200,000 miles on a 1966 230SL

[jharkin]

I'm looking at 1966 230sl automatic with 220,000 miles.  Seller is asking 49000.
The car has supposedly been in the same family since 1966, and always maintained.
I'm having a PPI done tomorrow but I wanted some opinions about the mileage.
is 220,000 miles too many for a 66 230sl?  It looks pretty good in the pictures, but I'm more concerned about the mechanical than the cosmetic.
So if it gets a good PPI report, do you think it's still worth considering?

[JamesL]

That’s still only 4,000m per year...Can the ppl do a compression test?

Clearly worth considering. It’s cheaper to get spanner work done than bodywork so if it’s solid, watertight and all there, and currently runs, why not? Maintenance is key though... You’ll not find out how they drove it but these engines are not fragile high performance Italian engines (nor generally not thrashed beyond tolerances). I’d be thinking about an engine rebuild budget but if it’s running ok, and doesn’t leak etc, you don’t need to rebuild immediately. If it’s a bit “lumpy”, there’s all manner of help on here to address running issues.

Mine has nearly 150k on it but the engine has been rebuilt twice along the way. It’s like Trigger’s Broom/Theseus’ Ship

[Peter]

200K is a lot for a gasoline engine from that period. So same suggestions as James, If compression test is okay I would certainly reserve some money for an engine rebuild in the future.  If it fails the compressions you know what to do…..

My car had 160K miles, it failed the compression test and the cylinder head turned out to be torned when they took the engine apart.

^Peter

[Taleb]

expect complete engine over hall otherwise the price is good  . pagodas price is booming so the longer you Waite the higher it gets …. good luck

[jharkin]

thanks everybody. i appreciate the feedback.

[john.mancini]

Hi John,
I just bought a 65 230Sl (Titled as a 66). 125,000 original miles. My primary concerns when purchasing collector cars are always about the integrity of the car's body. Un-hit, un-molested and rust free cars are getting harder to find. That being said, I fully agree with the others that most mechanicals are easier to address than body issues.
John

[MikeSimon]

Even if the compression is still O.K., there are several areas in the engine that could need attention at this mileage: Valve stems, rocker arm studs and all seals come to mind.