I had a '74 with 70,xxx miles that I sold last year after 33 years of ownership. It was always garaged and service was always up to date (nothing ever put off.) So it was a remarkably well-cared for and superbly maintained car. It is from that perspective I give you my experience and advice. I loved that car, but it became a money pit over the last 4 years. Your listed issues are common.

- Wipers: Mine still worked but the push rod grommets got brittle and fell out (just like they do with the shift lever). That caused a lot of play in the wiper arms such that you could move them several inches. When I switched them off, I would have to push them down into the parked position to not obstruct my view.The dash has to be taken apart to get access to those. As far as your non-functioning wipers go, it could be the multi switch, the motor, or who knows?

-Engine idle: All those engines suffer that fate eventually. It's the air slide valve. When you start the car, especially cold, and have idling issues that's typically the culprit. It'll rev high, rev high then fall off, then rev and fall off until the engine warms, or other related issues. Simple part to replace, but they are EXPENSIVE. Mine was just under $1,000 and it took about 5 months to get it. Replaced it myself.

-AC. Forget it. You can throw money at that until your money tree is bare and even if you get it working, it'll never satisfy; especially if you are in a hot locale. Mine "worked as it should" but it was a joke. It could never keep pace with comfortably cooling the cabin, so keep a sweat rag handy and put a thick terry towel on the seat bottom and back rest to absorb the sweat. It also ran the car hot in stop and go traffic.

Stuff I ran into over the past 4 years were:

• Flasher for turn signal went out. The unit is stuffed behind the instrument cluster somewhere.
• Windows stopped working. Apparently something with the fuse block, not sure really.
• Something with the rear sway bar let loose and caused scary noises.
• Fuel pump died.
• A few fuel injectors. All fuel rail-to-injector rubber hoses needed replacing (fire hazard as they will leak when they get old and brittle.)
• Battery drain that nobody could ever figure out. Had to keep it on a battery tender or it would die.
• Some how the safety bar in the driver's door broke the weld on one end and would rattle when you closed the door or drove over a bumpy road. I finally stuffed a sponge between it and the door skin to make it stop rattling.
• All new suspension components in the front: tie rod ends, steering damper, control arm bushings, etc.
• Upon startup the timing chain would sometimes slap the valve cover, so new chain, tensioners, etc.
• New radiator
• If the fuel got below 2/3 tank, there would be a pronounced "moan" coming from the tank area every minute or so. Check valve of some kind (or you could just not snug the filler cap and let it vent directly into the atmosphere but not so eco-friendly.)
• Shift bushings. For some handy reason, the retaining clip was not on mine when I arrived at the shop which is why the shift rod fell out of the shifter. You could start the car but couldn't select any gears.
• It decided to only crank intermittently, leaving me stranded a few times. Then it stopped cranking altogether. Turned out the ignition switch was the culprit.

There's other stuff I'm sure I forgot, but after racking up about $8,000 in repair bills and getting to the point where I was tired of "what's next," I sold it. It was a visually stunning car in garage kept condition (a few cracks in the dash, though), and absolutely ZERO rust. It took somewhere around 8 months with only sparse interest and one lookey-loo that wanted euro bumpers (despite my dozen or so photos in Hemmings that CLEARLY showed US-spec bumpers), I sold it sight unseen to a "dealer" in Miami that likely exported it. I was asking $11,500 and it sold for $10,500.

So having a remarkably nice '74 that was exceptionally well cared for, I would absolutely recommend against buying one as a daily driver unless you have a reliable backup car. Also, get used to spending money on repairs on both age-related stuff like suspension work, fuel system maintenance, timing chain, etc., but also all the unknown crap that will go wrong. And get used to being hot as the air conditioning is pretty worthless even with the hardtop on it.

But they are beautiful cars to look at and cruise around in on a nice day!

 

Thank you so much for the advice! Your car was stunning, but I can understand why you had to part with it!

 

While not rejecting @KentsCars feedback (God knows I can relate to some of them) I'd say spend the money and get one while they're still affordable, assuming you can live with the maintenance bills and all the woes that a 40+ year old car brings; it's part of the experience. Those cars will only go up in value so ultimately you don't need to be worse off when / if you decide to sell in X years' time. They're fabulous cars and life's too short

 

They're fabulous cars and life's too short

Couldn't agree with you more Mikolaj. I've admired 107s for a very long time and last year I though stuff it, the longer I wait the more expensive they will be and then I will never be able to own one. @wheresmydreamcar yours is waiting for you. You have to expect repairs and maintenance, and it won't always be cheap. You can send it to an independent mechanic (choose very very wisely) or do it yourself. I'm doing a mix of both which means anything mechanical that needs repairing/replacing gets done quickly and expertly by the indy, as well as anything else I feel is above me. Everything beyond that I dive in. My 107 is coming along nicely and when it's finished with it's very minimal resto I'm going to enjoy it, sporting a bloody great smile on my face, top down, with the lovely other half beside me cruising down the highway. Life's too short, just do it

 

Amen to that Cousin, amen!

