Seeking opinions on using an SL as a "daily driver"

[Scott]

I am new to this SL Forum, and I am interested in buying my first SL to use as my "every day car". I would be driving in California (usually great weather and salt free roads) and a totoal of ~45 miles per day to/from my office (~14,000 miles a year). Mostly freeway miles. Is this something that is generally not advisable, and if so, why? If it is advisable, what can one expect to proactively maintain and ensure the car remains in reliable working order, and what should be budgeted for such maintenance? Alternatively, I am considering the car as a weekend driver, but would much prefer to embrace and enjoy the car every day. Thank you.

[Iconic]

Are you aware that this car has mechanical lifters, I believe they need adjustment every 15k miles, and it also has about 21 grease fittings. I also believe it requires points, plugs, cap, and rotor every 15k also. The normal service is not difficult, just more time consuming than a modern car. Based on how much you drive, it sounds like one major service per year will be good for you.

[Cees Klumper]

Should be perfectly fine to daily drive the car. Provided everything is sorted and properly maintained, it can do 1 million miles in as short a timespan as you would like it to. It has more than plenty power for modern traffic and is relatively comfortable (for the time) also. However ... most of us are spoiled by our modern cars and you may find the extra noise, lack of A/C (don't know if your car has it) and in general less advanced driving experience to wear you down on a daily basis. It's also possible it can break down more often than a newer, modern car, so it's just something to be prepared for.
The first years I had mine I drove it for work, which was most days of the week including in the wet, damp and cold Holland weather. I put on something like 65,000 kms in just a few years, and enjoyed it thoroughly. (Southern) California must be one of the nicest places on earth to drive a Pagoda. It's only rained twice here in Long Beach since last July '20.

[teahead]

I say  go for it for a little while.

You may find it a bit tedious with such high RPMs on these low-geared cars after a few months of driving.

Insurance is going to be a bit $$$ since you can't use collector-car insurance for DD cars.

Maybe try it 2x/week at first.

[lreppond]

Reliability, maintenance, comfort and safety should be your concerns about using a w113 as daily commuter car.  With the last of them built over 50 years old now, things can and do fail…always at the least opportune times! And then there’s the lack of modern day safety features!   I agree with Robs suggestion of using it twice a week as a trial run. 

[Shvegel]

If air conditioning is important to you that might be an issue.  Even with upgrades the air conditioning is marginal at best.

[kampala]

In the 8 years or so that I have been an active member of this forum, the question of using a pagoda as a daily driver seems to come up at least once a year and probably more.  Has anyone actually done it?  Have any of those reported back if they did it?


(Except Cees of course who actually did it).

[Bonnyboy]

I used my car as a daily driver this last September for almost a week.  I had a week off my regular job so was helping train some apprentices and used the pagoda to get to appointments basically driving 6-10 hours per day starting in rush hour and getting home in rush hour.  On the friday it rained so I took my Truck to finish my appointments and I didn't notice until I got back into rush hour traffic but I was absolutely exhausted by then and my 17 year old beater truck was a real breath of fresh air.  Taking off from stop lights scares me in the pagoda as I have to really push it to keep up with modern cars as they accelerate away from the light so I don't get rear ended.

The truck was much more relaxing to drive especially in stop and go traffic (my car is a standard), I could see more and a main issue was that I wasn't afraid to drive miles down potholed roads and park it next to semi's and homeless camps.    Nothing happened to my pagoda other than using a couple tanks of gas and getting bird poop on my leather seat, but the truck was just so much more forgiving and comfortable.    I cringed every time I met a vehicle driving fast on a gravel road, concerned for my headlights. 

The pagoda is fun and my choice of ride most times except when raining or driving in congested traffic and parking in sketchy parts of town.

So to summarize - I think the pagoda can handle it but can your body handle driving day in an day out in one?  My wife's old 1995 Honda Civic would out accelerate and out stop the pagoda, had a better stereo, better heater, power windows and air and I could park that anywhere without worrying about door dings and errant shopping carts and it was worth $1,500.    Get a beater for day in and day out driving.

[114015]

I wouldn't recommend so anymore.
As mentioned before, our cars are ++50 years old, and there is a clear difference in comparison to modern cars: acceleration, general comfort, (wind) noise, fuel consumption, safety issues, much more maintenance necessary, etc. etc.
And the nasty comments of your wife ....

Parts supply has become very expensive throughout the last years.

For a daily commute I recommend an R129 or an SLK.

The old SLs are more of a leisure vehicle.

Just my 2 cents....,

Achim

[MikeSimon]

I have three "older" cars and they all are borderline "collectible". My 1970 280SL, a 1971 Porsche 914-6GT and a 1990 Corvette ZR-1. While the SL is not running currently, I would not think about using any of them as a daily driver. Wear and tear is not something you can avoid. After all, it is a man-made item originally intended to be "consumed". Wheel bearing wear, clutch wear, engine wear are just a few of the things that happen with adding miles. If you can't stand (or afford) keeping the car as a "collector" piece, sell it.

[Cees Klumper]

As sometimes happens, an original poster question turns into a discussion among the community and the original poster seems to have stepped away from the Stammtisch.

