Considering the purchase of a 1969 280SL - advice?

[TFM]

Robert & all others,

this has been an incredibly interesting link to follow and to read all your comments - when I saw the Roberts first posting I would have bet that he is describing the car that I am looking at right now. After looking for a W113 for the better part of 6 months all over the place (mostly in E-Bay and the net in general), I found one about a mile from my house - a 280SL from 1969 in Blue with While Leather (or Vinyl) - what a coincidence.

The one I am looking at does not look quite as good, the paint has discolored on the hood and trunk (they are aluminum rather than the steel fenders and thus this apparently can happen)but it appears to be 100% original, i.e. no repaint or major repairs that the current owner knows about nor that I could make out, some minor spots on the varnish, aged door seals, a loose middle console, heater controls that lost their knob - but apart from that the exact car.

Started right up, owner drives it weekly, took it to 80mph on the highway (more than I would ever do but he wanted to show me) and it was very smooth, good acceleration, good breaks, tired looking tires.

I am not a big fan of the color, but as it is all original it probably would be foolish to repaint in anything different (anyone got any comment/experience on changed color effecting the value?), interior would look better with new upholstery etc, but for what the car will be, i.e. a fun car for the weekend in the winter (summer is too hot) it will work just perfect as is.

Price is probably just south of $20k


Now question for you: I am not very knowledgable on cars, impressions are good, some visual challenges, no dings, no rust, drives well, sounds good, undercarriage is clean, probably never saw rain or snow. I am planning to take it to the local Mercedes dealer for a checkup - what in particular would you look for and have reviewed?

Looking at everyones comments, provided the MB mechanic does not find anything wrong, no hidden rust, no hidden repairs etc - would you agree that $20k plus some minor repairs (heat control, new tires etc) would be quite a fair deal for a very original condition car (I don't mind that a 40yr old car shows some age)

Tks for your feedback

Tobias

[jameshoward]

Tobias,

You seem to be on the right track. Whomever you get to look over the car, you need to ensure that they know the vehicle. For this reason, unless your MB mechanic actually does know them - I live in Germany and they know nothing whatsoever in either of my 2 local dealerships - you should be OK. But don't fall into the 'it was built by MB so they'll know how to fix it' trap.

There is a ton of good advice here on what to look for. I've been through the buying process over the last year. Do a search under my threads and you'll find me asking all the same questions from a new buyers perspective, and then me trying to get the thing on the road. (Getting closer every day!) There's also lots to look for in terms of what is really 'original.' I think you could do much worse than post a load of photos on this site to help you see where to probe further: engine bay; interior; hood; headlights where they join the wings; underside; trunk under the mat; VIN plate- the list goes on.

Can't comment on the price as the US and UK/European markets are vastly inflated compared to what you'll shell out.

Good luck.