So over the weekend I ran across a 1985 500SL that needs a little mechanical work (a fuel pump, I think) for about the same price as the XJSs that I've been looking at. From what I can find online, the 500SLs that are here in the U.S. are Gray Market imports. Can anyone (Andy?) confirm this? Also wondering about the degree of difficulty when it comes to working on these rascals. Any of you guys have any first hand experience with these cars? Input please... Good investment or money pit in waiting? Thanks in advance. Cheers, Scott
The 500sl was a European model and pretty sought after in the 107 chassis community. The 500 offered a bit more performance than the 450sl did here, although I'm not certain if it was a better performer than the 560sl.
They are incredibly stout cars with perhaps the best build quality ever offered in a passenger car. They can also be expensive to repair / maintain if you aren't a grease under the fingernails kind of guy. If you do your own work, there is a ton of support out there, and parts prices can be reasonable.
I owned a 450sl for a short time and came away extremely impressed. They are cars you can own for the rest of your life.
Check for rust in the spare tire well, and on the jacking points underneath the car.
Taking the car to a non-dealer Mercedes specialist is a good idea for a PPI.
Here's a good source of info---http://mb107.com/
Good luck!
The 500sl has an aluminum block engine and puts out a nice 240hp. The 560sl of the same vintage will make around 220hp so they are comparable. The 500sl should be a hell of a car and if all it needs is a fuel pump it might be worth buying but do check for rust. I don't know about the v8 r107 cars but my car is relatively easy to work on and there is tons of info out there on sites such as benzworld, peach parts, mbca, etc. Hell if you can get the thing cheap enough you can make a pretty penny parting the eurobits and engine. If you decide to keep it you can also look around and find a tri-y headers to make a little more bang.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Once you get a r107 tuned and running correctly you'll love the damn thing.
I have a 450 SLC grey market car and the only parts I had a problem getting, reasonably, were the headlight covers. Eventually found them on ebay. The 107 chassis is very popular and lots of parts are common with other Benz models. ex, Brake rotors in stock, local chain parts store for ~$25.
Funny story, went to local department to get a spare key. The clerk looks through the key blanks, can't find one. She asks what kind of car it's for. I said a 77 450SLC, she tells me
"Honey, you can't get no Mercedes key at K Mart"
Climate control system is crappy, very bad design. Tried to do too much in pre-computer days with vacuum logic. I've had my car for over 10 years, it's still my go to classic car when the Brits aren't running.
mike
If you have european lenses on your car Autohaus az is very reasonably priced for the headlamp lenses, I think they were between 30-40$ each.
