[StuartTrappe]

Hello! I hope you guys are all doing well!

I am new to the SL world and have been looking at an R107 generation 280SL that has been imported from Europe. It is a 1983 with the 5 speed manual and the inline 6. It also has the AMG package with what looks like different bumpers and a spoiler than any other Euro car. Could you tell me what an AMG package would have entailed for a car like this? Also, if possible, is there anything you could tell me about the difficulty of maintaining the 6 cylinder and the 5 speed manual in the US? Would parts be difficult to find?

Thanks a ton for your help! Here's a few pics of the car.

 

[cwmoser]

280SL, manual transmission = heck yes!!
Not particularly fond of the AMG bumpers though.
Red with black interior is an eye catcher.
Is it a 1983 model?
Does it have a functioning AC?
Price?

 

[StuartTrappe]

280SL, manual transmission = heck yes!!
Not particularly fond of the AMG bumpers though.
Red with black interior is an eye catcher.
Is it a 1983 model?
Does it have a functioning AC?
Price?

That's what I'm thinking! The manual just sold me on the R107, it was the only thing I thought it was lacking. I am a bit of a fan of the bumpers, just because they are so unique and I've never seen them before. It is a 1983 indeed and I think the AC works, but have yet to confirm. The seller is asking for $14,500, but I think I can get him down to $11k.

 

[ChiefRider]

280SL 5 speed is no worse to maintain than any other R107 SL. There wouldn't be an AMG "package" as such; a former owner assembled what appealed to them, most likely. If you like it, get it as cheaply as you can.

 

[nobby]

Parts are available. Just don't try looking for the 280SL in most online catalogues...you'll get frustrated. Looking for parts WITH part numbers is the ticket.
Can't beat the fun of the 5 speed.
To my eye...the front bumper sucks hind tit.

 

[rowdie]

Nothing on that car is AMG. The front and rear bumper covers are either Zender or Lorinser. The rear spoiler from what I can see is Mercedes, from 500SL. It was also used on a couple of other 107s. The wheels look like maybe Ronal R9s.

Steering wheel looks like a 560SL or other model with SRS.

 

[ChiefRider]

To my eye...the front bumper sucks hind tit.

Yeah, I was trying to be nice by not saying anything. Pretty fugly, ruins any lightness in the lines of the car. Everyone's different.

 

[StuartTrappe]

280SL 5 speed is no worse to maintain than any other R107 SL. There wouldn't be an AMG "package" as such; a former owner assembled what appealed to them, most likely. If you like it, get it as cheaply as you can.

Thanks for the info! I think the seller is mistaken then. He said it had an AMG package, but that does sound like it is a thing.

Parts are available. Just don't try looking for the 280SL in most online catalogues...you'll get frustrated. Looking for parts WITH part numbers is the ticket.
Can't beat the fun of the 5 speed.
To my eye...the front bumper sucks hind tit.

Yeah the front bumper is a little iffy, but I am more excited about the fact that it is a stick shift.

Nothing on that car is AMG. The front and rear bumper covers are either Zender or Lorinser. The rear spoiler from what I can see is Mercedes, from 500SL. It was also used on a couple of other 107s. The wheels look like maybe Ronal R9s.

Steering wheel looks like a 560SL or other model with SRS.

I just looked some up and it does appear to be a Zender kit. The wheels do seem to be imitations of something like this:

Just because of the 5 speed, would it be worth ~$10k? I forgot to mention it has 207188 miles.

 

[StuartTrappe]

I also just talked with the seller. It's got a few problems. AC doesn't work, apparently the frequency valve is stuck, and they had to mess with it to get smog to to pass. There's a scrape on the front fender, the passenger mirror is missing a control, and there's a tear on the driver seat.

 

[ChiefRider]

I also just talked with the seller. It's got a few problems. AC doesn't work, apparently the frequency valve is stuck, and they had to mess with it to get smog to to pass. There's a scrape on the front fender, the passenger mirror is missing a control, and there's a tear on the driver seat.

I'd say the price should be below 10k for that, assuming all else is ok. The 5 speed is nice, but it isn't the rarest car out there, and this one has been quite messed around with.

 

[StuartTrappe]

I'd say the price should be below 10k for that, assuming all else is ok. The 5 speed is nice, but it isn't the rarest car out there, and this one has been quite messed around with.

Right, I basically want a sub $15k car that has a 5 speed, but is still in decent shape. At this point, maybe I should consider importing a car from Germany if I really want the 5 speed. Do you have any insights on where I should look for these kinds of cars domestically? I currently use Craigslist, FB Marketplace, and Autotrader.

 

[roncallo]

I would say if it has no rust go for it, But the bumpers got to go. You can get US bumpers cheep. Euro bumpers not so cheep.

 

[StuartTrappe]

I would say if it has no rust go for it, But the bumpers got to go. You can get US bumpers cheep. Euro bumpers not so cheep.

it does not appear to have rust. I might sell the headlights since I prefer the US look and then get the Euro bumpers. What would you say a fair asking price for this would be?

 

[rowdie]

Thanks for the info! I think the seller is mistaken then. He said it had an AMG package, but that does sound like it is a thing.



Yeah the front bumper is a little iffy, but I am more excited about the fact that it is a stick shift.



I just looked some up and it does appear to be a Zender kit. The wheels do seem to be imitations of something like this:

Just because of the 5 speed, would it be worth ~$10k? I forgot to mention it has 207188 miles.

That is what an AMG body kit and wheels look like.
The frequency valve you mentioned in the other post is not stock. It is part of the Californication process (parts added to pass California smog). Probably also has a BAR approved Cat.

