Opinion on a new 280sl prospect

[n/a]

This is a 71 280sl asking for $10K. Can anyone see anything wrong in these pictures. My areas of concern: rust in engine bay and lower rocker behind front wheel well; seats not consistent with a 71 280sl; door panels not consistent with a 71 280sl.  Otherwsie it looks like a very nice car. Like to hears some comments.

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[Douglas]

Okay, you asked.

It appears to be a Euro car wearing US headlights, so seats and door pockets are correct.

My guess is that it has rust hiding in it. Look at the front fender on the lower part where the aluminum trim clips in. Could just be surface rust, but I doubt it. The left headlight definitely has rust around the opening. Classic areas.

Also, the inner fenders look suspiciously discolored on the passenger side as if it's holding rust.

That undercarriage shot reveals nothing. The bottom of the gas tank isn't going to tell you much, though the fuel pump look nice and clean and the rear end doesn't look leaky.

Nonetheless, to me these are fairly flattering pix that aren't terribly revealing and that would concern me as a buyer.

Ask the seller to shoot pix of the trunk floor, the underside of the floors, or the area in the wheel wells just in front of the rocker panels. That'll be interesting. I'd also like to see what it looks like under the aftermarket chrome wheel arch trim.

Frankly, I wouldn't buy it, but I've seen FAR worse for $10K.

Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[n/a]

I agree with Doug on making sure rust isn't a big issue. Then again, $10k for a very nice looking and I'll assume perfectly running vintage sports car is not much to pay. I'm sure you could find one cheaper or maybe in better shape, but would you be happy with this?

Mine is a basket of problems holding over from 10+ years of poor storage. It's a 68 and there are some differences. The things that have required lots of time or money for me include: new radiator (does this run hot at all?), bad turn signal stalk (does it work well, feel solid?), rusty gas tank (not sure how you could check this without lots of effort), leaky P/S pump (check the P/S fluid resivoir for foam or bubbles), exhaust (how does it look? stock or stainless?). Check this site for other expensive and difficult problems to fix and study this car hard in those areas. A little rust here and there is basic body work. Lots of rust is catastrophic. I find the wacky mechanical problems that require very specialized knowlege and parts the real issue. Stuff like the fuel injection system. You're not going to be able to pop into the dealership and have someone help you there.

Bottome line, it's like they say about golf, don't aim for trouble. If you like the car, it will easily earn its cost back in great drives and jealous onlookers. If it sits in the shop or your garage, you'll kick yourself everytime you look at it.

Shawn Rock
Philly, PA USA
1968 280 SL 4 speed

[Jonny B]

To throw in a small positive. The firewall insulation pad appears to be in good shape, and is of the original design, proper type battery, and a few other small details underhood.

That said, the rust issue is far and away the one of concern. To add a clarification point to Dougs comment about the trunk floor, you want one of the bare metal trunk floor, this is a particularly rust prone area.

There is nothing as expensive as a cheap Pagoda.

Jonny B
1967 250SL Auto

[n/a]

Thank you for the comments.  Have requested close-up on the problem areas and will post them after I received them.

[Tom]

Hi,

Would agree with all of the other comments.  Here are a couple of additional thoughts:

As Doug mentions, this is likely a euro car, as you probably know by now.

It is an odd car in that it looks like a low mileage car based on the engine area, but it has rust.

If this is your first 113 car, I would suggest you determine how much rust there is and go from there.  This car should sell for more than $10k, but there must be some hidden rust issues.  By the time you fix all of the rust issues, you will be in it for a price that would have allowed you to have one of the better cars on the market.

Have you seen the car?  Is it located in a location prone to use salt on the roads?

Best,

Tom



1971 280sl Tunis Beige Metallic (restored & enhanced)
1971 280sl Tobacco Brown (low mileage stock)
1970 280sl Deep Red (Project Car)

[Douglas]

FYI, here's how a W 113 SL typically rusts in that area behind the left headlight:

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Douglas Kim
New York, NY
280 SL #016220

[n/a]

Not a pretty picture.  Still waiting for the close-ups.

[rwmastel]

quote:Originally posted by Douglas

FYI, here's how a W 113 SL typically rusts in that area behind the left headlight:

Yes, and that rust starts from behind.  When inspecting an SL that you might buy, make sure you access the back of the headlight "bucket" through the wheel well area.  Feel it with your hands, poke it with a screw driver.  There should be the rubber-like spray-on coating, but not lots of dirt, grit, and other junk.  Also, while in this area, examine the "shelf" that runs along the top of the inner fender at the top of the wheel well.  Lots of dirt and debris can be held there for years, promoting rust in the fenders.

Rodd
Powell, Ohio, USA
1966 230SL, Euro, Auto, Leather, both  tops
1994 E420