That said, my current daily driver is a 1990 Ford Bronco II 'truck' that I always prefer to take over our more modern 2008 Volvo C70. I just get a better vibe and a lot more joy out of driving that Bronco, even on the Southern California freeways where I can barrel along at 65-70 miles an hour all day no problem. The mileage is not quite as good as the Volvo's, at around 19 MPG, but it's ok. It's comfortable, although the A/C does not work yet (I just roll down the windows), it runs quiet and is quick enough for my taste.
So, for me at least, a 1990 car/truck is very much daily driveable.
I think there is a 'cut-off' point in technology before which the comfort, driveability, safety and everything else is not up to today's, and most peoples individual, standards and maybe that's still a bit before 1990 for most car manufacturers and their models (you need to look at when a model was first developed and marketed, the applicable technology generation which of course does not go by build year). The 1985 Nissan 300ZX we had last year was also quite a comfortable and capable car, so I do think for me at least that cut-off point is a bit before 1990. Maybe it coincides with the introduction of electronic fuel injection, stepping away from carburettors and mechanical. This would probably be the same time as the introduction of ECUs and the related technologies. Although come to think of it probably not, since my 1971 Volkswagen 411 has electoronic fuel injection and the associated brain and sensors, but I don't like driving it that much as it's too spartan for my spoiled taste...

[MikeSimon]

Cees: Being German, I very much like your reference to the "Stammtisch". One of these words that seem to exist only in one language and cannot be translated properly.

[lowpad]

Like many of us in the group, I use my car frequently in the summer months.  It's a very satisfying driver, though the high RPMs at highway speed can be annoying (I am considering one of the Polish six speeds once I get my new lift installed).  Maintenance is certainly different than modern cars, but none of it is very complex.

The biggest concern I would see, especially in a high-speed environment, would be safety.  Two years ago, my 2006 GTI was t-boned by a box truck that had been sent into a skid by a distracted driver.  The truck hit me in the B-pillar area and then sent me into a curb, causing the car to flip in the air, come down first on its roof and then finally land on its wheels.  I walked away with nothing more than a sprained thumb.

Despite how well made our cars are, I shudder to think what would have happened in if I had been in my 230 SL (or worse, my BMW CS, with its delicate little pillars).  I've had three-point belts installed, which I think are highly recommended for frequent driving.  Not sure how much else can be done.  Of course, we all risks every time we drive our cars (and I drive a motorcycle, too), but increasing frequency also increases our odds of something untoward happening.

[johnk]

Driving my Jaguar F-Type went from exciting to not so great once my kids needed my SUV and I needed to drive the jag daily for a longer term.  It was no longer special and my SUV was more more comfortable.

[mdsalemi]

Cees: Being German, I very much like your reference to the "Stammtisch". One of these words that seem to exist only in one language and cannot be translated properly.

Where I went to college, there was either a "German Club" or a group of students who studied the German language, and once a week in the cafeteria, there was a Stammtisch; a table where they all sat, drank and ate together and spoke of topical issues only in German. I never spoke German, thus didn't investigate it too much, but I think you needed to be invited to join the table.

I guess it's much like the words Gemütlichkeit and or Fahrvergnügen. They don't translate simply (word for word) because they involve multiple feelings that require more than one word, combined with an element of culture specific to Germany.

But on the topic, I think the cars are generally getting a bit too precious to consider daily use. You don't have to look far in these forums to see someone venting about the extremely high cost of parts, and or the lack of some needed parts. Thus, daily use will set you up eventually for costly maintenance at some point. As Lowpad says, the safety issue is most concerning. It will be tedious. You will smell like oil and gas since the exhaust is pretty rough compared to a modern car. The noise and heat can be unbearable at times. So, it may get very old, very quickly.

As Cees indicated, wondering why new member Scott walked away?

[MikeSimon]

A "Stammtisch" is a table reserved for regulars in a German version of a pub (Wirtschaft, Gasthaus). It is designated as such so the regular customers always have a place to sit and drink (sometimes eat). It is frowned upon, sometimes not allowed, by non-regular, occasional customers to sit there.

[kampala]

As expected, the original poster, like most others who pose this same question, never return to advise if they actually ever did it.

[JohnnyC]

It's too bad, they are the ones missing out on this excellent source of information and comradery.

When I first started rebuilding this '70 280SL for my father, whom has passed - 2016, I would access this site on/off since 2008, and skim over the top and try to find information, which was very beneficial - thank you all.  As I have progressed with seriously committed to rebuilding the 280, I have become a member and it has been one of the best group of people I have ever been involved with..., the wealth of information, seeing the assistance of helping each other (worldwide) and most importantly..., the people upholding this website's "Mission Statement."

Thank you all!
Cheers and God Bless, JohnnyC

 

[wpw2511]

I will have to agree with everyone here; it gets old real quick. When I first bought the car last year, I drove it maybe 3-5 times a week, but not as a daily driver. Every time after I drive the Pagoda and go back either to my G Wagen or Tesla, it really feels like heaven. Don't get me wrong, the Pagoda is amazing, but I'm not so sure as a daily driver. Also, you usually smell like gas or sweat after driving the car lol.

[Peter van Es]

I really enjoy driving my Pagoda on rallies or vacation trips… even if 4 to 7 days in one trip. However, this is usually on B-roads, with nice top down weather,  or when busy navigating or finding scenic routes. Then I find it very enjoyable to drive.

But on a daily basis? No. Even though I like driving the Pagoda, on the motorway to the office, or in bad weather, I much prefer the daily SUV, or, dare I say it, the electric VW ID3. Quiet, clean, fast, driver assistance to deal with traffic jams… no contest.

Peter