baco99

My father-in-law is shopping for his first SL. It's a 1985 380SL with a clean history. Car has 77,445 miles. The body of the car is in great shape and the owner sent over the latest repair items. A TON of stuff has been repaired or replaced. My question is, what's left to go wrong? Any suggestions on what to watch out for would be great. Thanks!

hazard light switch
valve cover gasket
odometer (recalibrated, shows actual mileage)
timing chain, tensioner & rail
suframe modification/reinforcement (?)
thermostat
bumper guards (all 4)
shifter bushing
climate control mono valve
fog light bulbs
antenna grommet
O2 sensor
rear pads and rotors
fuel pump
fuel filter
windshield washer pump, valve & hoses
center link (?)
spark plug & injector (cyl 6)
fuel distributor
o-ring
fuel pump relay
cleaned injectors (to remedy rough idle and hard starting)
steering coupling
ABS sensor
4 wheel alignment

here's what needs to be done:
lubrication service
cruise control amplifier
steering box adjustment
front brakes

The asking price is $17k, but we have already negotiated that down a bit. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Bull

Baco's Space,

Suframe (Subframe?) Modification/Reinforcement scares me a little. Price seems high for '85 380. Out of curiousity, why is he interested in a 380 vs. 560?

Best regards,

Bull

nobby

Sounds like a lot of dough......
Was the sub frame repair done under MB warranty?

baco99

the subframe repair i can't comment on, all i know is it was $400 in labor to weld a subframe reinforcement and rust proof it. i'm assuming it wasn't under warranty since the repair was done in 2001. in fact, that list is ALL from 2001 and beyond. i don't have a repair history before that.

i can't tell you why he's looking for a 380 over the 560, other than MBs strong reputation for inline sixes. from what i've read, the 380 series was the best run for the SL in terms of reliability.

we've negotiated down to $14.5k. Seems reasonable for a new England car with no rust. our prices up here in MA seem higher than anywhere else in the country. we're going to take a look at it this coming weekend, depending on the condition, i may recommend he negotiate further.

thanks!

nobby

Before make you make the trip, be advised that a 380SL is an 8 cylinder motor.
The 280sl has the inline 6 cylinder.

Ears

I have never read this... Not doubting you at all, but could you supply articles to this effect? I was under the impression the 560 scored better in the reliability department. I do not have anything to back this up either, but perception may be the reason for this thinking, as the 560 was the last of the 107 line, and therefore newer. Seems I recall problems with the fuel injection, but that may be the earlier 450's of the late 70's that I am not fully remembering.

Nooby is dead right on the engine... The 380's were V8s with about 160hp +/-... The Euro 280 and 300 were 6cyl powered (No 280s or 300s were designated to export to the US)

There was a recall on subframes on some early 107's, that is still honored by MB, but some middle years have been excluded. It was believed the problem was corrected during manu. I have seen reports of the 380s suffering from subframe failure, and rejected under the recall. Check sl107.com and search... good articles there concerning this recall.

The price seems too high, but value is all over the place with these 107's... Good 560s with this kinda mileage can be had for that kinda dough. 560s come with abs, driver airbag, alarm system, Climate Control, and 227HP, 279lbft torque. Expect 14-17 mpg mostly highway mileage from a 560. Another site for good info is ourSL.com... Roy Spencer's site is a great resource. Several 107s listed there for sale as well.

RoadkingHI

Agree, 560 is better engine and less problems/recalls. If not mistaken 380's had belt problems but with all the work they had done on this car might be ok.
Price does seem high though.

MBHustla858

380s are definent dogs.... chances are the left head gasket is starting to leak oil..... and intake manifold needs a reseal.... and the steering box is leaking.....

he should look at a 560 w/ more mileage... he can get a mint 560 for about 15.... and the bigger brakes and better suspension will be worth the chips

baco99

of course! sorry. i knew that. i really did. just had a brain fart.