250 sl for a daily driver??

[rolfluut]

Hello everybody, i'm looking for a sl as a daily driver. Found a car that looks pretty good, bodywork ok, interior ok. The engine and drivetrain are not revised but working, just leaking a bit of oil. Some parts in the engine compartiment are new(radiator) exhaust need to be replaced in the near future. I'm planning to use it every day and it has to stay outside because my other project is in the garage( won't name the "type" of car but it is "E"nglish )


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How do you all think about this? I am living in the netherlands, anybody any ideas about the theft risk if you leave such a car outside. And how dry does the car stay in rain?

A lot of questions but i'm not sure if i will buy it because a little voice inside my head says it would be stupid to leave such a car outside in the elements.

Regards Rolf

[scoot]

quote:Originally posted by rolfluut


How do you all think about this?  And how dry does the car stay in rain?

A lot of questions but i'm not sure if i will buy it because a little voice inside my head says it would be stupid to leave such a car outside in the elements.

I wouldn't leave it outside.   Regarding how dry it stays, if you are actually going to buy this car I think it is worth your time to get the seller to allow you to spray lots of water at the car, top and bottom.  Search the forum -- there are quite a few places for water to leak into the car, trunk, etc.  

I recently purchased an early 250 SL and there is rust damage in the trunk, some under the parcel shelves, and not much more.  But that is all because the owner left the car outside and the car leaks.

[J. Huber]

Hi Rolf. The car looks fantastic to me. And I am betting that every single person on this forum is pleading for you to get it indoors.

As for how well they do in the rain? If all is in order, I am sure the car would do fine. A car such as this one would probably have decent rubber seals and hopefully clear drain holes -- if not, there's a nice project for you. Keeping the hardtop on might help during the wettest months.

But please find a way to store it in a dry place after work!!

[waqas]

As a last resort, you can get a waterproof car cover and open it up regularly. This would also hide it from view (of course, "security by obscurity" is no guarantee against theft, etc).

[graphic66]

Buy it, drive it, have fun. Kind of strange, a car in a place that looks like it specializes in wheels and the car has missing trim rings and unpainted hub caps.

[benzportland]

My first question would be whether she has her hardtop, and how well the windows seal into it.  Very nice looking, but for me it would totally depend on price.  I am currently sorting through one I bought last Fall.  I notice the fuel cap does not appear to be original and someone else mentioned the wheels.  I would guess about 700 USD to get that in order if it bothers you.  The tires look good from the pictures.  Oil leaks scare me because I have learned they can be the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  I easily spent 5,600 on mechanicals (including brakes) from a very reputable mechanic who discounted the work for me.  If you can do the work yourself then I would be less hesitant.  

As for keeping it outside, if I recall the climate in The Netherlands is similar to where I live (Northwest Coast US).  I would really try to keep it inside at least during wettest months, and during some months the constant rain followed by sun and then rain again is really hard on all the exterior.  I was in Amsterdam this January and WOW it was cold some days - changes like that in temperature of course can build moisture all over.  As for theft, there are stories here of tow trucks hooking them up and dragging them off from in front of homes in the middle of the night....

On the other hand, she would look VERY fetching cruising through the countryside there!!

[Longtooth]

Besides weather related exposures and consequences more/less that others have mentioned already, the hardtop has considerable value and is easy to remove --- break open just one of the door windows and the hardtop's just 4 simple lever's away from being lifted right off, zero other damage or risk of any.  Two guys can do the deed in 2 minutes max ----break window, move levers, lift it off, and put it in a small van and drive off.

The other factor to leaving it exposed is all the interior chrome.  Condensation (humid interior if any leaks, or just humid atmosphere) will corrode the chrome surfaces (interior mirror, chrome bezels on instruments, chrome levers (for hard-top/soft-top release), if hardtop's on then chrome levers at attachment behind the doors, and the chrome covers on the body behind the doors. This will occur even in sunny CA Santa Clara Valley in summer even due to warm / hot days, and cooling at nite with fog (or just humid air) rolling over the coast range or down from SF bay, so it will occur the more-so in Netherlands.... even much, much more if near larger bodies of water (especially brine or salt marshes/canals with saltwater).

If you take meticulous care of the interior chrome... keep well waxed everywhere in in each nook/cranny of chrome, AND air out the car's interior frequently... like every other day, imo, rain or shine, then perhaps you can keep the interior chrome from corroding or tarnishing, but without that kind of constant attention you'll see interior chome tarnish, then start raising little nibs, and before you know it you'll need to have every piece rechromed.  Believe it or not, the exterior chrome will fare far better than the interior chrome if car's buttoned up and non-leaking.... but not being constantly aired out.

[rolfluut]

Thanks everybody, the garage which offers it for sale also sells wheels but there main business is second hand mercedeses of just a couple of years old. The car comes with the hardtop.The price would be more or less 45000$.
I think i just wait until there is space in my garage. Got 1 positive and 5 negative answers at this moment.

regards Rolf

[thelews]

FWIW, my mother drove her 1971 280 SL in Wisconsin winters for 17 years.  It rotted from the bottom due to salt.  Used hardtop in winter.  My current 250 SL's last BIG trip (with previous owner) was a 1000 mile drive in a driving rain with the hardtop.  No water except through the air intake for the ventilation system due to the volume of water coming in (couldn't handle it all).  You will do much better with the hardtop than soft for battling the elements.  My 250 SL has all original chrome and no pitting, but the car was VERY well cared for.

[scoot]

quote:Originally posted by rolfluut

Thanks everybody,  The car comes with the hardtop.The price would be more or less 45000$.
I think i just wait until there is space in my garage.
regards Rolf

$45k seems to high for a car that would be parked outside.  I think many of us are relieved at your decision to wait until there is space in your garage...   best wishes!

[Eryck]

Nice looking car but I wouldn't want to leave in outdoors all the time.

My problem with my car being an everyday driver is the gasoline smell.  After half an hour's drive, my clothes smell like gasoline.  Would appreciate any advice that anyone might have in terms of how I fix this problem...

Good luck with the "E" type, Rolf...

[waqas]

quote:Originally posted by Eryck

My problem with my car being an everyday driver is the gasoline smell.  After half an hour's drive, my clothes smell like gasoline.  Would appreciate any advice that anyone might have in terms of how I fix this problem...

Have you checked to see if the smell is coming from the engine bay or the trunk? If you have a strong smell in the trunk (especially after a gas re-fill) then your fuel sender cork seal is most likely the culprit. This is located under the trunk mat, near the center of the trunk.

Another possibility: the little rubber fuel hoses that connect to the fuel filler neck, as well as the fuel vapour canister located in the trunk, on the right side.

[TheEngineer]

I had exactly the experience Longtooth describes: I had this 230SL in the early '70s and after I sold it, the new owner had the hardtop stolen. To add insult to injury, it started to rain and the interior became soaked. For some reason the thieves did not put the soft top up.