You probably cannot import a car from outside the US.

 

[StuartTrappe]

That is what an AMG body kit and wheels look like.
The frequency valve you mentioned in the other post is not stock. It is part of the Californication process (parts added to pass California smog). Probably also has a BAR approved Cat.

You probably cannot import a car from outside the US.

Gotcha, that makes sense. That explains why it didn't pass smog. If I can't import a car from outside the US, how did this one get imported to here? Here's a pic of the California compliance info.

 

[Fonzi]

I didn’t read anything in this thread, but have seen that car for sale and say “BUY!”. Just remove the bumpers and rellace them with euro. So figure you may have $2000 to invest i. Bumpers and lower grills or front lip and some other repairs. Sell those bumpers fire sale, and maybe do the same with the wheels, but hopefully end up making money if you go with some more stock looking wheels.

I don’t understand why so may 280sl got the Miami vice treatment that was all show and no go. My red 5-speed was pretty similar. I’m very very happy with it, and it’s one (maybe the only) my wife really likes too.

 

[Fonzi]

Ok. I read the thread. Nothing AMG as @rowdie said. The car would be more valuable with euro headlights and euro bumpers and it looks like there’s nothing big that would stop you from getting it back to stock.

I would want $15,000+ for my 78,000 mile 1985, so this one, if not rusty, is maybe asking about the right price. A few years ago, maybe a decade, a car like this could be had $5000-8000, but normally with lower miles. 200k+ is generally a lot for these cars and I’ve seen several m110 that burn oil. So unless this was meticulously maintained, the mileage would concern me at that asking price. I got extremely lucky with my car that had a broken odometer, and bought it from a flipper that lost interest in fixing it any more after getting it for $1200 from a colleague, the daughter of the original owner. So he made plenty of money while I still got a good deal. The daughter obviously just wanted it gone. Sad for her. I’m extremely happy with it. There was rust on my hard top and on the driver fender, nothing at all on the main body thank God! It was advertised by the flipper has rusty. I bought it less than 24 hours after it was listed about 20 miles from my house.

Red 1985 280sl 5-speed w Lorinser Kit

It's time to officially unveil my most recent purchase. Today I brought home a 1985 (edit: 1984, not 1985) 280SL five speed with a Lorinser kit (front and rear only). I had previously eliminated r107 cars from my potential keepers because we have three children. The only cars I had considered...

www.benzworld.org

I think you should be able to get the car listed above for $8-9000. Getting it to pass California smog (if needed) might be challenging. So you better know what you are doing if it’s needed.

Also, more importantly that anything else, you need to know how to check for rust on these cars. Do you understand that much of the metal on these cars is sandwiched. On top, there’s a foam pad that holds water up against the metal 24-7 until the metal is gone. Similarly, underneath the metal is a hard rubber undercoating that is impermeable, great for protecting the metal until it starts collecting wet muddy debris, a gain holding water up against the metal 24-7, or stopping any water from above. Getting out below. And after the metal is all gone, the foam and undercoating leaves the appearance of metal still being there. Brilliant!

 

[StuartTrappe]

Ok. I read the thread. Nothing AMG as @rowdie said. The car would be more valuable with euro headlights and euro bumpers and it looks like there’s nothing big that would stop you from getting it back to stock.

I would want $15,000+ for my 78,000 mile 1985, so this one, if not rusty, is maybe asking about the right price. A few years ago, maybe a decade, a car like this could be had $5000-8000, but normally with lower miles. 200k+ is generally a lot for these cars and I’ve seen several m110 that burn oil. So unless this was meticulously maintained, the mileage would concern me at that asking price. I got extremely lucky with my car that had a broken odometer, and bought it from a flipper that lost interest in fixing it any more after getting it for $1200 from a colleague, the daughter of the original owner. So he made plenty of money while I still got a good deal. The daughter obviously just wanted it gone. Sad for her. I’m extremely happy with it. There was rust on my hard top and on the driver fender, nothing at all on the main body thank God! It was advertised by the flipper has rusty. I bought it less than 24 hours after it was listed about 20 miles from my house.

Red 1985 280sl 5-speed w Lorinser Kit

It's time to officially unveil my most recent purchase. Today I brought home a 1985 (edit: 1984, not 1985) 280SL five speed with a Lorinser kit (front and rear only). I had previously eliminated r107 cars from my potential keepers because we have three children. The only cars I had considered...

www.benzworld.org

I think you should be able to get the car listed above for $8-9000. Getting it to pass California smog (if needed) might be challenging. So you better know what you are doing if it’s needed.

Also, more importantly that anything else, you need to know how to check for rust on these cars. Do you understand that much of the metal on these cars is sandwiched. On top, there’s a foam pad that holds water up against the metal 24-7 until the metal is gone. Similarly, underneath the metal is a hard rubber undercoating that is impermeable, great for protecting the metal until it starts collecting wet muddy debris, a gain holding water up against the metal 24-7, or stopping any water from above. Getting out below. And after the metal is all gone, the foam and undercoating leaves the appearance of metal still being there. Brilliant!

Thanks for all your insights! The car is located in California so I don't think rust should be much of a problem and the seller said he didn't see any, but we'll have to see in a PPI. With the high miles and all the other issues (high mileage, emissions, wear and tear), does ~$10k sound realistic?

 

[andyslc]

If it spent a few years in Europe depending on country a lot of salt is used on the roads in the water. Perfect for rotting any car.
Check well for rust.

 

[andyslc]

Meant winter not water.