, manuals are available free online, and we're a charming bunch so you won't be alone.

It's a labour of love because top down cruising in an old school Benz is cool AF!

 

Thanks for the reply! That was really helpful.

The listing "says":
-oil changes yearly
-recent coolant flush, valve cover gaskets, idler arm, front end alignment, brake pads
-never in an accident
-never driven in winter
-recall work done in 2017
-original R-12 air conditioning system and compressor works
-zero rust
-new tires

Like I said, I don't know much about cars, but for a 40+ year old car, this sounds like great condition? I don't mind paying when things go wrong, since I'm planning on having the car a really long time. I was just wondering if I were to get one that has had recent repairs done and is in "great condition"... if I'd still be paying thousands for maintenance?

My dad is in his early 40's, I don't want you to think I'd be making my poor old dad do hard car work. I know he'd probably end up enjoying it, especially if I did it with him, lol. He built houses for 25 years, he gets bored now that he's just a superintendent.

 

Thanks for the reply! That was really helpful.

The listing "says":
-oil changes yearly
-recent coolant flush, valve cover gaskets, idler arm, front end alignment, brake pads
-never in an accident
-never driven in winter
-recall work done in 2017
-original R-12 air conditioning system and compressor works
-zero rust
-new tires

Like I said, I don't know much about cars, but for a 40+ year old car, this sounds like great condition? I don't mind paying when things go wrong, since I'm planning on having the car a really long time. I was just wondering if I were to get one that has had recent repairs done and is in "great condition"... if I'd still be paying thousands for maintenance?

It's certainly better to get a classic car from an enthusiast, especially if it was regularly driven and has evidence of work done recently. "Garage queens" aka cars that just sit around and are driven sparingly have a lot of different issues.

For what it's worth, my car was listed too as in, "great condition, everything works, mountain of receipts from the MB dealer, and a rebuilt engine". The reality of this was quite different once I got under and started looking around. The engine had several intake leaks because of sloppy work done by the dealer, the CV joints were cracking because of tired suspension components, and various other issues.

Absolutely get a pre-purchase inspection done at one of those euro shops you mentioned. Ask them if they're familiar with this vintage of automobile, make sure the subframe has been reinforced (check for receipts), and see what else needs done. I'd also have the shop run a smoke test on the top end. Any leaks, get an estimate for repair and use that in your negotiations or walk away from the car. A leak in the intake system is a serious issue and can require a lot of hard work to get it right.

And if there is any sign of rust, walk away. Rust is a silent cancer for these cars.

My dad is in his early 40's, I don't want you to think I'd be making my poor old dad do hard car work. I know he'd probably end up enjoying it, especially if I did it with him, lol. He built houses for 25 years, he gets bored now that he's just a superintendent.

To be fair, car work is never "easy" nor quick. It's physically exhausting work on par with construction.

I would run it past him to see if he's really comfortable doing free car work.

I'm well seasoned and have mucked around long enough to get these jobs done quickly, but the reality is that an oil change is a hour long affair, a tune-up (replacing 8 spark plugs, wires, cap, and rotor) is 2 hours going slowly to ensure spark plugs don't cross thread, and fluid/filter changes (transmission, power steering) are typically in the 1-3 hour range . Triple these times if it's your first time doing it because a screw up will make an epic sad face.

Rebuilding the intake system, dropping the steering box, refreshing suspension components, CV axle replacements are multi-day long projects. Also remember that shipping for most parts comes from a few select warehouses scattered around the country. So if you need something budget in at least 3-5 business days to get something. Even longer if you need a really special part from the Fatherland (Germany) which can take 1-2 weeks or worse.

I'm 30 and started wrenching recreationally (that's a laugh) when I turned 19. It's a lot like going to the gym. It sucks, you'll hate it, curse in a new language, and wonder WTF is wrong with you.

However, just like the gym, you'll feel immensely satisfied when it's all done.

Using my skills I learned on my 300D, I was able to better troubleshoot issues on my later model cars (Saab, Prius, Mini) which will help you save money when you go to a mechanic. If you can spell out what is exactly wrong, you save shop time having the mechanic figure it out.

If you want inspiration, there is a user on Peachparts that goes by the name BodhiBenz. She learned how to weld and do body repair to fix her childhood family car and still drives it on the east coast. You can PM me and i'd be happy to make an introduction to her on FB.

Since you are now fully versed in what you're getting yourself into...

Welcome to the asylum!

 

Definitely get an inspection done. Sounds as though the seller may have maintenance records. If so that's a plus, you want them. Ask to show those to whoever does the PPI.

 

Amen to what the guys said. If you're developing a bug make sure you get the car checked out by someone versed with those machines, the challenge with R107's is that they may be absolutely spotless on the outside, yet a true lemon on the inside.

 

As an owner of a 74 450SL I must chime in. 8K to 10K miles a year is a lot of mileage for a 45 year old car! Plan on a lot of maintenance, especially in the beginning. That kind of mileage will uncover many issues that only putting 2K a year might not. And a 45 year old car will let you down every once in a while even though you thought you had maintained it very well (ask me how I know this). I too have an ATS as my daily driver and when driving it I really do appreciate the advantages of a modern car, sometimes more so after driving my SL. Don’t get me wrong, I love my SL and doing the work on it myself is somewhat satisfying and keeps the cost relatively low by comparison (Have done more than my fair share of reading about D-jet fuel injection amongst other things early SL related!).

The point here I guess is know what your getting into and have your expectations adjusted accordingly! My SL only had 68.5K miles on it when I bought it and even though, I’m still constantly tinkering with it. On these cars it isn’t the mileage so much as the time that has passed, the plastics and rubber have aged, the wiring is old and any and all maintenance items need to be looked over.

Anyway, good luck with your decision and let us know the outcome. If you do become the owner of an R107 this forum is a great resource for its upkeep!

 

I really hate to be a Killjoy on this and I know how attractive these cars are but considering your profile and situation I would be thinking VERY carefully before buying a really old car like this. However, if you have lots of $$ then go for it.
Don't kill me guys!

 

I totally agree with you. She should not by this one or any 107 at all. If she has to have one get a 560SL or an'84-'85 380SL.

 

Classic cars should be treated like boats. Cool and fun but ultimately expensive money pits.

I used to daily my 380sl. I now own a mini Clubman because I just got tired of doing constant maintanence on it. Benzy is now a weekend drover and a good one at that.

 

okyoureabeast makes some good points. However, if you have a local mechanic that can work on it, I'd say buy one. You can always sell it if it turns out to be a bad fit for you. I have to stress finding a local mechanic that can work on it. These cars are old and a lot of guys that know them are retired. I do most of the work on mine myself but recently had to have work done on it in order for it to pass smog. The owner of the shop I took it to literally had to call up a retired guy to do the work. Regular maintenance is easy but some areas of these cars are pretty complex. Having said that, they wre VERY well made and here in Los Angeles I see people driving them every day. I don't drive mine every day because it's a work in progress, but I do plan to drive it a lot more going forward. There is a member here, Droidster, who uses his as his daily driver and if you bought one that has been well maintained, I don;t see why you couldn't do the same. Just be prepared to spend some cash if something major goes wrong.