 

My response was relative to the inquiry of being a reliable daily driver for 100-mile round trips. Yes, they are great weekenders and fair weather cars and I agree that as time goes on and fewer really nice examples exist, they will become more valuable. All of my experience with my '74 was exactly as that - a weekender and fair weather cruiser and I had something new to deal with on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes it was rendered not driveable, meaning I had to deal with towing and the shop's schedule for service. It could be down for a week or more. As a weekender/occasional use car, that's fine. But in the context of a daily driver, the inconvenience of being stranded, time to get it fixed, time spent dealing with tow trucks and repair shops, uncertainty of the magnitude and frequency of repair bills, alternative transportation, etc. should be considered. A person with a lot of demands on their time (job, family, etc.), a household/family budget to navigate, if mechanically inclined you still need time and coin to handle little car issues that invariably pop up, etc. should take this into consideration. I saw a facebook post today by someone who says they've owned their SL for 37 years and has never had a problem. I've also encountered a person who says that they've never had an issue with any tenant in any of their rental properties. Mine is but one perspective and everyone has their own. But collectively they should provide some (at least anectotal) food for thought.

 

The 72-75 107s had Djetronic Electronic Fuel injection. The 73 falls into this category. It is not a common system and it is hard to find shops that know much about it. Enthusiasts learn how to maintain their own cars and where to get replacement parts.

The AAV (aka air slide valve) is a simple thermostatic valve that controls air flow during warm up. They get sticky, but can be cleaned and repaired at almost no cost (many of us have done that). One owner posted that he had one rebuilt but he has not said where. That is what causes the surging at idle.

There are other parts that are in short supply . Trigger points (they control the injection pulses). The manifold pressure sensor, ECU (these cars have a primitive, yet very reliable computer to control fuel injection) and a few other items.

I would recommend the car to someone who likes to tinker, is technically capable and who wants the car as a hobby car and beautiful Sunday cruiser

But not as a daily driver and not if you would have to rely on shops to diagnose and repair. Unless you have someone really competent nearby and you have deep pockets.

Hate to have had to say this because even after 30 years of ownership, my 48 yr old SL runs beautifully.

 

Well said Sir! IMO this is a car for someone not afraid to get their hands dirty. I use mine all the time in the nicer weather, putting many miles on her (doing 100 mile+ trips often) while putting almost no mileage on my “daily driver.” But having said that I’ve done much to make her a reliable car and if I had a mechanic do all of the work done I’d be broke. So if your willing to dive in and learn the cars systems and do the work yourself it can be a fun and interesting (Yes, at times frustrating) adventure.

 

To the OP. You can daily drive a Mercedes R107, but the early 450SL with Djet injection is really not the right car for that. As Kentscars indicated from his thorough post, this is more of a car for an enthusiast that likes to DIY, no matter how good it looks, or low the mileage. The newest of the lot, the '86 - '89 560SL is the best candidate for this, but understand prices are going up on these, and they will still need more attention than your typical DD car.

 

Is the car the green gas monkey one in your avatar? I would not say that car was pristine but since it was for sale for $18K or so, its probably a different one.

I "had" to daily drive my '72 the last two weeks when my E55 died ( their twin fuel pumps will overwhelm a single relay burning out the wiring) . The car is fun to drive and peppy and you can't beat having the top down. But... it needs new seat padding (like I'm sure the one you are looking at), needs a new exhaust and has a sputter right at 800RPM (need to get that looked at!). All of that is OK when you drive the car on Saturday but it quickly wears thin if you are just trying to get to work. Oh.. and did I mention 12mpg?

I would highly recommend a R107 for a fun weekend car. They are tanks. But probably not for a daily driver unless you allocate a bit of budget to fix all the stuff on the punch list. I'm in the business and still have not done it all!

 

Hello everyone!
I want to thank you all so very much for your feedback and advice!

I have a big update: I bought the car!!

