SL/R107: Purchasing a '76 450SL
06-22-2004, 09:34 AM
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2001 Honda Accord EX V6
Purchasing a '76 450SL
Hello to all ...
I'm looking to purchase my first MB and would like some input, if you don't mind. The car is a '76 450SL that looks nearly showroom perfect. It has 51K miles, has had the interior leather redone, regularly maintained, garage kept, even the trunk is very clean. It also has a new rag top and there is no sign of leaking from either the soft or hard top. The A/C works, but needs a charge as the current owner never used it in the last several years. She only drove it with the top down.
When I drove it, the engine sounded a bit rough, though it felt smooth, if that makes sense. Is there anything specific that I need to look for, and assuming it is in good mecahnical shape, how much should I expect to pay? My intention is to use this as a collector car ... covered in the garage, only driven on weekends and special trips, yada yada.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Ron
I'm looking to purchase my first MB and would like some input, if you don't mind. The car is a '76 450SL that looks nearly showroom perfect. It has 51K miles, has had the interior leather redone, regularly maintained, garage kept, even the trunk is very clean. It also has a new rag top and there is no sign of leaking from either the soft or hard top. The A/C works, but needs a charge as the current owner never used it in the last several years. She only drove it with the top down.
When I drove it, the engine sounded a bit rough, though it felt smooth, if that makes sense. Is there anything specific that I need to look for, and assuming it is in good mecahnical shape, how much should I expect to pay? My intention is to use this as a collector car ... covered in the garage, only driven on weekends and special trips, yada yada.
Thanks for any help you can give.
Ron
07-14-2004, 03:47 AM
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Well, I don't have great words of wisdom but am waiting to see what gets posted. I just bought (today as a matter of fact) a 1977 450 coupe that needs some TLC. Personally, I'd certainly love to have the opportunity to snag one like you're looking at!
Have you done any research on it yet? One thing I did was go thru the completed Ebay sales to see what had actually been paid for ones similar to mine. I also did various google searches to see what popped up...
Have you done any research on it yet? One thing I did was go thru the completed Ebay sales to see what had actually been paid for ones similar to mine. I also did various google searches to see what popped up...
07-15-2004, 04:32 PM
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2002 SLK 32 AMG, 2002 ML 320, 2001 E-320, Porsche 944
I like the collector car idea. It's a classic. So maintenance won't be a biggie. But if you expect to use it more than that, those costs can be up there.
07-21-2004, 10:34 AM
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2001 Honda Accord EX V6
I did, indeed, check Ebay for comps and was pleased to find that people were getting about what I expected ... which was significantly higher than what I paid (I bought the car yesterday).
Regarding the collector idea, I purchased collector insurance for the car which will limit the amount of driving to 2,500 miles per year. This will help me resist the temptation to drive it every day ... hopefully! It needs some work, but is in overall good condition.
Question: the car has the original seafoam green paint that is showing a little wear. If I were to repaint the car in an original color other than the green (black, for instance), would I hurt the value of the car?
Thanks for any input you have.
Ron
Regarding the collector idea, I purchased collector insurance for the car which will limit the amount of driving to 2,500 miles per year. This will help me resist the temptation to drive it every day ... hopefully! It needs some work, but is in overall good condition.
Question: the car has the original seafoam green paint that is showing a little wear. If I were to repaint the car in an original color other than the green (black, for instance), would I hurt the value of the car?
Thanks for any input you have.
Ron
08-14-2004, 02:23 PM
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1973 450SL & 1983 240d
Mine rumbled just out of storage too
Hi,
I have a 73 450 SL and it was in storage for many years. It rumbled a bit but ran smoothly (yes I know what you mean) when I first started driving it this summer. As I drove it through a few tanks of gas (oh I was *not* used to filling up that often after a diesel!) it ran more and more smoothly -especially after doing some highway driving. After 700 miles it's running smoth as silk, accelerates great, and just seems to love being on the highway
So, if you have it inspected by someone that knows what they're doing and everything looks good, I would have a lot of confidence in the car.
Mine isn't completely original. It was originally aqua blue and was painted silver with what looks like at least 12 coats of paint, had the euro headlights done and it also had the 560ish brake light installed on the trunk. I thought about restoring it to the original colour, but with the changes that have already been made and the fact that the silver shows off the lines so beautifully I pretty much forgot about the idea. I have a set of 560 chromed wheels but am thinking of switching to my set of the original bundt cake pans next year because they do look nice with the older look of the car (the car has both sets).
As far as I know, these cars are not collectible yet. I do think they're undervalued for what they are (especially the earlier ones) but I don't know if they will be collectible in the future, especially because so many were made. For myself, this car is for my pleasure, not for investment purposes, so it's really not an issue. If it were my car I'd do whatever I wanted that made me happy/proud to drive it.
best wishes,
Deidre
I have a 73 450 SL and it was in storage for many years. It rumbled a bit but ran smoothly (yes I know what you mean) when I first started driving it this summer. As I drove it through a few tanks of gas (oh I was *not* used to filling up that often after a diesel!) it ran more and more smoothly -especially after doing some highway driving. After 700 miles it's running smoth as silk, accelerates great, and just seems to love being on the highway
So, if you have it inspected by someone that knows what they're doing and everything looks good, I would have a lot of confidence in the car.
Mine isn't completely original. It was originally aqua blue and was painted silver with what looks like at least 12 coats of paint, had the euro headlights done and it also had the 560ish brake light installed on the trunk. I thought about restoring it to the original colour, but with the changes that have already been made and the fact that the silver shows off the lines so beautifully I pretty much forgot about the idea. I have a set of 560 chromed wheels but am thinking of switching to my set of the original bundt cake pans next year because they do look nice with the older look of the car (the car has both sets).
As far as I know, these cars are not collectible yet. I do think they're undervalued for what they are (especially the earlier ones) but I don't know if they will be collectible in the future, especially because so many were made. For myself, this car is for my pleasure, not for investment purposes, so it's really not an issue. If it were my car I'd do whatever I wanted that made me happy/proud to drive it.
best wishes,
Deidre