When I get some nicer pictures, she will most certainly be replacing the Gas Monkey car picture in my avatar.
I have my hands full already though, but I am very excited!
I noticed there is a lot more steering play than I thought and in addition to idling at about 16, it struggles to accelerate. I can push down the gas and it struggles to get to even 35mph.
I am going to drain out the old gas, add some fuel injector cleaner, and put in some fresh gasoline to start and go from there!
Thank you all so much again! Best of luck!
I found my dream car!

 

Congrats on getting the car! Now the journey has begun. The steering play is most likely the steering coupler. If you can turn the wheel in each direction for an inch or so without hitting mechanical resistance, then that is the coupler. Wish I knew answers for your fuel problems.... I have them myself on two of mine!

 

Nice color. Is the interior dark olive like the top?

 

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your recent acquisition.
Although these cars are enjoyable to drive, keep in mind that they do require maintenance. Sometimes you'll realize that there's something that's going to need attention, and sometimes it'll come as a complete surprise!
When you think about it however, it's not too much different from your new/newer daily driver(s). My '89 107 has only 33,000 miles, and has been meticulously maintained, but it's a 31 y/o car and things happen!
Hope you enjoy it.

 

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your recent acquisition.
Although these cars are enjoyable to drive, keep in mind that they do require maintenance. Sometimes you'll realize that there's something that's going to need attention, and sometimes it'll come as a complete surprise!
When you think about it however, it's not too much different from your new/newer daily driver(s). My '89 107 has only 33,000 miles, and has been meticulously maintained, but it's a 31 y/o car and things happen!
Hope you enjoy it.

Old cars, especially 50 year old cars are a living experience all of their own. Personally I'm decidedly NOT of the look, but don't touch philosophy. I've experienced many a squeal of delight as I invite a youngster into my old car - and the parents like the fun as well.

I shot this photo of a gent on the pit wall at Road America a number of years ago.

And as far as I'm concerned that says it all about that "Mysterious" D-Jetronic. Yes, it's all those new fangled electronics, but as far as those electronics go, they are "fairly" simple electronics. Smart people are indeed busy at trying to completely understand them all.

Cheers,
Dave F. '73 Volvo 1800ES

 

Congrats on pulling the trigger, looks great! Now the hard decision: picking a name for your new baby 😅 looking forward to some more pics when you get a chance.

 

I know this is an older post. I have had my 1974 450sl since 1996. It was always a weekend car for me and well cared for. I bought it from the original owner who took excellent care of it. All I can say is, these cars are great cars but they’re also old. Any classic car will require repairs and replacement of worn parts. But if you do your research and are patient it’s a fantastic journey. I have a lot of cars and have had lots more. But there is nothing like driving a 107 on a sunny Sunday morning. To me it’s worth the journey.

 

I know this is an older post. I have had my 1974 450sl since 1996.

Welcome fellow 1974 owner! Andy

 

 

Thanks!

 

Maybe I'm nuts but I love working on my '83 380sl. It could be because I'm doing penance for having neglected it for 30 of it's 37 years but now after all those years, I find I feel rejuvenated when I'm working on my roadster.

So many people see the high maintenance of these beauties as a negative... I see it as an opportunity to not only make my 107 better, but to enhance my competency as an owner of a classic Mercedes that needs, indeed deserves attention.

Welcome to the forum and best of luck with your new car.

 

The main question is why are you buying it. If its to get a cheep 107, its a really bad idea. But if you are particularly fond of the Djet models and have the capability to maintain them its not a bad idea. I would consider this car to be the most expensive 107 to own. I did work on them when they were new and they were great cars. But 50 years later time, rust and lack of spare parts as well as general knowledge have taken there toll. Over a 5 year period (possibly 1 year) a 560SL would be cheaper to purchase and own.

The way the 107's work, the later models cost more but are less costly to maintain. The 560SL offers and additional advantage in that the body is E coated and has significantly more rust protection than all the other models.

You didn't say whet transmission is in the car. The 350SL was available with a 4 speed manual?

 

3 year old thread resurrected.

 

Wonder if he still has the car? Not sure this would be my first "classic" car choice for somebody. I think maybe a young collector car would be better. However, if you have some mechanical skills, or deep pockets, jump in the water is fine...and deep, hope you can swim.

 

He said: "It is gorgeous; green exterior, green interior. "

Can't imagine anyone buying a green SL 😁

 

He said: "It is gorgeous; green exterior, green interior. "

Can't imagine anyone buying a green SL 😁

Ask Nobby.